PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – 70. The number of times the Pirates have struck out in the last six games. One of those games they struck out 17 times.
Pirates management reaction so far—it’s ok.
“A lot of being a little bit higher in our strikeout rate is because we’ve had way more younger players, not just in the big leagues, but getting significant at bats,” said Pirates GM Ben Cherington during his show on The Pirates Radio Network and 93.7 The Fan. “More than we expected to at this point in the season because we’ve had so many experienced players out.”
“History tells us there is a transition to the major leagues for young players where we will, on average, see strikeout rates increase when a player goes from AA or AAA to the big leagues.”
“Whatever their normal strikeout rate, it will increase when you go to the major leagues. Over time, for the good players, it will settle back down.”
Youth is a big reason for it. For the last week plus, at least four of the starters were rookies. Most not just rookies, but players getting a first taste of the majors.
Also consider strikeouts don’t carry the same black mark as they did even a decade ago. Making contact and small-ball was all the rage, especially for the smaller market teams. The game is changing to where striking out is acceptable, as long as those players are also bringing the power numbers.
The Bucs have six players with over 50 strikeouts this year, five of them are also their top home run hitters.
1. Brian Reynolds-69 K, 12 HR
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes-61 K, 3 HR
3. Jack Suwinski-60 K, 12 HR
4. Michael Chavis-58 K, 8 HR
5. Daniel Vogelbach-52 K, 9 HR
6. Diego Castillo-51 K, 7 HR
Cherington admitted that strikeouts are a part of the game. Some players are going to strike out more than others. What you wouldn’t want to see would be a knee-jerk reaction to these numbers.
I present the cautionary tale of Chad Hermansen.
The 1995 the Bucs picked Hermansen to be their next power bat. Remember it was just a few years removed from an outfield of Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla. Hermansen was going to be the next power-hitting star. The center of a massive rebuild.
Hermansen was justifying that hype at the highest minor league level. In 1998 in AAA he hit 26 doubles and 28 home runs, the following year 27 doubles and 32 home runs. Those seasons he also combined to strike out 271 times. He made it to the majors at the end of 1999 and struck out 19 times in 60 at bats with one home run.
The organizational decision was made he had to cut down on the strikeouts. Hermansen listened to his coaches, but never really was able to significantly provide more contact. What he did do was hit with less power. In 2000 he split between the Pirates, four homers in 55 games, and AAA-11 home runs in 78 games. In nearly a full season in AAA in 2001, 17 home runs with a career-high 154 strikeouts.
The once future centerpiece of the team was a wreck and traded in 2002, never to find that power again.
Don’t get it wrong, the third-year Bucs GM wants those numbers to go down. Especially when you notice only one of the top five strikeout teams has a winning record. But no mandates, no panic, just a continued, sometimes agonizingly, slow-heartbeat approach.
“As our team matures and grows, those strikeout rates will settle back out,” Cherington said.