Birdland is still waiting for the offensive production of the prodigy dubbed “Jesus in Cleats” and “Can’t Miss Wieters,” but with a head and front shoulder that can’t seem to stay closed, we might be stuck watching the steadily increasing “Can’t Hit Wieters.”
Last night epitomized the struggles of the Orioles’ two time All-Star and Gold Glover, and also displayed “what could be” if he could consistently keep his head on the ball and drive it to the opposite field.
Matt started off the game against Derek Holland with three straight strikeouts, leaving seven runners on base. In all three at bats, Wieters looked completely baffled by Holland’s off speed pitches. Instead of keeping his weight back, keeping his front shoulder closed, letting the ball travel a little further, and smacking the ball into right field like we all know he is capable of doing, Wieters flung his shoulders open trying to rip every 81 mph slider on the outer half of the plate down the left field line.
Right as the Twitter world was on the brink of exploding, Matt stepped up for his fourth plate appearance, kept his head on the ball, and smacked a two-run home run to right field. This was the legend Wieters built through his route in the minor leagues: power and contact to all fields.
It is easy to see that when Matt is hot, it is because he is using the whole field. It is also completely obvious that when Wieters is ice cold, it is because his front shoulder comes flying out along with his head.
Completely frustrating.
Matt Wieters’ career numbers have been steadily decreasing since his first appearance as an All-Star. In Wieters’ first All-Star year, Matt hit a solid .262 with 22 homeruns, while displaying stellar defense that made him the standout player he was.
In that same year, Matt threw out 37% of runners attempting to steal – a statistic that has only increased with some seasoning, and created the phrase “Don’t. Run. Ever.” courtesy of the crew over at Protect This Yard.
After Matt’s breakout performance in 2011 though, there has been a decrease in BA and SLG percentage
2011 BA .262 SLG .778;
2012 BA .249 SLG .764;
2013 BA .231 SLG .421;
This is not what Orioles fans expected to see from their Messiah, who some even predicted being a breakout candidate for MVP this year. Instead we are left with pure frustration, a feeling that is no doubt shared by Matt.
Everyone seems to think they have a solution that involves something insane like dropping switch-hitting, or something simple like dropping him in the batting order – something I am not opposed to and agree based on numbers as well as better protecting Crush – but the answer for Wieters is much simpler. Go back to the basics, and revert back to using all parts of the field.
Let’s compare Matt’s numbers in 2012 to 2013, based on the location of the ball hit…
In 2012 – BA OBP SLG
Pulled-RHB .538 .538 .615
Up Mdle-RHB .415 .415 .698
Opp Fld-RHB .333 .333 .667
Pulled-LHB .329 .329 .788
Up Mdle-LHB .247 .243 .371
Opp Fld-LHB .305 .305 .542
In 2013 –
Pulled-RHB .278 .278 .667
Up Mdle-RHB .273 .273 .455
Opp Fld-RHB .462 .429 .769
Pulled-LHB .315 .309 .537
Up Mdle-LHB .271 .264 .518
Opp Fld-LHB .233 .226 .400
In 2012, it is clear that Matt was using the whole field on both sides of the plate; driving the ball to left, right, and center. Now, Wieters’ inability to use the whole field (especially from the left side) is highlighted by the significant differences in averages.
This is not to say that Matt Wieters is not the catcher of our future, or that we should bench him for a less talented Taylor Teagarden. It is to simply state that Matt’s struggles are real but very fixable. I don’t believe anyone expects Wieters to put up the numbers he was originally thought capable, but hitting around .260 with 20-plus home runs would be amazing for the O’s.
So Matt, if you want a Buster Posey-type contract, you better stop trying to be a 40-plus home run guy who tries to pull everything over the plate and revert back to within yourself – an amazing defensive catcher, who can also hit for average with some occasional bombs.
