Honest Question about Panda

[Yoshi]

Hey guys, I posted this comment on the "motherboard" (aka ESPN).



A lot of us, including myself, are expecting Panda to have a bounce back year. However, is it safe for me to say I'm a bit worried because his issues are not solely attributed to his weight alone, but also his poor plate discipline? I've played numerous sports throughout high school and intramural in undergrad, but baseball was not one of them, so I can't say I'm an expert when it comes to hitting.
I can see Panda increasing his range on defense at 3rd by shedding some pounds during the offseason, but how about his approach to the plate? He was phenomenal during the 2009 season, but he was swinging at pitches that at times weren't even close to the plate. Trust me, an improved Panda along with a potential call up for Belt in midseason represent a cost - effective approach to adding to our offense while not breaking the bank. I hope to see Panda flourish again because I want to wear my Panda hat to the park without feeling ashamed, but that's a legitimate concern for me.



What do you guys think? Sorry for my naivety when it comes to hitting, but a free swinger like Panda makes me question as to whether or not he can really improve his identification of pitches in a short period of time. I realize he had to confront issues of child custody and his mother, so that may have factored in this past season as well.

 

[xxERICSMITHXX]

Hey guys, I posted this comment on the "motherboard" (aka ESPN).



A lot of us, including myself, are expecting Panda to have a bounce back year. However, is it safe for me to say I'm a bit worried because his issues are not solely attributed to his weight alone, but also his poor plate discipline? I've played numerous sports throughout high school and intramural in undergrad, but baseball was not one of them, so I can't say I'm an expert when it comes to hitting.
I can see Panda increasing his range on defense at 3rd by shedding some pounds during the offseason, but how about his approach to the plate? He was phenomenal during the 2009 season, but he was swinging at pitches that at times weren't even close to the plate. Trust me, an improved Panda along with a potential call up for Belt in midseason represent a cost - effective approach to adding to our offense while not breaking the bank. I hope to see Panda flourish again because I want to wear my Panda hat to the park without feeling ashamed, but that's a legitimate concern for me.



What do you guys think? Sorry for my naivety when it comes to hitting, but a free swinger like Panda makes me question as to whether or not he can really improve his identification of pitches in a short period of time. I realize he had to confront issues of child custody and his mother, so that may have factored in this past season as well.

Vlad Guerrero had a pretty good career without having any plate discipline. I think it is more important for Sandoval to get his swing and timing back. He was constantly not actually ready to hit last year, which is what caused so many double plays. He showed signs that when he was actually in good position to hit that he could still put some good wood on the ball.

Obviously it would be great if he had better plate discipline, but I don't think he will ever be a guy that will have great discipline.

 

[gp956]

I'm just hoping the down year wasn't due to his offseason lasik surgery.

As for his free swinging ways - those density plots I posted show he wasn't anymore of a freeswinger in 2010 vs. 2009. He just wasn't connecting with hittable pitches in 2010.