Austin Hays platoon splits

[Il BuonO]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

He got nominated for the Gold Glove despite being a relative unknown and playing only 37 of 60 games.  I know GG nominations often seem arbitrary but considering those limitations, he obviously made a good impression and had some numbers to back it up.   He really hasn’t looked the part this year, though.   

It’s not as arbitrary as it used to be before they adopted some analytics as standards. 

[emmett16]

To me he looks a little beat up.  If he can make it through this season, that will be a huge confidence builder.  He changed his swing to get more contact this year.  His doubles are being hit all over the ball park.  I think he builds off this year and has a big year next year when he starts to hear the footsteps right behind him.  

[wildcard]

18 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

If Neustrom doesn't take a starting job next spring, it's very doubtful they would keep him as a 4th or 5th outfielder.   They'd want him getting consistent AB's in Norfolk, ready for a callup to take a starting position.

 

IMO if Neustrom finishes the season with 200 AAA at bats and an 850 OPS he will have proved what he needs to at AAA.   He will be a good ST away for being on the major league 26 man roster. If he hits Hyde will find playing time for him.  

Stewart will probably be gone.   Hays and Santander have been injury prone and they will have to prove that they can stay healthy and produce.   McKenna has to prove he can hit at the major league level.    Stowers will probably need more time at AAA next season but a few months into 2022 he could be knocking on the door.   

I think the way Elias and Hyde treat injured outfielders will change next season.   They will have to be healthy before returning to the lineup because there will be other players to fill their spots.  No more  playing on one leg and not being able to run at full speed.   JMO

[emmett16]

9 hours ago, Jammer7 said:

Hays’ swing is much different than in 2019. He is off balance, more of a slasher now. I agree that he has never been a platoon split guy like this, but he is not the same hitter he was before. 

He did change his swing and is trying to put the ball in play more.  He has also increased his Barrel %, Avg. Exit Velocity, & Max Exit Velocity.   He struggles on off-speed pitches and it looks like he's making that a focus this year to work on.  His foot speed and defense metrics are down a bit suggesting he may be playing hurt a bit.   K rate is up a bit and BB rate down a bit which makes sense as he's gone through league a couple times now.  It's time for him to make an adjustment.  Will be interesting to see how he holds up these last 8 weeks.   

[Jammer7]

29 minutes ago, emmett16 said:

He did change his swing and is putting ball in play more.  He has aslo increased his Barrel %, Avg. Exit Velocity, & Max Exit Velocity.   He struggles on off-speed pitches and it looks like he's making that a focus this year to work on.  His foot speed and defense metrics are down a bit suggesting he may be playing hurt a bit.   K rate is up a bit and BB rate down a bit which makes sense as he's gone through league a couple times now.  It's time for him to make an adjustment.  Will be interesting to see how he holds up these last 8 weeks.   

All of that is great info. Thanks for that. The biggest issue with him making contact has been swing decisions. The strike to ball slider used to really eat him up. He has gotten stronger as well. His power production is much less than before, despite the increased exit velo. The bigger issue for me is just the balance. He falls off on nearly every swing. And he does seem to be pull happy. 

Everything he has ever done is hard to judge due to small sample size. I am just going by what I see. 

[Aristotelian]

2 hours ago, ChuckS said:

2021 vs. LHP .311 .345 .544

2021 vs. RHP .192 .261 .360

Career OPS vs. LHP is .757 versus .716 against RHP.  Not as pronounced.  I think we need to see another full season of at bats before we declare him a platoon player but with potential left handed mashers coming up through the system (Stowers, Neustrom, Cowser) we could see Hays end up a RH platoon guy and late inning defensive replacement before we know it.  

 

And Kjerstad! If Hays becomes 4th OF, that means the other guys are succeeding. That would be a great problem to have. 

[RZNJ]

6 hours ago, emmett16 said:

He did change his swing and is putting ball in play more.  He has aslo increased his Barrel %, Avg. Exit Velocity, & Max Exit Velocity.   He struggles on off-speed pitches and it looks like he's making that a focus this year to work on.  His foot speed and defense metrics are down a bit suggesting he may be playing hurt a bit.   K rate is up a bit and BB rate down a bit which makes sense as he's gone through league a couple times now.  It's time for him to make an adjustment.  Will be interesting to see how he holds up these last 8 weeks.   

Just saying!

[emmett16]

6 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Just saying!

Thanks for pointing that out.   I should have written *trying to put the ball in play more.  Obviously with the higher K rate, that's not happening at the moment.  I saw an interview with him a little ways back about his approach on working to all fields & his work on hitting off speed pitches.  Said when he first came up after hitting 30 hr in minors, it was just launch launch launch, and that this year he made major adjustments.  

[BirdinBama]

So, all this boiled down sounds like for the first time, in a long, long time, that we have some really good prospects about to break through! I dig it!