Every ballplayer gets into slumps. What separates the great from the not-so is that the great make adjustments.
Juan Pierre has been in a slump. He needed to make an adjustment.
In his first time up last night, he drew a full count, then took ball four for his second walk of the year.
In his second time up, he drew a full count again -- and then slapped a single to the middle infield. It was the type of grounder that would have required the fielder to make an excellent play to get a runner of average speed. Pierre has good speed and had an infield single.
It seemed that Pierre had made the adjustment: he would look at more pitches, swinging at the ones he thought were good to hit. No longer would he offer at whatever the pitcher gave him.
Then, in the fifth, Pierre swung at the first pitch and grounded to second. Out #46.
In the seventh, he worked a 2-2 count, and swung at the fifth pitch, singling to right.
In the ninth, he swung at the first pitch, flying out to left. Out #47.
Honestly -- I don't know what to make of this. If I'm Pierre, I look at this game and I say to myself, "Self, when I take pitches, I have more success than when I don't." Even if Pierre had been out in the third (the infield single) and the seventh (the single to right), I would have been satisfied that his approach to the plate appearance had been worthwhile. In the 5th and 9th, I feel like he was bored or something and couldn't wait to get back to the dugout.
Time will tell which is the real Juan Pierre.
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1 comment:
For anal retentive completeness (which you have already addressed with your addendums) you should include a "projected" outs total
for the year.
Then if you really want to spend too much time on this, you can track Pierre's National and MLB Outs ranking. Although arthtracy has been doing an admirable job in this regard.
Where has JoeyP gone? I haven't heard anyone crave anal sex with DePodesta in days.
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