The strikeouts - it's not just Reynolds and Davis, what's going on?

[Frobby]

Almost every Oriole on the team is striking out at a very high rate compared to their career rates. The season is about 1/8 over. At this rate:

Wieters 96 K's
Davis 136 K's
Andino 136 K's
Hardy 104 K's
Reynolds 216 K's
Reimold 104 K's
Jones 96 K's
Markakis 128 K's
Betemit 88 K's

The team would strike out about 1,270 times at this rate. Last year they struck out 1120 times.

Clearly the way the strike zone is being called has something to do with it. 56% of Markakis' strikeouts have been looking; 41% for Andino, 36% for Betemit, 67% for Nick Johnson. League average is 25%. But we are seeing more swinging strikeouts, too.

I expected our strikeouts to go up this year, with Davis here from Opening Day and Betemit being part of the mix. But I wasn't expecting a jump like this.

[sangar]

Which begs the question: What is the record for team strikeouts?

Are we on pace to make history?

[sangar]

Ah, the AL record is the 2010 Rays at 1,292 and the all time record is the 2010 Diamondbacks at 1529.

We may be able to challenge the Rays. Go Os!

[BarclaySouthway]

Ah, the AL record is the 2010 Rays at 1,290.

I guess strikeouts really don't matter. Of course, you have to do everything else well...

[Frobby]

Ah, the AL record is the 2010 Rays at 1,292

I guess strikeouts really don't matter. Of course, you have to do everything else well...

That is a good fact to tuck away for a rainy day. It supports those of us who feel strikeouts are overrated as a negative stat. That Rays team was 3rd in the league in runs scored, by the way, with 802. And they didn't really "do everything else well." They were 13th in BA, 8th in OBP, 8th in SLG, 6th in HR. They were a great baserunning team and that allowed them to overcome other weaknesses.

[OFFNY]

I guess strikeouts really don't matter. Of course, you have to do everything else well...

Yes. That team led the major leagues in strikeouts. They were 13th out of 14 teams in the A.L. in batting average ........... but, they still managed to be 3rd overall in the A.L. in runs scored.

Lots of strikeouts, a horrible batting average ...... but they still managed to score lots of runs and win 96 games.

Two factors that I'm sure helped a lot were that when they did get on base, they led the major leagues in stolen bases (172 team steals).

The other was that they led the major leagues in walks (672), which helped bump their horrible team batting average (.247) up to a respectable team on-base percentage (.333.)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TBR/2010.shtml

There are lots of ways to win games.

[El Gordo]

Almost every Oriole on the team is striking out at a very high rate compared to their career rates. The season is about 1/8 over. At this rate:

Wieters 96 K's
Davis 136 K's
Andino 136 K's
Hardy 104 K's
Reynolds 216 K's
Reimold 104 K's
Jones 96 K's
Markakis 128 K's
Betemit 88 K's

The team would strike out about 1,270 times at this rate. Last year they struck out 1120 times.

Clearly the way the strike zone is being called has something to do with it. 56% of Markakis' strikeouts have been looking; 41% for Andino, 36% for Betemit, 67% for Nick Johnson. League average is 25%. But we are seeing more swinging strikeouts, too.

I expected our strikeouts to go up this year, with Davis here from Opening Day and Betemit being part of the mix. But I wasn't expecting a jump like this.

It's Selig's new strike zone, no question in my mind. The umps are positioned inside, so they are iffy on the outside corner. The batter hasn't changed his position, so his judgement of outside strikes is better than the umps. But some umps have a better idea than others. How do you know what to swing at? Some of these outside called strikes are impossible to reach with the bat. What a stupid change.

[Don Quixote]

I agree that the shift in umpire positioning and some horrible calls have helped drive the stats, but there have been many occasions where guys have just looked at some fat pitches. I'm talking fastballs straight down the pike, and not just on 3-0 counts where they were taking all the way. Also bad hangers. Middle-middle pitches that should just get crushed. At times they've looked at more than one choice pitch in an at-bat, only to go after lesser pitches, either through necessity to protect the plate, or bad judgment. It can be pretty maddening. I hope the general situation improves.

[RVAbird]

Tied for worst in the AL in K% (21.3) and BB% (6.8) and alone at the bottom in K/BB (.32). The umpiring has been questionable, but with a couple of exceptions this is a painfully undisciplined team.

EDIT: Actually, looking through the data more, I should revise this. The Orioles swing at fewer pitches outside the strike zone than the average AL team. In fact, they swing at fewer pitches in the strike zone as well. But their contact rate (77%) is dead last in the AL.

[SilentJames]

Tied for worst in the AL in K% (21.3) and BB% (6.8) and alone at the bottom in K/BB (.32). The umpiring has been questionable, but with a couple of exceptions this is a painfully undisciplined team.

EDIT: Actually, looking through the data more, I should revise this. The Orioles swing at fewer pitches outside the strike zone than the average AL team. In fact, they swing at fewer pitches in the strike zone as well. But their contact rate (77%) is dead last in the AL.

Define discipline. The orioles are seeing an average of almost four pitches per PA. If anything they are showing much greater discipline which is leading to the higher k rates, especially the looking rate.

Edit....
Exactly. And that contact rate is probably being driven by Hardy, Reynolds and Johnson

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[RVAbird]

Define discipline. The orioles are seeing an average of almost four pitches per PA. If anything they are showing much greater discipline which is leading to the higher k rates, especially the looking rate.

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You are right, and you quoted my edited post before getting a chance to read it. It's not a patience or (necessarily) batting eye issue, but largely a contact rate issue right now.

[SilentJames]

You are right, and you quoted my edited post before getting a chance to read it. It's not a patience or (necessarily) batting eye issue, but largely a contact rate issue right now.

I swear to god when I quoted it was before the edit was there. But when I posted it was there in the quote. I must have hit respond at the exact milisecond or something. Weird.

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[RVAbird]

I swear to god when I quoted it was before the edit was there. But when I posted it was there in the quote. I must have hit respond at the exact milisecond or something. Weird.

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Heh. Yeah, I'm sure we more or less posted simultaneously. Anyway, your point stands. The discipline numbers didn't jive with my cursory glance at K/BB (which hardly tells the whole story regarding discipline). I still think there are some pitch-ID issues, as a 77% contact rate and 10% SwStr% imply that, in addition to not handling the bat well, the hitters are not picking the best pitches at which to swing.

[SilentJames]

Heh. Yeah, I'm sure we more or less posted simultaneously. Anyway, your point stands. The discipline numbers didn't jive with my cursory glance at K/BB (which hardly tells the whole story regarding discipline). I still think there are some pitch-ID issues, as a 77% contact rate and 10% SwStr% imply that, in addition to not handling the bat well, the hitters are not picking the best pitches at which to swing.

The offense has been slumping the last week or so. April stats can swing so wildly from week to week. Let's see where we stand at the end of May.

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[SammyBirdland]

We are a home run hitting lineup. We have 7 or 8 guys that could conceivably get 20 homers this season.

Are they taking a "home run or nothing" approach at the plate? It feels like we get an unusually low number of hits outside of homers.