notebook: hitting for average, hitting for power

Every once in a while, the batting leaderboard in a Cape League summer will have some gaudy averages. And every once in a while, the batting average leaderboard will have some home run hitters.

Rarely, do the two happen in the same year.

It’s happening this year. Look at the top 10 hitters. All but two of them have at least three home runs.

With stats through Monday, July 30, the total number of home runs hit by the top 10 hitters was 37. I looked back through the archives on the Cape league’s official site, and that’s the highest number of the last eight years, which is as far back as the online archives go.

The numbers were close last year and in 2004, but it was deceiving. Both of those years, one player in the top 10 hit 11 home runs. The rest were hovering around two.

This year is unique because of the balance. Nearly everyone on the list is hitting home runs.

That might lead you to believe the average numbers are down. But they’re not. In fact, they’re way up from the last two seasons.

What’s to account for it? Who knows? Maybe the pitching depth isn’t quite there this year.

Or maybe there are some really good hitters wearing Cape League uniforms.

Hot start vs. strong finish

Players who start hot and cool down still draw more attention than a player who starts cold and heats up. You can remember when the player had the hot start and you can overlook the rough finish. In much the same way, you remember the other player’s bad start and sometimes, the hot finish isn’t enough to make you take notice. The stats were bad enough to start with.

So, to recognize a few guys who have done reasonably well lately but still won’t appear on leaderboards, here’s a look. The starting point for all these batting averages is July 15. So, essentially, we’re looking at two weeks.

Addison Maruszak, Bourne – 7-for-16 – from .227 to .268
Mitch Moreland, Bourne – 12 of 38 – from .237 to .276
Curtis Dupart, Cotuit – 6 of 15 – from .196 to .242
Josh Harrison, Cotuit – 9 of 29 – from .253 to .267
David Adams, Falmouth – 18 of 52 – from .245 to .292
Alex Avila, Harwich – 11 of 35 – from .189 to .223
Johnny Giavotella, Harwich – 14 of 43 – from .264 to .287
Joey Gonzales, Harwich – 12 of 37 – from .263 to .293
Brandon Crawford, Orleans – 9 of 38 – from .169 to .193
Nate Freiman, Orleans – 12 of 38 – from .250 to .267
Aaron Luna, Y-D – 8 of 21 – from .222 to .292
Joey Railey, Y-D – 7 of 25 – from .215 to .233

Looking at .300 hitters

A lot of people are talking about how many .300 hitters there are this year, so I thought I would count. Through Monday’s stats, there were 15. That doesn’t seem like that many in a league of 12o-some odd hitters, but it is. The top 10 hitters list often includes guys in the .280-.290 range.

Quickly

• Aaron Crow’s ERA went up yesterday. He allowed one run.
• The catching crop on the Cape really seemed to hit the dog days hard. All-star starters Robert Stock and Buster Posey — who, at the time of selection, had solid numbers — both had averages in the .240’s by the time the game rolled around. Others have struggled, too, and I think it’s reasonable to assume that a full summer of catching can take its toll more than a full summer of playing in the field. In the end, it may end up being a weak summer for catchers on the Cape, though I don’t think it will amount to a weak year. Posey and Stock are major prospects, and several other catchers are, too. The catchers on the Cape may not have as much luck as several of last year’s backstops — four Cape catchers were first-round or supplemental first-round picks — I think they’ll do alright for themselves.
• I just checked the Chatham A’s web site, and it appears they were fogged out for the second-straight night, once again putting John Schiffner’s chase for the all-time wins record on hold . . . it also is going to put the squeeze on the A’s in the stretch run, I would think. They may be rusty, too, whenever they finally get going. If they play Wednesday, the A’s will have had four days off, unheard of in a Cape League summer.

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