I've noticed in all the Adam Dunn talk that many people complain about his strikeouts. Why does this matter so much? He has the same career OBP as Ichiro, who is considered a hitting machine. Would you rather he hit a grounder or popout? You can argue about "productive outs," but that's never been proven as a valid argument. And for the record, four of the top 10 in Ks all-time are Hall of Famers, with Jim Thome likely to be the fifth.....so why the big deal?
2007-06-14 06:07:09 · 10 answers · asked by Craig S 7 in Sports ➔ Baseball
I've always thought it was really stupid and I love Dunn. He's an excellent player, I'd take him on any team.
You're right Craig, and I find my opinion lining up with yours often on this site. You know your baseball. OBP is a way better yard-stick for hitters than average. Dunn has walked with more frequency than anyone except Barry the past few years.
Hitting the century mark in strikeouts doesn't bother me at all, as long as he's producing. It'd be a lot worse if he was like Carlos Lee, grounding into 50 double plays a year. There's the same 100 outs right there, in half as many at bats.
2007-06-14 07:24:33 · answer #1 · answered by GOB BLUTH 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well for one thing the reason 4 of the top 10 in k's are in the hall of fame is because to be in the top ten you have to have a pretty long career, which means you do something else well. Furthermore of course it's been proven as a valid argument. For instance in Dunn vs. Ichiro.. Dunn has struck out 439 times for every 1000 outs, Ichiro has struck out 140 times. That 300 more times per 1000 outs putting the ball in play for Ichiro. Now the only way it could NOT be an advantage for Ichiro is if he never advance or scored a runner which is silly as he's had 37 sac hits and flies in his career, let alone advancing the runner, or if he hit into far more double plays.. yet Ichiro has hit into 29 double plays in his career whereas Adam Dunn has hit into 46 in less at-bats. There's no question it's better to not strikeout than to whiff. Now Adam Dunn hits lots of homeruns, don't get me wrong, he may or may not be as valuable a player as Ichiro, but the point is that he would be even more valuable if he struck out 100 times a season less.
2007-06-14 14:18:07 · answer #2 · answered by John L 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Seriously, strikeouts are only a tiny bit worse than other outs (this has been established empirically). "
I have no idea what she is talking about. I dive into statistical analysis in baseball and really it's a pretty simple concept. When you put the ball into play it puts more pressure on the defense. Whether it's a routine groundball, a diving stop, or a hit. You are forcing players that make errors to not make one. When you strike out your definitely not getting on base. When you put the ball in play your giving your team a chance.
Adam Dunn takes a lot of called third strikes. He doesn't protect when a pitch is close. Pretty much your standard three true outcome guy. HR, walk, or strikeout.
Edit: I'm not saying no one should strike out because everyone does. And I agree that OBP is a better indicator of talent than both AVG and SLG. However, there is no excuse for striking out nearly 200 times a year. Dunn is a guy who makes it hard to judge his value. Some people that answered overrated him and others underrated him. If he was more aggresive with two strikes he would almost double his value.
2007-06-14 14:19:18 · answer #3 · answered by Nick S 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because the batter has a much better chance of getting on base or scoring runs if he would just swing the stinkin bat. Imagine how much more productive Dunn, Thome, or others would be to their team if they only had half the srikeouts. K's are also a confidence deflater. The more confidence a batter has (pure talent aside), the better chance of him connecting with the ball the next at bat.
2007-06-14 13:27:35 · answer #4 · answered by B . 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well other than him being murder on my fantasy team, the strike outs are also killing his team. Striking out leaving runners on base hurts his and the teams confidence. He had a great 2004 and has gotten a little worse each season since. His career batting average is awful because it seems he goes for a home run or nothing at all. Sometimes moving a runner over or bringing in a run is more important than hitting it out of the park. And there is no excuse for the amount of 3rd strike pitches he takes.
2007-06-14 13:49:45 · answer #5 · answered by rockytopsportsfan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The strikeouts don't bother me as much as his career .218 batting average with RISP. Compare that to Sammy Sosa who is second overall in career strikeouts, but has a modest .275 batting average with RISP. It what you do with your AB's that counts. And Dunn isn't getting it done when it matters most.
FYI - Dunn has lead the league in Strikeouts in each of last four years. Not something to be proud of.
2007-06-14 13:27:36 · answer #6 · answered by Pat W 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People want to see more GIDPs.
Seriously, strikeouts are only a tiny bit worse than other outs (this has been established empirically). If he's got a healthy OBP, that's more than good enough. But crusty, antediluvian writers and the sheep-readers who never, ever critically review anything they ever print think they know better.
Give them cookies. Well, not the writers, they don't deserve cookies.
2007-06-14 13:26:53 · answer #7 · answered by Chipmaker Authentic 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The problem with striking out is leaving men on base. Power hitters get heckled for this, because fans think if they take a little off their swing and just make contact, they would be better, but actually that is a bad mechanic.
2007-06-14 14:05:39 · answer #8 · answered by trenton_heil 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An out is an out. u don't get any style points 4 hitting it 2 tha fence, unless there's someone on base.
2007-06-14 13:15:35 · answer #9 · answered by yankeejet1410 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, a strikeout is about the worst out you can make with runners on, other than that, i do not know
2007-06-14 13:11:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