Buster Posey sat out yesterday's day game before going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter. For those that thought it couldn't get worse than last year, think again. Posey has just 1 RBI in 62 PA this season and is officially below the Mendoza line. He appears to be pressing at the plate, as his 19.4% K rate is far and away the highest of his career. Fortunately, his Hard% is up slightly from last year, but he'll need to figure out his strikeout issues for any of that to matter. The weather is still cold so let's give Posey some time, but it's worth noting he doesn't have a HR in 200+ PA. Best case, this is a blip in the radar. Worst case, we've seen one of the fastest player declines since... Tim Lincecum.
Luke Weaver was dominant, albeit brief, going 5 IP while striking out 9 Braves. It was a welcome gem for the 25-year-old, who maintains very high upside. When he wasn't striking out batters, he induced groundballs at a 70% clip. Hopefully this will be the start of a string of solid starts for Weaver. He's certainly worthy of a back-end rotation spot given his potential upside with his new team.
Freddie Freeman hit his second HR of the year. Freeman has had an excellent year so far despite the lack of power. His BB% is up to 17.7%, enormously higher than his career average of 11.3%. This suggests that pitchers aren't giving Freeman as much to hit, which isn't true as his Zone% is right in line with his career average. However, Freeman has cut down on his Outside Swing% dramatically from nearly 35% last year to 25% this year. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to tell you that when you let more balls go by, you're bound to walk more. Freeman should post very similar - if not better - results than last year.
Yoshihisa Hirano picked up his first save of the year yesterday. The right-hander went 1 IP with 2 K while protecting a 3-run lead. Greg Holland had pitched two days in a row, and Archie Bradley pitched two innings yesterday, which both likely contributed to the rationale of Hirano closing. I wouldn't expect many more in the future; Holland owners need not panic.
Christian Walker continued raking yesterday, going 2-for-5 with a HR, double, and three strikeouts. Walker has been one of the game's hottest hitters as he has 6 HR in just 67 plate appearances, good for an OPS well over 1.000. Walker is a true power hitter with a notable strikeout problem; his K% this year is near 30% -- which is manageable, but his K% was 41.5% last year. Time will tell if he can maintain the improved K%. That said, early signs are very positive as he's cut down on his swings outside the zone and has doubled his walk rate from last year. Keep an eye on Walker as he could be a very cheap source of power going forward, but don't expect an average near the .300 he's currently sporting.
