Don't Hate Nate: Campaign Update!

Blowing up in the 8 spot!

I should have a direct line to Fredi Gonzalez's office.  Seriously.  A few weeks ago, when the rest of Braves Nation was ready to kick Nate to the curb, I asked Fredi to move him down in the lineup and watch him produce.  And that he has.  Since moving to the 8 spot in the lineup here are McLouth's numbers:

.323 BA  .443 OBP  2 HR  14 Walks/12 Strikeouts

The one thing that Joe Bravesfan and I agreed on was the fact that Heyward, not McLouth should have been hitting second in the lineup. 

The most impressive statistic for me here is the .443 on-base percentage, which is the penultimate goal of a 8th place hitter.  Eighth place hitters are often pitched around in the National League because teams would rather face the pitcher, so it's not like McLouth is going to see tons of fastballs to hit. This was the rationale behind his starting the season in the #2 spot, to see more hittable pitches to help him break out of his year plus long slump. 

Moving to #8 has forced McLouth to be more selective at the plate, and has actually caused him to relax and see pitches better, instead of trying to drive the first fastball in the neighborhood of the plate.  The fact that he has more walks than strikeouts is amazing, since his high strikeout totals and low OBP have been his bugaboo throughout his career, even in Pittsburgh. 

As a result of his new-found patience at the plate, he is performing another of his jobs as an 8 place hitter.  Turn the lineup over.  His ability to get on base is allowing the Braves to clear the pitcher's spot in the lineup in many innings, allowing them to start the next inning at the top of the lineup.  Also, Braves pitchers are able to bunt McLouth into scoring position, instead of aimlessly hacking away with no one on base(Braves pitchers now don't hit quite like the old ones did!).

I know this is only a 3 week sample space for McLouth in the 8 spot, but it looks promising for the rest of the season.  Do you still hate Nate?  If you want the Braves to make the playoffs, you shouldn't!

Why Is Everybody Hating Nate McLouth?

This guy's not as bad as you think.

I don't understand the hate for Nate!  McLouth that is.  Now that he's off to a slow start, hitting .237 after 11 games, many fans and sports writers are ready to ship him off to Gwinnett or Mississippi or Timbuktu.  To say that he doesn't help the Braves is ridiculous.  

Few will argue his defensive ability.  His glove is above average and his ability to run down balls in the gap is better than average, due to his good speed.  His .237 average is misleading as well.  So far in 2011, McLouth has a 1.56 ground ball to fly ball ratio, which had led to fewer wasted AB's.  His strikeout percentage is down as well this year, and 23.3% line drive rate, which is among the top 40 of all hitters in baseball.  This shows that he's consistently hitting the ball hard, just hitting them right at somebody.   McLouth has also been productive in moving runners along, which is important for a number 2 hitter. 

His .293 on-base percentage and reputation for not drawing walks doesn't help his case to hit second, but McLouth is still an asset for the Braves, and should probably move down in the lineup to 7 or 8.  McLouth has proven in years past that he is capable of being a 25-25 guy, but I think those days are in the rearview.  I think a .285 average with 15-18 homers and 70-75 RBI is within reach.  That's solid production, and certainly greater than any other option short of a trade can do. 

I've said it before and will continue to say it:  don't give up on a guy/team because they get off to a slow start in the first two weeks of the season!  Nate's .237 average is 37 points higher than Albert Pujols', but we're not throwing him under the bus are we?  Give McLouth a chance!