The Evil Player Program picked Patrick Kivlehan as the next player to examine. Kivlehan is basically a pinch-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds, although he played the outfield and the corner infield positions when he got into games. His strengths as a hitter come from his ability to draw a walk and his ability to hit for power, as he owns a .206/.303/.392 slash line. With that low a BA, it should not be surprising that he struck out 72 times in his 228 plate appearances.
He is not a good pinch hitter. In 59 PA as a PH, his slash line stands at .170/.254/.283 with 23 K. Pinch hitting is difficult, especially in today’s game when you’re likely to come in to a game against a strong reliever with your team trailing. He hits better when he’s in the game, .219/.320/.432, but that’s still not good enough to sustain him as an everyday player unless he was a good defensive catcher.
Kivlehan is a decent player to have on the bench. He’s not a good hitter, but he’s not an out machine. His high K total makes him a bad choice for late inning pinch-hitting the tough set-up men and closers of the modern game. The Reds may have better choices.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2CDUBHK
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