Overall, there is not nearly the advantage that we first anticipated could exist. 25 players are tied for the best career batting average against left-handed pitchers, with an average of 1.000. Those struggles are magnified when the lefty can work down and away with a quality breaking ball. Better yet, he's allowed no more than one run in six of his last seven starts. Is that changing? He's just not worth using against righties (.611 OPS, 0.31 Eye in 234 AB). The 34-year-old has been piling up multi-hit games recently, bringing his batting average up near .300, and it's well over .300 against lefties this year. Its not that Williams swings and misses at breaking balls at an exceptional rate as much as he doesnt drive them particularly well. Castellanos is off to red-hot start for Cincinnati, with his nine home runs tying for the Franmil Reyes, OF/DH, Sure, his strikeouts are at a career-high 24%, but with production like this, who cares? Copyright 2007 -2023 Razzball LLC. Historical performance (annual over 5 years): 9.2 percent. Privacy Notice Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy Do No Sell My Info/Cookie Policy. Among the 72 major league pitchers with at least 120 innings this season, Happ ranks 70th in ERA (6.20) and 69th in FIP (5.41). When a lefty starts a game there will be inevitable times that a righty enters from the bullpen and vice versa. Against left-handed-hitting Ji Hwan Bae, he threw four-seam, changeup, four-seam, changeup, four-seam and, on 3-2, a curveball. With two strikes against a righthanded hitter, its nearly a flip of the coin on whether youre going to see the fastball or the slider, so its not easy to protect against both. There are a few keys reasons why I went with Hays: Anthony Rendon. Ruf has a strong track record of hitting left-handed pitching over eight MLB seasons. Really, go back and look at that first chart, Duvall hit .178 with 6 homers against lefties last season. Nikhazy generally sits 89-91 mph, but his fastball misses bats (or forces foul balls) when he elevates. Maybe it's easier to see on an annual platoon split graph. Sliders down and away are the way to stay away from his power. (Ethan). That line against lefties comes out to "one hit, a double, and no walks in 24 plate appearances," which is almost inconceivable, really. They have ample room in their Rudys hittertron is also awesome. : Allen loves to be challenged. The company ranked 108th on the Fortune 500 last year. WebRamon Laureano (CF, OAK) is one of the best bats in the game against lefties: .365 BA, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1.056 OPS in 63 AB. Here are the best hitting teams in MLB The Show 22. by Bruce Lee Apr 22, 2022 Contents [ hide] 1 1. Johnston will throw either pitch in any count, and it doesnt matter if youre a righthanded hitter or a lefty. In fact, since that was also the case in his brief stint as a Cub in 2019 (1.162 OPS at home, .822 OPS on the road), one might argue that Castellanos just likes playing at home, no matter where that home is, better than anywhere else. Jones has shown no issues in catching up to velocity. This early split, we think, might actually have something more real to it, because it's the continuation of one we've seen for some time. Longoria has absolutely slammed lefties this year, better than any hitter in baseball, and by a considerable amount. Here's a look at Saturday's top streaming options, focusing on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues. You might think, given both the premise of this article and the pitcher-friendly nature of Oracle Park, that this is going to be an inverse-Castellanos situation, but thats not it; Longoria has actually hit a little better at home this year. The first three are Otto Lopez, Cody Thomas and Austin Voth. Or, put another way: He has eight homers in Cincinnati, and 13 total hits on the road. Thanks for reading! Fernando Tatis Jr. was set to play his first game for San Diego after missing the 2022 season because of an injury and drug suspension. So why are submarine/sidearm pitchers having more success against opposite handed hitters than (Probably, anyway. Interesting article, Jeremy. PT TOMORROW: NL Central - Where does Turang find PT in MIL? On the other hand, McKenzie sports a 10.6 K/9 and has delivered three straight quality starts, including an absolutely dominant performance his last time out during which he held Detroit to just one hit over eight frames to go along with 11 strikeouts. They have two chances to improve in this series, including Tuesday night when J.A. Hes not as effective against curveballs (.250/.276/.571), but he did hit three doubles and two home runs off curves. We