The Braves aren’t hitting, and they’re not reaching base, either
Jason Heyward hasn't been alone in his struggles. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Last season was odd in many ways — the 25 final at-bat victories, the many trades, the ongoing saga of Troy Glaus — but maybe the oddest part was this: The Atlanta Braves led the National League in walks and on-base percentage.
It didn’t happen by design. Indeed, when I mentioned to Terry Pendleton, then the batting coach, that his club was No. 1 in the NL in walks, he said: “We are?” And it was surprising. As Pendleton noted, the Braves had historically been a team that swings hard and hopes for the best.
But the change, however inadvertent, was a welcome one — at least to me. I’m not a total stathead, but I’ve come to value OBP. (Thank Billy Beane and “Moneyball” for that.) And it is with some concern that I note the change in the Braves hasn’t held.
The 2011 club is 13th among 16 NL teams in OBP. Some of this can be traced to the fundamental truth that the Braves aren’t hitting, but last year’s team went through periods when it didn’t hit and it still managed to get on base. Last year’s Braves didn’t strike out much — they had the sixth-fewest K’s in the league — but these Braves do. They have the fifth-most strikeouts in the NL (against the sixth-highest walk total).
Which is kind of puzzling. I know the Braves have changed batting coaches, Larry Parrish having replaced Pendleton, but no batting coach preaches the virtues of impatience. We must also note that six of the Braves’ everyday eight were part of the team that worked the count expertly only a year ago.
The two exceptions: Dan Uggla and Freddie Freeman. Uggla has struck out 40 times, Freeman 37. Uggla has always been a free swinger, averaging 152 strikeouts over his first five big-league seasons, and Freeman is a rookie.
It hasn’t helped that Jason Heyward, whose OBP was .391 in 2010, has seen that number fall to .317 in Year 2. (He has been hurting and is now on the DL.) That’s significant because Heyward was viewed as one of the keys to last season’s measured approach: He was the rare rookie who wasn’t afraid to take a pitch.
Where last year’s batting order had holes almost everywhere in April and again (via attrition) in September, these Braves were built to hit. What troubles me is that the 2010 Braves, limited though they were, proved resourceful in a way the 2011 club hasn’t yet. What troubles me is that the on-base percentage has sunk from .339 to .310.
By Mark Bradley
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93 comments Add your comment
Bob
May 24th, 2011
5:26 pm
I’m beginning to think our lack of hitting and getting on base symptoms have their root causes in our minor league system. Same problem every year for the past 7-8 seasons.
Alaska Braves Fan
May 24th, 2011
5:27 pm
Wink: Wow! You seem to be a tad frustrated with our Braves. Let’s do have some faith that they all, from management to the bat boys, come to the park every day planning to win. Also, my own long experience strongly suggests that bucket kicking as a leadership method just doesn’t hold up to calm and self-assured guidance. 21st century America craves an exciting and tumultuous 30-second video bite, but that doesn’t build teams and it doesn’t support individuals.
ABF
Bob
May 24th, 2011
5:32 pm
@Wink…if Uggla confessed that he doesn’t hit in April/May, does that mean that Braves mgmt can reduce his salary by 20%? Or, give the fans a 20% discount on tickets for April/May?
what of it?
May 24th, 2011
5:41 pm
Just this year Heyward’s OBP jumps from .299 to .367 when he’s batting 6 instead of 2 last year it was a jump of .393 to .496. He doesn’t need the pressure of batting 2 at his age.
A. Gon also isn’t a model of plate discipline like his predecessor. A. Gon 2nd among shortstops in strikeouts and close to last in walks.
Batting coaches may not preach impatience but not many preach small ball either. Plate discipline’s not hard either. lay off the first pitch, and make them throw strikes. Steroid era is over fellas. Uggla doesn’t seem to understand that pitchers won’t stop throwing him junk until he stops swinging at it. Has he had a decent at bat all season?
Fred
May 24th, 2011
6:36 pm
I almost always like your columns Bradley, but I think you are struggling to manufacture one here.
A strikeout maybe? I think you should have taken a walk. No good baseball gets played before the All-Star break.
