Major league baseball batting slump

The 2021 major league baseball season is only about one-quarter over. Yet there have been five no-hitters so far, whereas the whole season average is about two. The overall major league batting average so far this year is only .236, the lowest it has been since .237 in 1968. 1968 was dubbed "the year of the pitcher" for the weak hitting (link).  As a result the pitcher's mound was lowered and the size of the strike zone was reduced for 1969.

The number of home runs per team game has not fallen to 1968's 0.61. The overall major league number of home runs per team game this year is 1.14. That is less than the previous two years (1.28 and 1.39) but still well above what it was 2010-15 (range 0.86 to 1.02). Strikeouts are up slightly, 8.97 per team game. This number exceeded 7.0 for the first time in 2010. It exceeded 8.0 for the first time in 2016 and has remained there. 

What's going on? It seem that hitters are trying to swing for home runs more and more. I saw it claimed the lower batting average is mainly due to fewer singles, not fewer extra base hits. The stats I see here don't clearly support that. Extra-base hits have fallen about as much. The number of singles per team game is 5.05 this year. That is about the same as last year (a shortened season due to the pandemic) but less than 2019's 5.34. The statistic has fallen steadily since 2008's 6.02. The number of runs scored per team game is 4.36, down from 4.65 last year and 4.83 in 2019. Runs batted in (RBIs) per team game is 4.13, down from 4.44 last year and 4.63 in 2019. On the other hand, pitchers may have gotten better. The overall average ERA is down and strikeouts per team game are up.

Update 5/20: Corey Kluber pitched the 6th no-hitter of the year yesterday.

Barbs about Astros' sign stealing

The Houston Astros have been accused of stealing signs from opposing teams. The stealing is mainly to find out what sort of pitch is coming next to an Astros batter. The methods aren't traditional, including banging on garbage cans, and there have been a lot of comments made about it. This story from the Associated Press includes some amusing barbs about it and Astros star player Jose Altuve's partial tattoo.

Today's print edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer had much the same article but a different title -- Sign stealers have rights, too, you know. 😊

Here is a Plain Dealer article dated last month about the scandal that draws a fine line between cheating and gamesmanship in baseball. It includes humor, too.

MLB 2019 Home Run Derby

Last night's MLB Home Run Derby held in Cleveland was spectacular, maybe the best ever. In the first round 20-year old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. broke the record for one round with 29 homers. In the second round Guerrero Jr. broke the record again. Joc Pederson tied him. Guerrero and Pederson then did three tiebreaker rounds before Guerrero Jr. finally won 40-39. In the final round Guerrero faced Pete Alonso. Alonso won 23-22. Both are rookies.  The results and each player's regular season home run and their years in the league follow. Oddly, the 2nd place finisher had way more home runs for the night than the first place finisher -- 91-57. Alonso's prize, $1 million, was more than than his regular season salary of $555,000. 

First round
Joc Pederson (21 homers) def. Alex Bregman (16)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (29) def. Matt Chapman (13)
Ronald Acuna Jr. (25)  def. Josh Bell (18)
Pete Alonso (14) def. Carlos Santana (13)

Semifinals
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (40) def. Joc Pederson (39) on three tiebreakers
Pete Alonso (20) def. Ronald Acuna Jr. (19)

Finals
Pete Alonso (23) def. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (22)

2019 Regular Season
Joc Pederson (20) 6th yr
Alex Bregman (23) 4th yr
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (8) rookie
Matt Chapman (21)  4th yr
Ronald Acuna Jr. (21) 2nd yr
Josh Bell (27) 4th yr
Pete Alonso (30)  rookie
Carlos Santana (19) 10th yr

Neither the AL home-run leader, Mike Trout, nor NL home run leader, Christian Yelich, was in the Derby. Yelich opted out due to recovering from an injury. Mike Trout has always opted out. Anyway, if only the top 4 home-run leaders in each league were always selected and Trout opted in, he would compete nearly every year. It's pretty clear that whoever selects the participants likes to choose young, rising stars.

I am puzzled why Guerrero Jr. was even picked. He had the least number of home runs -- only 8 -- in the regular season of the eight players who participated. Second least is 19. He did not make the All-Star game roster, and he was 6th in voting for AL 3rd baseman! Was it because his father was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018? Why, for example, wasn't Gleyber Torres, a 2nd year player with 19 home runs picked? Guerrero Jr. performed spectacularly, but I for one would not have predicted that when selections were made.