are simply here to provide information about sports betting for entertainment purposes. Alex Verdugo (LF, BOS) looks like a thumper against RHers (.331 BA, 8 HR, 25 RBI, .959 OPS in 166 AB), and he does it without sacrificing his plate skills (10% bb%, 89% ct%, 1.00 Eye). Think it was Pat Burrell iirc. When Rocker threw his fastball, opponents hit .245/.375/.429. A 100 wRC+ is exactly league average, which is not where the Dodgers want to be. There are a lot of bad outcomes for pitchers when Glenn sees a fastball as well. A hitter doesnt really have to worry about anything else. He loves getting a fastball in the zone to drive. Soler has never been a highly regarded defender, but when he's wearing the glove this year, it has particularly not gone well. In wins over Mercyhurst, Pitt-Johnstown and Glenville State, Taylor went 11-for-16 (.688) with a .722 on base percentage. Overall, Kavadas hit .196/.372/.464 against breaking balls and changeups and .349/.477/.895 on fastballs. He also is quite comfortable catching up to fastballs up in the zone. One of the nations 10 largest banks, Capital One was the third largest issuer of Visa and Mastercard credit cards in 2021. WebLongoria has torched left-handers for a .498 wOBA this season, putting him in a nice spot against Manaea, who has been tagged for a combined 15 runs over his last three starts. Stats in green are for teams between the 50th and 75th percentiles, Stats in yellow are for teams between the 25th and 50th percentile, Stats in red are below the 25th percentile. If the league has daily lineups and inning caps then it is critical to maximize the ks and you can use RP to back into Wins. : Bring in a lefty who can consistently spin a breaking ball. When the injured Adalberto Mondesi returns to play shortstop, it might free up Nicky Lopez to move back to second and push Whit Merrifield back to right, though that would leave the defensively-limited O'Hearn without a home. The Houston Texans are the +240 betting favorites to pick first in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Miami Heat are the +400 betting favorites to land Trae Young if he leaves the Atlanta Hawks after the season. Click on the button below to get free picks delivered to your email daily Tells us how above or below an offense is over league average when external factors (venue, for instance) are taken into consideration. Chris Taylor at SS, Dustin May makes spring debut. How Do You Attack Him? Pujols with the Dodgers is hitting .313/.350/.625, a 155 wRC+ with nine home runs against southpaws, only one behind Max Muncy for the team lead. He does a solid job of laying off sliders out of the strike zone, but he hits .176 against sliders on the outer third of the strike zone with a 25% swing-and-miss rate. How He Does It: Williams can light up radar guns and he carries that mid-90s velocity deep into his starts. ), Top 25 Prospects For 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Top 50 Prospects For 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Top 100 Prospects For 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Steamer/Razzball 2023 Preseason Projections, Steamer/Razzball 2023 Rest of Season Projections, Relievonator (Today/Tomorrow Projections), Steamer/Razzball 2022 Rest of Season Projections. Prior to his promotion, the 22-year-old posted a 3.15 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in 13 starts between Double- and Triple-A while striking out an incredible 106 batters over just 60 innings. How Do You Attack Him? That's not the largest gap in baseball so far -- Rangers outfielder David Dahl has a slightly larger one, but since he's not performing much overall we're highlighting Eaton here -- and almost certainly this doesn't actually mean much of anything, especially because it's not true over Eaton's career. That his current home fuels homers more than anywhere else -- there have been 745 more homers hit in Reds games at home as compared to Reds games on the road since GABP opened -- merely makes it look even more stark, even if this current split isn't likely to maintain. After non-tendering Nomar Mazara earlier this week for his failure to fill such a gap, the White Sox currently carry three left-handed bats in their 2021 projected lineup: Yon Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, and Leury Garca. And only four of them (2.6%) were turned into hits (three singles and one home run). Our AI predicts that the Winnipeg Jets Come check out today's game as the Seattle Kraken take on the St. Louis Blues! How Do You Attack Him? The Braves are simply too talented to keep that up for long. WebThe 28-year-old switch hitter is known less for his offense