RedandBlack
May 24th, 2011
6:39 pm
This is why the Braves should have NEVER traded Infante period. That guy could hit and get on base. The Braves need baserunners. Always have needed them. Always will need them. They just do not get it. Do the math.
An Adult
May 24th, 2011
11:56 pm
How does sitting on the bench, as some have suggested, help Uggla hit better? It might make the team better to have someone else play who is hitting better but sitting on the bench doesn’t help anyone do anything better than learning how to sit on the bench! Don’t you think he wants to hit better? He unfortunately has to ‘hit’ his way out of it and that means playing OR….take heed of the Parish’s suggestions (I would hope to heck he has given some) and/or find someone else to help him…all contingent on him taking the criticism and changing. That doesn’t happen a lot at this level.
GMATCallahan
May 25th, 2011
1:10 am
Just because Pendleton feigned ignorance of the statistical rankings didn’t mean that he wasn’t heavily influencing the Braves’ disciplined approach at the plate. In fact, Atlanta consistently placed among the National League’s better clubs in on-base percentage during Pendleton’s tenure as the hitting coach from 2002-2010, including a number-two ranking in 2003 and a number-three in 2008. So what happened in 2010 represented an apex, not an aberration, and firing Pendleton may have constituted a mistake.
Brother John
May 25th, 2011
1:19 am
I think Uggla might be the last refuge from the ‘Roids era of baseball. Hello?? He seems to play hard. Always hustles. Glove has been good to great! I guess he picked up the home run hitter thing somewhere along the way — but he can spray the ball arounnd when he isn’t swinging for the fence. I happen to like him. I think the mega contract got his head screwed on sideways, but in time, I believe he will overcome that albatross. Hope so anyway. He’s fun to watch play. Energy. Desire. What’s he doing on the Braves??????
STRETCH
May 25th, 2011
5:04 am
MLB Rumors that Daisuke Matsuzaka could miss rest of 2011 MLB SeasonDaisuke Matsuzaka will get a second opinion on his right elbow at some point soon, a sign that the first opinion is not positive.
Also:
The Diamondbacks have released Russell Branyan according to Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic. The move makes room on both the 25-man and 40-man rosters for Micah Owings.
Branyan, 35, was stuck in a three-way platoon with Juan Miranda and Xavier Nady at first base. He hit just .210/.290/.339 with one homer in 69 plate appearances, 17 of which came as a pinch-hitter. Dan Mennella looked at Branyan as a potential trade candidate last month, but now any club could pick him up for nothing but the minimum salary.
The 28-year-old Owings has a 4.85 ERA in seven Triple-A starts this year, and he’s hit .250/.357/.500 in 14 plate appearances. The D’Backs indicated that they hoped to use Owings on the mound and occasionally at first base when they signed him to a minor league deal back in January.
The Sox are gonna be looking for an arm if that happens, so does anyone think the Bravos should get involved?
Gary
May 25th, 2011
5:54 am
It doesn’t appear plausible, to have a team, four games over .500, who, as Bradley surmises, isn’t reaching base!
clay
May 25th, 2011
6:21 am
all you ppl that wanted terry p gone as the hitting coach. how is that working out for you now?
doc
May 25th, 2011
8:24 am
damn that terry pendleton, he has ruined them for a lifetime. heh heh not
bill
May 25th, 2011
8:38 am
phil baseball is like that. its not luck its the game we lost a world series in a plastic building with winds that varied from bat to bat. stupid baserunning 2 popflies from fatboy umpires on drugs in game one. its the game that will braek your heart. if Glavine and the rest of those greedy bastards had not gone on strike we would probably have 2 titles (1994)and do not get me started on the drunk leyritz at bat
Ted Abernathy
May 25th, 2011
8:48 am
Are Dick Allen and Richie Hebner available? They can probably still hit better than the clowns in our line-up.
big brave
May 25th, 2011
8:51 am
bring up some minor leg. players and see what happens.
Nate
May 25th, 2011
9:16 am
Thank dan fugla for that. Talk about a choke job. This is the same old crap offense. So tired of never having a big bat. Sure in a few days they will have one of those meaningless 11 runs scored games and may follow it with 6-8 runs. Then it will be back to 0-2 and 2-3 losses in a row.
