The Bermuda Triangle of Hitting

by Crosbino on May 29, 2005 1:07 PM PDT Comment 2 comments

What concerns me (and I know it concerns others as well) about this team is not that they are so bad (offensively), but that it really makes no sense why they are so bad. Young players with track records haven't hit, established players are dramatically underperforming. Real HITTERS aren't hitting. And it's snowballing now. The A's offense was seen as a strength before the season, not just by people on this site, but objectively as well, by established sports writers.

Yet, here we are, a pathetic offensive void. Players come here, they struggle. Kendall comes to mind (and I know it's early). Ginter, too. Swisher rakes in AAA, but can't hit a lick up here. Johnson hasn't hit yet. Watson couldn't hit. I know it's small sample sizes, but seriously, what is it about this major league club that saps offense?

Here's the question: What are the A's telling players to do (or not telling them to do) that's making established hitters forget everything they ever knew about hitting?

This team is an offensive void right now.

Hitters come in, but they don't come out ...

The Bermuda Triangle of Hitting.

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First of all,

at this point in the season, I'd say "it's not late" but I wouldn't say "it's still early." It's not "still early" forever, and we're ending the first 1/3 of the season, and moving into the middle 1/3, this week.

I would most break the offensive problem down to:

Lack of slugging pct, leading to shallow positioning (taking away hits from Kendall, Hatty, Ellis) and needing 3 baserunners in an inning just to score a single run.
First pitch passivity, forcing hitters to hit from 0-1 too often (this has improved slightly of late, so I'm assuming the A's agree)
Lack of creativity, leading to "waiting around" for doubles and HRs that aren't even in the lineup, let alone forthcoming from this group right now.
Not maximizing the value of who you've got. Given Kendall excellent bat control and poor power, the A's should hit-and-run every chance they get with him. (It's the only way he's going to move guys along two bases at a time anyway.) Ellis should also be used more like his college roommate, Eckstein, until the A's start hitting with more power or productivity. Kotsay should be in a lineup spot where his aggressiveness and professional approach can be put to better use. Melhuse should have gotten a lot more starts until Swisher and Crosby returned to give the A's some potential power. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Saddest of all to me is that only point #1 has to do with injuries. The last 3 points have to do with what the A's have--or haven't done--with the guys they DID have.

Nico

by Nico on May 29, 2005 1:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The thing is....

Three baserunners in an inning often results in not one run but no runs. I've seen the A's go countless times with the bases loaded with two, one and even no outs, only to leave them like that. It makes the opposing pitcher look brilliant. Like when Saarloos worked his way out of the Red Sox jam (bases loaded, nobody out, 2 K's and a flyout... no runs scored). It seems like the A's are always the Red Sox in that particular situation only to either K, K, and flyout, pop up, K, and ground out, K, GIDP.... there are endless ways the A's find to kill a rally. I think we've gone through every possible way of killing a rally short of inducing a triple play.

I agree with all of your points, Nico. Very nicely put. :)

www.myspace.com/greenandgoldpride

by GreenNGoldGirl on May 29, 2005 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs