Homey D. Swish: New Yank Stadium “Holding Him Down”
Swishalicious don’t play dat?
Below are Nick Swisher’s Home/Road splits, this season, to date:
Split G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG Home 60 230 175 23 35 10 0 3 20 47 49 .200 .373 .309 Away 64 268 233 42 66 17 1 20 52 31 59 .283 .363 .622
Any theories on why Swisher can’t get any hits and/or homers at Yankee Stadium – which is a hitter’s park, to say the least – this season?
Is it just a luck/sample size thing? Is he pressing at home? Partying too much at home?
Seems odd that Nick is still getting his walks, in the Bronx, but not hits and/or homeruns. Perhaps that’s a clue that it’s just a luck thing? Plus, because of the walks, Swisher only has 175 At Bats in the new Yankee Stadium. And, if he were to go, say, 25 for his next 60 in the Bronx (.417) then that would add 55 points to his home batting average.
Yet, the power numbers are puzzling. What do you think is going on there?
Maybe he presses too much at home to try and please the home crowd. Other than that, I would just say its luck.
Maybe the 20 road HR’s are the lucky/fluky event here? The doubles seem to be coming at very roughly the same rate both home and away (close enough to at least posit this question) so maybe more doubles will come at home and, eventually, they’ll turn into HR’s? No clue here, just figuring that 1 HR every 58 home AB’s seems like a tremendously aberrant figure that should correct itself?
These are normally very difficult situations to put a finger on. I know in many instances, during the peak of my playing days, there were parks that I was just unable to hit in. You have a couple tough at bats that end in frustration, some hits are taken away from you and over time it settles in your head that hitting at a particular field is like hitting with a whiffle ball bat uphill. It doesn’t mean you’re a poor hitter, or undisciplined or not mentally tough…it just happens.
Pete Abe had a quote about Swish hitting at home, where Swish said, “I feel like the walls are right on top of on the road and they seem a mile away at Yankee Stadium,” he said. “It’s frustrating. I sort of have to remind myself that I’m having a good season anyway.”
Swish is having a good season, and certainly hitting well at many parks. Unfortunately, Yankee Stadium isn’t one of them. There were many times in my playing days that I could relate to his words so hopefully, a couple big hits at home are coming and will snap him out of the YS blues.
Statistical anomaly, possibly compounded by pressing more at home after his intital struggles there.
Having said that, I’ve explained nothing at all.