http://www.sabernomics.com/sabernomics/index.php/2007/05/is-jeff-francoeur-for-real/ Economic Thinking about Baseball Sun, 09 Jan 2011 17:16:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.sabernomics.com/sabernomics/index.php/2007/05/is-jeff-francoeur-for-real/comment-page-1/#comment-48784 jon Wed, 16 May 2007 16:35:37 +0000 http://www.sabernomics.com/sabernomics/index.php/2007/05/is-jeff-francoeur-for-real/#comment-48784 As a Met fan who has enjoyed the development of Jose Reyes, I have seen that these changes can snowball. Reyes used to flail at the up and in pitches and curveballs in the dirt. He has learned to recognize those pitches. He is still an aggressive hitter. He doesn't work the count by any stretch of the imagination, but now he is more than willing to take his walks. This has been a three year process. He walked 27 times in 733 PAs in '05, 53 walks in 703 PAs in '06, to 80 walks in 700 PAs this year, assuming he maintains his pace. His OBP has gone from .300 to .354 to .411 this year. I see Francouer developing similar to an Andruw Jones, but with a little less power, but a better batting average. Andruw just has an incredibly long swing, while Francoeur's though still long, is much shorter, and will help him stay out of prolonged slumps. As a Met fan who has enjoyed the development of Jose Reyes, I have seen that these changes can snowball. Reyes used to flail at the up and in pitches and curveballs in the dirt. He has learned to recognize those pitches. He is still an aggressive hitter. He doesn’t work the count by any stretch of the imagination, but now he is more than willing to take his walks. This has been a three year process. He walked 27 times in 733 PAs in ’05, 53 walks in 703 PAs in ’06, to 80 walks in 700 PAs this year, assuming he maintains his pace. His OBP has gone from .300 to .354 to .411 this year. I see Francouer developing similar to an Andruw Jones, but with a little less power, but a better batting average. Andruw just has an incredibly long swing, while Francoeur’s though still long, is much shorter, and will help him stay out of prolonged slumps.

]]> http://www.sabernomics.com/sabernomics/index.php/2007/05/is-jeff-francoeur-for-real/comment-page-1/#comment-48697 Pizza Cutter Tue, 15 May 2007 21:12:31 +0000 http://www.sabernomics.com/sabernomics/index.php/2007/05/is-jeff-francoeur-for-real/#comment-48697 According to a measure that I've developed(based on signal detection theory, detailed in the next issue of By The Numbers), JF was the second freest-swinger in baseball last year behind Vlad Guerrero. He was also #16 at plate discernment. If he can learn to lay off pitches a bit more, which it sounds like he's doing, he'll strike out less, and perhaps walk more. According to a measure that I’ve developed(based on signal detection theory, detailed in the next issue of By The Numbers), JF was the second freest-swinger in baseball last year behind Vlad Guerrero. He was also #16 at plate discernment. If he can learn to lay off pitches a bit more, which it sounds like he’s doing, he’ll strike out less, and perhaps walk more.

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