Too Clever
Outlaw manager Mark Parent had a lot to say last night about his team's most recent offensive debacle. Outlaw hitters were sent down on strikes 13 times in the 3-1 loss to Orange County and it was no coincidence they stranded runners on base consistently (for the record, nine ended up being LOB, though it seemed liked quite a bit more if you watched the game.) As you'll see below, Parent's biggest concern is that his hitters are going to the plate with too much of an agenda to worry about.
"Guys are going up there thinking too much about what's happening around them," he said. "It's like they're taking two or three at-bats in one. They need to simplify their approach and make something happen with the bat.
"They're putting a little too much into each one. They're up there thinking about what happened last time. You know, it's like (forget) what happened last time. It shouldn't matter going into each at-bat whether you're 10 for your last 10, or 0-for-10 with 10 strikeouts. The guys I played with (in the major leagues) who were successful looked it at that way. You look at Bary Bonds, he's that way. It doesn't matter whether he homered or struck out, each at-bat is a new one."