Season over: Can new hitting coach help cut down strikeouts

rink23 · 08-07-2023, 06:50 AM

Just finished the 2027 season of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Finished 90-72, won a wild card and got swept out in two games by the Padres.
Struck out 16 times in nine innings in that contest.
For the season, we averaged 10.2 strike outs per game, 14 out of 15 teams in the National League.
Now we have some high-strikeout players but some are whiffing way more than they should based on their ratings.
What kind of hitting coach -- neutral, patient, contact, power, etc. -- can help count down on that part of the game.

SkoCubs · 08-07-2023, 11:02 AM

I really don't think that a new hitting coach will solve these issues in the span of one season. You probably just had a season where the majority of your lineup ended up on the 'bad' portion of their Avoid K's bell-curve.

Maybe if you have a super young team filled with 22-26 year olds, but I'd be surprised if a new hitting coach would solve those issues with veterans in one year. Best case he probably keeps the situation from getting worse.

If I were you, I'd either trade for one or two high contact starters, or at least sign one or two bench players with high Avoid K's that you can bring off the bench.

But I mean really it's going to require a few years of prospects learning from a neutral or contact focused hitting coaches in your minor league system to change anything drastically. Unless you completely revamp your roster.

08-07-2023, 06:50 AM	#1
rink23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 22,198	Season over: Can new hitting coach help cut down strikeouts Just finished the 2027 season of the St. Louis Cardinals. Finished 90-72, won a wild card and got swept out in two games by the Padres. Struck out 16 times in nine innings in that contest. For the season, we averaged 10.2 strike outs per game, 14 out of 15 teams in the National League. Now we have some high-strikeout players but some are whiffing way more than they should based on their ratings. What kind of hitting coach -- neutral, patient, contact, power, etc. -- can help count down on that part of the game. Last edited by rink23; 08-07-2023 at 07:00 AM.

08-07-2023, 11:02 AM	#2
SkoCubs Minors (Single A) Join Date: Oct 2019 Posts: 53	I really don't think that a new hitting coach will solve these issues in the span of one season. You probably just had a season where the majority of your lineup ended up on the 'bad' portion of their Avoid K's bell-curve. Maybe if you have a super young team filled with 22-26 year olds, but I'd be surprised if a new hitting coach would solve those issues with veterans in one year. Best case he probably keeps the situation from getting worse. If I were you, I'd either trade for one or two high contact starters, or at least sign one or two bench players with high Avoid K's that you can bring off the bench. But I mean really it's going to require a few years of prospects learning from a neutral or contact focused hitting coaches in your minor league system to change anything drastically. Unless you completely revamp your roster. Last edited by SkoCubs; 08-07-2023 at 11:03 AM.