Blaming the hitting coach is a cop out at best. There are much more logical conclusions to draw to explain specific player or team hitting woes.

"Blaming the hitting coach is a cop out at best."

Your thoughts on the documented cases of Cito bullying players into becoming dead pull hitters?

"What will happen is we'll blow Atlanta out tomorrow 15-0 and the overall runs scored at the end of the series will look fantastic.

ALL IS WELL IN BLUE JAY LAND"

#PECJF

I don't think there aren't extreme cases where a player's output could be somewhat influenced, but it most cases it seems highly unlikely that a coach can have such a significant negative impact on a player. Without evidence or detailed reporting to the contrary on a particular coach, I have a hard time buying on them as a major debit.

Would this be a bad time to mention the Jays either prior or after today are 3rd in the AL in Runs Scored?

I almost got too excited .. Marlins designate Donnie Murphy for assignment.

That sound a whole lot like observer bias more than anything else

Jays:

Tied .221.293/.384
Within 1 run .242/.310/.407
2 runs .247/.315/.418
3 runs .245/.313/.413
4 runs .246/.313/.414
Margin of 4 runs or greater .238/.303/.406

When ahead .238/.308/.403
When behind .270/.331/.447

AL Average:

Tied .254./.325/.406
Within 1 run .254/.324/.407
2 runs .253/.323/.407
3 runs .245/.323/.407
4 runs .253/.321/.406
Margin of 4 runs or greater .250/.308/.417

When ahead .255/.322/.416
When behind .250/.313/.401

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Only real weird outlier for the Jays is they've done really poorly during tie games. Otherwise in close games they've hit about what the AL average is. They're hitting worse in blowout games actually and performing worse when ahead, and better when behind.

I'm not sure what the fans want to be honest. A lot of them scoff at the term 'clutch hitting' and devalue OBP like Murphy does. What's the point of the HRs if no one's on base.

Its just as effective turning over the lineup and scoring runs by triples and doubles as it is by hitting the long ball. And its exciting baseball.

It's just really sad that good teams have guys atop of their orders hitting .300 or above and we haven't had that in years.

We need a legit leadoff hitter with speed.

Our hitters need a better two strike approach and learn how to protect the plate, fight pitches off.

Hitters need to learn now to go opposite field, especially with two strikes.

Overall, they're just easy outs.

I don't know what it is but every year it seems like these hitters have to follow a hitting coach's philosophy of hitting. Not every hitter is the same. Why defer from what brought a player success in the first place? Tweak when needed , yes.

Just seems like the players get too confused way too early in the season with too much info. We hear the 'get the pitch count up on starters' early in the year and then all of a sudden when they struggle the advise amazingly turns to 'don't take too many first pitch strikes'

.

"Our hitters need a better two strike approach and learn how to protect the plate, fight pitches off."

Observer bias

Jays with two strikes: .175/.247/.287

AL Average: .177/.245/.278

I don't care what the league average is , they can do better.

Good teams have patient hitters who aren't afraid to hit with 2 strikes.

Our MO for years has been take first pitch strike, swing at 2nd strike out of zone and then swing defensively because they're constantly down in the count.

This team doesn't change its approach. Its fine early in an AB to look for a certain pitch or in a certain location/zone but that approach has to change with 2 strikes. How many times have you seen them strikeout without even taking the bats off the shoulders.

They're still trying to pull the ball when they should be shortening their swing and go opposite field. Look fastball but adjust to the offspeed. They're not adjusting if they're still zoned in on one location or one pitch.

"I don't care what the league average is"

Then you have no context to make a proper evaluation.

"OK Grant... Doesn't change the fact that most of this team (outside Bautista) has a strength of driving the ball the other way, and he's completely taken that strength away by telling them to pull

Those numbers are all below average, especially the OBP... Good job proving my observations"

I haven't looked at the numbers, but feel our team is going opposite way more then last year.

I probably wont be proven wrong on this.

The OBP are slightly lower and the SLG is slightly higher. The differences are pretty minimal anyways.

"Good teams have patient hitters who aren't afraid to hit with 2 strikes."

Texas Rangers with 2 strikes: .191/.264/.296

Jays: .175/.247/.287

They're worse, but if Texas, one of if not the clearly best offense in the league, is the gold standard, that's not too far off.

<First of all Expos will have support of the majority around here, he is an amazing poster, and he backs up his shit with facts.

As he just did, and just because he is disproving your theory doesn't mean he is defending Murphy.