Words cannot do justice to the loathing I have for this guy. Never owned him and every time I face him, he goes berserk. Those 4 runs today were enough to flip that cat.
tah161 wrote:Okay, What the hell is up with Kemp this year?
He has 100+ hits and 13 Homeruns, BUT he only has 12 DOUBLES. Last year he hit 38 doubles.
He looks like he will hit 20+ HR's this year, but why such the decrease in doubles?
Anyone want to chime in on this?
From what I can tell, he's hitting more deep flyballs that trail off as tepid flyouts in front of the track. Last season, the focus for Kemp was just to put the ball in play, by going the opposite direction. Now that he's markedly more selective and working the counts, he's getting favorable pitches to hit.
tah161 wrote:Okay, What the hell is up with Kemp this year?
He has 100+ hits and 13 Homeruns, BUT he only has 12 DOUBLES. Last year he hit 38 doubles.
He looks like he will hit 20+ HR's this year, but why such the decrease in doubles?
Anyone want to chime in on this?
From what I can tell, he's hitting more deep flyballs that trail off as tepid flyouts in front of the track. Last season, the focus for Kemp was just to put the ball in play, by going the opposite direction. Now that he's markedly more selective and working the counts, he's getting favorable pitches to hit.
I understand that, but if he is being more slective shouldnt he be driving the ball farther or at least for more doubles than 12!
Now I am begining to think its because he is usually batting so low in the order, but I did notice when watching the few games I get on TV he is usually in an 0-2 count seemingly before the at bat starts lol.
Hopefully he will be moved up either this year (not counting on it) or next year (could be-but we will have almost the same lineup next year)
tah161 wrote:Okay, What the hell is up with Kemp this year?
He has 100+ hits and 13 Homeruns, BUT he only has 12 DOUBLES. Last year he hit 38 doubles.
He looks like he will hit 20+ HR's this year, but why such the decrease in doubles?
Anyone want to chime in on this?
From what I can tell, he's hitting more deep flyballs that trail off as tepid flyouts in front of the track. Last season, the focus for Kemp was just to put the ball in play, by going the opposite direction. Now that he's markedly more selective and working the counts, he's getting favorable pitches to hit.
I understand that, but if he is being more slective shouldnt he be driving the ball farther or at least for more doubles than 12!
Now I am begining to think its because he is usually batting so low in the order, but I did notice when watching the few games I get on TV he is usually in an 0-2 count seemingly before the at bat starts lol.
Hopefully he will be moved up either this year (not counting on it) or next year (could be-but we will have almost the same lineup next year)
What I mean by being more selective is exactly what I said earlier. Part of it is not taking silly hacks. Kemp had the reputation for getting lost on offspeed pitches and would often times hack at them. He's shaved off more than 5% on hacks outside the strike zone and his first strike % is also noticeably down. Even if he's down 0-2, he's improved in not pressing and staying patient for a good pitch (hence the higher walk rate). Like I said, one thing I notice is Kemp is getting more loft in his swing and as a result, hitting more flyballs, some of which fall as the proverbial "loud outs" (either by the ball losing steam at the track or by good defense). I'd say despite the lack of doubles, he's looked more comfortable at the plate, whether or not he's hitting them up the middle or driving them deep.
Kemp is seeing more of the 5-hole/6-hole lately, but his most effective spot has been in either the 7th or 8th spot. That said, he hit within the top of the order in the pre-Manny days and did quite well. Whether or not it's a piece of strategy (whether well or ill constructed), a deference to the veteran hitter, or anything else to suggest otherwise, the reasons are vague as to why Kemp hits there, but at the least, he's thrived there.
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by Ursa » Sun Jul 19, 2009 9:31 pm 
manager of the year!
