Is it possible to temper expectations for Heyward?

[hornet]

Two wins in two days in two completely different ways. That’s what we’re looking at here with the Braves. And we’re completely ignoring that on a day I wrote a story about how patient this Braves lineup is, they struck out 12 times. Deal?

Actually I went digging through last year’s scorebook to see if there was any kind of new precedent – that last year’s team always lost when it struck out so much and maybe this team is showing a different side already. And guess what? Dumb premise. The Braves went 25-27 in game last year in which they struck out eight or more times, or at least by my sketchy, late-night math.

But hey, I share with you stats that support my theories. Why not share stats that mess me up? It’s only right. So from that, I saw strikeouts don’t matter as much as we think.

[gryfyn1]

well the first issue with your premise is that strike outs and Plate discipline are totally different things -- take for instance Adam Dunn, one of the most patient hitters in the game, yet he strike out alot.

Take Dunn who K'd 177 times last year, but swung at just 19.4% of pitches outside the zone

Or Pablo Sandoval who Struck out just 83 times last year, yet swung at 41.5% of pitches outside the strike zone (2nd in the majors)

Dunn saw 4.3 pitches/plate apperace, 4th in the majors (the leader incedently was jason werth who K'd 156 times); Sandoval saw 3.4 which was 142nd.

The second is that any time a pitching staff manages to strike out more than 8 or more batters, the odds are that they were facing a hig quality pithcer.

The Braves were also 6-5 in games which they struck out more than 10 times.


also, to the threads question If Heyward continues on his current pace and finished the year at 269/387/654, even if he Ks 200 times, it would be so far beyond an amazing season as to be unthikable,

[old threads]

He is going to struggle like all rooks but the skies the limit for him in his career. Braves do good job getting the local Georgia kids. Good baseball country around Atlanta.