Mark Reynolds is hitting .274/.367/.575 with 41 homers, 28 doubles, 72 walks, and 94 RBIs in 137 games.
Adam Dunn is hitting .282/.410/.563 with 37 homers, 27 doubles, 104 walks, and 99 RBIs in 142 games.
They rank fourth and eighth among NL hitters in OPS, respectively. And yet people continue to make a big deal about their strikeouts.
Yesterday alone MLB.com had an article entitled “Reynolds not worried about strikeout totals” and the New York Times had an article entitled “Dunn keeps swinging despite detractors.”
Conventional wisdom is that strikeouts are a terrible thing and when viewed in isolation that’s certainly true. However, in the grand scheme of things strikeouts are no worse than pop outs or fly outs or ground outs. And unlike those other methods of making an out, strikeouts tend to come along with extra-base hits and walks because guys who whiff a lot usually do so while swinging hard and working long counts.
Among all hitters with at least 400 plate appearances this season, the 10 guys who strike out most often have an average OPS of .938 and the 10 guys who strike out least often have an average OPS of .753. Yet for all the criticism high-strikeout guys take for being productive in a manner that rubs some people the wrong way and all the articles questioning whether guys like Dunn or Reynolds need to cut down on their strikeouts, have you ever seen the opposite?
Where are all the people taking David Eckstein to task for making too much contact while posting a measly .265/.322/.337 line? Where are all the articles wondering if Yuniesky Betancourt should try to strike out more often to improve upon his putrid .241/.275/.347 mark? Despite all the advancements in baseball analysis, apparently there are still an awful lot of people who would prefer if guys like Reynolds and Dunn weren’t nearly as good, but grounded out to second base much more often.
MLB homer leader Pete Alonso to IL with bone bruise, sprain in wrist
Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports
PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.
The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.
The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.
Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.
“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”
New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.
“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”
Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.
The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.
New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.
Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.