- Joined
- Oct 3, 2019
- Messages
- 10,097
- Reaction score
- 28,949
- Points
- 135
It seems like the front office is high on Bradley Zimmer. Here's a quote by Antonetti less than two weeks ago:
Bradley’s [Zimmer] continued progression and the consistency with which he’s approached his at-bats has been really good to see. He’s working, and has settled in both with an approach at the plate and also some things with his swing that have now provided him a good foundation for consistent success. - Antonetti, 8/30/21
And from Terry Pluto:
Zimmer is finally healthy after three years of various injuries. He was more open to working with the hitting coaches this season, and it paid off. - Pluto, 8/28/21
At 28 it looked like things were starting to come together. After starting the season with only two extra-base hits in his first 96 at-bats, he finally got his third on July 16. But on that date his OBP was a whopping .377 as he was drawing a lot of walks and getting plunked a lot, too. Zimmer has been hit by 12 pitches this year; the next highest is Josie with 7. He's second highest on the team in walk percentage behind Jose.
The extra-base hits started to come as he had four in July and seven in August, which was when Antonetti provided the quote about Zimmer having established a good foundation for consistent success. He's tailed off in September, going 3-for-24 with an OBP of only .250, but that could be a temporary slump. Hopefully he gets going again and finishes strong. But he's only been hit four times since Aug. 1. It seems like pitchers are learning that he does not move in the box and sticks that elbow out. The other day he got hit by a pitch on the upper arm and the umpire ruled he leaned into the pitch and denied him first base. It seems like the umps are learning, too.
So I don't know what the plans are for Zimmer going into next season and I'm wondering if he can maintain that high OBP if pitchers stop hitting him. As of July 30 his OBP was .366, but it has been falling for six weeks and is down to .345. I just don't know if you can have a corner outfielder with a .689 OPS even if he's excellent defensively and has 13 steals in 15 attempts. (IMO, he doesn't run nearly as much as he should).
He still strikes out a lot; a whopping 41%. I love the defense and speed on the bases. Maybe if he were an excellent centerfielder with a .360 OBP I could live with the strikeouts and lack of power. But he's only hitting .215/.574 against lefties and 29 RBI's in 241 at-bats doesn't cut it for a right fielder on a championship contender. Even as a platoon guy I don't see it; he's only hitting .244/.731 against RHP's.
Another poster pointed out that his BABIP of .370 is unsustainable - no player in history has a BABIP that high. So his batting average, which is only .237, is likely to come down the more he plays. Zimmer's OPS+ this year is 91, easily the highest of his career, but still 9% below average.
He does occasionally run down a fly ball most right fielders would not get to and his throwing arm prevents runners from taking extra bases and in many cases stops them at third base on a single.
Antonetti seems to think he's has made the necessary changes to be successful in the future, but I'm just not seeing it.
Bradley’s [Zimmer] continued progression and the consistency with which he’s approached his at-bats has been really good to see. He’s working, and has settled in both with an approach at the plate and also some things with his swing that have now provided him a good foundation for consistent success. - Antonetti, 8/30/21
And from Terry Pluto:
Zimmer is finally healthy after three years of various injuries. He was more open to working with the hitting coaches this season, and it paid off. - Pluto, 8/28/21
At 28 it looked like things were starting to come together. After starting the season with only two extra-base hits in his first 96 at-bats, he finally got his third on July 16. But on that date his OBP was a whopping .377 as he was drawing a lot of walks and getting plunked a lot, too. Zimmer has been hit by 12 pitches this year; the next highest is Josie with 7. He's second highest on the team in walk percentage behind Jose.
The extra-base hits started to come as he had four in July and seven in August, which was when Antonetti provided the quote about Zimmer having established a good foundation for consistent success. He's tailed off in September, going 3-for-24 with an OBP of only .250, but that could be a temporary slump. Hopefully he gets going again and finishes strong. But he's only been hit four times since Aug. 1. It seems like pitchers are learning that he does not move in the box and sticks that elbow out. The other day he got hit by a pitch on the upper arm and the umpire ruled he leaned into the pitch and denied him first base. It seems like the umps are learning, too.
So I don't know what the plans are for Zimmer going into next season and I'm wondering if he can maintain that high OBP if pitchers stop hitting him. As of July 30 his OBP was .366, but it has been falling for six weeks and is down to .345. I just don't know if you can have a corner outfielder with a .689 OPS even if he's excellent defensively and has 13 steals in 15 attempts. (IMO, he doesn't run nearly as much as he should).
He still strikes out a lot; a whopping 41%. I love the defense and speed on the bases. Maybe if he were an excellent centerfielder with a .360 OBP I could live with the strikeouts and lack of power. But he's only hitting .215/.574 against lefties and 29 RBI's in 241 at-bats doesn't cut it for a right fielder on a championship contender. Even as a platoon guy I don't see it; he's only hitting .244/.731 against RHP's.
Another poster pointed out that his BABIP of .370 is unsustainable - no player in history has a BABIP that high. So his batting average, which is only .237, is likely to come down the more he plays. Zimmer's OPS+ this year is 91, easily the highest of his career, but still 9% below average.
He does occasionally run down a fly ball most right fielders would not get to and his throwing arm prevents runners from taking extra bases and in many cases stops them at third base on a single.
Antonetti seems to think he's has made the necessary changes to be successful in the future, but I'm just not seeing it.
Last edited: