He's hit a ton of big hits that were out of the zone.
Here is some interesting data among Sox hitters from 2018-2023:
Top Out of Zone Swinger
39% Devers
34% Vaz
34% JD
31% Bogey
Top In Zone Swingers
78% JD
77% Devers
74% Beni
71% JBJ
(Bogey was at 62% behind several others)
Differential between contact rates In Zone vs Out of Zone:
+28% Kike
+25% JD
+23% Dugo
+20% Bogey
+19% JBJ
+18% Betts
+15% Vaz
+14% Beni
+13% Devers
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Devers has been pretty consistent with his OUT of Zone swing rate, except for 2019- the year he had his 3rd best OPS+.
Maybe this shows my point in a better way...
All 4 seasons with 490+ PAs
O-Swing
72% 2019 (3rd best OPS+ at 132)
67% 2021 (2nd best OPS+ at 134) & 2022 (Best OPS+ at 141)
64% 2018 (Worst OPS+ at 94- way behind the others.)
While his worst O Swing rate was just his 3rd best OPS+ year our of 4, his worst year OPS+, by far was his best O-Swing year.
Are you sure you want to bring is O-Swing rate down to his 2018 numbers?
Last edited by moonslav59; 05-20-2023 at 12:12 AM.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
"Fans have become more entitled than anything. So they're starting to question our motives for the game, or how we approach the game. The ones that do question -- like who are you? Just shut up and watch the game tonight." --Kevin Durant on players' lack of effort in regular season games.
"Fans have become more entitled than anything. So they're starting to question our motives for the game, or how we approach the game. The ones that do question -- like who are you? Just shut up and watch the game tonight." --Kevin Durant on players' lack of effort in regular season games.
Championships since purchase by John Henry group: Red Sox 4 Yankees 1
The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 postseason games against the Yankees.
Exactly. He likely makes adjustments here and there and may learn over time, not to swing at pitches he doesn't hit very well. He's only 26 and will probably improve without making any changes, due to experience and refining his own approach.
Plus, it's not as simple as just saying lay off ____ type of pitch. Pitch recognition is done in such a small fraction of time, it might mess a hitter up by asking him to start thinking while doing what comes naturally- without thinking.
Like from that book I mentioned "Out of Your Mind," that speaks to the idea that once you start thinking about something during play, you lose that edge.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
You know, Luciano, a lot of us weren't happy about your approach to that C. Now we don't sing, mind you, but we listen to a lot of music, and we really think what you need to do is take on a lot more baritone roles.
"Fans have become more entitled than anything. So they're starting to question our motives for the game, or how we approach the game. The ones that do question -- like who are you? Just shut up and watch the game tonight." --Kevin Durant on players' lack of effort in regular season games.