Schadenfreude wrote:Oddest stat from Spring Training: Aaron Hill now has walks in 10 of his 30 plate appearances. He had just 42 in 734 PAs last year. Could be nothing more than the result of facing pitchers who are still trying to work out their mechanics, but if Hill can get on base at a .350-.360 clip, he's a pretty sexy beast.
Well, I think it's more likely his career has more seasons closer to 350/450 split than 330/500 ones. I won't be shocked at all to see his OBP up a few more points and his HRs down.
I will say I don't think a high number of walks means anything in ST though. IMO if you're willing to look at pitches you'll get walked in ST. It's the only time a pitcher can be in a game situation and test out whether he really can get his new splitter over in a 3-2 count for a strike (as an example). Hill's only concern is keeping last year's swing intact so I doubt he's taking hacks at anything but no doubters. If he's hoping to see more pitches and get on base more this year, that's good too, but I think it's about health and protecting something that was working rather than a concerted effort to improve his walk totals. Now, that being said, I haven't seen or heard one second of ST, so I'm just talking out my bum.