and more for his defense, having won the American League Gold Glove at second base just two years ago. Be sure to click through our links and use our exclusive promo codes to receive the industry's best sign-up bonuses, including free access to our premium content. His value plummets against southpaws (.208 BA, .720 OPS, 0.50 Eye in 24 AB). On 31% of Kopps in-zone sliders, the hitter took it for a strike. Now, simply hitting the ball the other way as a left-handed hitter does not guarantee success. Web9/1/2021 Hello, and welcome back to Hitter List, where every week during the regular season Ill be sharing updated rankings for the top 150 hitters in baseball. Isolated Power - Advanced stat that measures raw power. Both his production (.848 OPS) and batting eye (0.45 Eye) soar against righty bats. Or, at least, it will be once Tommy La Stella gets untracked. Kyle Stowers The southpaw slugger could be a sneaky fantasy option if he can avoid a platoon, and to do that, Stowers needs to show that he can make contact against lefties this spring. Its about driving his fastball down in the zone. Jason Castro (C, HOU) is a second catcher worth targeting in deep leagues. The idea of drafting two particular guys because they have opposite splits doesnt make sense, unless they replace each other in a real lineup. He hasnt seen exceptional velocity this year (only 34 pitches above 93 mph this year and none above 94). With the New Year, we have all new #FantasyBaseball projections for every hitter and pitcher courtesy of @rudygamble and @steamerpro https://t.co/J5nT6aQkSA. Staff flamethrower: Tidwell has touched 98-99 mph multiple times. : Arkansas has a very deep lineup, so theres no one hitter to avoid, but Franklin leads the team in slugging percentage (.557) and is second in on-base percentage (.425). He gave up 12 hits on 600 breaking balls this year (.070/.091/.105). But he locates well, hits his spots and rarely gives up hard contact. Staff flamethrower: Taylor Broadway, Derek Diamond and Brandon Johnson can all touch 97 mph. Sports betting and gambling laws vary by jurisdiction. Cora has historically preferred to alternate lefties and right-handed hitters, especially near the top of the lineup. The first three are Otto Lopez, Cody Thomas and Austin Voth. Staff flamethrower: Eric Cerantola can touch 98-99 mph and may brush 100 mph on his best days. Fastballs up and in paired with sliders away are an effective way for righties to try to disrupt him. Now, take that concept and cut them in half. He can go down and in to righthanded hitters and he has to throw changeups down and away to lefties to keep them from sitting on his slider, but at his best, hes going to throw enough fastballs up and in to righthanded hitters to keep them from focusing on his bread and butter: sliders off the plate. He also shows solid strike-zone recognition, so attempts to get him to chase those same offspeed pitches out of the zone arent as effective. And unless youre a potential top-10 pick, dont think that while he hits fastballs he wont hit your fastball just because its elite. Stats in green are for teams Copyright 2023 Baseball America Enterprises. Deploying this strategy with the concept that it will work all season can provide benefit but it may not be what we expect on the surface. Even if these aren't likely predictive of the rest of the season, some of them may have a sliver of truth, and they're wild to look at right now nonetheless. Hitter Profiles: Build-A-Hitter (Do Splits Matter? Good questions. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) 2022 performance: -18.2 percent. WebBest Hitter: Kyle Teel. Both are tiny sample sizes, but if you play in a really deep, competitive league, these kind of nuggets can help you. Washingtons Michael Chavis, the second hitter in the second inning, stepped out of the box when he felt Scherzer was taking too long. : Dont throw him a fastball in a fastball count. Since joining the Cardinals, Happ has been nominally better with a 4.30 ERA in six starts, with six home runs allowed and a 5.38 FIP. If a hitter is ahead of Hamel in the count, they hit .378/.541/.778. Because hes a switch hitter, the sample sizes are smaller on everything, but as a righthanded hitter, he lit up changeups from lefthanders (.438 in 16 at-bats/50 pitches). Like many in today's game, Voit's big issue is strikeouts. The left-hander draws another below-average offense on Saturday, squaring off against a Nationals team that lacks thump outside of Juan Soto and Josh Bell. He hits fastballs. Let us compare this more realistic version of Adam Hays (Austin Duvall) against wellAdam Duvall. : Bring in a lefty who can consistently spin