Olney: Hafner hasn't been the same since HBP
by TheDanimal on May 29, 2008 11:20 AM EDT
40 comments
Buster Olney seems to think that Pronk's struggles have something to do with getting hit [insider] by a Ron Mahay pitch.
There is a clear statistical crossroad in Travis Hafner's performance, dating back to the moment when Hafner was hit by a pitch thrown by Ron Mahay on April 25, 2007. The following numbers come courtesy of ESPN research monster Mark Simon:
In the 180 games since he was hit by Mahay:
BA: .243
HR: 23
RBI: 107
K: 145
AB: 635 (154-for-635)He was hitting .373 with five homers and 15 RBIs that season, through and including the April 25 game.
In the year and month leading up to that at-bat, if you go from 2006 through that 2007 game in which he got hit …
Games: 147
BA: .317
HR: 47
RBI: 132
AB: 521
K: 125
That's just bizarre. Hafner bounced back pretty well from that pitch to the face from Buehrle. I can't imagine anything Ron Mahay brought could be any worse.
0 recs |
40 comments
Email
Print
Comments
sucks.
meh, I don’t know, Fire Shelton? Fire the team psychologist? Guh 2008.
by MikeCP on May 29, 2008 11:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Was the Mahay pitch to the face, too? I remember the Buehrle one a lot better. That’s really weird, I wonder what type of injury could have been sustained from a HBP that would linger that long. You’d think Hafner would have spoken up by now if the problem was related to that.
by Pronk33 on May 29, 2008 11:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not to get all psychologizing, but it very well could be causing the problem without him explicitly knowing it.
by painaxl on May 29, 2008 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why thank you, sir. We’re only three days away from season three in all its glory. Rewatching season two this weekend for the buildup.
by painaxl on May 29, 2008 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Didn’t he have post-concussive syndrome after the Buehrle HBP?
Hard truth: Your eyes lie.
by AngG on May 29, 2008 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was it the same hand he broke to the end of 2006?
Hard truth: Your eyes lie.
by AngG on May 29, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hafner has a 25% LD rate and .268 BABIP. I don’t know what to say anymore other than he’s obviously having some kind of contest with Swisher.
by 7foot3 on May 29, 2008 12:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wonder what effect the shift has on these numbers. I mean, when hafner hits a liner into right, one would think that the ball is less likely to drop for a hit with the extra fielder.
by ClarkM on May 29, 2008 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Most teams were employing the shift by the end of 2005, nearly all during 2006, so right away, it seems like that shouldn’t be a factor, because it hasn’t changed — if anything, many teams have now stopped using the shift. I’ve seen close examinations of this question, and I don’t think anyone has concluded that it’s making that much difference. The shift has little effect other than to reduce the number of hits he gets on seeing-eye grounders, but that number was never that big.
by Jay on May 29, 2008 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Haven’t looked it up, but has the shift had an effect on Ortiz or Thome? They get the same treatment, as I recall.
by odradek on May 30, 2008 3:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think you respsonded to my question, but to clear up, I was just wondering if a liner to right with the shift employed is less likely to drop, not whether the shift has an adverse effect on a hitter’s production.
by ClarkM on May 31, 2008 2:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’ve been thinking in my head that Hafner hasn’t been the same since the Buehrle HBP, but never did this one occur to me. At least I was on to something.
The 2008 Cleveland Indians: Home of the Triple Steal, Unassisted Triple Play, and not a heck of a lot more.
by westbrook on May 29, 2008 12:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This winter, I slipped on some ice on my driveway and fell on my hip. It never left a mark, but the strain and trauma of falling reaggravated an old back problem. It may be possible that Haf’s hand injury or some trauma related to it has further agrgravated Haf’s chronic shoulder to a point beyond short term rehab. Haf had this past winter to relax that shoulder and, apparently, it didn’t result in a full recovery. He may have to sit a year to become whole.
by elsandito on May 29, 2008 12:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The more I think about this thread the more I’m wondering, is the injury possibility legitimate or are we just hoping beyond hope that we’ll somehow magically get Pronk back?
Hard truth: Your eyes lie.
by AngG on May 29, 2008 1:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
At this point, it’s more like a CSI show. The person is already dead .. we are just trying to figure out HOW it happened.
by Toxicadam on May 29, 2008 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Exactly my fears.
Hard truth: Your eyes lie.
by AngG on May 29, 2008 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BTB looked at Hafner a couple weeks ago, not sure if its been posted here before.
by 7foot3 on May 29, 2008 1:11 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I still support the, “send Hafner to the 15-day DL with phantom injury and hope he annihilates AA/AAA pitching in rehab starts and thereby rediscovers his mojo” plan…
by APV on May 30, 2008 5:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Maybe we should hope he gets hit again. The old, “Fall down a well, eyes go crossed; get kicked by a mule, eyes go back!” solution. It can’t hurt.
Il faut d'abord durer.
by CU Adam on May 30, 2008 10:19 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
by tabler84 on May 30, 2008 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Hasn’t he generally sucked since getting married? Let’s not overthink things.
LeCavs!
If you were good enough, maybe we'd name it after you.
by Matt in LA on Jun 1, 2008 11:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Most people’s job performance drops after they get married. Don’t you think?
If you don’t have data, don’t go there.
by peter m on Jun 1, 2008 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, the classic case is Billy Joel, of course.
by Jay on Jun 1, 2008 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
After careful research and review, this is true.
I tried to make Paul Reuschel my Avatar, but he didn't fit into the box.
by emd2k3 on Jun 2, 2008 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He could suck before he was married and then suck far more afterward.
by odradek on Jun 2, 2008 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Okay, I just watched the HBP on mlb.tv archives. It barely grazed his front-right side of his right thigh, mid-way between his hip and his knee. I don’t think anyone could watch the video and not conclude that this is an extremely dumb theory.
by Jay on Jun 2, 2008 6:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
See what happened was … ohhh wait ….. well it may have been ….. no that won’t work either
Am guessing Olney is channeling Steve Phillips then?
If he got hit on the thigh and not the wrist as speculated above, the only way this works is if this was the final HBP (broke the proverbial camel’s back) that caused him to become more nervous at the plate, perhaps even causing flashbacks to Buerhle.
by talonk on Jun 2, 2008 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So it evoked HBP PTSD?
Burn on, big river, burn on...
by Turkmenbashi on Jun 3, 2008 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My bad – I didn’t actually look at the HBP – I just assumed that it was the one where he got hit on the wrist.
Free Andy Marte!
by woodsmeister on Jun 3, 2008 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The wrist HBP was by CJ Wilson at the end of 2006….it knocked him out for the last few weeks of the season. It’s certainly more plausible that it had a bigger impact….especially since he was vintage Pronk before then…..8(?) grand slams that year, tied for MLB record in a season.
by Nat on Jun 3, 2008 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
Sweet Baboo
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
