That's what opposing pitchers have been asking on either side of the postseason bracket, as Altuve and Turner have had their way for the
majority of October. Sure, Altuve (.400) and Turner (.387) top all
hitters in
Collin McHugh Youth Jersey terms of postseason batting average thus far, but a deeper look with
Statcast metrics show that the results line up with the performance.
Statcasts expected batting average metric (xBA) goes about calculating
what a batter should be hitting independent of outside factors, like
standout defensive plays and shifts, by considering hit probabilities
based on exit velocity and launch angle, along with a batter's real-life
strikeouts. Through this prism,
Craig Biggio Youth Jersey Altuve and Turner are still right up near the top of all hitters this
postseason. Good luck to whichever pitcher is tasked with getting these
guys out in a big moment in this series.
We weren't going to forget about the top name on that xBA list. That's
just one metric that says Gurriel is putting together the best at-bats
of anyone so far this postseason. Gurriel showed his skills plenty of
times for the Cuban National Team through the years, but the rookie
leads all players in average exit velocity in his first taste of
October. The first baseman also ranked among the game's very best at
putting "hard-hit" contact - defined by Statcast as any ball hit with an
exit velocity of at least 95 mph -- into play, and that's continued
right on into October, too.
Dallas Keuchel Youth Jersey Gurriel's box score numbers cooled off somewhat during the ALCS
presented by Camping World, but expect him to be a force in the World
Series if he continues to make contact like this.
Such a description didn't come to mind in Puig's struggles prior to
2017, but Dodgers hitting coach Turner Ward has re-made Puig into an
offensive force. The right fielder has swung at fewer than 20 percent of
the pitches he's seen outside the strike zone this October, as compared
to close to 30 percent in his 27 career postseason games before this
year. Puig has forced opposing pitchers to give him pitches to hit
within the strike zone, and he's crushed them to the tune of an even
.500 batting average (12-for-24) through the first two rounds. The
Dodgers' lineup is much harder to navigate when Puig is focused, and
that's certainly been the case so far.
We've become so
David Paulino Youth Jersey accustomed to the anything-can-happen insanity of October that there is
something weirdly refreshing about what's on tap in the World Series
presented by YouTube TV. The Astros and Dodgers are staying true to the
status of having reached the century mark in the win column and are
perfectly punctuating a 2017 season in which their elite status was
never in doubt. ?
