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Post by paastrosfan on Aug 27, 2019 8:46:58 GMT -6
If every hitter did stuff the way the best hitters did, they'd all be great hitters. It's just not that easy. These players develop their approaches over years of play and practice. And whatever made them successful enough to get here, is likely what they're going to stick with. Altuve will never be a guy that walks a lot. Bregman will never be a guy that hits .330+. But they're still fantastic producers with their approaches. Hitting is hard. So whatever approach they've found that works for them is fine by me if they keep hitting at the level that they do. Despite a relatively down year in many aspects for Altuve, he's 9th in OPS+ in the league and the 1st for all AL 2B. And Bregman is the 2nd best position player in the AL behind Mike Trout. Tough to complain about either of those guys right now. Very well stated post. |
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Post by unionstation82 on Aug 27, 2019 9:38:18 GMT -6
Bagwell is rather astute despite the appearance. As bad as Bags is in the booth, imagine having to sit through a game with Biggio in there talking. How many times would he say "I mean, it is what it is." or "You just have to tip your cap to them sometimes."? Does he ever mention his commemorative 3,000th hit bat? |
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Post by unionstation82 on Aug 27, 2019 9:43:17 GMT -6
Altuve's issue is that he's often undisciplined at the plate. He has world-class hand/eye coordination and relies too much on pure skill rather than putting himself in the best possible position to use that skill. If he could learn strike zone discipline he might hit over .400. Ted Williams said that the key to hitting was getting a good pitch to hit. Altuve doesn't do that nearly enough. My favorite thing about Altuve is when he goes into wild card mode and makes contact in the weirdest way to get a hit. That’s when he’s the most badass hitter on the team. Case in point: www.mlb.com/video/altuves-rbi-single/c-520054683 |
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Post by paastrosfan on Aug 27, 2019 9:54:14 GMT -6
Altuve's issue is that he's often undisciplined at the plate. He has world-class hand/eye coordination and relies too much on pure skill rather than putting himself in the best possible position to use that skill. If he could learn strike zone discipline he might hit over .400. Ted Williams said that the key to hitting was getting a good pitch to hit. Altuve doesn't do that nearly enough. My favorite thing about Altuve is when he goes into wild card mode and makes contact in the weirdest way to get a hit. That’s when he’s the most badass hitter on the team. Case in point: www.mlb.com/video/altuves-rbi-single/c-520054683You have to face it, some hitters have no strike zone, Val Sr. didn't like a pitch he ever saw. |
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Post by Saint on Aug 27, 2019 10:33:34 GMT -6
For what it's worth, Altuve has improved his plate discipline over the years. His first four full seasons he averaged 35 Walks a season. His last four he is averaging over 50. It's certainly not amazing, but it has helped take his OBP from only about 30-40 points above his AVG to 60-70 points above.
The thing to watch with Altuve is how well he still gets hits as he ages and his speed declines. He won't be able to beat out the infield singles he does now that help keep his AVG and OBP at such high levels. He can go three potential ways:
1. Channel Tony Gwynn and focus on his contact and peppering singles all over the field but with decreased power.
2. Not change his approach at all and tail off to a .270-.280 hitter with a weaker OBP but still reasonable power.
3. Go full Bregman and focus on driving the ball and taking more pitches, but also strikeout/flyout more with a much lower AVG.
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Post by paastrosfan on Aug 27, 2019 10:57:44 GMT -6
For what it's worth, Altuve has improved his plate discipline over the years. His first four full seasons he averaged 35 Walks a season. His last four he is averaging over 50. It's certainly not amazing, but it has helped take his OBP from only about 30-40 points above his AVG to 60-70 points above. The thing to watch with Altuve is how well he still gets hits as he ages and his speed declines. He won't be able to beat out the infield singles he does now that help keep his AVG and OBP at such high levels. He can go three potential ways: 1. Channel Tony Gwynn and focus on his contact and peppering singles all over the field but with decreased power. 2. Not change his approach at all and tail off to a .270-.280 hitter with a weaker OBP but still reasonable power. 3. Go full Bregman and focus on driving the ball and taking more pitches, but also strikeout/flyout more with a much lower AVG. Jose could do the Gwynn gig, he displayed that type of hitting his first couple of seasons. When he started his off season "The Hulk training" of flipping tractor tires, the mind set changed. lol |
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Post by Saint on Aug 27, 2019 11:17:33 GMT -6
For what it's worth, Altuve has improved his plate discipline over the years. His first four full seasons he averaged 35 Walks a season. His last four he is averaging over 50. It's certainly not amazing, but it has helped take his OBP from only about 30-40 points above his AVG to 60-70 points above. The thing to watch with Altuve is how well he still gets hits as he ages and his speed declines. He won't be able to beat out the infield singles he does now that help keep his AVG and OBP at such high levels. He can go three potential ways: 1. Channel Tony Gwynn and focus on his contact and peppering singles all over the field but with decreased power. 2. Not change his approach at all and tail off to a .270-.280 hitter with a weaker OBP but still reasonable power. 3. Go full Bregman and focus on driving the ball and taking more pitches, but also strikeout/flyout more with a much lower AVG. Jose could do the Gwynn gig, he displayed that type of hitting his first couple of seasons. When he started his off season "The Hulk training" of flipping tractor tires, the mind set changed. lol I'm sure he could, it's just what approach does he go for? Can he reinvent himself some like some of the older best pitchers do when they lose their velicty, or will he stick with his approach now even though he has lost a step? We'll see. |
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Post by unionstation82 on Aug 27, 2019 12:13:05 GMT -6
For what it's worth, Altuve has improved his plate discipline over the years. His first four full seasons he averaged 35 Walks a season. His last four he is averaging over 50. It's certainly not amazing, but it has helped take his OBP from only about 30-40 points above his AVG to 60-70 points above. The thing to watch with Altuve is how well he still gets hits as he ages and his speed declines. He won't be able to beat out the infield singles he does now that help keep his AVG and OBP at such high levels. He can go three potential ways: 1. Channel Tony Gwynn and focus on his contact and peppering singles all over the field but with decreased power. 2. Not change his approach at all and tail off to a .270-.280 hitter with a weaker OBP but still reasonable power. 3. Go full Bregman and focus on driving the ball and taking more pitches, but also strikeout/flyout more with a much lower AVG. Jose could do the Gwynn gig, he displayed that type of hitting his first couple of seasons. When he started his off season "The Hulk training" of flipping tractor tires, the mind set changed. lol Tony Gwynn was the best contact hitter I’ve ever seen. He must’ve been so annoying to pitchers in his heyday. |
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talshill
Arbitration Eligible
Vini, vici, pavori.
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Post by talshill on Aug 27, 2019 13:17:50 GMT -6
Altuve's issue is that he's often undisciplined at the plate. He has world-class hand/eye coordination and relies too much on pure skill rather than putting himself in the best possible position to use that skill. If he could learn strike zone discipline he might hit over .400. Ted Williams said that the key to hitting was getting a good pitch to hit. Altuve doesn't do that nearly enough. Speaking of undisciplined, I watched Biggio swing over a down and away slider his whole career repeatedly. Well he is in the "Hall of Fame". Yep, they're all flawed to one degree or another. Judging a hitter like Altuve is like looking at work of Michelangelo and thinking you would have done it differently. Hitting a thrown ball well with a bat is probably the most difficult thing to do in sports. |
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Post by blcoach8 on Aug 27, 2019 15:11:10 GMT -6
