Gunnar Henderson 2023

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, banks703 said:

 

Cakes said on the broadcast (if I’m remembering correctly) that he is something like 21-25 on first-pitch balls that he puts in play. That’s absurd. 

 

He’s 17 for 25, with 3 doubles and 4 homers.   Of course, that’s only looking at the balls he’s put in play.  He’s swung at the first pitch 73 times, so down 0-1 the other 48 times.  He only hits .147 after an 0-1 count.  Of course, he’s been down 0-1 125 times, 77 of which were looking.  

[banks703]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

He’s 17 for 25, with 3 doubles and 4 homers.   Of course, that’s only looking at the balls he’s put in play.  He’s swung at the first pitch 73 times, so down 0-1 the other 48 times.  He only hits .147 after an 0-1 count.  Of course, he’s been down 0-1 125 times, 77 of which were looking.  

Ahhh yes. Thanks for correcting me. I knew it was one of 17 or 21. 

Either way, pretty great numbers when putting the ball in play. That, with his numbers in an 0-1 count, to me, is suggestive that he should be looking to swing the bat early in the count. Especially given that more than half of his 0-1 counts are a result of a taken first strike. Additionally these numbers are a bit inflated given how incredibly selective he was early in the year. 
 

I think we may be saying the same thing, which is just that he’s been better when he’s been more aggressive. 

[Sports Guy]

Something interesting about Gunnar is that he struggled early but was walking a lot.

He had 15 walks in April and 12 in May.

But in June, he has only walked 3 times.

Of course, his OPS is much higher in June than the previous months but you have to wonder if he is going too far with the plate discipline.

Its obvious that this is intentional but is this too much?

I mean, it’s hard to argue with the results of June but can that sustain?

[ChosenOne21]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

Something interesting about Gunnar is that he struggled early but was walking a lot.

He had 15 walks in April and 12 in May.

But in June, he has only walked 3 times.

Of course, his OPS is much higher in June than the previous months but you have to wonder if he is going too far with the plate discipline.

Its obvious that this is intentional but is this too much?

I mean, it’s hard to argue with the results of June but can that sustain?

I'm sure once pitchers realize he will jump on juicy early strikes, they'll throw him fewer of those and he'll walk more again. We'll eventually find an equilibrium.

[Sports Guy]

Of course he walks tonight 

[Brian88]

 

[Frobby]

On 6/28/2023 at 6:03 PM, Sports Guy said:

Something interesting about Gunnar is that he struggled early but was walking a lot.

He had 15 walks in April and 12 in May.

But in June, he has only walked 3 times.

Of course, his OPS is much higher in June than the previous months but you have to wonder if he is going too far with the plate discipline.

Its obvious that this is intentional but is this too much?

I mean, it’s hard to argue with the results of June but can that sustain?

I think he’s still figuring out the right balance between plate discipline and aggressiveness.  And, lots of guys get more aggressive while they’re having good results, then dial it back when they cool off.  Bottom line, his OBP for June is better than it was in April and May despite the much lower walk totals.  And to be honest, I haven’t noticed him swinging at a lot of garbage.

[baltfan]

On 6/28/2023 at 8:03 PM, Sports Guy said:

Something interesting about Gunnar is that he struggled early but was walking a lot.

He had 15 walks in April and 12 in May.

But in June, he has only walked 3 times.

Of course, his OPS is much higher in June than the previous months but you have to wonder if he is going too far with the plate discipline.

Its obvious that this is intentional but is this too much?

I mean, it’s hard to argue with the results of June but can that sustain?

I suspect that he will settle down somewhere in the middle plate discipline-wise.  He was so hot that he just wasn't missing balls at the rate he was previously.  You aren't going to walk if you are putting balls in play you normally would be swinging through because you are in a zone.  As I said in another thread, the only guy whose walk rate seems to stay the same whether hot or cold is Soto.  He does, however, seem to get a lot of first pitch strikes, more than someone like Adley.  Perhaps that just has to do with perceptions of how dangerous he is.  

[Say O!]

41 minutes ago, Brian88 said:

 

Pretty good company there for Gunnar.  

And Shohei’s month is just insane, before even considering his contributions as a pitcher.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Say O!

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Your AL Rookie of the month for June 2023:

 

[Moose Milligan]

Win rookie of the month for the next 2-3 months and he’ll have an outstanding chance to win ROY. 

[emmett16]

2 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Win rookie of the month for the next 2-3 months and he’ll have an outstanding chance to win ROY. 

I’d say if he wins 3x more he’s a lock.  2x more and he’d have a darn good shot. 

[baltfan]

He has got a ways to go to win it.  Jung’s standard statistics are significantly better.  Volpe has gotten hot and also tends to look better with standard statistics versus advanced ones.  

[LookinUp]

On 6/30/2023 at 10:54 AM, Brian88 said:

 

Christian Walker is the one that got away and nobody seems to remember. Bumbs me out. Would like that bat in the lineup.

Edited July 4, 2023 by LookinUp

[maybenxtyr]

40 minutes ago, LookinUp said:

Christian Walker is the one that got away and nobody seems to remember. Bumbs me out. Would like that bat in the lineup.

There was never a chance when the O's traded for Davis. Walker is a nice story and all, but there's no comparison between him and Davis in Walker's coming up years.