Calhoun and Bunting

[Pablo]

Are you saying the 56 at-bats out of 60 that he makes an out aren't wasted?

 

[krAbs]

7 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Why are you guys pretend bunting is such a guaranteed thing ? Calhoun hardly ever bunts and probably isn’t great at it.  Even if it works out are a handful of cheap singles really that important ? Calhoun’s problem isn’t the shift.  His problem is inability to make good contact with the baseball.  His problem is horrible swings and horrible AB’s.  Since the first game he’s rarely hit anything hard.   Is it mental ? Is it physical ? I don’t know.  He appears to not be seeing the ball.  You sound ridiculous going along with this “Scoscia isn’t a leader” because he hasn’t ordered Calhoun to bunt.  Some of you guys will blame Scoscia for literally anything.  Now Calhoun’s struggles are because of Scioscia.  Lol. 

I actually came in to disagree with you, but you might be right. I assumed that most of Calhoun's problems came from him pulling everything to the right, so other teams could just camp their entire defense their and wait for him to hit it to them. In that case, bunting to the left like...15 times in a row would force them to move some defenders over there, and would normalize his results again. But, it looks like you're right and his GB rate is waaaaaay up this year, his FB rate is down, his strikeout rate is up, and he is swinging and missing more. Honestly...Kole is cooked...I don't really see any other way to interpret that....

I still think that it would help to spread the defense out more and give him more space when he does successfully pull, but man, that's only the start of his problems.

[UndertheHalo]

2 minutes ago, artesmustache said:

I took a dump this morning and realized I was out of toilet paper. Had to use paper towel. Thanks Scioscia.

Obviously.  Something, something, lasagna. 

Goddamn Scoscia. 

[UndertheHalo]

2 minutes ago, Pablo said:

Are you saying the 56 at-bats out of 60 that he makes an out aren't wasted?

 

Are you saying that a couple of bunt singles (optimistic) make any difference at all ?

[fan_since79]

...there's also the fact that he hasn't bunted (sacrificed)  since 2015, and has a grand total of four career bunts.

No idea how many bunt singles, or attempts, he has.

Edited May 8, 2018 by fan_since79

[Pablo]

1 minute ago, UndertheHalo said:

Are you saying that a couple of bunt singles (optimistic) make any difference at all ?

Yes.

 

[UndertheHalo]

Just now, Pablo said:

Yes.

 

Yea you’re wrong. 

[UndertheHalo]

1 minute ago, fan_since79 said:

...there's also the fact that he hasn't bunted since 2015, and has a grand total of four career bunts.

That might have something to do with it.

 

Lol.  Lost of these guys man. 

[CubsFan]

26 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Fat Mike isn’t a “leader” 

that’s the most important thing here. 

Disagree vehemently.

He's the leader at the buffet table.

[krAbs]

1 minute ago, UndertheHalo said:

Yea you’re wrong. 

I know, why would hitting be good for a hitter?

[Angels#1Fan]

17 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Why are you guys pretending that bunting is such a guaranteed thing ? Calhoun hardly ever bunts and probably isn’t great at it.  Even if it works out; are a handful of cheap singles really that important ? Calhoun’s problem isn’t the shift.  His problem is inability to make good contact with the baseball.  His problem is horrible swings and horrible AB’s.  Since the first game he’s rarely hit anything hard.   Is it mental ? Is it physical ? I don’t know.  He appears to not be seeing the ball.  You sound ridiculous going along with this “Scoscia isn’t a leader” because he hasn’t ordered Calhoun to bunt.  Some of you guys will blame Scoscia for literally anything.  Now Calhoun’s struggles are because of Scioscia.  Lol. 

This!

[UndertheHalo]

3 minutes ago, artesmustache said:

I am. Hes the 8th hitter and totally lost and just a couple of bunt singles is a couple more times he can be on base for Trout. 

Statistically.  the percentages of it resulting in a run.  (All that matters) are very unlikely.  He’s better off trying to get himself together.  

[fan_since79]

Do we have a team optometrist? I wonder if Kole is due for an eye exam.

 

[Griffey's Corner]

 

18 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Why are you guys pretending that bunting is such a guaranteed thing ? Calhoun hardly ever bunts and probably isn’t great at it.  Even if it works out; are a handful of cheap singles really that important ? Calhoun’s problem isn’t the shift.  His problem is inability to make good contact with the baseball.  His problem is horrible swings and horrible AB’s.  Since the first game he’s rarely hit anything hard.   Is it mental ? Is it physical ? I don’t know.  He appears to not be seeing the ball.  You sound ridiculous going along with this “Scoscia isn’t a leader” because he hasn’t ordered Calhoun to bunt.  Some of you guys will blame Scoscia for literally anything.  Now Calhoun’s struggles are because of Scioscia.  Lol. 

Yes a couple of singles can & will make a difference. Go look at the 3 game series against the yankees.... we lost 2 of the 3 games by a run. Without even looking I am sure Calhoun did nothing. If going out and getting a few singles makes a difference and wins 1-2 extra games for us. Than yes I am all for it. 

 

And the bigger picture is Calhoun has been hitting the ball hard right into the shift......This will get rid of the shift. calhoun has probably lost 8 hits already this year because of the shift.... instead of hitting .170 he would be hitting .250..... That is a big difference.

 

Pujols also hits into the shift.... Do you think Pujols forgot how to hit? No. Every week he loses 1-2 singles because of the shift. You extrapolate that over a full season it's the difference between hitting .240 vs. hitting .300.

 

I don't blame  Mike for a whole lot. But in this case if I was the manager I would grow a pair and tell these players to do it.... or they can sit there butts on the bench and collect their $10 million or $30 million with a good view of the game.

[Stradling]

34 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Fat Mike isn’t a “leader” 

that’s the most important thing here. 

When people say Fat Mike I immediately discredit what they have to say.  Not because I am overweight, but because I assume the person saying it is unfunny and lacks intelligence.  I could be wrong, but I haven’t been yet.  

[UndertheHalo]

What needs to happen (probably won’t) is that Kole needs to be sent to the minors.  If his issue is mental he can figure that garbage out where it’s not killing the Angels.  If he doesn’t get it together,  well.  Then we’ll know.  In any case he’s still not killing the Angels.  That’s good.  

I’m not sure how much longer we have before he can decline a minor a league assignment. 

Edited May 8, 2018 by UndertheHalo

[UndertheHalo]

Just now, SuperTroopers said:

When people say Fat Mike I immediately discredit what they have to say.  Not because I am overweight, but because I assume the person saying it is unfunny and lacks intelligence.  I could be wrong, but I haven’t been yet.  

I don’t know about lacking intelligence.  But almost assuredly they aren’t funny. 

[fan_since79]

2 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

What needs to happen (probably won’t) is that Kole needs to be sent to the minors.  If his issue is mental he can figure that garbage out where it’s not killing the Angels.  If he doesn’t get it together,  we’ll.  Then we’ll know.  In any case he’s still not killing the Angels.  That’s good.  

I’m not sure how much longer we have before he can decline a minor a league assignment. 

Some people in the know have posted here that the deadline for that to happen is tomorrow, May 9th.

I don't know all the details surrounding "options" and all that stuff, but that's what I've read.

Edited May 8, 2018 by fan_since79

[krAbs]

3 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

What needs to happen (probably won’t) is that Kole needs to be sent to the minors.  If his issue is mental he can figure that garbage out where it’s not killing the Angels.  If he doesn’t get it together,  we’ll.  Then we’ll know.  In any case he’s still not killing the Angels.  That’s good.  

I’m not sure how much longer we have before he can decline a minor a league assignment. 

That's a fact. If he can't be set down, he needs to get "hurt" and go to "rehab" in the minors.

[Griffey's Corner]

Bunting is not that hard. we all learned it in Little League. It is easier to make contact  with a baseball bunting than it is swinging away. It does not have to be the perfect bunt. He has half the infield to work with. Or even choke up and hit a grounder to that side. What did Wee Willie Keeler used to say "Hit it where they aint". This is so funny it should not even be a debate. he is a professional major league ballplayer..... they should all know how to bunt. And if he does not he is getting paid enough money to take 20 minutes out of each day to learn how.

 

I have seen Kole bunt he actually is decent at it. This has nothing to do with him not being able to bunt a baseball. He does not want to. In this case in my opinion he should put the team first. And if he will not do that than yes this does come back as a manager issue.

[Stradling]

6 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

I don’t know about lacking intelligence.  But almost assuredly they aren’t funny. 

Ok, let me know when a person says that and then follows it up with something truly noteworthy or thought provoking.  

[eaterfan]

28 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Why are you guys pretending that bunting is such a guaranteed thing ? Calhoun hardly ever bunts and probably isn’t great at it.  Even if it works out; are a handful of cheap singles really that important ? Calhoun’s problem isn’t the shift.  His problem is inability to make good contact with the baseball.  His problem is horrible swings and horrible AB’s.  Since the first game he’s rarely hit anything hard.   Is it mental ? Is it physical ? I don’t know.  He appears to not be seeing the ball.  You sound ridiculous going along with this “Scoscia isn’t a leader” because he hasn’t ordered Calhoun to bunt.  Some of you guys will blame Scoscia for literally anything.  Now Calhoun’s struggles are because of Scioscia.  Lol. 

Here is a mathematical argument why you're wrong. This is from another Calhoun thread:

" https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/38922/baseball-therapy-bunt-joey-bunt/

Here's a nice article on bunting against the shift. Basically, people who don't bunt are almost as good at getting a bunt down as those who do. They are about 2% worse. Non bunters successfully get a bunt down about 42% of attempts. Given 3 attempts this should be about 81% of plate Appearances. Bunters reach base about 58% of the time against the shift. This would lead to a .470/.470/.470 line. While Calhoun will strike out bunting 20% of the time, he has struck out just under 28% of the time since the start of 2017. 

Since the start of 2017 Calhoun has 46 XBH, 20 of them HRs. They would most likely all be gone. But if he hit .470 bunting then he would have made 84 fewer outs. 3 games worth of outs all by himself.

The article here focuses on Joey Gallo, but it's even more true for Calhoun. He gives up less XBH's by bunting because he has less power than Gallo but gets all the advantages of bunting. He should be bunting until they stop shifting."

[Griffey's Corner]

3 minutes ago, eaterfan said:

Here is a mathematical argument why you're wrong. This is from another Calhoun thread:

" https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/38922/baseball-therapy-bunt-joey-bunt/

Here's a nice article on bunting against the shift. Basically, people who don't bunt are almost as good at getting a bunt down as those who do. They are about 2% worse. Non bunters successfully get a bunt down about 42% of attempts. Given 3 attempts this should be about 81% of plate Appearances. Bunters reach base about 58% of the time against the shift. This would lead to a .470/.470/.470 line. While Calhoun will strike out bunting 20% of the time, he has struck out just under 28% of the time since the start of 2017. 

Since the start of 2017 Calhoun has 46 XBH, 20 of them HRs. They would most likely all be gone. But if he hit .470 bunting then he would have made 84 fewer outs. 3 games worth of outs all by himself.

The article here focuses on Joey Gallo, but it's even more true for Calhoun. He gives up less XBH's by bunting because he has less power than Gallo but gets all the advantages of bunting. He should be bunting until they stop shifting."

Great post. great research. Who here would not want the black hole in RF hitting .470? It's so frustrating because we just fixed LF.... now to have this.

[Griffey's Corner]

Another thing to worry about Kole & Mike Trout are very good friends. I believe Kole was in his wedding party? If Kole is jettisoned that would not be good. Kole needs to right the ship and do it soon.

[Torridd]

22 minutes ago, fan_since79 said:

...there's also the fact that he hasn't bunted (sacrificed)  since 2015, and has a grand total of four career bunts.

No idea how many bunt singles, or attempts, he has.

 

10 minutes ago, Griffey's Corner said:

Bunting is not that hard. we all learned it in Little League. It is easier to make contact  with a baseball bunting than it is swinging away. It does not have to be the perfect bunt. He has half the infield to work with. Or even choke up and hit a grounder to that side. What did Wee Willie Keeler used to say "Hit it where they aint". This is so funny it should not even be a debate. he is a professional major league ballplayer..... they should all know how to bunt. And if he does not he is getting paid enough money to take 20 minutes out of each day to learn how.

 

I have seen Kole bunt he actually is decent at it. This has nothing to do with him not being able to bunt a baseball. He does not want to. In this case in my opinion he should put the team first. And if he will not do that than yes this does come back as a manager issue.

I have nothing to back me up here, but I truly believe that Kole is not being stubborn about bunting. I think the organization wants to solve his hitting problem so they're focusing on that rather than getting a couple of bunt hits. Right or wrong, I think that's what they're trying to do.