Here are the raw numbers. Sorry for the lame embedded image; Blogger sucks at formatting charts and tables and doesn't allow users to paste tables:
A few stats jumped out at me. WMP really had a power decrease this year as evidenced by his HR% (HR/AB*100). He dropped from the 6-7% range down to just under 4% this year. His wrist injury probably contributed to that, but the drop is worth noting.
Ortiz stayed at a fairly consistent HR rate, but dipped to slightly under 5% in 2002, a year in which his plate discipline was worse as seen by a higher AB-per-walk ratio. I believe he was also recovering from wrist and knee surgeries in 2002, but I haven't been able to track down the surgery dates yet. Big Papi has been rocking at about 7% HR or better since joining the Sox. Wily Mo has shown the same potential as evidence by his HR rate in his two final seasons in Cincinnati.
Both players also earned an RBI between 15 and 20% of the time (RBI/AB*100) before joining the Sox. Ortiz jumped to 22% or more every year since he arrived in Boston. This again bodes well for Wily Mo.
The bad news is that Ortiz, who had a reputation as a player with a hole in his swing, was much more disciplined at the plate. He was drawing walks at a rate of about one per every 7.5 ABs. WMP draws walks at half that rate, or about one per every 14.5 ABs.
Ortiz also had a much lower strikeout rate before joining the Red Sox. Ortiz would strikeout about 20% of the time (K/AB*100). Wily Mo Pena strikes out nearly 33% of the time.
The universally accepted theory is that Red Sox staff fixed the hole in David Ortiz's swing which resulted in his increased productivity. Fixing the hole in his swing may have increased Ortiz's HR rate, but he also improved his plate discipline since joining the Sox while maintaining a consistent strikeout rate. These factors combined have yielded the amazing results we've given witness to over the last four seasons.
Wily Mo needs to seriously reduce his strikeout rate to become a more productive hitter. The slight uptick in his batting average was nice this year but his lack of power rendered it less effective. His homerun and RBI rates are good enough to provide middle-of-the-order power, but his walk and strikeout rates are poor enough to keep him batting 6th or lower in the lineup. For Wily Mo to turn the corner he needs to reach for the stars, not swing for them.
Ortiz stayed at a fairly consistent HR rate, but dipped to slightly under 5% in 2002, a year in which his plate discipline was worse as seen by a higher AB-per-walk ratio. I believe he was also recovering from wrist and knee surgeries in 2002, but I haven't been able to track down the surgery dates yet. Big Papi has been rocking at about 7% HR or better since joining the Sox. Wily Mo has shown the same potential as evidence by his HR rate in his two final seasons in Cincinnati.
Both players also earned an RBI between 15 and 20% of the time (RBI/AB*100) before joining the Sox. Ortiz jumped to 22% or more every year since he arrived in Boston. This again bodes well for Wily Mo.
The bad news is that Ortiz, who had a reputation as a player with a hole in his swing, was much more disciplined at the plate. He was drawing walks at a rate of about one per every 7.5 ABs. WMP draws walks at half that rate, or about one per every 14.5 ABs.
Ortiz also had a much lower strikeout rate before joining the Red Sox. Ortiz would strikeout about 20% of the time (K/AB*100). Wily Mo Pena strikes out nearly 33% of the time.
The universally accepted theory is that Red Sox staff fixed the hole in David Ortiz's swing which resulted in his increased productivity. Fixing the hole in his swing may have increased Ortiz's HR rate, but he also improved his plate discipline since joining the Sox while maintaining a consistent strikeout rate. These factors combined have yielded the amazing results we've given witness to over the last four seasons.
Wily Mo needs to seriously reduce his strikeout rate to become a more productive hitter. The slight uptick in his batting average was nice this year but his lack of power rendered it less effective. His homerun and RBI rates are good enough to provide middle-of-the-order power, but his walk and strikeout rates are poor enough to keep him batting 6th or lower in the lineup. For Wily Mo to turn the corner he needs to reach for the stars, not swing for them.
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