Amaroq
Posts: 1100
Joined: 8/3/2005 From: San Diego, California Status: offline
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Roderick - think of it this way... Human beings slow down as they age. Baseball players slow down as they age. Does all of that slow-down occur during the off-season? Or does it make sense to see it occur gradually over the course of the year? Young players learn as they gain experience. Do they perform at one constant level their first season, and then a second constant level their second season? Or does it make sense to see them gradually improve over the course of the year? So, on the last item, lets say a guy's "power" starts at a 9 in April, dips to a 7 in July, and comes back up to an 8 in September. How is that realistic? Think of this as the player adjusting the mechanics of his swing - maybe at the start of the year he was coming through the plate at a 20-degree angle up, giving him a bit more power, but as the season progressed, he started coming through a bit more level, close to a 15-degree angle; this should generate less 'swing and miss' pitches, less home runs, and more singles and doubles. His power drops accordingly. Real baseball, as any player will tell you, is all about adjustments.. the fluctuations reflect the different adjustments players are making. Its up to you to decide whether you think the drop from '9' to '7' represents a bad adjustment, or a permanent effect of aging..
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