TOP 3 Topic

Once again, a player cannot "learn to take advantage" of altitude.

And either way, Goldschmidt's road stats are significantly better than Arenado's for his career. Which proves he's a far superior hitter.
7/5/2016 11:28 AM
Posted by Jtpsops on 7/5/2016 11:29:00 AM (view original):
Once again, a player cannot "learn to take advantage" of altitude.

And either way, Goldschmidt's road stats are significantly better than Arenado's for his career. Which proves he's a far superior hitter.
I disagree with this. Some hit the ball with more backspin than others (just like golfers) as part of their natural swing. They can LEARN to hit with a more downward path to impart backspin. TBF, I don't think they actually work at this, but to suggest that you can't take advantage of thinner air is misguided.

You can take advantage of any home/road changes, if you put your mind to it. Like the Cards of the 80's used to chop downwards on their green cement (aka, astroturf) and take advantage of their field and their speed.

Most ballplayers are creatures of habit though, and won't try to adjust their swings.
7/5/2016 12:33 PM
That "green cement" is a feature of the park. I don't believe a hitter can adapt to take advantage of atmospheric conditions. How exactly does putting backspin on the ball take advantage of thin air?
7/5/2016 1:14 PM
Backspin causes the ball to stay airborne longer.

Players can make adjustments to their swing to put the ball in the air but to suggest Colorado players are drastically changing their swings seems like a stretch. I guess one could look at GB/FB ratio and see if specific players are hitting more flies in CO than on the road. Then one could start that argument.

FWIW, lefties hitting at Yankee or righties at Fenway aren't doing anything different to take advantage of the dimensions. You're taught that you produce the most power by pulling the ball when you're 6. They're just doing what they've always done. Now a guy like Boggs or Ortiz bouncing them off the wall is a skill.
7/5/2016 1:21 PM
I don't know if that's 100% true Mike. It does seem like some lefties come into New York and start pulling the ball a lot more than they ever had in the past. Frankly, I don't think it's usually a great change for them.

Giambi was a great example of this. Tex has gone that way when he hits lefty. Even Johnny Damon, who had not been a power hitter at all, kinda went in that direction when he got into Yankee.

I can see why it's tempting. You're a lefty batting in that park, you see that fence, you have to think "I can hit the ball over that..." and you change your approach to go for it.
7/5/2016 1:35 PM
I was actually thinking Granderson but, nonetheless, power hitters are taught to pull the ball. I don't think it's a big change for Giambi/Tex to "pull the ball more". But I could get the argument with Damon/Granderson.
7/5/2016 1:39 PM
It might not feel like a huge change in approach, but Giambi's doubles and batting average certainly tanked after he moved to NY.
7/5/2016 2:01 PM
Aging, injured and off the juice. A lot of things went wrong for him in NY.
7/5/2016 2:06 PM
You could argue someone with "warning track power" who has learned to keep the ball on the ground/hit low line drives might start trying to pull fly balls at Fenway, banking on them hitting the monster before they're caught.
7/5/2016 3:07 PM
Posted by MikeT23 on 7/5/2016 2:06:00 PM (view original):
Aging, injured and off the juice. A lot of things went wrong for him in NY.
That could be all that happened. I seem to recall thinking he changed his approach, but I don't know of any way to get spray charts from that long ago, so there's really no way to check.
7/5/2016 3:48 PM
◂ Prev 1234
TOP 3 Topic

Search Criteria

Terms of Use Customer Support Privacy Statement

© 1999-2024 WhatIfSports.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WhatIfSports is a trademark of WhatIfSports.com, Inc. SimLeague, SimMatchup and iSimNow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. Used under license. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.