Comments on: The case of the Texas Rangers and the incredibly shrinking strikeout rates http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/ Baseball. Baseball. And then a bit more baseball. Sat, 25 May 2013 15:09:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: jasonwinter http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250970 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:45:18 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250970 2010 Rangers: 4212 PA vs. SP, 2086 PA vs. RP (33.1%)

2011 Rangers: 4122 PA vs. SP, 2139 PA vs. RP (34.2%)

]]> By: bleed4philly http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250814 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:34:48 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250814 Maybe they read the moneyball book and realized they probably should cut down on the strikeouts? Just a thought.

]]> By: unclearnie http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250756 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:31:12 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250756 Perhaps they struck out less because they saw more pitches from borderline relievers. After all, with that line up, they were probably into the bullpen by the 5th inning most nights. Maybe some of those relievers should have been at AAA ball. Jim Fregosi used to say that hitting was contagious because once the best hitters knocked out the best pitchers on the other team, the good (but not best hitters) got more hitable pitches from the pen. Anybody know how many innings of relievers they saw in 2011 vs 2010?

]]> By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250741 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:56:05 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250741 Also seems to be a corresponding drop in BB rate as well. Maybe guys were far more aggressive in hitting so they didn’t get into many 2-2/3-2 counts? I’d post the info but is there any way to format stuff in html so it doesn’t come out all fubar?

]]> By: brewcitybummer http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250735 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:37:17 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250735 I think there could be some significance in the 2 players who’s rates rose. They are the two power hitters who would get the most respect from opposing starters. The rest of the lineup got better pitches to hit because of the overall talent of the lineup. You pitch around the best two guys and then challenge the rest of the lineup to beat you.

]]> By: Jonny 5 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250730 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:22:46 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250730 Looks like they either cheated, got really lucky all at the same time, or they fired a hitting genius. That’s kinda funny because you have to think it’s option 3 because there’s no way Coolbaugh got them that much better since June. From what I understand the players didn’t like Bosley that much, they probably should have loved him.

]]> By: proudlycanadian http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250728 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:15:46 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250728 If it wasn’t the hitting coaches and better pitch selection by the hitters, then ESPN would likely conclude that it was probably somebody in the stands relaying pitch information and would then build a case out of nothing.

]]> By: cur68 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250708 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:22:23 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250708 I can buy that, but I have a combination thought now. See, I was kind on the page of park characteristics affecting batting approach. If the hitter knows that the pitch he usually flies out on will be a homer at a given park, then he swings at it, rather than lays off. By swinging at more types of pitches, the good hitters will get contact where they might have been caught looking before, since a good hitter gets more contact than a poor one (duh). Ergo the fly out that becomes a homer due to park characteristics can also be seen in the reduced SO rate.

Now add your approach to mine: cut down 2 strike swing & change in plate approach due to park characteristics. Some of those cut down sing shots leave the field, especially if that park is Arlington. As a hitting approach, I like it. No matter what, the SO rate likely drops.

]]> By: spytdi http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250707 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:19:56 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250707 What is this? The Crucible? What a bitch article.

]]> By: mojosmagic http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250705 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:12:23 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250705 I think that’s great. I wonder what the dramatic decline is attributable too? A lot of times it is as simple as cutting down on your swing especially with two strikes. Contact and hit it where it is pitched instead of trying to pull and jack it of the park.

]]> By: Matthew Pouliot http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250703 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:02:28 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250703 I would have given the hitting coach a nod in the article, if I knew which one to pick. They actually fired Thad Bosley in June and replaced him with Scott Coolbaugh. They also had Johnny Narron as an assistant hitting coach/Hamilton mentor.

]]> By: cur68 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250702 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:02:00 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250702 I’m going to say that sign stealing didn’t have as much to do with it as good hitters hit well in a ballpark that makes the most of the fly ball. Anyways, I thought it was only the Blue Jays stealing signs?

]]> By: proudlycanadian http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250699 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:59:05 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250699 Time for ESPN to try to do a hatchet job on the Rangers. I bet that ESPN will claim that someone saw a person in white relaying signals to the hitters from the outfield.

]]> By: Ben http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250698 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:58:23 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250698 Totally cool. It looks like the Rangers as a team cut their K% from 15.6 to 14.9 year over year. Is there enough data to look at year over year jumps in K% (or BB%) to see how often stuff like this happens?

]]> By: aaronmoreno http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/the-case-of-the-texas-rangers-and-the-incredibly-shrinking-strikeout-rates/comment-page-1/#comment-250697 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:58:13 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=107746#comment-250697 Maybe they did something legitimate instead of cheating? Hitting coach or something like that?

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