On the other hand, there is this encouraging article by Marc Lancaster in the Post. D’Angelo Jiminez is the subject, and I was surprised at a few nuggets, including this one:
When properly executed, though, such inactivity can be valuable. Adam Dunn demonstrated that last season, his 108 walks contributing heavily to a team-high 105 runs scored. Right on his heels when it came to patience as a batter’s-box virtue was D’Angelo Jimenez.
Though Lancaster clearly isn’t steeped in all the fine details of sabermetric analysis, he appears to have an open mind. And that gets him ahead of 99% of other sportswriters out there. Kudos to Marc.
And kudos to the Reds for the idea of putting Jiminez at leadoff. He certainly sounds like he understands what it takes to be an effective hitter:
To maximize the impact of those extra-base hits, people need to be on base in front of them. And Jimenez can do that job. His .364 on-base percentage last season was the best of his career, and he prides himself on taking his time.
“I’m not trying to rush, nobody’s waiting for me,” he said. “I’m trying to get the right pitch to get a hit or to get a walk.”
With a bunch of heavy hitters lined up behind Jimenez, a walk often is just as good as a hit — much to the delight of Little League pep-talkers everywhere, no doubt. So even when Jimenez isn’t making consistent contact and putting the ball in play as much as he would like, he still can be an asset.
Indeed.