With the first series of the season in the bag, here is what the average leaders look line in terms of the slash line numbers. With a miniscule minimum of 12 plate appearances, here are the batting average leaders. At the top of the list is Chase Headley with a .636/.667/1.000 slash line. Chase is trying to hit the ball to the left side of the infield left open against the shift.
I hope Headley keeps doing this. I have aruged for years (including many years ago at a MIT-Sloan analytics conference) that getting on base against the shift was more important than any power lost. Note that Headley has not lost power, as his isolated power is .364 thanks to a home run and a double. Headley’s career is on the line as the Yankees have younger, potential star players waiting to push Headley aside. Maybe we needed someone desperate to show the potential of hitting against the shift.
Jason Castro saw half his plate appearances end in walks, and he leads the majors in OBP at .750. The Twins catcher is part of the walking team, and is certainly contributing. He owned a high OBP in 2013, his first full season with Houston. That fell in subsequent season as his batting average dropped. He remained good at drawing walks, but this is ridiculous.
The slugging column belongs to Yasiel Puig, with a double and three home runs among his five hits. That’s good for a 1.250 mark. He also drew four walks, do he’s getting on base and hitting for power. Maybe this is the season some maturity kicks in and he realizes his potential.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2oImHxH
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