Is Matt Lawton going to break a record...???

**Alex** · August 13th, 2002, 02:26 AM

Matt Lawton has 50 walks and only 26 strikeouts, and one heck of a low BA. This just is not common. It's just not common to walk twice as often as you strike out and yet have such a low batting average.

Can anyone cite me a ballplayer in the history of the MJB who got a substantial amount of total walks, a walk to strikeout ratio of 2-1, and had a BA under .240?

This has got to be a rare feat.

Congratulations Matt. [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]confused.gif[/img] [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/angel.gif[/img]

**Alex** · August 13th, 2002, 02:59 AM

Well, I checked all of the American League and 3 national league teams, it appears that Matt Lawton has the bets walks to strikeout ratio of everybody (except perhaps Barry Bonds).

It isn't even close from a ratio point of view. MANY over .300 hitters in both leagues have 60 walks, 45 strikeouts, but as for a 2-1 ratio, it just doesn't exist.

So why the heck is Lawton's BA so low if for the most part the better the Walks to Strikeouts ratio, the better the BA?

**Alex** · August 13th, 2002, 04:01 AM

hey, cool info!

Jose Offerman had 33 walks, 29 walks, and a .232 BA with Boston. Still significantly less than 50 walks and 26 strikeouts.

There were a couple of hitters in the .250-260 range that had around 40 walks and 30 strikeouts...but the list seemed to grow from there... .270-.280, plus .300

Probably 75% of those with more walks than strikeouts had BA's over .280.

I was impressed with your find of Dick Howser's stat of 57 walks and 25 strikeouts and only a .235 BA. It's evidently rare and Matt has met his match.

One difference. Back in the 60's the mound was higher, so Howsers stat is even more impressive.

I think Hawaii OO7 posted that he thought that Lawton swung level to down on the ball. Perhaps that really did work better at the metrodome than at Jacobs field.

**the teacher** · August 13th, 2002, 03:47 PM

Alright, I bit. the only one I could find that's comparable is Jason Kendall: 33-17, but his BA is .290, much higher.

It's one of those things that's a function of today's high home run, high strikeout game. I think you'd find a lot of similar stats a few years back. Our own Dick Howser was 57-25 .235 in 1965.

The only reliable way to judge statistics over time is by comparing them to players of a similar era, though, and by that measure lawton's numbers are weird indeed. I wonder what Matt would say.

**the teacher** · August 14th, 2002, 01:24 AM

2 walks and 0 k's today.

**Alex** · August 14th, 2002, 03:39 PM

Matt Lawton has turned into Ricky Henderson without the speed. [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

**Ytown Tribe fan** · August 14th, 2002, 05:11 PM

He's turning into "The Walking Man".

Eddie Yost had some similar years for the Senators, like 1956, when he batted .231 with 82 K's but drew 151 walks for an OBA of .412; or two years later, when he batted .224 with 81 walks and 43 K's. He did that his whole career and was pretty unique that way, since he had so little power.

Howser was a champ at doing that with the KC A's and the Tribe and his WW/K ratios were even more extreme.

It's an odd combination of talents and you just have to feel that with a little luck, his BA would rise dramatically, since he has a good batters eye and puts the ball in play. He's just hitting 'em where they are right now.

**Alex** · August 14th, 2002, 06:28 PM

Very interesting.

What I still find unique is Lawton has some power.

If a guy is hitting only .231, as in the case of Yost, and he's not a home-run threat, why not groove more balls over the plate and make him earn a hit rather than walk him 151 times in one season????

Perhaps back then the overall league batting averages were lower, (I'm assuming they were), .231 would not be that much lower than a .250-260 hitter.

Howser and Yost must have really crouched down at the plate.

**Ytown Tribe fan** · August 15th, 2002, 10:07 PM

Check out Max Bishop's numbers sometime. The guy was ridiculous: no power, decent BA, 100+ walks a year and very few K's. They called him "Camera Eye".

Despite a career OBA of .423, he never made the All-Star team because in those days, believe it or not, walking was considered a sign of laziness and weakness. Real batters hit the ball or struck out trying.

When the real sluggers walked, the opposing pitchers were simply held in contempt; when light hitters got on base any way they could, they were considered lazy. Getting on base (and not making an out) were signs that the pitcher was off that day.

The pitchers just happened to be "off" every time Max was batting, and getting on base, and not making outs, and scoring 100+ runs for his team. But he wasn't considered very valuable.