Yesterday, I posited a theory whereby Robinson Cano’s struggles with men on base and his poor 2008 season could be explained by his attempt to pull everything, and attributed his 2009 success with taking pitches middle-away the other way. Soon after I finished writing that post, Jeremy Greenhouse of The Baseball Analysts posted a study that seems to support my assertion about Cano’s 2009. He split the strike zone into various zones, and then computed run values for each hitter in each individual zone. This chart marks the leaders and trailers for pitches middle-away:
Greenhouse then comments about Cano, and notes that this data fits Cano’s MO as someone who excels at hitting the ball the other way. At least some of his 2009 success was directly attributable to his ability to deal with those pitches. Conversely, Curtis Granderson also made the list, but was one of the trailers. Why is this significant? After the Yankees acquired Curtis, I did some reading of various Tigers blogs, and based on the data they collected, reached the following conclusion:
From an amateur scouting point of view (and one that the Tigers fans agree with in the comments), it seems that Granderson has a similar problem to that of 2008 Robbie Cano: he has trouble laying off the pitch on the outer half, and instead of lining them to the opposite field, he is either pulling them to the right side or popping them up to the left. The Tigers Blog writer suggests that this increase in popups is the cause for his low BABIP, meaning that there is more than luck at play. This is an issue that Kevin Long fixed with Cano, and the hope is that he can correct it with Granderson as well.
This assertion is backed up by the batted ball data, which among other things shows an increase in his “pull” rate. As I noted in the excerpt and as Greenhouse’s reasearch confirms, Granderson seemed to have been plagued with an inability to go the other way with pitches middle-away. Hopefully, he can do some work with Kevin Long and make changes in this regard. For inspiration, he does not need to look any further than his own clubhouse and Robinson Cano. Every player is different, and just because Cano was able to remedy his problems does not guarantee that Granderson will be able to do the same. However, it is encouraging to see that there are identifiable explanations for Granderson’s tough season, and that the Yankees and Kevin Long have experience in fixing similar issues.
Related posts:
Certainly it’s encouraging news that Long may be able to correct the problem (which, if true, makes Granderson a legit superstar CF), but if his trouble or temptation is in always pulling the ball, as a lefty in YS3 it may not be as easy an adjustment as we might imagine or hope.
He’d be much, much more valuable spraying hits all over by going with pitches on the outer half, but we’ve seen guys who have historically done that (Giambi, Damon) but when that short porch smiles, everything is pulled. Damon benefited, though his unorthodox uppercut swing accounted for quite a bit; Giambi went from a guy who should hit .320/.430/.620 (albeit in steroid party time) to a guy so enamored with hitting everything out with one swing that he became a walk, strikeout, home run guy, thus losing value.
So, what I’m saying is we have a guy not known for great discipline but has excellent power, a lefty known to pull balls, with a big platoon split. This may be more than just a little fix. While I wouldn’t be surprised if he adjusted well and mirrored his 2007 season with better power, it’ll be an uphill climb.
(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Moshe Mandel Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
I may have made it sound like an easier task than it is. As you noted, the short porch might exacerbate the issue. That said, Cano was similarly enticed and seemed to have overcome it, so who knows?
(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]
Kevin Long is indeed both certifiably accomplished and a proven expert at fixing these issues, and is already working with Grandy down in Tampa as we write, along with Arod, Swish and Derek, all of whom have reported early and are anxious to build on their successes last year workith with Kevin. Word is Long is thrilled with the kid’s progress, and that he is making great strides on his both his “mentality” facing left-handed pitching and his patience at the plate. The Yankees have no interest in CG spraying hits all over the field. They love his speed in the field, they want him aiming for that short porch from the plate, and they want him to be able to do it every day no matter what side of the rubber someone’s throwing at him. Given the way our new lineup is shaping up and where he’ll likely be slotted, 40 HRs and 90-plus RBIs from him this year is not at all an unreasonable expectation, and will be needed to replace the power numbers we’ve lost elsewhere in the lineup. That is why we got him.
For chucks and giggles, check out “Joe’s Job – The Ballad of Terry Francona” at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvVZQnELQ9s
It’s must-see for Yankee fans and BoSuxers alike. Go Yankees! 28 in 2010!!
(Quote)
[Reply To This Comment]