Altuve's issue is that he's often undisciplined at the plate. He has world-class hand/eye coordination and relies too much on pure skill rather than putting himself in the best possible position to use that skill. If he could learn strike zone discipline he might hit over .400. Ted Williams said that the key to hitting was getting a good pitch to hit. Altuve doesn't do that nearly enough. Very well said. He is good hitter as it is, but, would be better if he was more disciplined. When he is going good, he hits to all fields. When he starts trying to pull everything is when he gets in trouble. Most of the DP's he grounds into come from trying to pull every pitch. He also has a tendency to hurt himself by reaching for pitches that are low and outside. |
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Post by blcoach8 on Aug 27, 2019 15:14:13 GMT -6
I like Berkman, too.........I don't like Eschenfelder and wish they would keep the marketing airhead out so we wouldn't miss an inning of the game listening to her gush about her promotions bull shit. If you think it’s bad on tv, try listening to that on the radio. The few time I've listened on radio...........and that is usually when weather causes me to lose my satellite signal.........I like Robert Ford and Steve Sparks. When Kalas is off, I wish they would move Ford to TV. |
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Post by blcoach8 on Aug 27, 2019 15:18:08 GMT -6
Bagwell is rather astute despite the appearance. As bad as Bags is in the booth, imagine having to sit through a game with Biggio in there talking. How many times would he say "I mean, it is what it is." or "You just have to tip your cap to them sometimes."? When Biggio was playing, if you heard one of his post-game interviews, you heard them all. If they lost, it was always "That's baseball. We will come out again tomorrow and try our hardest". |
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Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Aug 27, 2019 16:54:25 GMT -6
As bad as Bags is in the booth, imagine having to sit through a game with Biggio in there talking. How many times would he say "I mean, it is what it is." or "You just have to tip your cap to them sometimes."? When Biggio was playing, if you heard one of his post-game interviews, you heard them all. If they lost, it was always "That's baseball. We will come out again tomorrow and try our hardest". Exactly my point. |
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Post by thomasj13 on Aug 28, 2019 5:12:52 GMT -6
As bad as Bags is in the booth, imagine having to sit through a game with Biggio in there talking. How many times would he say "I mean, it is what it is." or "You just have to tip your cap to them sometimes."? When Biggio was playing, if you heard one of his post-game interviews, you heard them all. If they lost, it was always "That's baseball. We will come out again tomorrow and try our hardest". |
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Post by Saint on Sept 16, 2019 15:15:37 GMT -6
A good, if not a little homer-ish, article on Altuve: www.mlb.com/astros/news/jose-altuve-is-playing-like-an-mvp-againWhat's also interesting about this season for him, his BABIP is the lowest for his career outside of his partial rookie stint. It's even lower than his worst season in 2013 when he was actually a below-average hitter production-wise. Imagine how good his production would be if his BABIP was closer to the .351 mark he has averaged since 2014, rather than the .310 it's at now? His Runs Created this season (in which he'll likely only play 120 games) is the 3rd highest of his career at 141 currently. I hope he can finish strong and keep his AVG north of .300 and his OPS higher than .900. |
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Post by blcoach8 on Sept 16, 2019 15:23:11 GMT -6
A good, if not a little homer-ish, article on Altuve: www.mlb.com/astros/news/jose-altuve-is-playing-like-an-mvp-againWhat's also interesting about this season for him, his BABIP is the lowest for his career outside of his partial rookie stint. It's even lower than his worst season in 2013 when he was actually a below-average hitter production-wise. Imagine how good his production would be if his BABIP was closer to the .351 mark he has averaged since 2014, rather than the .310 it's at now? His Runs Created this season (in which he'll likely only play 120 games) is the 3rd highest of his career at 141 currently. I hope he can finish strong and keep his AVG north of .300 and his OPS higher than .900. I hope he goes into the post-season with his brain in working order. |
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Post by Saint on Sept 26, 2019 7:07:36 GMT -6
He's been tailing off lately. He's actually made some solid contact but a lot of them are deep fly and lineouts. He has good power, but he doesn't have the power to be that type of hitter all the time. I wish he would go back to multi-hit games and slashing liners and hard grounders through the gaps.
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Post by blcoach8 on Sept 26, 2019 10:03:48 GMT -6
He's been tailing off lately. He's actually made some solid contact but a lot of them are deep fly and lineouts. He has good power, but he doesn't have the power to be that type of hitter all the time. I wish he would go back to multi-hit games and slashing liners and hard grounders through the gaps. I wish he would, too. But,l I am not sure he has the smarts to know how to do it. |
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Post by unionstation82 on Sept 26, 2019 10:14:51 GMT -6
He's been tailing off lately. He's actually made some solid contact but a lot of them are deep fly and lineouts. He has good power, but he doesn't have the power to be that type of hitter all the time. I wish he would go back to multi-hit games and slashing liners and hard grounders through the gaps. I miss Pesky Altuve, the one who could jump and foul a pitch to protect the runner. Now, it’s “fall on your ass to pull a pitch” Altuve. This lineup has more than enough power hitters but not enough line drive slashers who can hit to all fields. With that approach, Altuve offers a unique value to the team. I wish he’d get more into that aspect of his game again. |
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Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Sept 26, 2019 10:17:06 GMT -6
He's been tailing off lately. He's actually made some solid contact but a lot of them are deep fly and lineouts. He has good power, but he doesn't have the power to be that type of hitter all the time. I wish he would go back to multi-hit games and slashing liners and hard grounders through the gaps. I miss Pesky Altuve, the one who could jump and foul a pitch to protect the runner. Now, it’s “fall on your ass to pull a pitch” Altuve. This lineup has more than enough power hitters but not enough line drive slashers who can hit to all fields. With that approach, Altuve offers a unique value to the team. I wish he’d get more into that aspect of his game again. Incorrect, now it's "Player with best hitting line since the ASG Altuve" |
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Post by Saint on Sept 26, 2019 10:18:31 GMT -6
He's been tailing off lately. He's actually made some solid contact but a lot of them are deep fly and lineouts. He has good power, but he doesn't have the power to be that type of hitter all the time. I wish he would go back to multi-hit games and slashing liners and hard grounders through the gaps. I miss Pesky Altuve, the one who could jump and foul a pitch to protect the runner. Now, it’s “fall on your ass to pull a pitch” Altuve. This lineup has more than enough power hitters but not enough line drive slashers who can hit to all fields. With that approach, Altuve offers a unique value to the team. I wish he’d get more into that aspect of his game again. I disagree with the pulling. He doesn't look like he has been trying to yank everything lately. But he is trying to elevate everything. He's hit some balls hard lately but they're hanging up a little too high rather than being linedrives in the gaps. Yesterday he had two deep lineouts that were elevated too much (or not hit far enough depending on how you want to look at it). I know elevating is more and more what they seem to be wanting hitters to do, but that's not when Altuve is at his best, imo. In any case, considering how he started off the season he has done very well. It's a pretty good year all-around. |
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Post by unionstation82 on Sept 26, 2019 10:19:18 GMT -6
I miss Pesky Altuve, the one who could jump and foul a pitch to protect the runner. Now, it’s “fall on your ass to pull a pitch” Altuve. This lineup has more than enough power hitters but not enough line drive slashers who can hit to all fields. With that approach, Altuve offers a unique value to the team. I wish he’d get more into that aspect of his game again. Incorrect, now it's "Player with best hitting line since the ASG Altuve" It’s both. I think he pressures himself too much to be a Bregman or Springer type of home run hitter. |
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Post by unionstation82 on Sept 26, 2019 10:22:05 GMT -6
I miss Pesky Altuve, the one who could jump and foul a pitch to protect the runner. Now, it’s “fall on your ass to pull a pitch” Altuve. This lineup has more than enough power hitters but not enough line drive slashers who can hit to all fields. With that approach, Altuve offers a unique value to the team. I wish he’d get more into that aspect of his game again. I disagree with the pulling. He doesn't look like he has been trying to yank everything lately. But he is trying to elevate everything. He's hit some balls hard lately but they're hanging up a little too high rather than being linedrives in the gaps. Yesterday he had two deep lineouts that were elevated too much (or not hit far enough depending on how you want to look at it). I know elevating is more and more what they seem to be wanting hitters to do, but that's not when Altuve is at his best, imo. In any case, considering how he started off the season he has done very well. It's a pretty good year all-around. I think that’s on current coaching. Everything now is about launch angles and elevation. People don’t appreciate slap hitting or low power contact hitters as much anymore. Altuve lost part of what he’s great at to become another type of great hitter. It’s a shame. He could single or double a pitcher to death if he hit less fly balls. |
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Post by Saint on Sept 26, 2019 10:22:54 GMT -6
I miss Pesky Altuve, the one who could jump and foul a pitch to protect the runner. Now, it’s “fall on your ass to pull a pitch” Altuve. This lineup has more than enough power hitters but not enough line drive slashers who can hit to all fields. With that approach, Altuve offers a unique value to the team. I wish he’d get more into that aspect of his game again. Incorrect, now it's "Player with best hitting line since the ASG Altuve" Yeah, he has had a great 2nd half over all. But the last two weeks he has been HR-mode and nothing else. His SLG is nice, but his AVG/OBP is only .238/.273. We don't need a 5'5 Hispanic Chris Carter. I'm not really complaining. It's a good year for anybody. It just had a chance to be quite a bit better up until the last couple weeks, and I miss the type of hitter he was. Everybody these days is hitting 20+ HRs, but only a handful are hitting .310+. |
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Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Sept 26, 2019 10:51:43 GMT -6
Incorrect, now it's "Player with best hitting line since the ASG Altuve" It’s both. I think he pressures himself too much to be a Bregman or Springer type of home run hitter. Pfft. Altuve was winning batting titles and MVPs when bregman was just starting his career 0/37 |
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Post by blcoach8 on Sept 26, 2019 11:07:43 GMT -6
I miss Pesky Altuve, the one who could jump and foul a pitch to protect the runner. Now, it’s “fall on your ass to pull a pitch” Altuve. This lineup has more than enough power hitters but not enough line drive slashers who can hit to all fields. With that approach, Altuve offers a unique value to the team. I wish he’d get more into that aspect of his game again. I disagree with the pulling. He doesn't look like he has been trying to yank everything lately. But he is trying to elevate everything. He's hit some balls hard lately but they're hanging up a little too high rather than being linedrives in the gaps. Yesterday he had two deep lineouts that were elevated too much (or not hit far enough depending on how you want to look at it). I know elevating is more and more what they seem to be wanting hitters to do, but that's not when Altuve is at his best, imo. In any case, considering how he started off the season he has done very well. It's a pretty good year all-around. He has been a very good hitter since his return from the IL and has surprised lots of people by getting his average to .300. I don't question the fact that he is a good hitter, but, if was a more selective hitter, he would be even better. If he thinks ne needs to swing at outside pitches, hit them to the opposite field instead of yanking them to the left side of the infield for easy ground outs. Yes, he turned it around and is having a good year that could have been even better. |
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Post by blcoach8 on Sept 26, 2019 11:09:02 GMT -6
Incorrect, now it's "Player with best hitting line since the ASG Altuve" Yeah, he has had a great 2nd half over all. But the last two weeks he has been HR-mode and nothing else. His SLG is nice, but his AVG/OBP is only .238/.273. We don't need a 5'5 Hispanic Chris Carter. I'm not really complaining. It's a good year for anybody. It just had a chance to be quite a bit better up until the last couple weeks, and I miss the type of hitter he was. Everybody these days is hitting 20+ HRs, but only a handful are hitting .310+. HR mode=Dumbass mode. |
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Post by ɮօʀȶǟʐ on Sept 26, 2019 12:58:57 GMT -6
I wish we had 8 other players as dumb (and elite) as Altuve.
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Post by batman007 on Sept 26, 2019 20:40:45 GMT -6
I wish we had 8 other players as dumb (and elite) as Altuve. We'd be overrated, but I'm sure it would be fine. |
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Post by Saint on Sept 27, 2019 7:18:01 GMT -6
I wish we had 8 other players as dumb (and elite) as Altuve. We'd be overrated, but I'm sure it would be fine. Depends. Are they 2013 Altuve or 2015-2019 Altuve? |
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