Hitting Woes

We are seven games into the 2024 season, and it is beginning to look much like 2023.

In two of the games, the team scored 17 runs, and in the other five, 5 runs. We’ve been no-hit once and got just one hit yesterday.

Two of the hitters are hitting better than we might have expected (one of them in just 9 PA). And two others are hitting above league average (barely).

Spring training gave us some hope that some guys had figured it out (and that still might be true, it is early), but:

• Kirk has had some terrible at-bats. In spring, he hit .342/.390/.684 with three home runs. Since the start of the season, I’d be surprised if he hit three balls out of the infield. How can things turn on a dime just because the season started?
• Vlad has had some good at-bats. He’s taking walks (leading the league) and he’s hit the odd ball hard. I hope he’ll turn it on, but I’d like to see it.
• Bo had a great spring, then a .150 BA and 2 errors since the start of the season. The neck spasms might be the cause. I think he’ll likely have an OPS in the 120s, as always, but it would be nice if he could start hitting soon. He always has
• IKF? Well, I think this is about what we can expect, give or take a bit.
• Daulton Varsho had a very nice spring. Then the bells ring on the season, and he’s last year’s Daulton Varsho. I have hopes. I’ve liked some of his at-bats.
• Kevin Kiermaier didn’t have a nice spring and is hitting less than .100. He talks about how he didn’t get much interest in the free agent market; maybe they saw something we didn’t. He will hit better than this, but then I don’t know what the ceiling is.
• George Springer, when he homered and walked in the first games and then homered in the second, I thought life was good. Since then, one hit.
• Ernie Clement, I’m not worried about. I don’t think he’s going to hit as well as some say he will, but I think he’ll be ok, I think he’ll end up in the 15-20 home run area, if he plays enough.
• Davis Schneider isn’t going to have a home run every four at bats, but I’m willing to run out there and see where he ends up. I get the idea that he’ll be better against lefty pitchers. I think he should play 100% of the games where the other team has a lefty starting. I also think we should play him while he’s hot. I also think he shouldn’t say high pitches are his kryptonite.
• Cavan Biggio is taking his walks. I like him out there against RHP. I think his average will climb to its usual level.

We were sold the idea that Don Mattingly, as offensive coordinator, would devise game plans that would help the players. I tend to discount things like that. I don’t know what he would tell the players that would be different from what the batting coaches would tell them.

I don’t know; I think the players are responsible for using the game plan best. You can tell them what to look for, but then it is up to them to use it. I don’t think there is a ton of difference between what Mattingly would tell them and what the hitting coaches would tell them. I don’t know why he would tell them different things this year than last.

Anyway, we’ll see. I don’t think this season can continue to go badly. But I’ve been wrong before.