Concerns about Dustin Pedroia

[TheKilo]

Pedroia in the minors:

 

308/391/454

 

Pedroia in 2007:

 

317/380/442

 

Pedroia in 2008:

 

284/325/392

 

 

2007: 47 BB / 42 K

2008: 12 BB / 25 K

 

 

He's walking less, striking out more, and making weaker contact. Cause for concern or minor blip?

[ksushi]

The cause for concern isn't with Pedroia. It's with Magadan for changing pedroia's approach to be a more aggressive hitter. His approach was perfect and I think it was a selfish move of magadan to try to get his finger prints on a great hitter like Dustin.

 

That said, I'm not worried about it. Last year Pedroia had one of the best swing and miss percentages in the majors, I don't see something like that changing so drastically from year to year when the hitter in question is well under the age of 30. I'll go with minor blip. He had a GREAT may last year, but I don't think slump busting is an exact science. If you're a slow starter, you could turn it on in may, june, or even in the 2nd half. Pedroia has been a slow starter his whole career, I think he gets back to his old approach (and his old reputation of being uncoachable which in this case would be a good thing) and he will put together a streak where he tears the cover off the ball.

[Thumper]

What I think Pedroia's problem is is that he's swining at too many bad pitches, and he swings early. He doesn't try to drag out the count and wait for a good pitch. He's not a very paitent hitter.

 

I think if he'd wait out the count some more, it could reduce his strikeouts and maybe increase his BB.

 

But all in all I don't consider it to be a true concern, for now atleast.

[ksushi]

What I think Pedroia's problem is is that he's swining at too many bad pitches, and he swings early. He doesn't try to drag out the count and wait for a good pitch. He's not a very paitent hitter.

 

This year he has not been because as I mentioned in my post, magadan changed his approach to attempt to make him more aggressive at the plate. Swinging at more pitches, taking less pitches. Look at his numbers last year, to say he is not a patient hitter is pretty misleading. His approach last year was pretty patient. There was nothing wrong with his approach, I think magadan is a selfish coach to attempt to mold a players approach to the game to have his finger prints all over that players success when the player was already successful. But thats just me.

[TheKilo]

What I think Pedroia's problem is is that he's swining at too many bad pitches, and he swings early. He doesn't try to drag out the count and wait for a good pitch. He's not a very paitent hitter.

 

I think if he'd wait out the count some more, it could reduce his strikeouts and maybe increase his BB.

 

But all in all I don't consider it to be a true concern, for now atleast.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=8370&position=2B

 

Interesting stats here.

 

O-swing is the % of pitches swung at that are out of the zone:

 

2006 - 27.12%

2007 - 24.41%

2008 - 22.20%

 

Z-swing is the % of pitches swung at that are in the zone:

 

2006 - 60.19%

2007 - 61.49%

2008 - 61.51%

 

Here are his total swings -

 

2006 - 45.10%

2007 - 44.19%

2008 - 43.66%

 

So, if you read these stats, he's actually swinging at LESS pitches than last year, swings at THE SAME when the pitch is IN the zone, and LESS when the pitches are out of the zone.

 

He's swinging at the right pitches, just not doing anything with them.

 

Is he getting unlucky? This graph suggest not:

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/graphs/8370_2B_season_full_7_20080528.png

[Thumper]

Well then if he's swining at the right pitches, I'd think he may have a timing issue. Maybe he's swinging too early? Too late? Or maybe his swing slowed down.

 

Those could be one of the problems.

[yeszir]

O-Swing. Awesome. That's a great stat.

[jacksonianmarch]

This year he has not been because as I mentioned in my post' date=' magadan changed his approach to attempt to make him more aggressive at the plate. Swinging at more pitches, taking less pitches. Look at his numbers last year, to say he is not a patient hitter is pretty misleading. His approach last year was pretty patient. There was nothing wrong with his approach, I think magadan is a selfish coach to attempt to mold a players approach to the game to have his finger prints all over that players success when the player was already successful. But thats just me.[/quote']

 

the more aggressive approach works well with someone who isnt maximizing his ability. I have a feeling that last season, Pedroia pretty much maxed his physical ability with his performance. This isnt like a Ryan Howard who is just taking too many pitches. This is a little pest who hit >.300 last yr with some pop. I wouldnt have touched a thing.

[rician blast]

Maybe part of the equation is that opposing pitchers/coaches have more info on how to pitch to him now?

[BSN07]

Maybe part of the equation is that opposing pitchers/coaches have more info on how to pitch to him now?

 

I believe its more of this. Second year players a good majority of the time regress a littlle when theres more info out there on them. Now we will see if Pedroia is able to adjust like the good hitters in the league.

[rician blast]

Adjust. The key word.

 

Pitchers have adjusted to him, he needs to adjust to them.

 

It's a bit like the circle of life, in fact I think that little cubby that Musafa held up at the cliff's edge was Dustin Pedroia.

 

I can hear Elton John breaking into song now. OK, no I can't and I've gone too far, but it's Friday.

[TheKilo]

His approach f***ing sucks and someone needs to tell him that.

 

Drop him in the order and bat Youkilis 2nd.

[Jayhawk Bill]

His approach f***ing sucks and someone needs to tell him that.

 

Drop him in the order and bat Youkilis 2nd.

 

He was hitting .271/.318/.380 entering the game.

 

Among AL second basemen with 100+ PA, he was fifth in VORP with 6.7. He's at +3 FRAA. His WARP3--a quick metric of his full-season value given historical norms for his position--is 5.6. A team with 15 players at 5.6 WARP (nine starters, five starting pitchers and a closer) and ten others at 2.0 WARP would have 104 WARP, easily enough to win a division.

 

Pedroia is doing his part. I'm not expecting Pedroia to be a HOF second baseman--that's not fair. But right now he's a playoff-caliber second baseman playing for MLB minimum salary, and I'm very happy to have him on our team.

[YAZMAN]

His WARP3--a quick metric of his full-season value given historical norms for his position--is 5.6. A team with 15 players at 5.6 WARP (nine starters' date=' five starting pitchers and a closer) and ten others at 2.0 WARP would have 104 WARP, easily enough to win a division.[/quote']

 

Do you use dilithium crystals to do all this or what?

[Jayhawk Bill]

Do you use dilithium crystals to do all this or what?

 

I DO NOT use Viagra. Why would you suggest such a thing? :dunno:

[YAZMAN]

I DO NOT use Viagra. Why would you suggest such a thing? :dunno:

 

You so missed the "WARP" joke. Beam me up, Scotty, I'm outta here.

 

 

 

BTW, Viagra is sildenafil citrate.

[Jayhawk Bill]

You so missed the "WARP" joke. Beam me up, Scotty, I'm outta here.

 

BTW, Viagra is sildenafil citrate.

 

The WARP joke was lame and old...and pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics are two other areas where I've posted, FYI.

 

But, hey, if a 50-odd-year-old guy can't engage in self-deprecating humor, what kind of Board is this?

[YAZMAN]

The WARP joke was lame and old...and pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics are two other areas where I've posted, FYI.

 

But, hey, if a 50-odd-year-old guy can't engage in self-deprecating humor, what kind of Board is this?

 

I had no idea. To make it up, I'm sending you a Red Sox pocket protector.

 

 

With a special pill pouch.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Do you use dilithium crystals to do all this or what?

 

We're experimenting with transwarp.

[Youk Of The Nation]

I've used Viagra. I don't recommend it.

[yeszir]

I've used Viagra. I don't recommend it.

 

[Youk Of The Nation]

 

I'm dead serious. It was one of our marathon-type days. We'd gone at it at least fifteen times by noon and I had kind of a 'balloon-animal-with-slowly-escaping-helium" thing going on. I got them for just such an occasion, or else the day would have been simply ruined.

[yeszir]

Dear. God.

 

How did a Dustin Pedroia thread turn into this?

[Youk Of The Nation]

Dear. God.

 

How did a Dustin Pedroia thread turn into this?

 

I tend to talk openly and often about my sex life for some reason. Everyone who knows me in 'real life' pretty much knows as much about it as Ami and I do.

 

Compared to my normal life my conversations on Talksox are tame.

[Cocos Disciples]

Jesus Christ you people.

[ORS]

Well, they at least have another cheap, and probably better, internal option in Lowrie - should he prove unable to handle SS like early scouting reports suggest.

[Jayhawk Bill]

Well' date=' they at least have another cheap, and probably better, internal option in Lowrie - should he prove unable to handle SS like early scouting reports suggest.[/quote']

 

Yes, but players have slumps. That's what this seems to be--a slump.

 

Pedroia's MLB career line is .289/.348/.408 this morning. For 12 games he's hit just .109/.208/.196, a great IsoD but a terrible BA. Well, BA is driven by BABIP, and his BABIP has been .128 over this stretch--we all know that his BABIP is usually about 175 points higher, so we shouldn't be overly worried. Up until his recent slump started, he was hitting .300/.338/.413 this year--that's perfectly reasonable given his position.

 

It's great having Jed Lowrie at Pawtucket. Let's see how Pedroia does over the next week or two before we consider making any changes, though.

[ORS]

I'm confident a slump is what we are looking at. That said, I think Lowrie will end up being the better player if he ends up a secondbaseman. There's a decision to be made there.

[RedSoxRooter]

we all know that his BABIP is usually about 175 points higher

 

Of course we do.

 

silly.

[YAZMAN]

Dear. God.

 

How did a Dustin Pedroia thread turn into this?

 

JB started it. You give him detention and I'll take the Red Sox pocket protector back.