Present position:MLB trends: Enrique Hernández's magic fix, the clutch MJ Melendez and Manuel Margot's big problem >>Text
MLB trends: Enrique Hernández's magic fix, the clutch MJ Melendez and Manuel Margot's big problem
Credit Card Protection Policies47Have read
About MLB trends: Enrique Hernández's magic fix, the clutch MJ Melendez and Manuel Margot's big problem ...
MLB trends: Enrique Hernández's magic fix, the clutch MJ Melendez and Manuel Margot's big problem
All eyes are on a September stretch run but we have to get through August first
By Mike Axisa • 6 min readThe dog days of summer have arrived. Teams made their moves at the July 30 trade deadline and now the postseason races (and awards races) are heating up. Less than seven weeks remain in the regular season. With that in mind, here now are three MLB trends worth knowing as we enter the stretch run.
Hernández turning season around with new glasses
Enrique Hernández LAD • 3B • #8 BA0.215R31HR7RBI26SB0 View ProfileFor much of the first half, Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernández was pressed into action at third base because of Max Muncy's oblique injury. The results were not good. Hernández took a .191/.258/.299 batting line into the All-Star break, and both the defensive metrics and the eye test say his glove at third base is OK. Certainly not stellar, and certainly not enough to carry the bat.
Hernández has been a different hitter over the last few weeks though, slashing .276/.336/.434 in 21 second half games. As he tells it, there is a tangible explanation for his improved performance: Hernández got fitted for eyeglasses. At the behest of longtime friend Martín Maldonado, Hernández had his eyes checked earlier this year, and the exam revealed an astigmatism.
The Los Angeles Times has the details:
"(Maldonado) told me that him and a couple of his teammates needed glasses, and they didn't really know through the spring training test," Hernández said.
...
"They went through a more thorough test [to learn they needed glasses]," Hernández said, referring back to his discussion with Maldonado. "So I was like, 'All right, I'm gonna try it out.'"
The astigmatism is in Hernández's right eye, and in the final series of the first half, he began wearing glasses with a prescription right lens. He'd never worn glasses in his life prior to that. The slash line speaks for itself, but beneath the surface, Hernández has also shown improvement in his contact and chase rates with his new glasses:
No glasses | With glasses | MLB average | |
---|---|---|---|
Contact rate | 76.6% | 79.8% | 77.0% |
Chase rate | 25.7% | 24.4% | 28.4% |
Chase rate vs. breaking balls | 26.9% | 21.4% | 31.0% |
Mookie Betts returned Monday and Muncy started a minor-league rehab assignment this past weekend. He's inching closer to a return and the Dodgers need him. When Muncy does return, Hernández will slide back into a traditional utility role, and it's for the best. Even with his new glasses, he's stretched as an everyday player. Hernández is most effective in moderation.
For much of the first half, Hernández's bat was essentially unplayable, but the Dodgers had little choice but to play him given their third base situation. The eye exam, the astigmatism diagnosis, and the new glasses have helped Hernández get his season on track. It sort of makes you wonder why we don't hear about more struggling players going for rigorous eye exams, no?
The incredibly clutch Melendez
MJ Melendez KC • LF • #1 BA0.205R33HR13RBI36SB3 View ProfileThere's no two ways about it: MJ Melendez's .205/.267/.403 slash line entering play Tuesday is ghastly. It's 28% below league average once adjusted for ballpark, and it's far below the .243/.314/.398 league average for left fielders. That .267 on-base percentage ranks 204th among the 210 hitters with at least 300 plate appearances this season. Yuck.
Tags:
Reprinted :Welcome friends to share to the network, but please explain the source of the article“Credit Card Protection Policies”。http://aqntz.feilaokan.com/yiqk349.html
Related articles
Ranking the top five WNBA rookie debuts, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink
MLB trends: Enrique Hernández's magic fix, the clutch MJ Melendez and Manuel Margot's big problemRanking the top five WNBA rookie debuts, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink...
Read more
Cowboys' Mike McCarthy on keys to 2024 season: 'Chinese bamboo tree' and committing to the run
MLB trends: Enrique Hernández's magic fix, the clutch MJ Melendez and Manuel Margot's big problemCowboys' Mike McCarthy on keys to 2024 season: 'Chinese bamboo tree' and committing to the run...
Read more
Kings fire head coach Todd McLellan after hitting January slump
MLB trends: Enrique Hernández's magic fix, the clutch MJ Melendez and Manuel Margot's big problemKings fire head coach Todd McLellan after hitting January slump The Kings won just three game...
Read more
Top Article
- Devils' Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes will face Canucks' Quinn Hughes in a brotherly showdown
- What channel is Iowa vs. Troy on today? Time, TV schedule to watch Week 3 college football game
- 2024 NFL Week 1 picks, best bets: Chiefs set to challenge 2007 Patriots, enter their 'Villain Era'
- Why is Oregon vs. Oregon State this week? Explaining 2024 schedule for college football rivalry
- Caitlin Clark told her coach Team USA 'woke a monster' by not picking her for Olympic team
- Jake Guentzel injury update: Penguins winger placed on IR, expected to miss four weeks
Latest News
Islanders fire Lane Lambert, hire Hall of Famer Patrick Roy to be next head coach
NFL's new dynamic kickoff is still a great unknown, but expected to stay as is for 2024 season
NHL Star Power Index: Auston Matthews scoring at will, David Pastrnak keeps piling on goals
Devils vs. Flyers odds, line: 2024 NHL Stadium Series picks, prediction from proven computer model
Devils sign coach Lindy Ruff to multi
WATCH: Connor Bedard lifts Blackhawks over Jets with spectacular OT goal