Beaver offense - A little "tweaking" maybe?

Taking a look at Oregon State offensively after 25 games, the Beavers generally have been very efficient by college baseball standards. Heading into the two game date with UNR on Monday, they have a team BA of .29959, or .300. They have produced 222 base hits in 741 at bats, with 96 BB and 18 HBP. Of their 222 hits, 73 have been for extra bases, including 50 doubles, 6 triples and 17 home runs. Statistically, they have been comparatively impressive.


With any offense, you are always looking for any tweak you can make to improve it. Several areas might be open for discussion. First would be to cut down the number of strikeouts, understanding that getting deep in the count usually dictates you are going to be taking some marginal strikes. Pitch selection is key in hitting for average and strike outs can often be a hazard of strike zone discipline. Reducing the number of K’s, especially with runners on base should always be a goal at OSU.


Second, staying out of the double play has been elusive this year. Easier said than done, but we have experienced too many run-killing opportunities and the LOB numbers are indicative of that. The situation of score and inning dictate strategy, but the steal, sacrifice, hit and run, and keeping the ball on the lines and out of the middle of the diamond can help counter the DP ball.


Third as a subject worthy of discussion would be the batting order. Personally, I would like to see the Beavs take advantage of players swinging a “hot” bat. Mr. Armstrong comes to mind. Young Andy is in the vernacular of MLB scouts, “squared up” on the pitch. His contact has been flush and he’s driving the ball. He also appears to be full of confidence at the plate. I think moving him up into the 2-hole hitting might be an option for the staff. Grenier has been fine hitting behind Kwan but there are a couple of reasons I would consider the move.


I like Caydn hitting at the second lead-off spot, 7th in the order. He gives you several benefits. He will hit for a decent average and is currently at .296 for the year. He is adept at drawing walks and pretending to avoid being HBP (13 BB and 4 HBP). His .479 OBP is demonstrative of his ability to get on base. He also gives us some “punch” in the bottom third of the order. He has a slugging % of .436 which for a SS of his caliber is unusual. Finally, a slight negative in hitting second, he works the count and takes a high number of pitches which have resulted in 20 strike outs, or 1 in every 4.7 at bats. Comparatively, Armstrong strikes out every .022 trips to the plate (3 K’s in 67 at bats). Ideally, your number 2 hitter wants to put the ball in play with Kwan’s speed on base.


Armstrong’s BA has been steadily rising over the last 15 games and he’s currently hitting .313 following a good series at Utah. His OB% is now .418 and his slugging % is .448 with 7 doubles, a triple and a homer. In addition, Andy has proven to be a willing and capable bunter. Both players are capable of hitting behind Kwan but the net effect of this change is more contact and far fewer strikeouts in the 2-hole. 


There are some additional personnel and lineup options available to the coaches that might strengthen the offense and I’ll post those later.