Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
March 01, 2005
First National

An interesting article in the Washington Post on how Washington is trying to fit Endy Chavez into the leadoff spot. It's nice to see Barry Svrluga unabashedly use OBA to evaluate Endy:

Last year, he couldn't hold onto the leadoff spot -- one he acquiesced to Wilkerson -- because he walked just 30 times in 547 plate appearances, a horrific rate. He hit .277 and stole 32 bases, but it hardly mattered, because his on-base percentage was just .318, including an unforgivable .291 when batting first. The result: He scored just 65 runs. This year, the goal has been clearly stated. The Nationals want Chavez to score 100 times. Doesn't matter how. Just think that way. Make it happen.

Most sports writers would think a .277 average and 32 stolen bases was pretty good. This paragraph is a breath of fresh air.

Will it work? Billy Beane believes that getting on base is a skill that developed at a young age. Chavez appears to be too agressive, even ahead in the count:

His job, though, is multifaceted and more than a bit complex. Get this: One problem Chavez has is that when he swings, he hits the ball. Yes, you read that correctly. For Chavez, putting bat on ball too much is problematic.

Robinson explains it thusly. In the instances when Chavez is fortunate to work the count to, say, 3-1, his natural aggressiveness takes over. As Chavez said, "I like to swing the bat. It's hard not to." But because he rarely swings and misses or fouls a ball back, swinging at 3-1 can turn an at-bat in which Chavez held the advantage into a harmless groundout or popup. So in such situations, Robinson wants something different from a guy who's supposed to be a leadoff hitter.

"Occasionally, you're going to have to say to yourself, 'I'm going to take this pitch, and I'll go 3-2 and make him throw another pitch,' " Robinson said. "He has to, each at-bat, understand the situation, and then that will dictate what you should do that at-bat. Each at-bat is different, so look at it that way."

I hope for both Chavez and the Nationals that Endy can make the adjustments. However, Washington would probably be better off finding someone who has developed the skill of getting on base. I hear Rickey Henderson is playing up the road in Newark.

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Posted by David Pinto at 02:50 PM | Strategy | TrackBack (0)
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