what's a reasonable expectation from crosby and his unaltered swing?

by guy incognito on Mar 19, 2007 12:30 PM PDT Comment 6 comments

seems like bobby decided not to make alterations to his swing as previously expected. i was disappointed to hear about this, because i think he could still get lots of power w/ a more compact stroke while not killing his back. that being said, i guess it is hard to make a change like that after swinging one way your whole life. however, crosby, even with those hellacious cuts, was around a .300 hitter until he got to the majors. so part of me thinks he can still be a good hitter w/ some adjustments while swinging for mars. is it better pitch anticipation? learning to trust his hands more so he waits a little longer? willingness to go the other way on outside pitches? better command of the strike zone? seems like these are all flaws crosby has, but all things he could improve on, even with his swing. thoughts?

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.285 avg./25+ Homers

Hitting mechanics aren't everything. The Jeff Bagwells, Cal Ripkens and Carlos DelGados of this world have proven that.

That being said... I think we should expect Crosby to be a good hitter with good power this year, provided he stays healthy. If that swing puts him on the DL again, or if he doesn't pan out, then I say we start looking at other options after this year.

Who needs drums and flags and diehards when flashing lights and a monkey can tell you when to cheer? - JLaff

by bzn5150 on Mar 19, 2007 1:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

History suggests he'll hit .244

Since he doesn't have a particularly good approach and doesn't seem inclined to change it, until I see evidence to the contrary it seems like the best guess is that he'll hit around .244.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Mar 19, 2007 6:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Evidence to the contrary...

is 2005.

The opinions of AN's cadre of hitting coaches notwithstanding, there's really no reason Crosby can't put up a line around of around .280/.350/.450 with his current approach. That's just about what he did two years ago, and it's also very good production from SS, though still not close to MVP numbers, of course.

In the stands the home crowd scatters For the turnstiles

by andeux on Mar 19, 2007 7:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm with andeux on this...

I think that he is capable of hitting .280ish and putting up a solid onbase/slugging percentage. That's what the A's need out of him. If he hits .244 this year with similarly low onbase and slugging, then let's find someone else. I grow tired of the whole 'is this the year Crosby becomes a great hitter' routine.

Who needs drums and flags and diehards when flashing lights and a monkey can tell you when to cheer? - JLaff

by bzn5150 on Mar 20, 2007 5:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Crosby can put up an .800 OPS

and stay healthy, he's a very valuable player. Great defense, above average hitting, relatively cheap, and peaking right now. There's a lot to like if he can manage to stay healthy again.

Of course, if he comes back totally healthy and sports an OPS below .750 (unlikely), something else may have to be worked out in the longterm.

"The future's like, who cares?" ~Eric Chavez

by rebus on Mar 20, 2007 7:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

PECOTA is very pessimistic

His 50th percentile is .250/.327/.411. His 90th percentile is .277/.364/.485. Now of course PECOTA doesn't know that Crosby was hurt most of the year. But at the same time that is fair game: he has shown that he is an injury-prone player (until he proves otherwise).

Personally I agree with PECOTA and I'd be pretty suprised if he had a 0.280 average or an on base of 0.364. If he can put up .260/.340/.450 and is healthy the whole year I'd be thrilled and this would be a huge boost for the A's.

by dude on Mar 19, 2007 8:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs