Is Hunter Renfroe or WORST batter right now? I'm on my phone & it's too cumbersome to look up stats. His slump continues. It surely seems to me is the most likely batter on the team to NOT get a hit for the last month or so.
Is Hunter Renfroe or WORST batter right now?
- Thread starter PhredPhantom
- Start date
He was 1-5 tonight I believe. And he had two good/above average games before that. The slump is slowly but surely ending. To answer your question: no. Even when he's slumping he's better than some of the guys, especially those who are on the bench.
ETA 1-5 not 3-5, thanks BenAtMSU
ETA 1-5 not 3-5, thanks BenAtMSU
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Not sure, but what's absolutely amazing is how much offense we've had from other guys in his absence. If you would've told me at the end of March that Renfroe was going to be in a month-long slump to end the season, I would've said we probably wouldn't be hosting, much less one win away from going to a super.
When he comes out of his slump it will be hell on the opposition.
Wouldn't it be nice if we make the Supers and Omaha for him to put the team back on his back?
Wouldn't it be nice if we make the Supers and Omaha for him to put the team back on his back?
Agreed. Just hope it happens before Class A summer ball!
Other guys are picking it up, but if he gets hot....
Other guys are picking it up, but if he gets hot....
His at bats have really concerned me.
If you are a big Braves fan, this slump should remind you of the slump SS Alex Gonzalez went through in 2011. It all starts with how you handle fastballs. Renfroe gets a first pitch fastball on almost every at bat. He consistently takes the ones right down the center, but swings and tries to pull at the ones on the outer third of the plate. So if he makes contact he rolls over the top of it and grounds out. If he misses, hes in a hole 0-1.
From there he either fouls off another fastball and goes 0-2, or gets an off speed pitch that keeps him off balance. Many times the off speed pitch is a strike, so Renfroe a lot of times is in an 0-2 hole after two pitches. He's been susceptible to low pitches, especially off speed, so if you can keep an off speed low, you have a really good shot of striking him out or getting a ground ball out of him.
You can tell Renfroe is pressing because he's trying to crush everything and yank everything to left. He's pretty much quit going with pitches to the opposite field and you can see how teams are squeezing off that side now. Did you see where the South Alabama RF was coming from when Renfroe hit that foul ball down the RF line? He was almost playing a softball right center field. Until he starts making pitchers pay for throwing him center cut fastballs and actively tries to go the opposite way on pitchers over the outer third of the plate, he's going to continue rolling over pitches and not getting good contact.
If you are a big Braves fan, this slump should remind you of the slump SS Alex Gonzalez went through in 2011. It all starts with how you handle fastballs. Renfroe gets a first pitch fastball on almost every at bat. He consistently takes the ones right down the center, but swings and tries to pull at the ones on the outer third of the plate. So if he makes contact he rolls over the top of it and grounds out. If he misses, hes in a hole 0-1.
From there he either fouls off another fastball and goes 0-2, or gets an off speed pitch that keeps him off balance. Many times the off speed pitch is a strike, so Renfroe a lot of times is in an 0-2 hole after two pitches. He's been susceptible to low pitches, especially off speed, so if you can keep an off speed low, you have a really good shot of striking him out or getting a ground ball out of him.
You can tell Renfroe is pressing because he's trying to crush everything and yank everything to left. He's pretty much quit going with pitches to the opposite field and you can see how teams are squeezing off that side now. Did you see where the South Alabama RF was coming from when Renfroe hit that foul ball down the RF line? He was almost playing a softball right center field. Until he starts making pitchers pay for throwing him center cut fastballs and actively tries to go the opposite way on pitchers over the outer third of the plate, he's going to continue rolling over pitches and not getting good contact.
Speaking of Palmeiro, you'll recall that in his last season when we finished third in the CWS, he "slumped" most of the season and never really came out of it. He had a great season for most anybody else but nowhere near the BA or production of his freshman & sophomore seasons. All I'm saying is, Renfroe might not come out of this funk before season's end. We'll just have to win anyway
You nailed it on Renfroe. Now could you get this info to our batting coach and fix this problem.
Yep. You're exactly right.
Not only that, but he is so damn anxious to try to hit his way out of this slump, that he has become a very undisciplined hitter. Meaning, he is taking no pitches. He isn't thinking like a hitter should anymore, he's just up there hacking.
