Here's a slightly different stat to look at when reviewing hitters prior to your 2010 drafts: batting eye. I used a similar calculation that I used to rank pitchers by Command ratio. Here I used K-BB for hitters.
Let's take a look:
Player | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BB | KO | BA | OBP | SLG | K-BB |
Helton, Todd 1B COL | 134 | 17 | 44 | 2 | 12 | 25 | 10 | 0.328 | 0.431 | 0.455 | -15 |
Cantu, Jorge 3B FLA | 129 | 14 | 34 | 3 | 18 | 19 | 9 | 0.264 | 0.356 | 0.380 | -10 |
Gonzalez, Adrian 1B SD | 133 | 23 | 42 | 10 | 23 | 29 | 20 | 0.316 | 0.433 | 0.624 | -9 |
Johnson, Nick 1B FLA | 88 | 14 | 24 | 1 | 12 | 27 | 21 | 0.273 | 0.445 | 0.364 | -6 |
Pujols, Albert 1B STL | 140 | 26 | 38 | 8 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 0.271 | 0.389 | 0.514 | -4 |
Berkman, Lance 1B HOU | 48 | 11 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 12 | 0.313 | 0.484 | 0.479 | -4 |
Ruiz, Carlos C PHI | 95 | 15 | 21 | 5 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 0.221 | 0.318 | 0.442 | -4 |
Molina, Yadier C STL | 114 | 13 | 36 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 0.316 | 0.395 | 0.368 | -3 |
Victorino, Shane CF PHI | 135 | 26 | 43 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 0.319 | 0.407 | 0.511 | -1 |
Lee, Carlos N. LF HOU | 145 | 20 | 46 | 8 | 31 | 12 | 11 | 0.317 | 0.370 | 0.566 | -1 |
McCutchen, Andrew OF PIT | 132 | 27 | 38 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 0.288 | 0.378 | 0.508 | 1 |
Zimmerman, Ryan 3B WAS | 139 | 35 | 45 | 12 | 34 | 21 | 22 | 0.324 | 0.410 | 0.655 | 1 |
Wright, David 3B NYM | 104 | 19 | 34 | 3 | 12 | 18 | 19 | 0.327 | 0.427 | 0.490 | 1 |
Castillo, Luis 2B NYM | 122 | 27 | 48 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 0.393 | 0.468 | 0.451 | 1 |
Loney, James 1B LA | 129 | 11 | 34 | 0 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 0.264 | 0.345 | 0.318 | 1 |
Church, Ryan RF ATL | 88 | 18 | 25 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 0.284 | 0.382 | 0.466 | 1 |
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL | 121 | 21 | 31 | 6 | 15 | 25 | 27 | 0.256 | 0.376 | 0.438 | 2 |
LaRoche, Andy 3B PIT | 115 | 9 | 24 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 0.209 | 0.300 | 0.322 | 2 |
Escobar, Yunel SS ATL | 125 | 22 | 40 | 5 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 0.320 | 0.397 | 0.480 | 2 |
Roberts, Ryan 3B ARI | 96 | 12 | 33 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 0.344 | 0.422 | 0.573 | 2 |
In this chart, if a batter's K-BB is negative, it means he is walking more than he is striking out, which is very valuable when trying to determine if a player should/could get more playing time this year and next.
A couple that stuck out for me were Jorge Cantu, Andrew McCutchen and Andy Laroche. Cantu's performance at the plate this year has been a little disappointing, especially in the power categories. But one thing the Marlins are focusing on is hitters who don't strike out alot, so Cantu should be starting again next season as long as he isn't dealt.
McCutchen has impressed at the plate and on the basepaths since getting the call back in June. He's a keeper for next year, and I could see a 15-30 season from him very easily in 2010, and that's a conservative estimate.
Laroche has also been a disappointment this year. He will be hard pressed to keep his 3B job, but he could get moved over to 2B in 2010, with Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez ready or almost ready for major league duty next year. Laroche played a little 2B in AAA while playing for the Dodgers. I could see a 15-60 season for him should he slide over to 2B IN 2010.