a breaking ball. Overall, this isn't really about contact; his strikeout rate is about the same both home and road. The funny thing is, there's long been a "DH penalty" in baseball, in that most batters perform worse as designated hitters than they do as fielders. A wRC+ of 110 is 10% above league average and a wRC+ of 90 is 10% below league average. WebThe Astros best bat against lefties this season is a left-handed hitter in Josh Reddick while the defense-first Jake Marisnick has enjoyed a nice year against southpaws to this point. Williams saw 55 pitches of 93-plus mph this year and he swung and missed on two of them. The average draft position (ADP) included is from Draft Champions leagues from January 19 to February 19 at the NFBC, which you can find here.These leagues draft 50 players and thats all they get In Wins: .184/.231/.306 -- .537 OPS -- 1 HRIn Losses: .256/.373/.465 -- .838 OPS -- 2 HR. Toronto Blue Jays (Hit Score: 3.5) 3 3. How Do You Attack Him? Swinging strike three. Or worry that he's not doing any of it against righties, who he'll see more of? With a hitter who hit .395 in the Southeastern Conference, youre not looking for weaknesses as much as you are areas where hes not going to hurt you as much. How He Does It: Jasiak does an excellent job of living on the edges of the strike zone. Buckle up for some analysis as we look to answer once and for all the question that all daily league managers contemplate themselves: Do splits matter? But the team numbers since the beginning of August against lefties are .246/.315/.465 with a 110 wRC+. Yep, I see it now bigbear. But then, Opening Day right fielder Kyle Isbel was optioned to the alternate site, and sometimes right fielder Hunter Dozier starting getting more of his playing time at third base -- which was the original plan anyway -- and now, Soler has started nine straight games in right as Ryan O'Hearn gets the bulk of the DH time. However, is it really that simple? We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. He can sometimes get beat by quality velocity, but he also took a 95 mph Blade Tidwell fastball out to straight center field. Staff flamethrower: Madden can touch 98-99 mph and hes been known to do so deep into his outings. Matt made his 1st career All-Star Game in Toolshed, you make a great point about finding them sooner than later. Odds & lines subject to change. Tidwell has an ability to get outs on changeups up in the zone, much like Lucas Giolito. Happ starts on the mound for St. Louis. Hes not helpless against lefties, but a lefty who can double- or triple-up on a slider or curve can stymie him. Access it all with asubscriptionto BaseballHQ.com. Even that one home run on the road wasnt crushed, really. Then, a mild hamstring strain later in the month cost him two starts, one of which was started by a lefty. LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Millersville University left fielder Bren Taylor totaled 11 hits in three Millersville wins, and on Tuesday, he was named the PSAC East Hitter of the Week. For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart. Adrian Morejn, a lefty who had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and threw just 34 innings out of the bullpen last season. 3. WebTeam Batting vs. Hamels slider has tilt and bite. There are so many combinations on the pitching side of the equation. He has also allowed 31 home runs, the second-highest total in baseball behind teammate Mike Foltynewicz. This is why it is so critical to know you league and settings. Split statistics are naturally flawed for fantasy analysis because they look at the pitcher being faced rather than the pitcher starting the game. The Angels present a tougher test than the Tigers, but they're still only middle-of-the-road against righties, with a 26.2% K-rate in August. He hit .500 on fastballs over 94 mph in 2021. RHP: .167/.216/.229 -- .445 OPS -- 0 HR. Because hes best when hes pulling the ball, the target to attack with Butler is down and away, but if you miss up, he will make you pay. First Base -- Connor Joe (R), 13%, Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (RHP Zac Gallen): Speaking of Coors Field bats, Joe is another slugger to try to get into your lineup. Web25 players are tied for the best career batting average against left-handed pitchers, with an average of 1.000. His plate skills against southpaws are solid too (15% bb%, 69% ct%, 0.58 Eye). Thats roughly in line with their performance against southpaws the last three seasons, when they finished eighth in the majors in wRC+ each year. The problem with trying to go in on him is you dont have much margin for error. It would be nearly impossible to capitalize on all the right matchups at the right time. WebRanking MLB's 10 Best Left Fielders Ahead of 2021 Spring Training 1. Your email address will not be published. With an over-the-top delivery, Nikhazy has figured out how to pair fastballs up in the zone with curveballs at the bottom of the zone (or just below the zone). He has learned to work lower (slider, sinker, changeup), but a hot four-seamer makes him more difficult for hitters. Not every split is about home/road or lefty/righty. WebAgainst left-handed-hitting Ji Hwan Bae, he threw four-seam, changeup, four-seam, changeup, four-seam and, on 3-2, a curveball. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Dodgers news includes shortstop Gavin Lux missing all of 2023 with a torn ACL, a potential breakout year for outfielder James Outman, catching up with old friend Rich Hill, and how hard MLB might push for a salary cap. Garrett Hampson (2B/CF, COL) has carved out a semi-regular role in the COL lineup. St. Feltner, 26, debuted in 2021 -- living at the top of the strike zone, but at times hitters took advantage. His deep struggles against lefties remain his bugaboo (.207 BA, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .504 OPS), against whom his plate approach tanks (0.20 Eye). So has Luke Murphy. The 23-year-old isn't getting regular playing time just yet, but he's worth monitoring just in case he does. But to your points, there is a lot to optimize to make this even plausible. Renfroe was easily the Brewers' best hitter against lefties (minimum 50 PAs) last season. He loves to nibble on the outer edge of the zone to righthanded hitters, but hes actually more effective when he goes up in the zone. The goal was to find a guy available late in the draft with matching positional eligibility. Theres still time to get there this season. So Rucker will likely face a steady stream of righthanders. The goal was not to find the perfect match, but find two guys that looked like good matches on the surface splits. Home: .400/.423/.900 -- 1.323 OPS -- 6 HRRoad: .111/.154/.222 -- .376 OPS -- 1 HR. Why not another guy whos much stronger vs. the numerically greater righties? File this one more under "weird yet fun" than anything else, but the 2021 White Sox have had a lot of weird things happen, and this is one of them. The industry's #1 analytical weekly e-mail newsletter is ABSOLUTELY FREE! This is the general direction I was heading above. While Arizona figures to get back to its losing ways soon enough, the recent run of success is a good reminder that even bad teams can have fantasy relevant closers. How He Does It: When a lefty has a fastball that can get swings and misses up in the strike zone and an above-average changeup and curveball, its generally going to be a tough day for hitters. Facing left-handers has proven tougher for the Dodgers than righties, but only in a relative sense, and theyre getting better. DAILY MATCHUPS: Verlander versus the hangover, DAILY MATCHUPS: Elder looking to keep streak alive, DAILY MATCHUPS: Bieber looks to finish strong vs. Royals, THE BIG HURT: Effects of 2022 Injuries in 2023, ARSENAL REPORT: Tick-tock on the pitch clock, RESEARCH: The future of playing time measurement starts now, RESEARCH: Start making smarter FAAB bids in 4 easy steps, GM's OFFICE: Projections housekeeping, with some Quality Starts validation, SPECULATOR: Finding this year's Adolis Garca, WATCHLIST: Finding gems in the shadowed spring schedule, WATCHLIST: Prospects on Fast Track to September Call Up, FACTS/FLUKES: Olson, K. Marte, I. Anderson, Steele, J.D. Teel showed a significant platoon advantage against righties, but struggles against lefties. Cedric Mullins II (CF, BAL) is in the midst of a breakout season (.323 BA, .955 OPS in 266 AB). Yes on the callups, but more often it comes from players due to role changes or doing something different. How Do You Attack Him? Last year, Ozuna was one of the best hitters in baseball overall, and especially so against lefties, when he mashed a .356/.463/.867 line against them. Here is where the Build-A-Hitter concept comes from in the simplest form. That's where he started 14 of the first 17 games of this season, too. If youre playing in a super regional, no one said it was going to be easy. Shortstop -- Jose Barrero (R), 2%, Cincinnati Reds vs. Miami Marlins (RHP Zach Thompson): Barrero (formerly Jose Garcia) was recalled from Triple-A earlier this week. The team leads the National League in runs scored (5.05) and wRC+ (105, tied with San Francisco). He has a career 116 wRC+ against lefties and hit even better than that against them in 2021. You can, for example, split performances in a team's wins and losses. Jared