Paul
May 25th, 2011
9:23 am
That schafer kid looks awful at the plate. We drafted this kid why? He’s a shrimp. And maybe if he spent as much time batting as he does on those tatoos, he could actually make contact. Gosh get rid of that kid
BulldogBen
May 25th, 2011
9:41 am
We are the slowest team in MLB it seems like. What good are walks when we can’t A)get him to 2nd and B) get a guy from 2nd to home on a single.
Cryin shame too because it’s overshadowing the INCREDIBLE pitching we’re getting more often than not.
Scores/Schedule/Standings & Stories 5/25/2011 - Goodsportsart Blog
May 25th, 2011
9:51 am
[...] The Braves aren’t hitting, and they’re not reaching base, either [...]
Mike
May 25th, 2011
11:09 am
I’ll admit, I wasn’t much of a Pendleton fan due to the approach of the team … but I’m starting to wonder was it Pendleton or the players. Seems like even when we get players on base nobody will come through for us. Phillies get one player on base, he’s a threat to score.
That’s the biggest issue with this team.
Don
May 25th, 2011
11:39 am
All winter, my comments about the Braves potential offensive problems were made fun of. Truth is, they may not get significant offensive production all season from First Base, Shortstop, Center Field, and Right Field. Counting the Pitcher, that is 5 out of the 9 spots in the batting order. The Pitching may be outstanding, but can it carry an offense with significnant production from only 4 spots in the order. Even worse, this is assuming that Uggla will start to hit and that Chipper will play a reasonable number of games and produce. Otherwise, only 2 of the 9 batting order slots will provide good production. Of course, some of these may start to produce significantly — First Base – doubtful, Shortstop – doubtful, Center Field – doubtful, Right Field – questionalble, pitchers seem to have caught up with Heyward and he does not seem to making necessary adjustments, Second Base – we assume that Uggla will soon start to hit, Chipper – who knows. For years, the Braves lived with the Bobby Cox limitations; and now when he finnaly retires, they hire a manager who is to a significant degree a Bobby Cox disciple.
John A.
May 25th, 2011
2:24 pm
I have followed the Braves thru last nite (5/24) and Uggla’s problems have noy changed. Today he is still struggling and my question is……why not send him down to Gwinnett to get his stroke? Him being in the lineup daily is not helping him or the Braves. Today Freeman got a lead-off double and was stranded there….does that make sense?
roja
May 25th, 2011
3:15 pm
But through it all they lead the NL EAST (which includes the two teams in front of them in the standings!) in HITS, HOME RUNS, RBI’S, and RUN.
And only 3 teams in all of MLB have more WINS.
Go figure!!!!!
roja
May 25th, 2011
3:20 pm
Since we lead the NL East in hits, runs, HR’s and rbi’s, maybe, just maybe it is base running and bullpen that are the root of the problem and NOT “offense” defined as hitting stats.
chipper zzang
May 25th, 2011
3:33 pm
AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS OF CRITICIZING TERRY PENDLETON, NOW WE WANT HIM BACK?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
curt moore
May 26th, 2011
6:09 am
Ugglal needs to sit for 5 games. His lack of offense will begin to affect his defense, dropped ground ball and running into Gonzalez. His head has to be really messed up. Maybe a psyche could help him.
Infante is really missed!
Hobbler
May 26th, 2011
10:46 pm
Wren, no more free agents. All the ones you sign suck.
hawesg
May 28th, 2011
8:34 am
Uggly needs to sit and take a basic tutorial on approach to an at bat and he needs to get closer to the dang plate. Anything on the outer third is a guaranteed out.
Mather was hitting well, and Fredi benched him. Put Mather in LF and Prado at 2B until Uggly can reach the outside pitch.
And people are busting on Schafer, but the kid is getting on base, which is more than we can say for most Braves.
Joseph
May 28th, 2011
10:45 am
Mark Bradley articles are where everyone comes to hate on the Braves. That’s why I usually don’t read them. Long live DOB!
John A.
