RESEARCH: Walk rate and BA
Feb 21 2014
Analysts often tell us a hitter’s walk rate (bb%) is a reliable leading indicator of batting average (BA). The higher the walk rate, they say, the higher the BA, and changes in bb% are a valuable clue indicating possible pending improvements or declines.
The idea makes a certain intuitive sense. A hitter who takes walks obviously has “good control of the strike zone,” which means he has the “good eye at the plate” that allows him to lay off bad pitches and swing only at good ones.
That plate discipline, we further hear, is a key to lots of hits and a solid BA, with the added bonus that the resulting walks also reduce the denominator of the H/AB calculation of BA, further pushing BA upwards.
Despite its intuitive appeal, however, the...
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