The Espinosa Question: What should happen with him?

[monkeyhit]

Have thought for a long while that they should be platooned, with Espinosa also being used as a late-inning defensive replacement if he's not in the lineup that game. (either at SS or 2B)

But won't happen with Johnson around the dugout.

[Optics]

I love Espi's defense but Lombo is just such a better hitter. Espi is almost a guaranteed K everytime. At least Lombo can work counts and make contact.

[sph274]

trade him to the yankees for a promise not to sign bryce harper when he hits FA

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I love Espi's defense but Lombo is just such a better hitter. Espi is almost a guaranteed K everytime. At least Lombo can work counts and make contact.

I don't disagree that Lombo makes much more consistent contact and is a better offensive player now, but the bolded stuff is just not true. 

Espionosa's K rate is down to 15.8%, almost half of last year. Ks have not been Espinosa's problem this year, it's been the weak contact, the tapper back to the pitcher, the easy ground ball.  His K rate is lower than than 2/3 of all the qualified hitters in the NL.  League average is 20.3%.  His strikeout rate is the second lowest among the regulars on the team.

I'd say almost the opposite of what you say -- it is the obsession with driving down the Ks that has led to all the dribblers and the lowest average of his career.  Give me the Espinosa of last year, and  I'd be satisfied with his play.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I posed the question in reply #71 to Dave Cameron today in his chat. Below is the exchange:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/fangraphs-chat-42413/

12:11  [Comment From JCAJCA: ]
JCA - is there a correlation between low contact % hitters decreasing their strike out rate and decreasing their BABIP? Danny Espinosa has dropped his K rate in half but his BABIP is off 100 points. Small sample size, but perhaps guys like these who do drop K rates have to do so by being more aggressive early and generating weaker contact through less selectivity. 

Wednesday April 24, 2013 12:11 JCA
12:12  Dave Cameron: There's so much noise in BABIP that it would be tough to find a direct causation between those two things, but theoretically yes, if a hitter is making more contact on balls out of the strike zone, his K% would go down and so would his BABIP
 

Cameron is on to something.  A quick look at DE's O-Swing% from 2011 - 2013 shows it has gone from 32% to 40.5% to 46.1%, while the O-contact has gone from 61.6% to 55% to 60%.  In other words, his best offensive year, 2011, he was swinging at a lot fewer out of strike zone pitches, while now he is not only swinging at more than last year, but he is also making more contact.  That helps explain more dribblers and pops.

[HalfSmokes]

This is a lot of thought and angst regarding a pretty marginal player. Granted he's great defensively, but he just can't hit, does it really matter if the problem is he ks every other time up or if he dribbles one to short?

[Optics]

I don't disagree that Lombo makes much more consistent contact and is a better offensive player now, but the bolded stuff is just not true. 

Espionosa's K rate is down to 15.8%, almost half of last year. Ks have not been Espinosa's problem this year, it's been the weak contact, the tapper back to the pitcher, the easy ground ball.  His K rate is lower than than 2/3 of all the qualified hitters in the NL.  League average is 20.3%.  His strikeout rate is the second lowest among the regulars on the team.

I'd say almost the opposite of what you say -- it is the obsession with driving down the Ks that has led to all the dribblers and the lowest average of his career.  Give me the Espinosa of last year, and  I'd be satisfied with his play.

Fair enough, I'll take your word for it. Still feels like he Ks too much, but I guess that's all relative to his overall ineffective hitting.

He looked so promising as a rookie, that's what's so unfortunate. Wasn't he a 20/20 guy as a rook?

[Mathguy]

Since Danny hasn't been that successful switch-hitting, why doesn't he just try batting from one side ?

[BigMeech]

Since Danny hasn't been that successful switch-hitting, why doesn't he just try batting from one side ?

That would mean doing something that makes sense, brother.

Anyway, we can never give up on Espinosa.  He's bat will come around one of these days, for the SSS has told me such.

[MorseTheHorse]

Since Danny hasn't been that successful switch-hitting, why doesn't he just try batting from one side ?

B/c Davey still plays him for some reason.  If he is finally benched, I think we might finally see Espinosa give up on switch-hitting. 

