Are the Detroit Tigers pinch-hit happy? There have been several games lately where the Detroit Tigers made some curious pinch-hit moves involving using Jahmai Jones as a substitute at the plate for…
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Are the Detroit Tigers pinch-hit happy?
There have been several games lately where the Detroit Tigers made some curious pinch-hit moves involving using Jahmai Jones as a substitute at the plate for Kerry Carpenter when facing left-handed pitching.
In general, righties do better against southpaws. And vice versa. But in Carpenter’s (LHH) case, he hits .182 against them while Jahmai Jones (RHH) hits .170. Last year, he was much better facing lefties.
If you look at the slash line, Carp’s numbers are close to double that of Jones’. He’s got one of the best slash lines on the team including an OPS of .779. Jones’ OPS is .460 which grades out as very poor.
A case in point is a game over the weekend when the Tigers did not have a runner until the 4th inning. The bases became loaded – all due to walks – and the opponents brought in a lefty. With 2 outs and the bases loaded, A. J. Hinch swapped out Carpenter for Jones who had a 1-for-22 record.
Unsurprisingly, he struck out and the Tigers didn’t score. It was a wasted opportunity.
Most MLB teams practice the lefty-righty approach in pinch hitting. But considering how poorly the Tigers are faring in this skill, how should they approach this strategy going forward?
Which option is the best one for them to use going forward?
What should the Tigers' pinch-hitting strategy be for the rest of the year?
1. Continue to use the standard lefty-righty match up.
2. Go with the player who has the best hitting stats.
3. Only pinch hit late in the game.
VOTE