This week's Whatnot will focus on the recent struggle of the Minnesota Twins. Don't you worry, you don't have to do anything. Just sit back, relax, and check out what the Twins experts say this week.
When, if ever, will Delmon Young get his first home run? What is he doing wrong?
Marty Andrade: Young has the reputation of a free swinger, much like Vlad Guerrero, and based on pitch/swing data (available from fangraphs), he clearly is a free swinger. But things are getting better for him. He's swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone, he's making more contact with balls in the strike zone, he's averaging more pitches per at bat than he ever has, and he's even getting more walks.
This has resulted in a higher OBP this year, and an improved walk/strikeout ratio and K percentage. Despite the better plate discipline, Young's OPS is down significantly from his career mark.
Taking a peak at how he's hitting the ball, I see two huge differences between the Delmon we saw playing for the Rays and the one in the Twins uniform, his Line Drive Percentage (LD%) is down substantially and his Groundball Percentage (GB%) is up ridiculously high.
It appears as though something has changed, which has lowered the number of line drives and long flyballs Delmon has hit. Looking at his swing, it appears as though it's flatter now than in the past, and he doesn't have a violent follow-through like he did in the minors.
My guess, the Twins are trying to get him to learn the strike zone and be a better hitter, but it has made him tentative at the plate. Growing pains. In any case, I think his "slump" will be short lived.
Even with the low LD% and high GB%, he should still be hitting better than he is. It won't be long before some flyballs are going to start finding their ways over fences.
Kelso Hakes: Delmon Young is not exactly having his career season, but he is starting to find his groove. Just in the current Rockies series he has a lot of hits. He is becoming comfortable at the plate, and I expect any day now a one will be in the home run column.
Young is not the only Twins starter without a home run: Joe Mauer, Mike Lamb, and Adam Everett. Young is not doing anything wrong, it's just the matter of swinging the right way on the right pitches.
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