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Reds xwOBA since All-Star break, players with at least 20 plate appearances. League average is (.313). Reminder: xwOBA accounts for quality of contact, walks and strikeouts. (See our new Stat Glossary in the top menu.)
- Aristides Aquino (.479)
- Josh VanMeter (.398)
- Eugenio Suarez (.351)
- Jesse Winker (.345)
- Phil Ervin (.336)
- Derek Dietrich (.322)
- Joey Votto (.320)
- Jose Iglesias (.306)
- Jose Peraza (.301)
- Tucker Barnhart (.300)
- Nick Senzel (.289)
Kinda surprised that Senzel is below league average.
Really surprised me, too. Although I thought about it and couldn’t think of many big hits he’d had lately. Normal phase for rookies, I guess.
Do hitters with low pull rates (Senzel) and less extra hard contact as a result wind up penalized a bit in xwOBA? I’m thinking that their ‘quality of contact’ may seem less on statcast, but because they use the whole field better, they may wind up with better BABIP and more hits. Anything to this thought?
xwOBA looks at the quality of contact based on exit velocity and launch angle. It doesn’t account for direction. That’s why a 330-foot fly ball might be assigned a 5% chance of a hit, even if in reality it goes for a home run. So in that sense a dead pull hitter might “outproduce” his xwOBA. League-wide wOBA is .329. Senzel has hit .317/.356/.439 (wRC+ 106) since the break.
Thanks for the glossary! First time I’ve seen them all defined in one place.
We (Matt Wilkes) did it based on your suggestion. Great idea. Thanks! We’ll add to it as we go along.
Glossary is great.
Senzel lately seems always to be behind in the count, and I had observed elsewhere that by observation, he does not seem to be hitting the ball all that hard. I thought he looked tired, but then he hustled his way to an infield hit that led to a run.
I suppose this could just be a phase of his needing to “adjust to the pitchers’ adjustment,” but I am not convinced that he is 100% right medically. I doubt the Reds would let him try to “power through” a condition that can’t be powered-through.
Interesting theory and it makes sense. Senzel still gets down the line fast, but maybe there’s something related to his swing. With his injuries over the years, he hasn’t played a full long season, so maybe he is getting worn down a little.
Welcome to RC+, Ed. Hope you’ll make a regular stop. I think you’ll like it.
Thank you very much for the glossary! It is very helpful!
Most welcome. One of our brilliant commenters suggested it. Matt Wilkes wrote it. Easy to access. Adds a lot to the site.