Pebble Hunting: The Be... (06/08)
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June 11, 2012 BP UnfilteredVladimir Guerrero, Old Habits, and Dying HardYou'd think the Pacific Coast League would be filled with players who hadn't learned how to take a walk. You'd also think that PCL pitchers would be so intimidated to see Vladimir Guerrero that they'd pitch around him. Because of both of those things, you'd probably think that at some point in his first 30 appearances for the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s, Vladimir Guerrero would have walked, and that he wouldn't have the lowest walk rate of any PCL player who'd made that many trips to the plate. You'd be wrong.
Okay, so he hasn't taken a walk. He must be swinging at everything. Surely he must be missing sometimes!
Okay, he's not striking out either. Guerrero is hitting .214/.233/.286 after seven games for the 51s, which doesn't look a lot like a Guerrero line. But in addition to not hitting, he's not striking out and not walking, which is vintage Vlad. Guerrero has made 50 plate appearances across two minor-league levels since he was signed by Toronto. He's struck out twice, and he's walked once. PCL pitchers have tried to pitch around him, but they've discovered that it can't be done.
If Vlad is going to go down, he's going to go down with the same poor plate discipline that has served him so well in the past.
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That was a single.
Ben Lindbergh is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @benlindbergh
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Resident Fantasy Genius: Speculating on Mid-...
Looks like his bat broke.