We’ve seen that some pitchers did generate more swings and misses by throwing pitches out of the strike zone. This season, some batters decided to swing more pitches that were outside the zone and the results were not truly satisfying.
After spending 7 seasons with the Dodgers, Corey Seager decided to ink a 10-year deal with the Rangers. In his first season with the Rangers, Seager hit .245/.317/.455 with 33 home runs and 83 RBI. 33 home runs are his career high and he was selected to the All-Star game again. However, during the regular season, he had 198 swings and misses outside the strike zone, which are his career high as well.
After Seager agreed to a deal with the Rangers, Trea Turner becomes the Dodgers everyday shortstop. Turner has a great 2022 season, slashing .298/.343/.466 with 21 home runs and 100 RBI. It’s Turner’s first time collecting at least 100 RBI in a single season. Nonetheless, his batting average was .328 in 2021. There are some reasons to tell us why his batting average drops. Turner’s chase rate increased from 26.5% to 33.1%. Swinging at pitches out of the strike zone isn’t really ideal. Turner had 225 swings and misses outside the zone during the regular season.
At the same time, Christian Yelich’s chase rate also went up. His chase rate was under 20% in 2021 and this season, his chase rate was 23.1%. Moreover, he had 170 swings and misses out of the strike zone in 154 games this season. Back in 2019, Yelich had 184 swings and misses outside the strike zone in 130 games.
In addition, Francisco Lindor is the other shortstop who collected 100+ RBI in 2022. During the regular season, Lindor slashed .270/.339/.449 with 26 home runs and 107 RBI. Nonetheless, Lindor’s chase rate slightly increased from 26% to 29.9%. Lindor had 179 swings and misses outside the strike zone in 2022.
Finally, George Springer’s chase rate was 25.6% in 2022 and he had 140 swings and misses out of the strike zone. He batted .267/.342/.472 with 25 home runs and 76 RBI in his second season with the Blue Jays and he was selected to the midsummer classic. Furthermore, from 2017 to 2021, Brandon Nimmo’s chase rate had been below 20%. However, his chase rate increased to 21.3% in 2022. Nimmo’s on-base percentage dropped from .401 to .367. A possible reason why is that his chase rate went up. Additionally, he had 110 swings and misses outside the strike zone.
Corey Seager has a career-high 33 home runs in 2022. Trea Turner and Francisco Lindor each collected 100+ RBI. They each set a new career-high. However, each of them had seen an increase in chase rate and they had more swings and misses outside the strike zone during the regular season. Well, it’s impossible to collect a hit without swinging. But, it’s extremely important to stay disciplined while being at bat and to choose the right pitch to swing. A batter might be able to make contact and collect a hit by swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. But, for the long-term, a higher chase rate usually generates more swings and misses outside the strike zone.
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