When too much is a good thing

peter · June 30, 2005 at 12:42 pm · Filed Under Mariners 

Adrian Beltre smoked his first home run of June in the 4th inning last night.

“I’ve been taking too many pitches,” so he says (Hickey, P-I).

Mr. Beltre makes an excellent case in that one must swing the bat to put it over the fence. But then, to a fellow with a career .329 on-base percentage (and presently .301 on the year), I might recommend taking a couple of more.

Beltre is finishing up his best month as a Mariner thus far. Somebody give him a cookie.

April – .258/.284/.361
May – .216/.245/.353
June – .312/.386/.442

The difference? 9 walks in June compared to 3 in each April and May. Here’s a breakdown comparing his strikeouts-per-at-bat and walks-per-at-bat month by month in 2005, along with his career totals and his career 2004 season…

             AB/K  AB/BB  K/BB

June 2005     7.0    8.5   1.2
May 2005      5.7   34.0   6.0
April 2005    5.7   32.3   5.7

Season 2004   6.8   11.3   1.6

Career        5.8   12.4   2.1

Somewhere along the drive up I-5 from Chavez Ravine, Adrian Beltre forgot how to take a pitch. Those April and May walk rates are well out of the ordinary for Beltre. There’s nothing unusual about his strikeout rates. He actually struck out more often last season.

Adrian Beltre won’t hit it over the fence if he doesn’t swing; but no one hits the pitch foot-low-and-away pitch over the fence. As a team, the Mariners draw a base on balls once every 12.4 at bats (the Yankees 8.3; the Tigers 13.7). Hearing anyone in this Mariners’ clubhouse confess to not swinging enough makes me stop in my tracks.

The ghost of Ken Phelps doesn’t haunt here anymore.

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Comments

56 Responses to “When too much is a good thing”

  1. roger tang on July 1st, 2005 4:00 pm

    re 45 46 & 49

    Thems what I thought, but wasn’t really sure. Makes me wonder how independent Bavasi is…not that I think he’d be that hot, but even good ol’ boys know there’s a time to do drastic restructuring, and I’m wondering how free he is to do that….

  2. strong silence on July 1st, 2005 4:31 pm

    roger,
    If one of the talented USSM writers could get an interview with Olkin I think we could start developing an answer.

  3. Rob McMillin on July 1st, 2005 5:00 pm

    Beltre is and always has been — 2004 excepted — a second half player. June was the warmup.

  4. ray on July 1st, 2005 5:41 pm

    I know he’s hitting better but I wonder what the office will do if Beltre stays mediocre this year and next year. Will they office try to dump him a la Cirillo by the 3rd year or before?

  5. Kirk on July 1st, 2005 5:54 pm

    #50

    Brilliant reference – I love it.

  6. world series on July 1st, 2005 8:04 pm

    #41 regarding Don Baylor,
    Morse has done what Baylor has told him to do, and so far it’s worked, we’ll see by end of year with adjustments from other teams, etc.

    Boone won’t listen to what Baylor wants him to do or is unable. I doubt Baylor is telling him to go up there and kill the ball.

    Olivo is unable.

    Beltre ? slow learner?

    What can Baylor suggest to Borders? Be careful up there old man?