data.3news-bydate.train.rec.sport.baseball.105152 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
From: [email protected] (Michael Zimmers)
Subject: Re: Why is Barry Bonds not batting 4th?
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Lines: 31
In article [email protected] (John Franjione) writes:
>I don't understand this at all. Matt Williams has demonstrated
>throughout his career that he will NOT wait for good pitches to hit.
>He won't take walks. He'd rather swing. If I'm the opposing pitcher,
>why would I groove a fastball to Williams and have him hit it well,
>when I know that Williams will swing (and miss, or at least not hit
>very well) at a low and away curve?
Matt's problem is really more ability than attitude. It isn't that he's
got it in his mind that he wants to swing away, but rather that he's
(still) a total sucker for the curve ball. It looked for a while in
1990 that he was getting better but it's still his weak point.
As to whether it does him any good to have Bonds behind him, the
net.stat.mavens will probably tell you there's no reason that it
should, but if he thinks it will, it might be a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
As to whether the Giants' lineup is optimal: who knows? Batting Bonds,
the team's best hitter, fifth does seem to be odd, but the #1 and #2
hitters aren't exactly Messrs. OBA, so they aren't giving much up
there. And although Clark isn't the overall offensive force that Bonds
is, he seems better suited to the #3 spot. Assuming, of course, that
he starts hitting one of these days...
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