[BigMeech]

I would assume Espinosa would give up on his switch hitting after how crape he's been at the plate since he became our 2B.

Someone needs to tell him to cut that crap out!

[GburgNatsFan]

Someone discussed this last year. Espi has been switch hitting for so long that he and his coaches are convinced that it would be much worse for him to go to the other side of the plate.

Since Danny hasn't been that successful switch-hitting, why doesn't he just try batting from one side ?

[Ray D]

Can everyone please finally get this straight:  Espinosa cannot start batting right handed against righthanders, because he has been switch hitting his whole life and has not had the opportunity to learn to hit same-side pitching.  This isn't something you learn once you get to the major leagues.  His dad made him a switch hitter, and obviously didn't do him any favor there, but that's what he is and it isn't going to change.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

It may be as simple as the kid who won the job in 2011 was more selective and refused to offer at as many non-strikes as this guy with the weak contact does.  In 2011 he was at least an average hitter when you balance in things like power.  This guy isn't.  All the tinkering and changes in approach has made him worse than he was when he came up.

RD I think was the first one to grasp this.  some of us never could stand the low average and Ks and always were on his case, some of us were pleased enough and thought he'd only get better in terms of power and selectivity, but I don't think many of us focused on the specifics of how he was changing for the worse.

[Ray D]

It makes me furious that they let him bat in the ninth today (against a righthander).  It is becoming clear that there is some agenda other than winning.

[spidernat]

It makes me furious that they let him bat in the ninth today (against a righthander).  It is becoming clear that there is some agenda other than winning.

I don't know about the second sentence of your post but I'm 100% with you on the first part.

[Ray D]

I don't know about the second sentence of your post

I mean, what was the point?  They certainly didn't believe that letting him bat gave us a better chance to win than to hit for him. So there had to be some other reason.

[spidernat]

I just can't imagine they would have an agenda other than winning. I can't even begin to imagine what it could be other than that they remain delusional about Espinosa.

[Ray D]

I just can't imagine they would have an agenda other than winning. I can't even begin to imagine what it could be other than that they remain delusional about Espinosa.

Well ok, I meant winning this particular game.  I suppose there is some philosophy whereby letting him continue to bat is in the long-term interest of winning.  And yes, that's delusional.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Let's see who plays 2d tomorrow. It will not be Lombo, but he's in the line up.  If it is Rendon, with Lombo at 3d, then there is a real message being delivered about shaking up the team.

[nats2playoffs]

Tomorrow is Espinosa's 26th birthday.  So they'll either give him the day off with a cake or let him play on his birthday.

[Mattionals]

I posed the question in reply #71 to Dave Cameron today in his chat. Below is the exchange:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/fangraphs-chat-42413/
Cameron is on to something.  A quick look at DE's O-Swing% from 2011 - 2013 shows it has gone from 32% to 40.5% to 46.1%, while the O-contact has gone from 61.6% to 55% to 60%.  In other words, his best offensive year, 2011, he was swinging at a lot fewer out of strike zone pitches, while now he is not only swinging at more than last year, but he is also making more contact.  That helps explain more dribblers and pops.

I like your stats.  What it tells me is that Espinosa has focused on catching up to a lot of pitches, but he is still a very undisciplined hitter.  He is trying to be Vlad with how much he swings at pitches outside the zone.

Also, can someone change the thread title to Benchpinosa?

[Bloo]

Bring Mike Lansing out of retirement.

[ZimW1N]

The best thing that can happen tomorrow is for Lombo to get a few knock at the top of the order and help us win against the Reds. Johnson surely has to see that Lombo is better eventually, right?

[mmzznnxx]

When Espinosa first came up, I thought he was going to be a star.

Everyone can see his defense is unbelievable. He's got a ton of power for a 2B, he's shown the ability to hit, steal and walk. If he played up to his potential, he could be really great.

Which is why I'm so sad to say I'm personally losing the faith and would like to see Lombo get the same opportunity Desmond and Lombardozzi had. Lombo has been reliable, gets on base and plays the infield well which with a lineup as good as we think it can be, is all we need. I like Espinosa, genuinely, but potential only goes so far. I hope he picks it up soon (not that many others have shown much to me so far this season), but if not it's time to give other guys shots.