When he was at his best this season, he was not even trying to hit a curve ball unless there was 2 strikes and it was clearly in the zone or close to it....NOW, he swings at everything especially when there is 2 strikes, because he is scared to death that he will strike out.
He needs to get back to keying in on fastballs, and reacting to off speed pitches like he was early on. When pitchers are throwing fastballs past Hunter...he is clearly not looking fastball and adjusting to off speed. I think it is totally mental with him right now.
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90% of hitting slumps are this..(some will say mental- I know)
Starts with pulling the front shoulder, not finishing long, pulling off the outside half. He was all over some of the fastballs last night timing-wise. Just pulled off enough to get under them and foul them back. Bat drops a lot of times when your front side isn't strong and like someone else said, you roll over a lot of balls early.
Combine that with pressing and you're getting a ton of choppers and Ks. But I think he's getting closer to ending the slump because he really jumped on some fastballs. The mechanics are the easy fix and thought process looks like it's coming around. Won't be surprised to see him have a multi-hit game today. I really think he's close.
Starts with pulling the front shoulder, not finishing long, pulling off the outside half. He was all over some of the fastballs last night timing-wise. Just pulled off enough to get under them and foul them back. Bat drops a lot of times when your front side isn't strong and like someone else said, you roll over a lot of balls early.
Combine that with pressing and you're getting a ton of choppers and Ks. But I think he's getting closer to ending the slump because he really jumped on some fastballs. The mechanics are the easy fix and thought process looks like it's coming around. Won't be surprised to see him have a multi-hit game today. I really think he's close.
Wes Rea's approach has been EXTREMELY good, as of late. Last night in the 6th or 7th, with Runners in scoring position, he swings for 2 pitches like he's going for the fence. He's in the hole 0-2... with Hunter, that's the death knell right there... but what did Wes do? Changed his approach... changed what he was looking for, fouls off a couple of good pitches, and rips a pitch he could handle for a 2 RBI base hit. That's what clutch hitters do, and, as of late, Wes has delivered more often than not when we need RBI's simply because he quits swinging for the fences, shortens his swing, waits on a pitch he can handle, and puts it in play.
Hunter doesn't do that... He tries to kill every pitch he sees to "end his slump," and MetEd, I know you are a former ball player, you know as well as I do that to end slumps, the harder you try to swing for the fences, the more you look like Hunter does now. A good coach needs to tell him to slow down, reevaluate your approach, and try to get base hits and RBI's, not HR's.
Hunter doesn't do that... He tries to kill every pitch he sees to "end his slump," and MetEd, I know you are a former ball player, you know as well as I do that to end slumps, the harder you try to swing for the fences, the more you look like Hunter does now. A good coach needs to tell him to slow down, reevaluate your approach, and try to get base hits and RBI's, not HR's.
Let me break down Rea's clutch at bats during this regional
In these regionals, Rea has had some extremely clutch hits. Let's look at what he's done with them all:
Game 1 against Central Arkansas he comes up with runners on 2nd and 3rd and a 1-0 count. He gets a fastball low and away. What does he do? He torches it by the 2nd baseman on the 1st base side of his body. RBI single that makes the game 1-0
Game 1 against Central Arkansas. Pirtle gets to 3rd on his triple/3 base error. Rea steps up, gets a 1st pitch fastball over the middle/hair outside portion of the plate. Doesn't get great contact, but it's close enough to the middle where he can turn on it and get it past the SS on the 3rd base side of his body. RBI single that ties the game at 2.
Game 2 against South Alabama. Pirtle just drove in the tying and go ahead runs. Rea gets an 0-2 fastball on the outer third of the plate. He goes with it and smashes it between the 2nd baseman and the 2nd base bag. Never had a chance at a play.
What do all of these plays have in common? Every single pitch Rea has an RBI on in these two games came off fastballs. But the impressive thing he's done, which is what separates the good hitters from the average ones, is that he is letting the location of the pitch dictate where he hits the ball. He's not over swinging, he's not trying to mash the ball. See a fastball outside, hit it opposite field. See a fastball over the middle, turn on it.
Rea is letting the game come to him and he's reaping the rewards. Renfroe is attacking the game and that's why he has been getting poor contact. I will also add to this that Detz, Pirtle, and Frazier are all putting on similar hitting clinics like Rea is. These 4 guys have been fun to watch the last few weeks.
