A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, an analyst indicated that an All-Star has some troubles against sweepers. That player used to be one of very dangerous hitters in the majors. While seeing his struggles against sweepers, I began to think about a question.
Sweeper was added as a new pitch type in 2023. Back in 2023, which players had serious troubles against sweepers?
To understand a little bit more, I checked on the statcast website.
In 2023, Eugenio Suarez played 162 games for the Mariners, slashing .232/.323/.391 with 22 home runs and 96 RBI. Collecting 96 RBI in a single season looked good and 96 RBI ranked second most in the Mariners last season. However, Suarez didn’t hit well against sweepers. He only had a batting average of .059 against sweepers in 2023.
Matt Chapman inked a 3-year deal with the Giants in March 2024. Back in 2023, he slashed .240/.330/.424 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI over 140 games with the Blue Jays. Chapman’s numbers didn’t look fantastic in 2023. And he had some problems against sweepers. Chapman only batted .083 against sweepers.
Ezequiel Tovar made it into the big leagues in 2022. In March 2024, he and the Rockies agreed to a 7-year contract extension. The Rockies must be quite confident in Tovar’s potential. Tovar’s batting average was .253 last season. Nonetheless, against sweepers, his batting average was only .125. In particular, he had 50+ swings and misses against sweepers.
In addition, Martin Maldonado only batted .191/.258/.348 in 2023 and his batting average was only .135 against sweepers. Meanwhile, Andrew Vaughn hit .258/.314/.429 with 21 home runs and 80 RBI last season. Well, 80 RBI actually tied the most in the White Sox. Nevertheless, Vaughn only had a batting average of .151 against sweepers.
Those players didn’t hit well against sweepers. However, were they able to make good contact against sweepers? The answer might be “No”. Andrew Vaughn’s xwOBA against sweepers was only .139. Martin Maldonado and Ezquiel Tovar each had an xwOBA below .160. At the same time, Matt Chapman and Eugenio Suarez each had an xwOBA of .207. Looking at those players who didn’t hit well against sweepers, it’s clear that they didn’t make good contact.
Well, some players didn’t hit well against sweepers. Nevertheless, some players actually did hit well.
Eloy Jimenez had a .325 batting average against sweepers in 2023. At the same time, Whit Merrifield had a batting average of .300 against sweepers. Moreover, two players from the Mariners looked good while facing sweepers. Ty France and Julio Rodriguez each had 10+ hits against sweepers and they each had a batting average over .280.
Hitting isn’t easy. In the MLB, so many pitchers throw breaking pitches that are nasty. And some pitchers’ sweepers are truly difficult to hit. Eugenio Suarez and Matt Chapman used to be selected to All-Star games. However, they did have problems against sweepers last season. Back in 2023, Suarez was playing for the Mariners. But, interestingly, two of his teammates did hit well against sweepers. And one of them collected 100+ RBI in 2023. In the 2024 season, it will be very interesting to see if some of them are still good at hitting against sweepers.
No comments:
Post a Comment