David Laurila at FanGraphs asks managers if two-strike contact is under valued. There are a number of good answers across the board. Here’s Craig Counsell:
“I think we’re valuing contact probably more and more. There is definitely a trend going in a direction where contact is valued. That’s because the strikeout rate keeps going up. It’s getting harder and harder to make contact, so the guys that can do it are becoming kind of rare players. So I think it’s a positive thing — there’s no question about it — with two strikes. I guess the way I would say it is, ‘How much slug goes down with two strikes is kind of an indication of why contact becomes more important with two strikes.’ There’s so much slug early in the count that contact isn’t really what you’re looking for. But as you get into the two strike count, the slug goes down so much that the contact becomes more valuable.”
FanGraphs.com
It would appear that managers trying to move their players toward getting the bat on the ball in these situations, especially with a man on third an less than two out.
I remember years ago when reading Bill James and he said the a K was just like any other out..I LOVED (and still do) his work and the way he presented baseball info in a new way (although Strat O Matic players knew the advantage of good OBP players..:-). But I never believed the K is an out just like any other out. If Ks are good for pitchers, they must be bad for hitters, just as (before the acknowledgement of the importance of OBP by the majority of the baseball world) if walks are bad for pitchers, they must be good for hitters. Or, you could just watch George Foster as a Met with a runner in scoring position…