I’ve been complaining about Ken Macha, but honestly, I’m not as annoyed at Macha as I am at Jason Kendall. When Jason Kendall came to the plate with the bases loaded in the ninth, with one out, and the A’s down by one, I grumbled to my computer, “G&*D(!@ f$*#&*#in Kendall’s gonna hit another weak-@$# grounder to third again, I just know it.” Which he proceeded to do.
I am really, really tired of watching Jason Kendall hit weak-$#!^ grounders to third. And what annoyed me more is that there is no hope it’s going to change anytime soon. Kendall recently said this to ESPN.com:
I’m looking to turn it around. I haven’t changed my approach at the plate. It’s the same approach for me.
OK, let’s see…my approach isn’t working…so let’s keep the same approach! Argh.
I like the way Kendall calls a game, and I can acknowledge the possibility that this is a real and important skill, even if there aren’t any statistics that back this claim up. But…
I am seriously contemplating never watching another Jason Kendall at-bat again. Maybe I’ll just go to the bathroom, or go get a snack or something, every time he comes up. Because I really don’t think I can stand to see another weak Kendall ground out to third.
OK, maybe never is too extreme. Never is a long time. But I need a break from all those 5-3 putouts, or I’ll go insane. Otherwise, I’m going to start using all kinds of foul language that the people around me just don’t want to hear. So I’m going to give myself a timeout.
Here’s what I’ll do: I’m not going to watch or listen to Jason Kendall bat again until he goes four straight starts without grounding out to third.
I’ll put up a counter on the sidebar to track my Kendall Fast, and we’ll see how long it lasts.
Update: Here are the up-to-date Kendall averages:
9 hits in 40 at-bats: .225 average.
8 groundouts-to-third in 40 at-bats: .200 average.
1. Word, brother. Word.
2. I kinda find Kendall's at bats mesmerizing, the way his fingers are constantly in motion.
3. So true, so true. I was noticing (and cringing) even before the bottom of the 9th began Thursday that Kendall could come up before the game on the line and in a DP situation (a DP Detroit could have converted had they dared).
The thing is, Kendall does possess a right-field stroke. And it's a flyball stroke, too. OK, more of a "flare stroke", or a "can of corn stroke", but some fall in and some somehow carry out to sac fly depth, and even the easy outs keep the damn inning alive for the next batter, which is almost the maximum I dare hope for from a Kendall AB. I was yelling at my TV that he just has to go the other way in that situation, but of course he didn't. The thing about his grounders is that they rarely have the oomph to get through the infield even when they're aimed at a hole; he specializes in the "double-play-speed" groundball.
I take it that ".200" includes his 543's? For that matter, his 4 GIDPs in 40 ABs is a .100 GIDP percentage. Make that an unreal .267 (according to BP), if you were to calculate it as a percentage of GIDP opportunities as opposed to total ABs.
Fortunately the A's are only paying $11 million for this guy this year.
4. The .200 (now .227) includes any groundout to third of any kind.
5. The fast continues.
Jason Kendall grounds out softly, third baseman Chone Figgins to first baseman Casey Kotchman.
6. I was there, buying a soda at the time.