In a baseball game, a manager has to make some decisions. A key decision is to call a player to pinch hit. In this season so far, which manager has done a great job at calling the right player to pinch hit? Which player is the most dangerous hitter coming off the bench?
Baltimore Orioles pinch hitters have 4 hits in 10 at bats and Red Sox pinch hitters collect 4 hits in 12 at bats. Each team doesn't use pinch hitters very often, but their pinch hitters have been doing well by far. Meanwhile, Oakland Athletics pinch hitters have 8 hits in 26 at bats, including a home run.
Using a pinch hitter is very normal in the National League and we always see a pinch hitter to replace a pitcher who is going to hit. So far in the 2021 season, the Pirates pinch hitters have 12 hits in 43 at bats, including a home run. Additionally, Washington Nationals pinch hitters have 9 hits in 35 at bats and two of those hits are home runs.
Moreover, the White Sox and the Rangers each post a .250 batting average while using a pinch hitter.
Coming off the bench seems to work for Wilmer Difo. He has 5 hits in 15 at bats as a pinch hitter, including a home run and a triple. Difo is slashing .333/.333/.667 so far while coming off the bench.
Pablo Sandoval inked a one-year deal with the Braves in January. Sandoval already has 152 home runs and 636 RBI in his career so far. However, he’s not an everyday player as he used to be. He only has 27 at bats so far, but he’s doing well as a pinch hitter, collecting 4 hits in 13 at bats. 3 of those hits are home runs.
In addition, 8 players each have 3 hits when coming off the bench.
Pablo Sandoval has collected 8 RBI when coming off the bench. Pitchers must be careful when they see Sandoval pinch hit. Also, this is the 3-time All-Star Matt Carpenter’s 11th season in the majors. Carpenter has crushed more than 150 home runs and collected more than 500 RBI. Nonetheless, Carpenter is probably not going to be an All-Star player again. He is currently hitting .109/.263/.304. However, Carpenter could help the Cardinals create some runs since he has 2 pinch-hit home runs and 6 pinch-hit RBI thus far. Furthermore, 3 players each have 4 RBI as a pinch hitter and they all play for the Giants.
Some teams have been doing well in using pinch hitters in the first month of the 2021 season. The sample size might be too small, but the Orioles and the Red Sox are doing a good job in calling a right batter to pinch hit. However, some teams haven’t used many pinch hitters so far. The Yankees haven’t played as expected and they don’t have any pinch-hit hits yet. When we look at pinch-hitters, Pablo Sandoval is probably a dangerous hitter when he comes off the bench. He already crushed 3 pinch-hit home runs so far and it’ll be interesting whether he can keep doing damage in a long season.
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