Is there any other player that you're remotely interested in?

Let's keep the overly personal gibes to a minimum, please.

 

It might score more runs in THAT at-bat, but does it create more runs over the course of the inning?

 

Run-probability goes down in several situations when you fill first base. In situations where it does go up, it is actually quite marginal, almost negligible.

 

Go into those at-bats looking to swing.

 

Edit: Worded the above kind of poorly. The real point I'm making is:

 

Filling first base with a walk has a negligible effect on run-probability either way (many call it run-expectancy).

 

The difference, which is a big one to me, is there is only one situation where a walk scores a run, and it's the least common situation on the bases in baseball by a significant margin.

Edited April 19, 20179 yr by Steve Lein

 

I don't care about his selectivity at the plate. I care that he hasn't changed his swing since he came up as a young man. It was lauded as a perfect swing. Back in 2006. Before statitistics made a perfect swing obsolete due to the predictability of the resulting contact. He needs to swallow his pride and talk to Castro about the advantages of creating lift and pulling the ball. And starting his swing earlier.

agreed on the need for a mechanical adjustment as well. predictability is bad

Buster Olney posted this stat:

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=5&season=2017&month=0&season1=2017&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=11,a

 

Mauer has the best swinging strike % in the majors.

 

In one sense there could be an argument that he should swing more, but I'm pretty convinced that he is absolutely physically cooked. By limiting swings, he is still, in some ways, able to maximize what he can do - as little as that is. I don't think he can make the adjustments people are calling for here.