5 Intriguing Offensive Stats From 2013 That Milwaukee Brewers Want To Carry Over To 2014
Offensive Stats from 2013 That Milwaukee Brewers Want To Keep In 2014
One of the great beauties of baseball is the wealth of statistics you can run through to determine how truly good or bad a player is or can be. There's something terribly fantastic about knowing how well a hitter does in an extremely specific circumstance, while understanding his effectiveness can change drastically on one pitch.
The detailed, descriptive statistics in MLB allow fans to believe they might actually understand a player's value to his team by putting tangible figures into an uncertain, physical world.
Of course, some stats can mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of performance, while others predict very little. Either way, they can be used to justify a decision, criticize a move, or to simply savor like a fine glass of wine.
I'm completely aware of the often ridiculous nature of some stats, especially when you're talking about small sample sizes. Actually judging a player based on a minimal number of plate appearances is mostly foolish and can lead to poor decisions. However, the numbers produced in those few occurrences are often comical and entertaining.
As I was looking over the Milwaukee Brewers' offensive statistics from 2013, a handful of their individual splits jumped out as points of interest. Again, maybe there is something to take away from each, but perhaps they represent nothing more than randomness. Occasionally, if there's a huge disparity from one player to the rest or one statistic to another, that could indicate something meaningful.
In the end, these intriguing individual offensive stats from the 2013 Brewers are fun facts to ponder, especially if you want to believe they could represent trends to follow during the upcoming season.
Tim Muma is a Milwaukee Brewers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @brewersblend, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
5. Carlos Gomez -- Night and Day
The glow of the warm sun heated up Carlos Gomez's bat in 2013, as he destroyed the baseball in his 46 day games. Gomez had a stunning .598 slugging percentage during the day, along with a .357 OBP and a .955 OPS. At night, his OPS dipped 161 points. He also hit two more home runs in 226 fewer plate appearances under the sun.
4. Khris Davis -- Home Cooking
Most hitters enjoy hitting in their home park, but Khris Davis took it to an extreme level with an eye-popping 1.002 OPS at Miller Park last season. It's a very small sample size (18 games), but a .306 average, .405 OBP and .597 slugging percentage is always impressive. He hit just .250 with a .290 OBP on the road.
3. Jonathan Lucroy -- Early Riser
It's always great to get off to a quick start, so Jonathan Lucroy's first-inning numbers were a boost to the club. In 2013, Lucroy hit .345 with a .560 slugging percentage in the opening frame. His .421 OBP and .981 OPS in the first inning last year were phenomenal, and he has a .940 OPS for his career in the opening frame. Just another reason for Lucroy to bat second this season.
2. Ryan Braun -- First-Pitch Feast
Apparently, when Ryan Braun is aggressive, he mashes the ball. Basically, if the Brewers' right fielder swings at the first pitch, his power is unleashed. In those plate appearances, he had a stunning .683 slugging percentage and an OPS over 1.000 in 2013. Even in the 18 times where he fell behind 0-1, Braun had an .813 slugging percentage and 1.125 OPS when putting that pitch in play.
1. Scooter Gennett -- Road Warrior
In 34 away games in 2013, Scooter Gennett belted six home runs (zero at home), knocked in 17 runs and owned a 1.012 OPS. Though he only walked three times compared to 22 strikeouts, Gennett batted .389 with a .402 OBP and .611 slugging percentage, all representing the best stats on the team.
