Scranton BB and K Rates

Written by Sean P | 04 October 2010

Primer:

I wanted to take a look at BB% and K% for each level because it can give us a rough outline of a player’s strike zone judgment. Strike Zone judgment encompasses a player’s ability to avoid strike outs as well as draw walks.

Thanks to Jeff Sachman who did some work on translating amateur K%, we know that a strikeout rate of 25% in the majors roughly equals a 21% rate in single A ball. Of course we know that players are going to cut down on these rates as they get older and gain more experience- I don’t think anyone would blindly write off a top talent because he struck out a lot as an 18 year old in the Gulf Coast League. Also we may be running into sample size issues in the minors where most guys don't get enough PAs for BB and K rates to totally stabilize. 

When looking at these graphs, make sure you take into account the age and experience of each prospect before rushing to judgment on them.

Jesus Montero had a great year, specifically in the 2nd half but perhaps one overlooked aspect of his year would be his BB rate. Traditionally in the 7% range, Montero was much better at taking the free passes this year. His strikeouts rose too however, which shouldn't be surprising for a 21 year old in AAA. Still, having a K% of around 20% is better than average, certainly a good sign for the young catcher....Will Juan Miranda ever get a real shot in the majors? I'd guess probably not, but it does make one wonder...Chad Huffman isn't much of a player but has always displayed good strike zone judgement- a career walk rate of around 10% always is nice to see...Reegie Corona's AAA season was interesting if only because while his numbers were terrible, he wasn't noticably overmatched in any particular way. That .265 BABIP may have something to do with that...In related news, Eduardo Nunez continues to give me reasons to hate him....