Brandon Phillips - New Leaf Turner Over?

by Slyde on Apr 15, 2009 1:00 PM EDT in Features Comment 40 comments

I know it's early, but I can't help but get excited about how the Reds are showing so much patience at the plate right now. Despite batting just .222 on the season to this point, they are 8th in the NL with a .342 OBP, which is 21 points higher than their OBP from 2008. I'm not sure if this is a new trend for the team or a small sample anomaly, but it definitely helps your team if you are still getting on base even you aren't hitting the ball well.

One player in particular that has surprised me so far is Brandon Phillips. The Reds second baseman has already drawn 7 walks this season, a number than is nearly 20% of his 162 game average for his career. Obviously 7 games is not a enough to really identify any new trends, but the data in general gives me hope that maybe Phillips is making some adjustments to his game.

Data from Baseball Reference and FanGraphs and may have conflicts.
	Pit/PA	Swing/Pit	Pit In Zone	Swing IZ	Swing OZ	1st Pit Swing
2009	4.37	45%	40%	71%	28%	47%
Career	3.58	53%	53%	74%	31%	39%

The thing that I really like to see is that Phillips has managed to stay patient while pitchers refuse to throw him strikes. He's still swinging out of the zone a little more than I'd like, but given that he's an aggressive hitter and that pitchers aren't throwing him strikes, I think it's a good sign that he has managed to not let his aggressiveness get the better of him so far.

This is the kind of hitter that I've been hoping Brandon Phillips would become. I don't necessarily want him to stop being aggressive - he doesn't have to draw 100 walks a season - but I'd love for him to continue to lay off those pitches that he can't handle. Specifically, if he can keep from chasing those low and away pitches, he will become a much more difficult hitter to get out. So far, he's been doing that pretty well:

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I'm impressed that he's layed off the low-and-away

but WTF happened in the top right corner?

...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield

by Cy Schourek on Apr 15, 2009 1:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What, that little guy?

I wouldn’t worry about that little guy.

by Brendanukkah on Apr 15, 2009 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Driving me nuts!!!

Where is that line from?

"Here's to you, Mr. Ceremonial First First Pitch Thrower Outer"

by jmgard6 on Apr 15, 2009 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

See picture

"I usually shoot it pretty straight."- a boating enthusiast

by Colin Auscapee on Apr 15, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I got that

but what part?

"Here's to you, Mr. Ceremonial First First Pitch Thrower Outer"

by jmgard6 on Apr 15, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

See picture

by Brendanukkah on Apr 15, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Super-Troopers-thumb.jpg"

I miss the old days of the internet when men were men, hot girls were middle aged men, and hot underage girls were FBI agents.....

by jch24 on Apr 15, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

actually

that’s not supposed to be a swing. Bad coding on my part. I’ll fix it.

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on Apr 15, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

should be fixed now

though it may still look red until your cache is refreshed.

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on Apr 15, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was hoping it was right

And he actually did swing at a pitchout. :)

I miss the old days of the internet when men were men, hot girls were middle aged men, and hot underage girls were FBI agents.....

by jch24 on Apr 15, 2009 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

It's nice that

there are no sample size issues here.

We want to build long period of time. I didn’t come here for the shot run.

by Gray on Apr 15, 2009 2:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yep

this data is rock solid.

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on Apr 15, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry, Slyde.

You meant “These data are rock solid.”

We want to build long period of time. I didn’t come here for the shot run.

by Gray on Apr 15, 2009 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you're right

thanks.

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on Apr 15, 2009 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're welcome.

But I can google on my own, thanks.

We want to build long period of time. I didn’t come here for the shot run.

by Gray on Apr 15, 2009 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm pretty sure we're at the point

Where we can say that usage has rendered “data” a collective noun like “crowd” and “team.”

English as living language FTW!

by teb7 on Apr 15, 2009 7:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i feel like he has been swinging at the first pitch a lot

but that is just what I have seen, only a handful of ABs. you cant argue with the results so far as he is hitting well also. thanks slyde

by saboscork on Apr 15, 2009 2:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, Slyde's numbers bear that out

He’s swung at 47% of the first pitches he’s seen. He’s an aggressive batter anyway, but that’s still a pretty big jump from his 39% career rate. But yeah, he’s been successful so far, so keep doin’ what you do.

by Brendanukkah on Apr 15, 2009 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of getting on base

i was hoping that maybe Cherry would get a start at SS tonight. But, alas he is not in the lineup. of course Agon did mention yesterday that he worked on something in BP so hopefully he will get it turned around tonight.
I was also hoping that maybe hannigan would get another start as he seemed to have a really good game last night.

by fourrunhomer on Apr 15, 2009 4:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

They just can't hit right handed pitching...

like Gonzalez and Hernandez do.

We want to build long period of time. I didn’t come here for the shot run.

by Gray on Apr 15, 2009 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Brian B can hit RH pitching

As well as Gonzalez does, even when Brian B is impersonating a mediocre relief pitcher.

And Adam Dunn's spirit, ranging for revenge / With Ate by his side come hot from hell, / Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice / Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war...

by Paul Householder on Apr 15, 2009 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tim Wakefield's throwing a perfect game right now

Dusty Baker said it was the first [triple play] he’d seen in person. When he was with the Dodgers, they hit into one, but he was in the bathroom.- C Trent

by The Crushinator on Apr 15, 2009 5:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Through 7 innings now, impressive

by D-Rock on Apr 15, 2009 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And only 67 pitches, nice

I miss the old days of the internet when men were men, hot girls were middle aged men, and hot underage girls were FBI agents.....

by jch24 on Apr 15, 2009 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

not perfect

Lowell had an error.

They’re putting it on MLBN right now.

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on Apr 15, 2009 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Suzuki ends it in the 8th

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on Apr 15, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jinx'd

by D-Rock on Apr 15, 2009 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cue the announcer freakout...

now.

We want to build long period of time. I didn’t come here for the shot run.

by Gray on Apr 15, 2009 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That went well

"I can eat mayonnaise with a spoon." - Jeff Brantley

by BK on Apr 15, 2009 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gotta give Wakefield credit

Guy’s still got pretty damn good skills at 42. He’s knuckled his way to a long career.

by chesirecat on Apr 15, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fay calls him

Brandon “I’m a hitter” Phillips. i cumb’d a bit.

My millions are unconventional!

by Charlie Scrabbles on Apr 15, 2009 5:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

obp

The Brewers had to be wondering WTF. The Reds just stood at the plate, took balls and created some havoc on the bases and won easily. It’s a paradym shift, folks.

by dmcgee77 on Apr 15, 2009 5:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

strangely enough

they are scoring runs the same way Adam Dunn does, with home runs and walks.

"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty

by Slyde on Apr 15, 2009 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Except..

the Reds are doing it when it counts!

"What wrath, Daddy?"

by Fat Vegas Alan on Apr 15, 2009 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

and they run out to their positions?

We want to build long period of time. I didn’t come here for the shot run.

by Gray on Apr 15, 2009 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

and they

do even like baseball.

Tanzen!

by Verka Serduchka on Apr 15, 2009 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But

they are not my daughters favorite player

by fourrunhomer on Apr 15, 2009 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

BP is Mom's favorite player

She would tell you that he’s good because:
1. He’s got such a nice smile
2. He’s black (and most black athletes at the pro level are better than whites)
3. He won a gold glove
4. He’s a credit to the game, his city, his race and to MLB.

Comments from a 98 year old who doesn’t in any way think of herself as racist.

Its probably going to happen - bend over

by Madville on Apr 15, 2009 7:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs