is it time for a philosophy change towards hitting?

Robert Von Scoyoc is the Dodgers hitting coach. He first joined the team in 2016 as a consultant. He helped Chris Taylor rework his swing, and the results were pretty dramatic. Taylor gained a lot of power; he also became a strikeout machine. Taylor only played in 34 games in 16, and his only homer was a grand slam in Arizona. Over that winter, he worked with Von Scoyoc and in 17 he hit .288/21/72. Pretty impressive for a 26-year-old player who in 3 minor league seasons had never hit more than 1.

The downside? He struck out 142 times and walked just 50. The following year he struck out 178 times to lead the National League. His BA dropped 34 points, and he played in 15 more games. Let's face it, for a utility player, that is way too many Ks, especially one who is NOT hitting 30 plus bombs.

I know many do not think BA matters; it is OPS and other stats that define a player's worth. Those are what they are paid on. The last Dodger batting champion was Tommy Davis in 1963 when he hit .326. If it is not so important, why do most broadcaster's feel it necessary to bring up a hitter's average with RISP when there is a crucial moment? Sorry, BA matters, especially in clutch situations. A player's ability to put the bat on the ball when it is needed most is how you score runs. Runs win games, and after all, isn't that the goal? It is the same with wins for pitchers, granted, it is right place right time kind of stat. It has lost a lot of its luster. The way pitchers are used in this era has changed the dynamic a lot.

But hitting? It is a basic and major part of the game, how players approach at bats and situations matters. How frustrating is it to see a team load the bases with no outs and not score? The Dodgers lately have made that an art form. Will it continue? There is a lot of talent on this team, there is also a huge target on their backs.

Because of that, teams are pitching to them much differently. For one thing, they have faced a lot of pitchers whose primary pitch is not the fastball. Many of the Dodger players feast on fastballs. Not so good against the off-speed stuff.

But back to the question, is it time for a new hitting philosophy? Time to get away from the trying to hit the ball in the air theory they have used since 2018? Von Scoyoc was hired as the batting coach in 2019. His #2 is Aaron Bates. Call me weird, but it has always befuddled me that guys with little or no pro-experience are helping major leaguers hit. Bates at least got a cup of coffee in the majors and played pro ball for 8 years.

So, I went back to see who the batting coach was beginning in 2012 when Guggenheim bought the team. I also to be fair, took the pitchers at bats out of the equation since most of them were terrible hitters and their stats would dramatically drop the teams overall stats.

2012: Batting coach was former Dodger and major leaguer, Dave Hansen. Hansen holds the record for the most PH homers in a season by a Dodger with 7. His 12-team hit .259/.326/,386 with a .712 OPS. They scored 629 runs and had 116 homers. Kemp and Ethier were the only players with 20 or more, and Kemp played just 106 games.

2013-15: The Dodgers hired former slugger, Mark McGwire as the hitting coach. his 13-team hit .268/.331/.406 with a .737 OPS. They scored 627 runs and hit 137 homers. His 2014 team hit .272/.340/.417 with an OPS of .757. They scored 695 runs and hit 133 homers. His last season was 2015. That winter Andrew Freidman became the President of Baseball Operations. The Dodgers hit .257/.335/.417 with a .762 OPS. They scored 650 runs and hit 185 homers. They had become more reliant on homers to score and scored less.

Dave Roberts took over as manager in 2016, and his new hitting coach was Turner Ward. Ward had played parts of three seasons in the majors and hit .251. His first team posted a .256/.338/.424 line with a .758 OPS. They hit 188 homers and scored 710 runs. One of the things Ward did in 2017, was turn Yasiel Puig around. Puig was notorious for not taking his coaches seriously. Ward became his mentor, and Puig rewarded that with two of his best seasons. The 17-team hit .257/.343/.454 with a .797 OPS, scoring 753 runs hitting 221 homers. They won their first pennant since 88. His last team in 18 hit .257/.341/.458 with a .799 OPS. They slugged 235 homers and scored 794 runs.

2019-Present: The Dodgers hired Von Scoyoc in 2019. One of the main things they focus on are launch angle swings. They have been preaching this since day one. Now, some of us older guys were taught to swing level and try and hit line drives. The power would come if you made solid contact.

His philosophy has resulted in increased home run totals, but it has also increased the strikeout ratio. Best examples are Taylor and Max Muncy. Over a 162-game season, Muncy would produce 34 homers, 95 RBIs and strike out 155 times. He would walk 94 and his OPS would be .828. Which for most supporters of today's style of hitting offsets his strikeouts. Strikeouts just do not carry the same stigma they did back in the day.

But the problem for me is that this style of hitting, does not seem conducive to situational at bats. I can understand not trying to hit a groundball with a runner on first and keeping the possibility of double play off the board, and it even makes sense when there is a runner on third with less than two-outs. It seems that using this type of approach, which leaves on prone to the strikeout, does not mesh with just hitting the ball solidly where it is thrown and using all parts of the field. The way infielders set up these days, there are huge gaps in the defense where a solidly hit baseball has the best chance of becoming a hit.

Maybe BA does not matter much in the game anymore, but it tells me along with ones OBP, that this player is getting on base, and doing it better than most. And you have to get on base to score. Then you have to drive that player home. This year more than most of the preceding years, the Dodgers have not been doing that. They have hit into more double plays, 113 than any team in the majors. The last couple of months have been brutal. They have not been hitting well with men in scoring position. Now, with Ohtani suffering from some sort of injury, they have lost their main power source, along with the loss of Pages. And so far, no one has picked up the slack. Age has obviously played some part in all of this. But I also think it is time for a change heading into the future where contact hitters once again have value.

I have to apologize.  I had a bad fall today at my grandson’s Cross Country meet and got banged up a bit.  The Ontario game lasted too long and was too wild scoring, so I was not able to write a complete report.  I was too tired. 

OKC Comets 2 – Round Rock Express (Texas) 1 – 11 innings 

The Comets pitching was brilliant in back-to-back extra inning wins.  The Comets have now won their last 8 straight games, and 9 of 10.  They climbed from 5th in the PCL 2nd half, to the front of the pack, tied with Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston).  There are 13 games to play. 

In the 4th inning, 2B Hyeseong Kim walked and moved to 3rd on 3B Ryan Fitzgerald’s single.  Kim scored on C Eliézer Alfonzo RBI single. 

LHSP Charlie Barnes pitched 5.0 scoreless innings.  He allowed a pair of hits, 1 BB, 5 K.  RHRP Ben Casparius back again after being shut down since August 19.  He pitched a clean 6th.  

RHRP Jake Cousins was making his 2nd appearance for OKC, but this one did not go quite as well as his 1st.  He walked a batter sandwiched by a couple of outs.  But back-to-back singles brought home the tying run. 

Both teams traded zeros for the next three innings.  In the top of the 11th, 1B Ryan Ward was the placed runner.  DH Matt Gorski drew a BB, and Kim hit a sac bunt putting runners on 2nd and 3rd.  Fitzgerald hit a go-ahead SF. 

RHRP Paul Gervase pitched a perfect 10th and came back out for the 11th.  He pitched a second clean inning to get the save.  

LF Chris Newell doubled (1) in his AAA debut going 1-3. 

·      James Tibbs III – 2-4, 1 BB, double (30)

·      Eliézer Alfonzo – 2-5, 1 RBI

·      Chris Newell – 1-3, 1 BB, double (1) 

Box Score 

Tulsa Drillers 8 - Wichita Wind Surge (Twins) 6 

The two teams went into the bottom of the 5th in a 0-0 tie.  With 2 outs, SS Sean McLain clubbed a solo HR (6) to break the scoreless tie. 

RHSP Patrick Copen started and pitched 5.0 scoreless innings.  Because of a CS and a GIDP, Copen was only 1 over the minimum through 5.  In the 6th, Copen gave up 3 runs on a double, 3 singles, and a HBP, before ending the inning on GIDP.  

Tulsa went back out in front in the bottom of the 6th.  CF Mike Sirota and DH Elijah Hainline walked to start the inning. 2B Jake Gelof singled to score Sirota and moved Hainline to 3rd.  3B Logan Wagner grounded out to score Hainline and move Gelof to 2nd. McLain singled to knock in his 2nd run. 

Tulsa scored 4 in the 7th.  Sirota had a 1-out BB and moved to 2nd on Hainline’s single.  Gelof doubled (22) to score 2.  Wagner hit a 2-run HR (4). 

RHRP Kelvin Ramirez relieved in the 8th.  A single and 3 BB scored a run, cutting the lead to 8-4. 

LHRP Evan Shaw relieved Ramirez in the 9th. Shaw hit the first batter but got the next two batters out.  That was followed by a single and 2-run double, and BB.  RHRP Cam Day relieved Shaw and got the final out for his 8th save. 

·      Jake Gelof – 2-4, 2 runs, 3 RBI, double (22)

·      Sean McLain – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (6)

·      Logan Wagner – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (4)

·      Mike Sirota – 1-3, 2 BB, 2 runs 

Box Score 

Great Lakes Loons 5 – Lake County Captains (Cleveland) 0 

This was RHSP Cam Leiter’s third start for GL, and he was tasked with bringing home a 2nd half Divisional clinching start. This was his longest outing as a professional, and it was arguably his best pitched game.  He went 5.0 scoreless innings.  He allowed 3 hits, no BB, and struck out 3.  He kept the pitch count at 64, 40 strikes.  

The Loons scored 3 runs in the 3rd, but thanks primarily to the lack of control from the Captains pitchers.  LF Charles Davalan led off with a single and stole 2nd.  Davalan reached 3rd on 2B Nico Perez’s single. RF Jaron Elkins walked to load the bases.  1B Eduardo Guerrero drew a BB to force in Davalan.  The next batter K’d. C Victor Rodrigues and DH Gio Cueto both walked to score 2 runs and a 3-0 lead. 

LHRP Maddux Bruns continued his resurgence down a level at High A.  He pitched a scoreless 6th allowing a hit and a walk to go with 1K. 

LHRP Matt Lanzendorfer completed scoreless 7th. He went back out to the mound in the 8th and the 1st two batters reached on a single and BB.  RHRP Dilen Figueredo relieved Lanzendorfer and retired the next three batters without allowing a run. 

The Loons picked up a pair of insurance runs in the 9th.  Elkins singled to open the inning.  Guerrero drew a BB. Both runners moved up on a balk.  Elkins scored on Rodrigues’ SF, and Guerrero scored on Cueto’s single.  

Figueredo pitched a clean 9th inning for his 6th save, and clinching of the Midwest League East Division 2nd Half Championship.  The Loons are the 3rd LAD affiliate to reach the playoffs.  

·      Charles Davalan – 3-5, 1 run

·      Eduardo Guerrero – 1-2, 2 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (15) 

Box Score 

Ontario Tower Buzzers 11 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (LAA)10 

2B Kellon Lindsey led off the bottom of the 1st with his 11th HR. 

Down 2-1 in the 4th, Ontario put up 7.  DH Oswaldo Osorio hit a leadoff HR (13).  1B Easton Shelton hit a grand slam (37) later in the inning. 

The bullpen gave up 8 in the 7th and 8th, giving RC a 2-run lead that went into the bottom of the 9th.  Ontario had three singles, a HBP, BB, and a LF Ching-Hsien KO walkoff single.  

·      Oswaldo Osorio – 3-3, 2 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (7), HR (13)

·      Easton Shelton – 2-5, 1 run, 4 RBI, HR (37)

·      Ching-Hsien Ko – 2-5, 1 run, 1 RBI

·      Joendry Vargas – 2-5, 1 run, 1 RBI

·      Francisco Espinoza – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI

·      Kellon Lindsey – 1-4, 2 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (11) 

Box Score