My latest at Baseball Prospectus ($) looks at the crazy hot starts of Jonathan Herrera and Troy Tulowitzki in Colorado, and Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier in Los Angeles. Kemp and Arizona’s Justin Upton are of particular concern because both are young and talented, and both seem to have figured out the strike zone.
The Padres stuff is mostly review material for you. It deals with the Four Bottoms (Brad Hawpe, Jason Bartlett, Ryan Ludwick, and Will Venable), who were hitting a combined .147/.246/.182 in 195 PA through Sunday’s game.
I also note that for as lost as Hawpe looks at the plate, Jim Edmonds was almost as bad for even longer in 2008 and turned it around, albeit for another team. Is this cause for hope? Eh, well…
the Four Bottoms of Apocalypse 2011? man, you crack me up, Geoff.
Is that the spoof of “Four Tops”?
Yeah, it’s in direct reference to the ’92 team. What I wouldn’t do for a McGriff or a Sheffield right about now…