Tag: asdrubal cabrera

Choo Looks Good at Top of Order

Sometimes, fans over think the importance of a manager to a baseball teams.  Many baseball experts figure the difference between a top-notch skipper and a guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing is about five games.

It basically comes down to the talent a particular team has.

A little over a week ago, Indians’ manager Manny Acta decided to shuffle his batting order and put Shin-Soo Choo in the lead-off spot.

Right now, the initial returns have been extremely positive.  Choo looks like a different hitter than he was in April and early May.

The right fielder has thrived there, hitting .394 (13 for 33) since being moved there.  He’s scored six runs, and last night, started rallies in three innings in which the Tribe scored.

Perhaps Choo felt a need to drive the ball when hitting in the middle of the order because since moving to the top, he’s been hitting the ball where it is pitched more often, and as a result his batting average is climbing.

When you think about it, he’s a logical choice to hit lead-off, probably more so than Grady Sizemore, who Tribe managers have put first in the batting order for many years, and Michael Brantley, who looks like he should be a lead-off man, but doesn’t have the numbers to support it.

You see, Shin-Soo Choo has a lifetime on base percentage of .384.  The man gets on base frequently, which is the primary goal at the top of the order.  He also can run a little bit too, with two 20 stolen base seasons on his resume.  Brantley stole a career high (yes, Choo’s been around longer) 13 bases last season.

His ability to get on base ahead of Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera has helped spice up an offense in need of a spark.

Which brings us to a growing concern, DH Travis Hafner.

Yes, Hafner delivered in Tuesday’s 5-3 win over the Tigers, but the Indians need him to provide a power bat in the middle of the lineup, and at least this month, he has not put up many extra base hits.

He still has decent numbers (795 OPS), but that figure is arrived at because of a high on base percentage.  Don’t get us wrong, not making outs is a good thing, but his slugging percentage is just .419, less than Jack Hannahan and about the same as Jason Kipnis, a middle infielder.

In 20 games in May, Pronk is hitting just .191 and slugging just .382 with only six extra base hits.  Just for point of reference, that’s the same number as Casey Kotchman, and less than Asdrubal Cabrera, Choo, and Kipnis.  Jose Lopez has one less in 39 less at bats.

Carlos Santana is keeping his batting average up at .262, but he’s in Hafner’s situation as a player Acta needs to provide pop, yet he is only slugging .414 on the year, and also has just six extra base hits in May.

The Tribe doesn’t have too many players who can change a game in one swing of the bat, and the two guys who usually hit fourth and fifth in the order are hitting like guys who hit at the top of the order.

If Hafner and Santana can start belting out extra base hits, it doesn’t have to be home runs, doubles and triples will do, fans will see the Indians batting attack take a big step forward.

Somehow, we see Santana as more apt to oblige in this area, since Hafner’s slugging has declined in recent years, probably due to injury.

The Indians are getting runners on base, leading the league in walks, however, that statistic doesn’t do them any good if their big boppers aren’t driving them in.

MW

 

Tribe Bats Being “Left” Out

Coming into this season, the Cleveland Indians went against conventional wisdom, and went with a predominantly left-handed hitting lineup.  The organization had two reasons to support this move.

First, their research showed that left-handed hitters did better in Progressive Field that those who hit from the right side.  Although it didn’t bother Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Matt Williams and several other right-handed hitters who had big years in Cleveland’s home park.

The other reason was that many of the hitters were good hitters, and good hitters can hit any kind of pitching.

Thus far, however, the Tribe has had all sorts of problems vs. southpaws, hitting just .217 against them as a team.

To be fair, some of those lefties are simply good pitchers.  John Danks of the White Sox comes to mind.  He’s a solid big league starter who has had ERA’s under 4.00 in three of the last four seasons.

Still, that .217 average just means that the Indians will likely see more southpaws as starters, and they will see a lot of situational lefties coming out of opponent’s bullpens until they start having some sort of success.

When right-handers take the mound against Cleveland, they usually see a lineup of entirely left-handed sticks.  This has paid dividends as in the past couple of weeks, the Tribe has beaten pitchers such as Colby Lewis and Yu Darvish of Texas, and Josh Beckett of Boston.

But when a lefty goes, manager Manny Acta usually adds a couple of right-handed hitters to switch hitters Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera to try to balance the lineup, but so far it hasn’t worked.

One reason is that a couple of the righty bats put into the lineup haven’t hit.  C Lou Marson gets the bulk of his limited playing time when a lefty takes the hill, but thus far he is 1 for 10.  Jason Donald hit lefties very well last season, hitting .377 against them, but thus far he just 2 for 21, and yesterday was sent down to Columbus in favor of Jose Lopez.

That move costs the Tribe a legitimate backup shortstop, as now Jack Hannahan assumes the role.

Shin-Soo Choo, a lifetime .258 batter against southpaws is just 4 for 36 this season.  Travis Hafner is looking more and more like a strict platoon player at this point in his career, batting just .156 in 32 at bats.

The only players batting over .250 against left-handers are Cabrera, Santana, Shelley Duncan (who should be Hafner’s platoon partner), and Michael Brantley.  After those guys, the next best batting average is Jason Kipnis at .218.

This is exhibit A is why GM Chris Antonetti should have signed or traded for a right-handed hitter in the off-season.  Someone like Josh Willingham, currently hitting .313 with 7 homers for Minnesota.

Because right now, left-handed pitchers are sticking it to the Cleveland Indians.

It is understandable that fans do not want to hear that Aaron Cunningham, Lopez, and Marson need to be in there against southpaws on a regular basis, and that they probably need to be given more at bats periodically because they haven’t been able to stay fresh.  However, Acta needs to get some production against lefties.

Players like Choo and even Hannahan have had better numbers against lefties in the past and probably deserve continued plate appearances because of this season’s small sample size.

However, the Indians need to start getting some better efforts against southpaws otherwise we will see more performances like the one Saturday night against a nondescript Felix Doubrait.

If they are going to contend, they have to improve or Antonetti will be forced to find a right-handed bat, a weakness that has plagued the Indians for several years.

KM