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Author Topic: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL  (Read 2680 times)

Houston

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Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« on: September 22, 2006, 09:49:58 am »
As a lefty only, Lance Berkman - the Big Puma - is currently batting .323 with a .429 OBP and a .677 slugging (1.106 OPS). In 359 AB from that side of the plate, he has 36 HR (1 every 9.97 AB) and 98 RBI (1 every 3.66 AB).

Ryan Howard: .312-.414-.670 (1.084 OPS); 548 AB, 57 HR (1 every 9.61 AB), 140 RBI (1 every 3.91 AB)

Carlos Beltran (lefty only): .291-.397-.661 (1.058 OPS); 327 AB, 32 HR (1 every 10.27 AB), 75 RBI (1 every 4.36 AB).

Another wild idea: Why don't they have a Mickey Mantle Award for baseball's best switch hitter?
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BizidyDizidy

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2006, 09:58:48 am »
That's not really a fair comparison for Ryan Howard since Lance only has to face righties as a left-hander.
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OldBlevins

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2006, 10:24:17 am »
Quote:

As a lefty only, Lance Berkman - the Big Puma - is currently batting .323 with a .429 OBP and a .677 slugging (1.106 OPS). In 359 AB from that side of the plate, he has 36 HR (1 every 9.97 AB) and 98 RBI (1 every 3.66 AB).

Ryan Howard: .312-.414-.670 (1.084 OPS); 548 AB, 57 HR (1 every 9.61 AB), 140 RBI (1 every 3.91 AB)

Carlos Beltran (lefty only): .291-.397-.661 (1.058 OPS); 327 AB, 32 HR (1 every 10.27 AB), 75 RBI (1 every 4.36 AB).

Another wild idea: Why don't they have a Mickey Mantle Award for baseball's best switch hitter?



I like the Mickey Mantle Award idea.  Of course, that may be because I think our boy would win it.
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Rebel Jew

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2006, 10:58:36 am »
The idea of a best switch hitter award is kind-of bogus because, while switch hitting is a unique skill, it does not necessarily mean anything great in itself.  Lance Berkman is a great lefty hitter and an average righty hitter.  So, yes he's a switch hitter, but it's not like there's some great hardship he's overcoming through switch-hitting.  If Albert Pujols decided to take 20 lefty at-bats over the course of the season, and struck out in every one of them, would he then be known as a great switch-hitter too?
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Arky Vaughan

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2006, 11:51:07 am »
Quote:

Another wild idea: Why don't they have a Mickey Mantle Award for baseball's best switch hitter?



Why not an award for the best left-handed pitcher? The best reliever under 6'? The best shortstop with a beard? The best 34-year-old catcher?
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strosrays

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2006, 11:58:14 am »
Quote:

The idea of a best switch hitter award is kind-of bogus because, while switch hitting is a unique skill, it does not necessarily mean anything great in itself.  Lance Berkman is a great lefty hitter and an average righty hitter.  So, yes he's a switch hitter, but it's not like there's some great hardship he's overcoming through switch-hitting.  If Albert Pujols decided to take 20 lefty at-bats over the course of the season, and struck out in every one of them, would he then be known as a great switch-hitter too?




Berkman as a RH (against LHP)
2002 - .240/.351/.364 (.715)
2003 - .282/.403/.444 (.847)
2004 - .272/.404/.432 (.836)
2005 - .294/.416/.429 (.845)  
2006 - .281/.380/.452 (.832)

NL avg. RH hitter vs. LHP
2002 - .259/.335/.413 (.748)
2003 - .272/.348/.441 (.789)
2004 - .261/.334/.422 (.766)
2005 - .272/.342/.431 (.773)
2006 -  N/A

While he is not as good a hitter overall from the right side as the left, Berkman has been a well above average hitter from the right side, for some time.  If anything, the perception of Berkman as a switch-hitter is hurt by the fact he is so dominant from the left side, so his stats as a RH hitter are modest in comparison.