Walsh (1B/RF, LAA) has blossomed in a full-time role in the LAA lineup. For every rule, there's an exception. The record was previously held by Barry Bonds & Ken Griffey Jr. with 21. If the pitchers ahead, youre likely dead. Irvin gave up only four home runs and 19 extra-base hits all season. It gets more confusing. Lets just roll with the assumption that their managers know what they are doing and have been selective in their starting assignments. We're sorry, residents of your region are not accepted by this gambling site! Houston Astros (Hit Score: 5.5) 4 4. Time will tell whether that absurd strikeout rate will eventually transfer to the majors but, for now, he's a name to remember. Norby is a hitter first, but he showed the ability to clear the fence to left or right field as well. Glenn rarely swings and misses at anythinghis swing and miss rate was only 6%. Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images For example: Francisco Lindor probably isnt going to hit .171 all season. Tyler Clippard has saved two games this week and, while he is highly unlikely to put up a large save total over the season's final six weeks, he is nevertheless a closer who is still available in the vast majority of leagues. Back on June 12, the Dodgers lost to southpaw Kolby Allard and the Rangers. So, we did not build Aaron Judge like we really were hoping, but considering how atrocious Duvall has been against lefties there has to be some advantage right? This approach sometimes doesnt work to your advantage, but over the course of a season youll be better off putting some thought into some of those lineup decisions. Baseball HQ is intended for entertainment purposes only. He's a truly elite bat against lefties: .341 BA, 1.219 OPS, 2.60 Eye in 44 AB. Knowing its coming is one thing, hitting either in that situation is a much tougher challenge. Left-handed starters had a 3.14 ERA against the Dodgers, but lefty relievers struggled to the tune of a 5.00 ERA against LA. The ones that pop up over the season tend to be minors call-ups that are listed as SP that end in a bullpen. Since Wilmer Flores, also a righty hitter who hits lefties well, is an awkward platoon partner, Gabe Kapler would surely like to see noted righty masher La Stella offer a little more than the 83 OPS+ he's contributed so far. With Rocker, you want to get him into fastball counts. Nothing, except, for what Eaton is doing. Tatis was in the lineup Tuesday as the designated hitter and batting second in an exhibition against San Francisco. These rankings are now available on The Board on the 2023 Fantasy Rankings tab, where you can also see the Top 120 Dynasty Rankings!. Among the 498 fastballs hes seen, he took 41% of them (205) for a ball. And yet: This happened in 2020, too! He has posted a .283 BA, 17 HR, 50 RBI, and .911 OPS in 251 AB. In 2021, just 17 qualified batters (13.1%) were switch-hitters, right in line with the league-wide average over the last decade. And I have to agree. But with two strikes, his slider can be filthy, and that makes his fastball play better as well. Its a pair of mid-30s veterans who you probably thought were well past their primes in Longoria and Buster Posey. WebStatistics Player Team Rookies Batter vs. Pitcher Milestones Offseason Leagues Statcast Feedback Select a team and batter, then an opposing team and pitcher, from the above Weve all spent years cautioning against reading too much into early season stats, because they rarely ever end up looking the same at the end of the year. Now, again, we're talking about 102 plate appearances, total, which would be enough to hand-wave away except for the fact that Soler had an OPS 203 points higher as a DH in 2020, and 202 points higher in 2019 as a DH than he did in right, and 231 points higher in 2018, and really it's just been like this for his entire American League career -- .914 OPS as a DH, .719 as an outfielder -- and since the glove is poor anyway, maybe the Royals might just consider letting him be a bat-only player full-time? Hitters swung and missed at only 4% of his fastballs. You can create a stud pitcher more easily by finding middle relievers / setup men who generate Ks, have great ratios, lock up the occasional save and get wins sprinkled in as a bonus. Staff flamethrower: Devin Fontenot can touch 96 mph. Andrew Vaughn (LF/1B, CHW) is another young hitter that shows glimpses of his high ceiling in certain situations. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez pitched two scoreless innings. Expense ratio: 0.03 percent. Nearly half the time, the pitch ends up outside of the strike zone, but in 2021 hitters swung against those out-of-zone sliders 43% of the time.