Blue Jays’ lineup all has the same problem originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Toronto Blue Jays‘ lineup hasn’t lived up to expectations so far this season.
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Part of the problem? They pretty much all like swinging at the ball out of the strike zone.
Here’s a look at where they rank in chase rate so far this season:
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The first point to make is that guys like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho are better in this category, so it isn’t everyone.
Another key point is that Ernie Clement, and to a lesser extent Nathan Lukes, makes contact at such a good rate that him swinging at pitches out of the zone isn’t a terrible situation, because he can hit them well anyway.
But in general, it’s good for hitters to manage the strike zone, swing at the most hittable pitches and take the ones that aren’t as easy to hit, particularly when they are balls.
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It seems the Blue Jays have simply ended up with guys who like to swing, whether by design or not. And right now, that’s holding Toronto’s offense back.
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