I don't know how Berkman would do against LHP if he did not switch hit.  He'd probably be competent, because he is a good hitter, but last year as a RH he hit .294/.416/.429 against LHP, this year .281/.380/.452.  Would he do that well from the left side?  (Last season, the average NL LH hitter hit .245/.321/.381 against LHP.)

Against a LHP, even if one assumes Berkman would do 20% better than the average left-handed hitter would, you're talking a difference of over 100 points of OPS as opposed to him hitting righty.  There is real value in that, beyond just possessing the skill itself.

One of the most impressive things to me about Mantle was that he was naturally a right-handed hitter.  The old adage is you make a switch hitter out of a natural lefty (like Berkman) because he will still get the majority of his ABs (against RHP) from his natural side.  But Mantle's dad was determined he would do this.  Mantle always said he wished he could've got more at bats from the right side, because he was a better hitter that way.  And he was, too, but not by a huge margin.  And he actually hit for slightly more power from his off (left) side (Yankee Stadium's 'short porch' in RF had something to do with this, likely.)

Rose was a natural righty, too, but his splits are pretty even and, of course, really impressive from both sides.

Berkman's splits are much wider, though he is better from the right side than he used to be.  The difference for him is there are less LHP percentage-wise now than there were in Mantle's day, so he doesn't have to bat from his off side nearly as much (roughly 20% of his ABs against LHP, vs. 30+% for Mantle, which means 70% of the time he was hitting from his 'off' side.)
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Limey

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2006, 12:15:58 pm »
Quote:

Why not an award for the best left-handed pitcher? The best reliever under 6'? The best shortstop with a beard? The best 34-year-old catcher?


Please delete this post before ESPN/Fox sees it.
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Matt

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2006, 02:02:59 pm »
Quote:

Quote:

Why not an award for the best left-handed pitcher? The best reliever under 6'? The best shortstop with a beard? The best 34-year-old catcher?


Please delete this post before ESPN/Fox sees it.



Now wait, I think Bruntlett has an excellent chance of winning the best shortstop with a beard award.  Walt Weiss is dead right?
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Gizzmonic

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2006, 02:09:21 pm »
Hello?  Ozzie Smith?
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Matt

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2006, 03:44:57 pm »
I was thinking yearly awards for current players.
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EasTexAstro

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2006, 04:17:04 pm »
Did someone say best beard?
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Limey

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #11 on: September 22, 2006, 05:27:32 pm »
Quote:

Now wait, I think Bruntlett has an excellent chance of winning the best shortstop with a beard award.  Walt Weiss is dead right?


Marmalard...dead!
Neidermeier..dead!
WALT WEISS....
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ValpoCory

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #12 on: September 22, 2006, 05:50:44 pm »
Quote:

 One of the most impressive things to me about Mantle was that he was naturally a right-handed hitter.  The old adage is you make a switch hitter out of a natural lefty (like Berkman) because he will still get the majority of his ABs (against RHP) from his natural side.



IIRC, I heard Berkman say in an interview that he used to be a natural right-handed hitter.
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Limey

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2006, 05:53:57 pm »
Quote:

IIRC, I heard Berkman say in an interview that he used to be a natural right-handed hitter.


Yep.  His Dad was a 'uuuuuge Mantle fan, and tought Lance how to hit lefty too.
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The Spleen

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2006, 08:35:47 pm »
If Walt Weiss is dead, he'd better be sucking Hitler's cock in Hell...

Not that I'm bitter or anything...
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cougar

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Re: Big Puma vs. top LH hitters in NL
« Reply #15 on: September 22, 2006, 10:01:35 pm »
Quote:

If Walt Weiss is dead, he'd better be sucking Hitler's cock in Hell...

Not that I'm bitter or anything...



While using his huge 3 foot long glove to give a reach around to Satan himself.
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