Why does Hank Blalock have twice as many AB's as Andruw Jones?

Why does Hank Blalock have twice as many AB's as Andruw Jones?

Andruw: 64 ABs, 16 BB's, .439 OBP, 11 XBH in 82 Pa's
Blalock: 127 AB's, 5 BB's, .272 OBP, 17 xbh in 136 PA's

The real disturbing thing here? Hank has 42 PA's vs LHP, while Andruw has 40. Hank's been good enough to give us a .186 OBP in those 42 AB's.

Another sad little nugget here? Andruw is tied with Kins for the team lead in BB's right now. Murph, Omar, and Teag are the only players with less PA's than Andruw so far.

6 months ago Keynes 7 comments 0 recs |

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I just have no idea why

Blalock would be in a game versus a lefty when you have another DH who hits them well.

"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com

by DJCahill on May 17, 2009 9:02 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I have no idea why

Blalock would be in a game versus a lefty when you have another DH who hits them just average, much less hits them well.

I’m not convinced that Jones will hit nearly this well over the course of the season, but it’s pretty obvious that Blalock can’t hit even a bad lefty, so you might as well let Jones have a shot.

by Darrell McKown on May 17, 2009 11:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

that Jones will regress is a mortal lock. However, I think there is a good chance he can hold an 800 Plus OPS, with a high OBP component. Given the amount of ABs some of our other hitters are giving away with their sub-300 OBPs, thats worthwhile to put in the lineup.

"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com

by DJCahill on May 18, 2009 8:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Since the All Star break last year:

Ranger left handed hitters.

Avg. ___OBP___Slg.____ OPS____HR____RBI____ AB
Blalock____ .262___ .306___.530____.835____19_____55____302
Hamilton___.281___ .355___.491____.846____16_____54____334
Davis______.268___.315___.518____.832____21_____63____365

Does anyone have the vs. lhp split? I’m sure Blalock’s is bad. He hit them well last year but he’s a stunning .167/.186/.262 this year with 32% of his AB’s against lefties.

I think Washington likes having an extra left-handed bat in the lineup.

I vote for Jones to get more PT.
But as long as they’re winning . . . !

“What have you done for Ralphie? Other than teach him how to masturbate… and left handed, no less!” – Fritz the Cat, 1974

by Evil Monkey on May 18, 2009 12:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

How about because

Blalock costs $6.2 million and Jones only costs $500K. We need to get our moneys worth out of Hank. As silly as that sounds, you see teams do it all the time.

by NorCalRangersFan on May 18, 2009 12:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I certainly hope

that isn’t the rationale.

"I'd praised catcher Max Ramirez two weeks ago, but after his continued struggles I'm increasingly convinced he's not going to pan out." - crops.mlblogs.com

by DJCahill on May 18, 2009 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's just it though

A .271 OBP ain’t getting your moneys worth.

"Hi, I’m a fucking horsefaced moron." - John Lackey to Ian Kinsler, 5/16/09

"That start was like somebody on a deathbed suddenly jumping up and doing the Lindy Hop, then speeding away on a pogo stick while playing the fiddle." - Telegraph

Hello Win Column

by lonestarJon on May 18, 2009 4:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs