Every player has a place in the strike zone they don’t like to hit or swing at.

If the pitcher figures it out (With Kirk it was the high inside fastball) they will throw there all day until you show him it’s not going to be a free strike!

And the few batters who got aggressive we easily recognized and thrown breaking balls out of the zone…Players like Kirk, and Valdespin

And if it’s a strike at 1-1 your now 1-2 behind in the count and can expect a hefty diet of those pitches you showed him you don’t like!

So you NEVER GET that better pitch you think waiting is going to get you!

Well the commands being given are “Wait for a pitch you can do damage with”; “Wait for a pitch you can hit”

Operative word in both those commands? ‘WAIT”

So they are being taught that the default action is to wait. Doesn’t matter if it’s a strike, if the Player doesn’t like it he will take it and you can’t say he went against orders. He will have basically done what you told him to do!

You can work the count without any batting philosophy in place. Doesn’t matter if you start patient or aggressive. Both will work provided you have learned the most important tactic of protecting the plate with 2 Strikes on you.

Protecting the plate with 2Ks does more to WORK the pitcher than being patient at the plate and taking pitches does. Cause that patience philosophy is pretty much done after 5 pitches have been thrown. You want to go further you will have to protect the plate from not only strikes but close enough to call balls as well.

If they taught the kids we have that and didn’t emphasize waiting or walking then we wouldn’t see all those 2-0, 3-0, 3-1 takes of fat pipe fastballs that should have been hit for that POWER we all complained we don’t have around here.

This Patient stuff is the reason why our power numbers are down and the one guy who hit 30+ is the one guy who seemingly didn’t do what they told him to do!

In the end you have to approach the PA based on the Pitcher on the mound and what he throws….
Not some philosophy concocted because of another philosophy that says more walks mean more runs. Cause that one isn’t true either!

Because I have nice relationships with both of you shows that despite the heated arguments, neither of you are really that obnoxious – so Alex and TRS, why not shake hands, quote Davy Jones “it’s a little bit me, it’s a little bit you” and carry on the debate in the good natured way that is more reflective of both ya good guys!

I know it’s hard.. I have some friends who I’ve known for many years but we have the same disagreement and it is hard not to take things personally even though we both know it’s not meant that way. I’ve asked them to question themselves to see if they are ignoring the Mets financial situation and Sandy being the business person, not the architect, of those great Oakland clubs so not to shatter their belief in saber metrics and money ball when it comes to running a professional baseball club. And I know no matter how I word that, the question itself could be taken quite personally.

Good to see both first time managers this season – Ventura and Matheny – do well. We need a new generation of coaches coming up the ranks.

I’m really hurt that you did not include me on that list with the others…., after all I’ve taken so many punches myself I think I deserve at least some honorable mention – at least the purple hurt for being wounded in battle.. Don’t ya love me anymore?

Please excuse the source but NJ does such a great job compiling information into usable charts that I find it appropriate for the discussion.

There is validity to the point that the Mets started to get away from an offensive approach that was working until this ASB.

What we can all question is why those numbers went down in the 2nd half. My thoughts would be to the fact that the pressure of trying to carry the team or get out of their own personal funks made them pickup bad habits.