Friday, May 9, 2014

Excerpt: "Time to Sign Stephen Drew"

"However, there are signs that Jeter, who turns 40 next month, is overmatched. His strikeout rate, 20.1%, is far and away a career high and explained away only partially by the uptick in strikeout rate leaguewide. Two seasons ago, Jeter struck out in just 12% of his plate appearances, far below the league average. Jeter's increased strikeout rate is paired with a higher walk rate -- 8.3%, within range of his career highs. Combined, the two numbers represent the sign of an older player working harder to reach base as his primary skill of getting the bat to the baseball declines. Jeter's rate of contact on pitches inside the strike zone, 86%, is lower than it has been in all but one season for which we have data (2002)."