Pittsburgh Pirates continue to struggle going opposite field

Despite an overall improved offense this season, the Pittsburgh Pirates still struggle to hit to the opposite field.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have taken a new offensive approach from this off-season and spring training and carried it through the end of May. The team wanted to stress getting on-base more, and needed to do so considering the dramatic loss of power from the lineup. The Pirates also moved players around the lineup in a more non-traditional way. This has all paid dividends so far. The team currently has the highest batting average and on-base percentage in the National League, and the offense is certainly not the issue for the Pirates at this point.

That doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t always be looking for ways to improve. For example, one trend that has emerged over the past few seasons has been the Pirates’ inability to hit to the opposite field as a team. The Pirates have almost consistently ranked in the bottom third of all of baseball in opposite field hit percentage over the past five years.

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Now it’s important to note that the opposite field hit percentage for the entire league generally ranges from 20 to 30 percent, so even a slight change in percentage can vault a team up or send them down the league ranks. It’s also important to note that a higher percentage of balls sent the opposite way isn’t always necessary to be a successful offensive team.

But it does speak to a few different things. First, if you have a lineup full of players that can hit to all fields, the defense can’t shift as often or as aggressively against you. It’s important to keep a defense guessing whenever possible. Second, it opens up more base-running opportunities. The ability to hit a sac fly to right field with a runner on third by a righty, or a shot down the right field line to send a guy from first to third, could mean a few extra bases and runs every now and then.

Essentially, a team that can hit to the opposite field well adds a new element to their lineup. Why haven’t the Pirates been able to do this as well as other teams over the years?

It comes down to the players on the team, and how they approach their at-bats. Andrew McCutchen has been with the team every one of the past five years, and he’s commonly thought of as a pull hitter. Sure, he’s worked on improving his ability to hit the opposite way, and he can definitely do so with power at times, but before this season, he never had an opposite field hit percentage above 23.3 percent (this season he’s at 25.2), and his career number is at 22.1, both below the team average over the past three seasons.

Starling Marte is an even bigger culprit, with a career percent sitting at 21.0. Gregory Polanco‘s career opposite field hit percentage? 24.4. Jordy Mercer‘s? 24.9. Josh Harrison? 25.1. Jung Ho Kang sits at a mere 21.2 while Francisco Cervelli is up at 25.0.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]It’s important to note that the opposite field hit percentage for the entire league generally ranges from 20 to 30 percent.[/pullquote]

Now, is the Pirates’ coaching staff emphasizing hitting the ball the opposite way? Probably not as much as getting on base, being patient at the plate, and taking good at-bats overall. It’s a minor part of the grand scheme of the offense. But it’s still an interesting trend, and one I’m sure the Pirates have analyzed at some point in time. Let’s not put too much weight on it. After all, the teams with the highest opposite field hit percentage this season are the Braves, Rockies, Giants, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox. That’s three teams with winning records, and two with losing records. Last season, the top five teams were the Brewers, Marlins, Reds, Giants, and Braves, i.e. one team with a winning record and four with a losing one. There almost seems to be no correlation between a higher opposite field hit percentage and a winning record.

If the Pittsburgh Pirates have anything to work on as a team, it’s on the pitching side. And if the offense needs any work, it’s with not leaving so many runners on base. But for a team that emphasizes new ways to find on-the-field success, maybe improving hitting to the opposite field is one way to do that.

Image Credit – Daniel Decker Photography

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