USA TODAY International Edition
Putting ball in play still a struggle for Schimpf
SAN FRANCISCO Midway through Ryan Schimpf’s eightyear journey through the minors, he met a Class AA hitting coach who changed his approach, teaching him the value of adjusting according to the situation and sometimes settling for a single.
One of these days, he might start hitting some of those.
The San Diego Padres third baseman has been the embodiment of the so- called three true outcomes — home run, strikeout or walk — the results of plate appearances that supposedly are not affected by defense.
Of Schimpf’s 11 hits, six are home runs, tying him for second on the team. He has drawn more walks ( 17) than any other Padres player. On the other hand, Schimpf has struck out in 31% of his plate appearances, and his .149 batting average ranks second lowest in the National League among qualified hitters.
It all makes for a bizarre combination of productivity and futility, with perhaps no number more eye- catching than the .083 batting average on balls in play ( BABIP) Schimpf fashioned until getting a couple of hits — including his first double of the season — Saturday against the San Francisco Giants.
Padres manager Andy Green said the BABIP figure, which tends to reflect good or bad luck and typically settles around .300, was almost statistically impossible.
“That’s probably the most amazing thing, that you have a guy who has six home runs whose batting average on balls in play was at .080,” Green said. “Those two things don’t go together. If you give it enough time, you know it’s going to change.”
Schimpf would welcome that. As much as he might enjoy the home runs, he wouldn’t mind more consistent results. Before homering in three consecutive games last week, Schimpf fell into a 1- for- 29 slump that dropped his average to .102.
It was bad enough to make any hitter avert his eyes, which Schimpf said he does anyway. In the Toronto Blue Jays organization during the first seven years of his pro career, he learned to focus instead on reaching base through any means, especially when he was struggling.
“I realized as I got older that worrying about your batting average is such a negative thing. It’ll just eat at you and tear you down,” said Schimpf, 29. “So at a young age I learned not to be worried about it. … It’s just too hard to chase numbers. It’s way too much, and you start putting pressure on yourself. I just want to maximize my ability.”
That mind- set finally paid off with his first call- up to the majors last season, when Schimpf joined the Padres in mid- June and made a quick impact, belting nine home runs in July to earn NL rookie of the month honors.
Schimpf’s all- or- nothing tendency was on display throughout his rookie season, when he finished with more home runs ( 20) than any other type of hit: 18 singles, 17 doubles and five triples. Along with his 42 walks in 330 plate appearances, that added up to a .869 on- base plus slugging percentage despite a .217 batting average.
That’s impressive production for a second baseman, his primary duty last year, and even for a third baseman. He and Yangervis Solarte switched positions this season.
A cerebral hitter, Schimpf said he hasn’t gotten caught up in trying to live up to the slugging standards of the classic third baseman and has stuck to his usual patient approach. He did tweak his mechanics as his slump lingered, trying to incorporate his legs more into his swing.
The three games in a row with a home run appear to be an indication that the adjustment worked, but mixing in a few more singles would provide further confirmation.
“I wish it was that easy. It would be nice,” Schimpf said, smiling. “I’m just going up there trying to drive it.”