Winter Doldrum Stat of the Week: Andrus can bunt!

by rooster on Feb 2, 2011 11:48 AM CST

From John Dewan's stat of the week...

Each year we give the Flat Bat Award to baseball's best bunter, and it's time to hand out the 2010 award. First, let's look at the best bunters in sacrifice situations. Here are the best sacrifice bunters in baseball for 2010, listed in order of most sacrifices:

2010 Sacrifice Hit Leaders
Player Successful Sacrifices Sacrifice Attempts Percentage
Clayton Kershaw, LAD 18 18 100%
Elvis Andrus, TEX 17 17 100%
Chone Figgins, SEA 17 19 89%
Ryan Dempster, CHC 16 17 94%
Nyjer Morgan, WAS 15 15 100%
Juan Pierre, CWS 15 21 71%

Now we have the best at bunting for hits, listed in order of most bunt hits in 2010. As you can see, the most successful bunters have a very high average when bunting for a hit. Of the 23 players who attempted at least 10 bunt base hits in 2010, their combined average on bunts was .490.

2010 Bunt Hit Leaders
Player, Team Successful Bunt Hits Bunt Hit Attempts Average
Erick Aybar, LAA 18 35 .514
Julio Borbon, TEX 17 30 .567
Elvis Andrus, TEX 12 18 .667
Angel Pagan, NYM 12 18 .667
Gregor Blanco, KC/ATL 12 17 .706

Last year's Flat Bat award winner Erick Aybar again led the league with 18 bunt hits (in 35 attempts). Rangers rookie Julio Borbon gave Aybar a run for his money with 17 bunts hits. However, Aybar was also 11 for 13 in sac bunt attempts, giving him an edge over Borbon (8 for 11).

Congratulations to Erick Aybar for successfully defending his Flat Bat title!

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Comments

Cool.

My stat of the week:
Elvis Andrus 2010 WAR: 1.5
Julio Borbon: 1.3

Borbon is older, but has less pro experience. He has 110 fewer major league games than Elvis, and just 414 pro games overall compared to 700 for Elvis. Borbon was good at times last year, but awful for far too much of the season. But it is foolish to write him off.

Borbon’s speed and defense (and notice he’s on the bunt list above, too) mean that even if he can just stay around .700 OPS he’d be a valuable player and worth keeping Hamilton in LF for. I’m a bit pessimistic about Borbon being good enough to make him an above average CFer, but I think he still has a good chance to be decent enough out there to start.

Meanwhile, I think Elvis will be a better bat in 2011, putting all his talents together to be a 3-4 WAR player again.

What if something happens?!?
What could happen to an Old Fashioned?

by t ball on Feb 2, 2011 12:26 PM CST reply actions

Agree on Elvis

I’m hoping Engle Beltre lives up to the hype some folks round here give him, and Borbon becomes a stop gap to get to Beltre. Any chance this happens sometime in 2012, or is that too soon for Beltre?

Not likely to happen, but dreams are the foundation of baseball, so dream away. - JParks

by Eric Prince on Feb 2, 2011 3:35 PM CST up reply actions

I'd say late 2012 is reasonable

What if something happens?!?
What could happen to an Old Fashioned?

by t ball on Feb 2, 2011 4:14 PM CST up reply actions

September call up to see how he handles some big league pitching,

be a 2013 possible starter?

Not likely to happen, but dreams are the foundation of baseball, so dream away. - JParks

by Eric Prince on Feb 2, 2011 4:52 PM CST up reply actions

Traded at the deadline.

Que sera, sera.

by scoop16 on Feb 2, 2011 5:50 PM CST up reply actions

If Borbon is solid

and Beltre gets them some needed piece I can see that.

What if something happens?!?
What could happen to an Old Fashioned?

by t ball on Feb 2, 2011 6:15 PM CST up reply actions

If Beltre looks like something

and let’s remember, his first year at AA he was like 3 years younger than Borbon at AA, we may be better off holding on to Beltre and his 6 years of pre-FA, and dumping Borbon and his 3 arb, pre-FA years.

Personally, the fact that Borbon has no patience, no power, a weak arm and isn’t a particularly good base stealer offsets a lot of his speed. At least Beltre displays a little pop, that is likely to develop with age.

"I wanted to go out there and punch Julio" - Ron Washington

by DJCahill on Feb 2, 2011 6:29 PM CST up reply actions

My view is based on two things.

One, Borbon showing more of an ‘09 performance. Two, the club being willing to throw Beltre in the Garza package tells me they don’t think he’ll develop as well as many of us hope.

Que sera, sera.

by scoop16 on Feb 2, 2011 6:40 PM CST up reply actions

So

less than 200 PAs in ’09 showed you something?

"I wanted to go out there and punch Julio" - Ron Washington

by DJCahill on Feb 2, 2011 6:46 PM CST up reply actions

A little bit.

More than the average, that he can actually take a walk. And that he can steal bases at an effective rate.

The hitting numbers could obviously have been fluky. I expect a .300/.350/.400 type guy. 40 SBs v. 10 CS and solid range with a weak arm.

Que sera, sera.

by scoop16 on Feb 2, 2011 6:54 PM CST up reply actions

That's some lofty expectations in my book for Borbon

I wouldn’t mind moving Murphy and using Borbon as a 4th outfielder if Beltre becomes what we hope he will be. But I think you are setting the bar too high for Borbon.

Not likely to happen, but dreams are the foundation of baseball, so dream away. - JParks

by Eric Prince on Feb 2, 2011 7:01 PM CST up reply actions

When I go fishing, I bring a Nikon and a frying pan.

Que sera, sera.

by scoop16 on Feb 2, 2011 7:04 PM CST up reply actions

One of my problems with him

is he really hasn’t been a big walker. He’s no 10 percent walk rate guy, he’s more of a 6 percent guy.

That means if he isn’t a 300 hitter, he’s a defense only CF, and those guys are kind of a dime a dozen. CFs that can’t hit but can field aren’t that tough to find.

"I wanted to go out there and punch Julio" - Ron Washington

by DJCahill on Feb 2, 2011 7:06 PM CST up reply actions

especially when they don't have a big arm

not trying to fish and fry here scoop, btb, just not too familiar with Beltre. I am familiar enough with Borbon to know I need some bourbon to watch him play sometimes.

Not likely to happen, but dreams are the foundation of baseball, so dream away. - JParks

by Eric Prince on Feb 2, 2011 7:10 PM CST up reply actions