Is this a problem with the batting of our young players?

[2001OriolesFan]

Here is a caution about expecting our rookies to come right in and set the world on fire with their batting. 

I wonder if the following things are in play.  While you are in HS, college, A, AA, AAA you are facing pitchers who have maybe two pitches that they have mastered and who have control issues. So you can lay off obvious bad pitches and nail the ones that are grooved or don't break like they should. Then there is the big jump to MLB, where the pitchers are much different, and it takes a few years or months to catch up. ....

In MLB, these days, any weakness in the batter is immediately analyzed and exploited. Trouble hitting a certain breaking ball or zone is analyzed from film by multiple geeks on each team and what is successful gets amplified by everyone picking it up. Sequence of pitches is also studied and applied. No more "I wonder what this guy likes to hit and what he has trouble hitting". It takes a while for the young batters to catch up- and some never fix their weaknesses. Remember how rookies have some early success and then their BA sinks. We have a lot of young players going through this. Remember how easy it was to strike Mateo out in the first half of this year? He was like a zombie, swinging at down and away pitches well off the plate. He fixed that over the all star break and has been batting around 0.300 since then.  Rutschman looked like a fool his first few weeks and was completely baffled by MLB changeups.  We see some cryptic comments about our players in the high minors that talk about too many strikeouts- they keep them down until they learn, rather than bring them up to fail.  I believe that such weaknesses will be forwarded from the minors (other teams have minor league teams as well as we do) to the majors , so they can be exploited from the get-go.

It is a reason to bring them up late this year to get MLB seasoning and find out their weaknesses and start correcting them for next year.  It is probably something that can not be "taught" so much as actaully be "learned" by doing.  Just don't get upset about the learning curve.

 

[Can_of_corn]

I don't think Adley ever looked like a fool.

The results were not there but the process was, from day 1.

[sportsfan8703]

Advanced MLB scouting is always going to happen. Why do you think they call it a sophomore slump?  
 

Right now, I think some guys are tired mentally and physically. They’ve never been through an MLB season where we’re actually competing. We’re also getting scouted with a little more scrutiny sense we are winning. 

[2001OriolesFan]

37 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't think Adley ever looked like a fool.

The results were not there but the process was, from day 1.

Quote

".....Most notable, though, is that Rutschman has struck out 14 times compared to four walks..."

https://www.mlb.com/news/adley-rutschman-orioles-not-worried-about-slow-start

[Can_of_corn]

6 minutes ago, 2001OriolesFan said:

https://www.mlb.com/news/adley-rutschman-orioles-not-worried-about-slow-start

And?

You think striking out despite good process makes one look like a fool?

[Bahama O's Fan]

My thought process is get them up now, get some at bats, make adjustments and be better prepared for next season to really contend

[Hank Scorpio]

It's obviously difficult to prognosticate how they'll transition to big league pitching. 

I expect Henderson will adapt just fine, he's done it at every level. Yes his K/BB ratio at Norfolk is worse than @ Bowie. But he's still OPS'ing .900. There is literally nothing else for him to accomplish down there. 

The big league lineup is struggling a bit. I thought recalling Stowers would help, but thus far, he's not really getting much of an opportunity. His pedigree is significantly less than Henderson so I wouldn't anticipate Hyde would have the stones to keep him on the bench over Odor. I understand that there are relationships in the dugout that need to be managed, but winning is the priority. 

We'll see, I guess. Henderson is pliable, too. I'm pretty confident in saying he won't be worse than Odor. 

[Orioles Jim]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

And?

You think striking out despite good process makes one look like a fool?

 

His propensity for chasing balls out of the strike zone sure has improved dramatically.

 

[Can_of_corn]

1 hour ago, Orioles Jim said:

 

His propensity for chasing balls out of the strike zone sure has improved dramatically.

 

Sure?

The question isn't if he looks better now.  It's did he look like a fool before?

[Frobby]

3 hours ago, Orioles Jim said:

 

His propensity for chasing balls out of the strike zone sure has improved dramatically.

 

It has, but understand one thing about that chart.  The major league average O% is 32.5%.  Adley’s been below that almost from day one.  

[2001OriolesFan]

5 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

And?

You think striking out despite good process makes one look like a fool?

I never said he looked like a fool.  I used that data to show that new MLB players often need adjustments after they came up.  Adley learned quick, but he is a generational talent.