I don’t know if there are many people who use Threads. For me, I use it a bit, checking if there’s something interesting. A few weeks ago, I saw a video on Threads and it showed a player had a lot of swings and misses last season.
That video truly drew my attention and I was thinking which players had as many swings and misses as that player did. To solve my doubts, I decided to check on the statcast website.
In 2024, Ezequiel Tovar played 157 games for the Rockies, slashing .269/.295/.469 with 26 home runs and 78 RBI. He finished the season with a career-high .764 OPS and a career-high 26 home runs. However, he had 200 strikeouts. In the regular season, he had 500+ swings and misses and he’s the only one who had 500+ swings and misses. In particular, his whiff rate against breaking pitches was over 40%.
Moreover, Teoscar Hernandez did enjoy the 2024 season with the Dodgers because the team won the World Series. Additionally, he officially inked a 3-year deal with the Dodgers in January. He batted .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs and 99 RBI. He did hit well last season, but he had 450+ swings and misses. In particular, his whiff rate against breaking pitches and offspeed pitches was over 40%.
In addition, Adolis Garcia finished the 2023 season with an OPS over .800 and he was the 2023 ALCS MVP. Nonetheless, last season, his OPS dropped to .684. Meanwhile, his OBP decreased from .328 to .284. Perhaps, a key reason is that he had too many swings and misses. Garcia had 450+ swings and misses in 2024. His whiff rate against each pitch type all went up.
In the meantime, there were 7 other players who had at least 400 swings and misses in the 2024 season.
Furthermore, looking at the whiff rate, it’s not a surprise that Adolis Garcia and Teoscar Hernandez each had a whiff rate of 34% or higher. Nevertheless, Zack Gelof’s whiff rate was higher than theirs. In the 2024 season, Gelof had a 36.4% whiff rate. In particular, his whiff rate against breaking pitches and offspeed pitches was over 40%. Gelof didn’t have a great season in 2024 with an OPS below .700. At the same time, Gelof’s teammate, Brent Rooker, had a whiff rate over 34%, but Rooker had a great 2024 season with 39 home runs and 112 RBI. Rooker finished the season with an OPS over .900.
Finally, Oneil Cruz and Christopher Morel each had a whiff rate of 34.1% in 2024. Nonetheless, their performances were quite different. Cruz finished the season with an OPS of .773, but Morel had an OPS below .700.
Well, swings and misses normally don’t look good. However, it’s possible to see a star player with a lot of swings and misses. Teoscar Hernandez had 400+ swings and misses in 2024, but he was able to blast 30+ home runs. Brent Rooker had a great season with 39 home runs, nonetheless, his whiff rate wasn’t low. If a player can smash 30+ home runs or own an OPS over .800, it might be acceptable to see him have a lot of swings and misses. Nevertheless, for some players, it’s better to be more disciplined and that might be something that they have to improve in 2025.
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