In these regionals, Rea has had some extremely clutch hits. Let's look at what he's done with them all:
Game 1 against Central Arkansas he comes up with runners on 2nd and 3rd and a 1-0 count. He gets a fastball low and away. What does he do? He torches it by the 2nd baseman on the 1st base side of his body. RBI single that makes the game 1-0
Game 1 against Central Arkansas. Pirtle gets to 3rd on his triple/3 base error. Rea steps up, gets a 1st pitch fastball over the middle/hair outside portion of the plate. Doesn't get great contact, but it's close enough to the middle where he can turn on it and get it past the SS on the 3rd base side of his body. RBI single that ties the game at 2.
Game 2 against South Alabama. Pirtle just drove in the tying and go ahead runs. Rea gets an 0-2 fastball on the outer third of the plate. He goes with it and smashes it between the 2nd baseman and the 2nd base bag. Never had a chance at a play.
What do all of these plays have in common? Every single pitch Rea has an RBI on in these two games came off fastballs. But the impressive thing he's done, which is what separates the good hitters from the average ones, is that he is letting the location of the pitch dictate where he hits the ball. He's not over swinging, he's not trying to mash the ball. See a fastball outside, hit it opposite field. See a fastball over the middle, turn on it.
Rea is letting the game come to him and he's reaping the rewards. Renfroe is attacking the game and that's why he has been getting poor contact. I will also add to this that Detz, Pirtle, and Frazier are all putting on similar hitting clinics like Rea is. These 4 guys have been fun to watch the last few weeks.
Based on his numbers from the last 10-12 games, he's gotta be. That said, while I think that only a fool would bench him, is it not time to move him down a few spots in the lineup? it seems that might take a little pressure off of him, and it's hard to imagine that it would do any more damage to his psyche than what's already been done. Like others gave already posted, he's just out there hacking right now.
He went to Vandy hitting .408. Since then:
Vandy: 3-10, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Bama: 3-11, HR, 5R, RBI, 4 BB, K ---> the only home run in this stretch
UM: 3-12, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Oral Roberts: 0-4, 2 K
USCe:1-12, 2 BB, 3 K
Hoover: 6-22, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Regional: 2-9, 1 R, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
A couple of observations...
At least there is still some production there, but the fact remains that heading to Vandy he had 45 RBI and now he has 56. It's a credit to the rest of the team for picking him up in this stretch.
He's not walking nearly as much, as has been pointed out. 22 walks heading to Vandy, 12 since. Prior to Vandy there were 21 strikeouts, putting him almost even at K/BB, but since then he has struck out 18 to only 12 walks.
No stat for this, but the outs don't even seem to be hard outs. Several times last night he fouled balls straight back and I thought, OK, he's on this, just missed it a little. Then a weak grounder or pop up followed. I feel for the guy because he's playing his final DNF game today and I would suspect he wants to go out with a bang, so the pressure he is putting on himself keeps mounting. I can't decide if it would be better for him to come up a couple of times today with a huge lead so there was no game pressure, or for him to come up in a critical spot full of pressure. Not sure that it matters at all. Just put bat on ball and see what happens I guess.
Vandy: 3-10, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Bama: 3-11, HR, 5R, RBI, 4 BB, K ---> the only home run in this stretch
UM: 3-12, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Oral Roberts: 0-4, 2 K
USCe:1-12, 2 BB, 3 K
Hoover: 6-22, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Regional: 2-9, 1 R, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
A couple of observations...
At least there is still some production there, but the fact remains that heading to Vandy he had 45 RBI and now he has 56. It's a credit to the rest of the team for picking him up in this stretch.
He's not walking nearly as much, as has been pointed out. 22 walks heading to Vandy, 12 since. Prior to Vandy there were 21 strikeouts, putting him almost even at K/BB, but since then he has struck out 18 to only 12 walks.
No stat for this, but the outs don't even seem to be hard outs. Several times last night he fouled balls straight back and I thought, OK, he's on this, just missed it a little. Then a weak grounder or pop up followed. I feel for the guy because he's playing his final DNF game today and I would suspect he wants to go out with a bang, so the pressure he is putting on himself keeps mounting. I can't decide if it would be better for him to come up a couple of times today with a huge lead so there was no game pressure, or for him to come up in a critical spot full of pressure. Not sure that it matters at all. Just put bat on ball and see what happens I guess.