May 28th, 2011
12:29 pm
I have a couple of quetions concerning Tommy Hanson. Why doe he feel compelled to get cute when he gets two strikes on a hitter? Has he forgotten the basics of playing the game? Why such a ho hum approach to the game? This is definitely not the same player of lat year!!!! I suppose making it to the majors takes its toll on players once they make it. Money sure seems to destroy their thinking.
John A.
May 28th, 2011
1:05 pm
Why not bunch the good hitters? Having them staggered has not produced runs!!!! McLouth has not proven he is the same player that we traded for. He may have the ability, but he is lazy with no desire to excel. Uggla needs a stint at Gwinnett (or lower) to get on track. Since management is so down on Shaffer, why can’t they see the light with McLouth? In my judgement his career is close to the end.
AlabamaRamblinwreck
May 28th, 2011
2:15 pm
Uggla – the luckiest man in baseball. I wish we had Infante back, but I wish we hadn’t of traded him to begin with.
zorba
May 28th, 2011
9:04 pm
Mark, when are you going to address Larry Parrish. How much data do you need to at least raise the question? Is Fredi a clone of Cox = give the pitcher a chance to win the game and the Braves to lose. As Karros said on national TV, Lowe didn’t have it from the git go. Did Gonzalez not recognize that? And Chipper, is he trying in these last days to walk himself into the HOF (which he deserves)? Did you see him watch three straight strikes down the middle. C’mon, Mark be your controversial self, the guy who used to tell it like it is. Don’t get old and safe on us.
Tennessee Brad
May 29th, 2011
1:14 pm
Why do the Braves have a hitting coach? What is he supposed to do? Does he know how to tell Uggly he is pulling off the ball? And if they are going to swing at balls in yhe gtound, they should use a golf club.When they talk about how good Prado is hitting, they overlook all of the double plays he hits into to stop a rally! There is enough ugly here to last a complete season.
LLUGA
May 30th, 2011
2:54 pm
Maybe if Popeye…I mean Uggla…laid off the weights a little bit, he could swing a bat…he’s as big a thief as Cam “take the money and run” Newton…but at least Cam performed…Uggla is a joke and a huge waste of money…thanks Wren.
LLUGA
May 30th, 2011
3:01 pm
Come one…you guys are blaming the hitting coach…give me a break…our pitching coach has as much to do with Uggla’s garbage hitting as Chipper and Prado’s good hitting…
01HAWK
May 30th, 2011
5:14 pm
How is that PARRISH THING working out to all of the TP HATERS.
count_schemula
May 31st, 2011
5:10 am
test
MJ
May 31st, 2011
10:06 am
Uggla really isnt playing up to his potential, and regardless of how loyal a fan you are, you have to think signing him was a huge mistake. I think he’ll find his mojo again, the problem is that it might take until August, which means the Braves will be done. Jason is really a larger concern for me. He has been dinged up the last two years, and is really not playing any kind fo a role right now at all. For the offense to come alive, both Jason and Uggla must step up. Without their bats, the Braves have no chance. Chipper & BMac cannot carry the power burden by themselves. They will not see the pitches they need to see, which will only lead to lower offensive production. I think Uggla needs 2 – 3 weeks in Gwinnett, and that they need to move Prado to 2nd base and but the baby bull, Henske, in left field. I have alot more confidence in Henske than I do in Uggla.
felix
May 31st, 2011
12:53 pm
the should send uggla to minor league remember cliff lee before he won de cy young the indians send him minor league. and everybady knows the histoty after that
Blackberry Cobbler
May 31st, 2011
2:53 pm
Same ol’ crap.
Did it ever occur to the brainiacs in the Braves dugout that sine the team is and has been most of the season, struggling to score runs that they try a little harder to play more small-ball? You know, try to manufacture some runs?
Insanity is doing the same ol’ thing over and over and expecting different results.
Freddi G is Booby Cox 2.0
Bench Uggla, move Prado to 2B, and put Hinske in LF.
fordcobra
May 31st, 2011
3:50 pm
Sorry Brian and Prado but this offense is offensive. Pure Skunk. Strange how people leave the Braves and go crazy come to the Braves and go Skunk. As Howard Cosell said just telling it like it is.