Davis strikeouts

[Satyr3206]

The plate was 24 inches wide and 10 inches high. Maybe they should dust off a rule book.

[Frobby]

The Umps this series sucked. I'm not going to hold it against CD.

It's not about one game or one series. Davis has now struck out looking 60 times this season. That's four more times than in any previous season, and the team still has 45 games to play.

[MagicBird]

If the ump has a big strike zone, you have to deal with it once you reach two strikes.

True. But what if the umps strike zone changes in the same at bat? From pitch to pitch? I think that was Palmer's point.

Im not trying to defend Davis necessarily but just making an observation. Its been bad, but its like every couple of days we get the DD & CD pinata out for some to swing at and complain about having CD who was overpaid.

[InsideCoroner]

True. But what if the umps strike zone changes in the same at bat? From pitch to pitch? I think that was Palmer's point.

Im not trying to defend Davis necessarily but just making an observation. Its been bad, but its like every couple of days we get the DD & CD pinata out for some to swing at and complain about having CD who was overpaid.

Davis is what he is, and he can carry the team on his shoulders at times. My only issue with him right now is that he's not going to find his way out of a slump by walking.

[weams]

Two of those strikes were clearly off the plate. Strike 3 especially. The ump was a little Eric Gregg-ish there today

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Davis has a good eye. On the Ks looking they are rarely really strikes. Trumbo could easily have swung at his ball four as well.

[Frobby]

Davis has a good eye. On the Ks looking they are rarely really strikes. Trumbo could easily have swung at his ball four as well.

I disagree with this. Of course, every player who strikes out looking occasionally gets called out on a pitch that was a ball. But in my observation, the vast majority of the time he has been caught looking, the pitch has been a strike. And what's frustrating to me is that on most of his swinging strikeouts, the pitches are not close to being strikes.

Looking at his stats this year, Davis is only swinging at pitches in the strike zone 63.9% of the time. He has never been below 70% in any previous season, and in his best two years, he was at 72% or higher.

I feel he is freezing up on a lot of good pitches with two strikes. He's having trouble balancing letting the ball travel with being able to pull the trigger.

[pastorfan]

Even Jim Hunter was mildly critical of him for not protecting the plate in the 9th before the trumbo at-bat. He just doesn't seem very confident right now.

Yes, swinging and missing might be mechanical, but taking strikes this often is mental.

[Sanfran327]

The Umps this series sucked. I'm not going to hold it against CD.

He gets the short end of the stick with a LOT of close ball/strike calls. That certainly doesn't help his confidence. It's hard to trust your batting eye when you're constantly getting hosed, but I think he's still seeing the ball pretty well. He just has a huge hole in his swing up and in, and pitchers are making fewer mistakes against him right now.

[big_sparxx]

There is an implication on this thread that somehow the umps are singling him out and giving him bad calls. Excuse me... but does anyone else think that that idea is just a bit ludicrous? Out of every batter up there, this ump is singling him out as "looking for a walk" so is opening the strike zone? Sorry, but to look at strike 3 FOUR times in a game doesn't preclude an umpire bias, it shows a hitter who doesn't make adjustments and is not getting it up there. Sorry, but I love CD as much as anyone and can't wait for him to figure it out, but not at the expense of staying up at #4.

[Number5]

If the ump has a big strike zone, you have to deal with it once you reach two strikes.

This is certainly true, in that batters and pitchers both have to adjust to the zone the plate umpire is calling in a game. When the umpire is wildly inconsistent, however, that's a whole different story, IMO. To say that you are upset that Davis swings at pitches out of the zone, while also saying that he needs to swing at balls because the umpire sometimes has a big zone seems a bit contradictory, don't you think?

[schittenden]

It's not about one game or one series. Davis has now struck out looking 60 times this season. That's four more times than in any previous season, and the team still has 45 games to play.

Out of those 60 times, 23 times he was called out on ball. I think that says something about the umpiring. Don't know if there is something about Davis that makes umps ring him up on balls more than others, but being called out on balls in 40% of your called strike threes seems awful.

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[schittenden]

Yes, swinging and missing might be mechanical, but taking strikes this often is mental.

He's taking a lot of balls that are called for strikes though.

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[DrungoHazewood]

Davis has had an unusual career progression with regards to plate discipline. Very few players are like Davis up through age 26 (6.5% walk rate), who then go on to greatly improve their ability to walk after 27. It's a pretty short list of Johnny Evers, Harold Baines, Barry Larkin, Bill Dickey, Rod Carew, Sammy Sosa, George Brett and a few others who were able to do this. What does this mean for Davis? I'm not sure. But he certainly has a very different approach to hitting than he did even 4-5 years ago. And his less aggressive approach, at least in some circumstances, has led to more looking strikeouts.

[DrungoHazewood]

This is certainly true, in that batters and pitchers both have to adjust to the zone the plate umpire is calling in a game. When the umpire is wildly inconsistent, however, that's a whole different story, IMO. To say that you are upset that Davis swings at pitches out of the zone, while also saying that he needs to swing at balls because the umpire sometimes has a big zone seems a bit contradictory, don't you think?

I've long said that swinging at balls is counter-productive. I'd rather have strike three called as part of an approach to hit balls in your zone rather than changing approach to avoid Ks at all costs. Someone would have to show me evidence that changing approach to avoid Ks is more productive overall.

[El Gordo]

Out of those 60 times, 23 times he was called out on ball. I think that says something about the umpiring. Don't know if there is something about Davis that makes umps ring him up on balls more than others, but being called out on balls in 40% of your called strike threes seems awful.

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I guarantee that CD would look at few called third strikes with a robo ump. I watch with pitch fx and there are countless times in every game that a pitch in the same location is called a strike one time and a ball another. They all have inconsitent strike zones. :angryfire::cussing::rolleyestf: