It's easy to get caught up in the numbers, but it’s occasionally necessary.
Sabermetrics, originally defined as “the search for objective knowledge about baseball”, is an approach that often uses statistical analysis instead of traditional measures like RBIs, home runs and pitcher wins. However, using sabermetrics to analyze baseball isn’t always accepted because it doesn’t tell the entire story. For so-called “stat geeks”, the Kansas City Royals were a symbol of sabermetrics the last two seasons. However, a little more than a month into the 2016 season, the Royals haven’t lived up to the offensive precedents they set in the in the two years prior. Let’s use the numbers to figure out what’s causing Kansas City’s offensive downturn.
In 2014, The Royals …show more content…
Honing in on batting average, Kansas City has a few guys who are negatively effecting the team’s average.
Compared to a season ago, outfielder Lorenzo Cain’s average has dramatically dropped. Last year, Cain hit a hot .329 in April. This April, he batted just .220, which amounted to a drop-off of more than 100 points.
A few other Royals have had a major drop-off in batting average from a season ago. Mike Moustakas, who led Kansas City in batting average (.356) after April in 2015, batted .273 in April this year. Catcher Salvador Perez, who hit .326 in April last season, batted just .240 in April this year. Although a few Royals have experienced trouble at the plate this season, not everyone in the lineup struggled in April.
On the other side of the spectrum is Eric Hosmer. Hosmer hit .310 last April but improved that number this season by hitting .326 this April. Unfortunately for Kansas City, Hosmer is the only Royal batting over .300 this season with more than 10 at bats. Hosmer’s production can’t outweigh the struggles of the rest of the
Sabermetrics, originally defined as “the search for objective knowledge about baseball”, is an approach that often uses statistical analysis instead of traditional measures like RBIs, home runs and pitcher wins. However, using sabermetrics to analyze baseball isn’t always accepted because it doesn’t tell the entire story. For so-called “stat geeks”, the Kansas City Royals were a symbol of sabermetrics the last two seasons. However, a little more than a month into the 2016 season, the Royals haven’t lived up to the offensive precedents they set in the in the two years prior. Let’s use the numbers to figure out what’s causing Kansas City’s offensive downturn.
In 2014, The Royals …show more content…
Honing in on batting average, Kansas City has a few guys who are negatively effecting the team’s average.
Compared to a season ago, outfielder Lorenzo Cain’s average has dramatically dropped. Last year, Cain hit a hot .329 in April. This April, he batted just .220, which amounted to a drop-off of more than 100 points.
A few other Royals have had a major drop-off in batting average from a season ago. Mike Moustakas, who led Kansas City in batting average (.356) after April in 2015, batted .273 in April this year. Catcher Salvador Perez, who hit .326 in April last season, batted just .240 in April this year. Although a few Royals have experienced trouble at the plate this season, not everyone in the lineup struggled in April.
On the other side of the spectrum is Eric Hosmer. Hosmer hit .310 last April but improved that number this season by hitting .326 this April. Unfortunately for Kansas City, Hosmer is the only Royal batting over .300 this season with more than 10 at bats. Hosmer’s production can’t outweigh the struggles of the rest of the