For the most part, I hesitate to read the articles on Phillies.com because they tend to be fluff pieces. Always upbeat, always positive. Regular readers of this nook on the net know that I prefer to look at the Phightin's in a positive light and probably think that I would like articles written in such a demeanor. However, I also prefer to have a bit of objectivity and despite the disclaimer at the bottom of all MLB.com articles ("This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs"), but lets face it, baseball signs the columnists' paychecks.
But I do check in every so often because if you sift through the almost rose-colored font, you will find some interesting insights into the mindset of those within the organization. For instance, I found this morsel to be telling from an article about Mike Lieberthal and his attempt to rebound from the mixed results of his 2004 season [Ken Mandel]:
Manuel's edict is for Lieberthal to rediscover his strike zone and to work counts. This doesn't mean taking more walks, but avoiding swinging early in the count.
"I thought he chased a lot of pitches inside that were balls," Manuel said. "It's important that he gets his swing down. He swung at a lot of first pitches and got anxious."
I find it interesting because it explains the theory behind examining a player's walk rates. Yes, drawing a walk is one way to avoid an out and get on base. But really, despite the many misconceptions that have come from critics and fans alike of the Moneyball book, taking a walk should not be a goal. At it's heart, a good walk rate is really a byproduct -- a byproduct of a batter who knows what pitches he can drive (and taking a hack at them), and what pitches he can't drive (passing on them at best, intentionally fouling them off at worst). Pass on enough pitches and eventually your walk rate will rise.
Though recording the data can often be subjective, trajectories of balls hit into play can be very telling of the ability of a hitter to drive pitches. The majority of groundballs are turned into outs and flyballs are turned into outs at an even higher rate, but approximately 75% of line drives become hits. Clearly, finding a pitch you can turn into a line drive will increase your hit total, which should indirectly increase your run and/or RBI total, which will help your team win.
Walks are great, but they are nothing more than a byproduct of a "good eye".
