Saved for Saturday: So what about Corey Hart?
by Kyle Lobner on Jan 31, 2009 8:00 AM CST
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PrintWith all due respect to Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall and Mike Cameron, Corey Hart is arguably the most polarizing Brewer, which is amazing considering he would have been in the running for most beloved around the All Star break last season.
As noted in Thursday's Advent Calendar, Hart's September was the worst month (by OPS) of any Brewer in 2008. That terrible month was compounded by quotes like this one which jihad recently recounted:
“Nothing is working right now with a lot of the guys. We’re trying to see pitches and see what we can do. … I’m not going to sit there and walk, though. I’ll eventually find it, and hopefully we’ll still be in it.” -Corey Hart
Even hitting .173/.192/.245 in September wasn't enough to convince Hart of the wisdom of taking an occasional pitch. Dixieflatline's recent research showed that during the 2008 season, Hart swung at first pitch fastballs outside of the zone 31.7% of the time. That doesn't even take breaking balls in the dirt or anything else into account: that's just fastballs.
Hart's precipitous drop in September brought his OBP to 2008 all the way down to .300, second worst in all of baseball among players with at least 600 ABs:
| Player | Team | OBP |
| Kevin Kouzmanoff | San Diego | .299 |
| Corey Hart | Milwaukee | .300 |
| Miguel Tejada | Houston | .314 |
| Chris Young | Arizona | .315 |
| Jose Lopez | Seattle | .322 |
Those five players were the only players in all of major league baseball to accumulate 600 ABs with an on base percentage under .325. Hart's terrible September wasn't solely responsible for this number, though: His OBP was only .321 on September 1.
Hart hits for a decent enough average: .283 in 2006, .295 in 2007 and .286 before September of 2008. But his unwillingness to draw a walk, and based on the quote above I think we can call it unwillingness, is among the league leaders. Among players with at least 1200 plate appearances between 2007 and 2008, only 4 have drawn fewer walks than Hart:
| Player | PA | BB | BB% |
| Jose Lopez | 1248 | 47 | 3.8% |
| Freddy Sanchez | 1261 | 53 | 4.2% |
| Kevin Kouzmanoff | 1202 | 55 | 4.6% |
| Delmon Young | 1304 | 61 | 4.7% |
| Corey Hart | 1223 | 63 | 5.2% |
Hart struck out 100 times for the first time in his career in 2008, fueled by one every 4.7 at bats in September. I'm concerned that pitchers have figured him out, seeing as he practically comes to the plate with "I'M HACKING" written on his forehead. Am I right? Vote in the poll below.
If you're not a big fan of this contentious topic, there are some other debates going on in the comments of other posts as we speak:
- Friday's Mug has debates on economic theory, profit/value maximization, and the value of signing veteran roster filler to minor league deals.
- This FanPost from a Cubs fan wants to know why we're not spewing more vitriol over a disappointing offseason. I'm likely spewing enough vitriol for all of us.
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Every time I hear his name
I have to shower. I feel dirty for casting so many on-line votes to help put him in the all star game. His September and October performance took years off my life.
September 15: Not a bad little Monday
He really is just a dumb redneck, isn't he?
I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 31, 2009 9:33 AM CST reply actions
600 AB
Thirty-one major leaguers reached that number last year. He was one of only twelve players (out of 182 total) with 400+ AB and an OBP of .300 or below. That group of twelve includes other corner outfielders like Jeff Francoeur, Emil Brown, and Jose Guillen.
The fact that Hart reached 600 AB shows that Kapler’s injury was about as big as an injury to a 4th OF can be. I imagine he would’ve missed the three or four games necessary to keep him below 600 AB had Kapler been available.
Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.
Weird
Hart struck out more than 100 times for the first time in his career, but he actually struck out less often in 2008 (1 K every 6.03 PA) than he did in 2007 (1 K every 5.72 PA). For his career, he’s now at 1 K every 5.55 PA.
I suppose, that handful of fewer strikeouts doesn’t really help when your number of GIDP almost triples.
Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.
I'm spewing vitrol as well
Utterly disappointed in this off-season.
And when is dixieflatline going to run the numbers on first pitch slow dribblers back to the mound in a clutch moment resulting in at least 1 out?
I’m sure Hart leads the team/league/world in that stat too.
by Charlie Marlow on Jan 31, 2009 10:43 AM CST reply actions
I had the same thought.
I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 31, 2009 12:14 PM CST up reply actions
Only in October though
"If loving CC is wrong I do not want to be right"
"If lovin’ Braun is wrong, I want to be a repeat offender"
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Cincinnati
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Houston
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Milwaukee
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
|
St. Louis
|
0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | Lost 0 |
(updated 2.15.2012 at 7:03 AM CST)
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