[Mick]

[quote="Phogge" pid='356219' dateline='1655300519']
 I am excited about Slater.  He's probably the Giants' best outfielder.  He's very fast and knows how to run:  career 30 stolen bases in 33 attempts.  Pretty darned good, I'd say.  OBP of .365, good for #30 in all of MLB, were he to have enough AB's. He's a solid leadoff hitter, would be on pace to score 100 runs -- again, if he had the at bats.  Second highest OBP on the Giants after Yaz among the regulars and semi-regulars.  Highest number of walks per plate appearance, higher even than Belt or Yaz.  I think he's a terrific player.

Slater is a useful, versatile player who is especially valuable to the Giants given the way that they like to mix and match and deploy the roster. But every mention of "if he had the at-bats" ignores the fact that if he had the at-bats his rate numbers would be worse, because the Giants optimize how and when they use him. He has an extreme platoon split over his career: a healthy 278/369/468 (125 OPS+) vs LHP and a terrible 225/313/335 (76 OPS+) vs RHP.

He's actually 33-36 in his career in SB, but stealing one base a month doesn't move the needle. Still, a guy who can play multiple positions, hit LHP well, pinch hit and pinch run, is useful to have in these days of short benches, even though his numbers would take a big hit if he were playing every day and getting 600 plate appearances in a season, instead of being used selectively as he is.

Yes, over his career, he's done better against LHP, but he's improved over time.  This year, he actually has a better split against RHP.  Here's the numbers in 41 plate appearances vs. right handers and 66 appearances against lefties:

RHP: .281.439/.406/.845
LHP: .218/.333/.455/.788

He's improved over time? last year (2021) he batted 284/373/521 (140 OPS+) vs LHP and 171/230/267 (35 OPS+) vs RHP, significantly worse than his career total. So his platoon split is actually getting worse over time, not better, with he exception of this season's 41 plate appearances vs RHP.

So he is doing better against RHP this season, but I'm not drawing any conclusions based on 41 plate appearances as opposed to 496 previous plate appearances that show the exact opposite. If he's suddenly become a different hitter at age 29 it will take a much larger sample size to confirm.

Yes, I don't discard recent data in favor of older data, and we're talking about 107 plate appearances, not 41. Players can improve through practice and coaching.

[Mick]

[quote="Phogge" pid='356219' dateline='1655300519']
 I am excited about Slater.  He's probably the Giants' best outfielder.  He's very fast and knows how to run:  career 30 stolen bases in 33 attempts.  Pretty darned good, I'd say.  OBP of .365, good for #30 in all of MLB, were he to have enough AB's. He's a solid leadoff hitter, would be on pace to score 100 runs -- again, if he had the at bats.  Second highest OBP on the Giants after Yaz among the regulars and semi-regulars.  Highest number of walks per plate appearance, higher even than Belt or Yaz.  I think he's a terrific player.

Slater is a useful, versatile player who is especially valuable to the Giants given the way that they like to mix and match and deploy the roster. But every mention of "if he had the at-bats" ignores the fact that if he had the at-bats his rate numbers would be worse, because the Giants optimize how and when they use him. He has an extreme platoon split over his career: a healthy 278/369/468 (125 OPS+) vs LHP and a terrible 225/313/335 (76 OPS+) vs RHP.

He's actually 33-36 in his career in SB, but stealing one base a month doesn't move the needle. Still, a guy who can play multiple positions, hit LHP well, pinch hit and pinch run, is useful to have in these days of short benches, even though his numbers would take a big hit if he were playing every day and getting 600 plate appearances in a season, instead of being used selectively as he is.

Yes, over his career, he's done better against LHP, but he's improved over time.  This year, he actually has a better split against RHP.  Here's the numbers in 41 plate appearances vs. right handers and 66 appearances against lefties:

RHP: .281.439/.406/.845
LHP: .218/.333/.455/.788

He's improved over time? last year (2021) he batted 284/373/521 (140 OPS+) vs LHP and 171/230/267 (35 OPS+) vs RHP, significantly worse than his career total. So his platoon split is actually getting worse over time, not better, with he exception of this season's 41 plate appearances vs RHP.

So he is doing better against RHP this season, but I'm not drawing any conclusions based on 41 plate appearances as opposed to 496 previous plate appearances that show the exact opposite. If he's suddenly become a different hitter at age 29 it will take a much larger sample size to confirm.

Yes, I don't discard recent data in favor of older data, and we're talking about 107 plate appearances, not 41. Players can improve through practice and coaching.