Here's why you shouldn't be concerned with Sano's strikeout rate
In a quick search coupled with some cell phone calculator help, I found that Miguel Sano has the second highest batting average in baseball when he doesn't strike out. The only guy better, and by a lot, is Yankees phenom Aaron Judge.
Check out the top 15 (based on my calculations).
- Aaron Judge, Yankees - .516
- Miguel Sano, Twins - .456
- Matt Davidson, White Sox - .439
- Trey Mancini, Orioles - .435
- Michael Taylor, Nationals - .424
- Bryce Harper, Nationals - .423
- Tim Beckham, Rays - .422
- Jake Lamb, Diamondbacks - .419
- Chris Taylor, Dodgers - .418
- Mark Reynolds, Rockies - .417
- Marcel Ozuna, Marlins - .416
- Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks - .414
- Michael Conforto, Mets - .414
- Avisail Garcia, White Sox - .412
- Keon Broxton, Brewers - .411
This is different from BABIP, which doesn't take into account home runs, but only balls in the field of play.
Clearly, Sano's 110 strikeouts – tied second most in MLB – appear to be a problem, but he more than makes up for it when he hits the ball.
For comparison, Byron Buxton is batting .312 in at-bats that he doesn't strikeout. That's a telltale sign that Sano's whiffs are far less concerning than Buxton's. Brian Dozier is batting .314 when he doesn't strike out.
We'll get to see Judge and Sano go head-to-head during next week's Home Run Derby.
