Aaron's Baseball Blog - Andruw Jones (September 9, 2003)
And don't forget his fielding either...
--posted by TangoTiger at 12:08 PM EDT
Posted 1:38 p.m.,
September 9, 2003
(#1) -
Robert Dudek
Is it possible that Andruw's high walk rate in his rookie year was partly the result of batting low in the batting order? Was he batting in the #7 or #8 slot, where semi-intentional walks are far more likely?
Posted 2:48 p.m.,
September 9, 2003
(#2) -
Aaron Gleeman(e-mail)
(homepage)
Is it possible that Andruw's high walk rate in his rookie year was partly the result of batting low in the batting order? Was he batting in the #7 or #8 slot, where semi-intentional walks are far more likely?
I had the same thought, but I checked into it and that doesn't seem to be the case. In 1997, Andruw totaled 399 at bats. Only 18 of them came batting in the 7-8-9 spots. He got 159 ABs batting 5th and 152 ABs batting 6th. With a total of 72 ABs batting 1-4.
Posted 2:56 p.m.,
September 9, 2003
(#3) -
studes
(homepage)
What's weird to me is that Andruw is still only 26 y.o. That is wild.
Posted 6:36 p.m.,
September 9, 2003
(#4) -
SalviaStud
Is it not frequently the case that a noticeable proportion of players who play regularly at an early age tend to peak early? If so, Jones fits into this pattern--great natural athletic baseball ability, but limited ability to adjust and keep improving until the age 27 peak, etc. In case you are wondering, that implies great physical ability coupled with poor intelligence or work habits, etc.
Posted 10:43 p.m.,
September 9, 2003
(#5) -
MAH
I wonder whether Andruw's late-season plunges in performance are related to his not taking days off--he plays nearly every game. I also wonder whether the heat and humidity in Atlanta increases fatigue.
Posted 5:43 p.m.,
September 10, 2003
(#6) -
OCF
When I saw SalviaStud's post, two names immediately popped into my head. The first name was Cesar Cedeņo. Cedeņo burst into the majors at midseason at the age of 19 and was very good right away. He had the two best years of his career at the age of 21 and 22. He was far better in those two years than Jones has ever been. In fantasyland, one could invent a reasonable contiuation for him after age 22 that would put him in the Hall of Fame by acclamation. In the real world, that didn't happen - and that may very well be a case of what SalviaStud was talking about.
The other name was Robin Yount. As a teenager, Yount was good enough to justify his major league job, but he was a long way short of being an All-Star. He did improve. He kept right on growing until he peaked at age 27 - and a very impressive peak it was.
Who's a kid with a job now? Maybe Jose Reyes. Is he Cedeņo or is he Yount? I have no idea, and I wouldn't know how to guess.
Posted 10:46 p.m.,
September 12, 2003
(#7) -
Robert Dudek
Reyes could be Shawon Dunston, but I think he'll be a better hitter than that. Perhaps Edgar Renteria?