[QUOTE=pewe;15326475]I wouldn't want to try and compare Soto and Acuna in batting. They are just very different players. It's like trying to compare Acuna to Trout. Doubt many people would try.

Soto is more likely to be Trout at the plate... i.e., great place discipline, very low swinging strikes, high contact rate, lower K%, good power, high BB%... Acuna is very unlikely to have much if any of that. Just not his capability. He will probably always hit for good power, and above average BA, but won't ever be in the Soto, Trout, Bregman, Betts world when it comes to actual batting ability.[/QUOTE]

This aged poorly. :)

If you had to choose only one guy who would you pick? Soto, Acuna or Tatis?
 

[QUOTE=SaltyCracker;19073473]This aged poorly. :)[/QUOTE]


Why? It remains accurate

He still doesn’t walk nearly as much as any of them. I’m not sure why he has to play their game. I like him how he is. Just like I said before: power + good average :)

Although I should amend my earlier comment to include: impressive on the basepaths being an added differentiating part of his game to like.


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[QUOTE=pewe;19073478]Why? It remains accurate

He still doesn’t walk nearly as much as any of them. I’m not sure why he has to play their game. I like him how he is. Just like I said before: power + good average :)

Although I should amend my earlier comment to include: impressive on the basepaths being an added differentiating part of his game to like.


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Yeah Acuna is no Bregman, that's for sure.

Lol pewe...COME on..Ronnie has 59 more hits than Soto this season. Soto has 51 more walks than Acuna. You aren't really saying that you think 51 walks>59 hits are you? You really just can't.

[QUOTE=pewe;19073478]Why? It remains accurate

He still doesn’t walk nearly as much as any of them. I’m not sure why he has to play their game. I like him how he is. Just like I said before: power + good average :)

Although I should amend my earlier comment to include: impressive on the basepaths being an added differentiating part of his game to like.


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When you say he doesn't walk nearly as much as them, who are you referring to? Just Soto and Trout? Because career wise, Acuna walks at a higher rate than Tatis and trails Trout 14.8% to 11.2%

And back to that list, which items do you think Acuna still doesn't have the capability to do?

[QUOTE=whitmm;19073505]When you say he doesn't walk nearly as much as them, who are you referring to? Just Soto and Trout? Because career wise, Acuna walks at a higher rate than Tatis and trails Trout 14.8% to 11.2%

And back to that list, which items do you think Acuna still doesn't have the capability to do?[/QUOTE]



I don’t believe I brought Tatis into my earlier post. You’ll see I was arguing that Soto, Trout, Bregman, Betts are different batters when it comes to taking walks.

I’d say the update since then: Trout has fallen off the boat. Jeesh, what happened to his plate discipline??? Last three years his swinging strike rate skyrocketed and BB came way down. The other three remain strong, though.

And honestly the super impressive improvement by Acuna??? His K%. I definitely didn’t see that coming. I believe the drop is one of the largest in MLB history. It’s really stunningly amazing, in my opinion.


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[QUOTE=rfgilles;19073490]Yeah Acuna is no Bregman, that's for sure.[/QUOTE]


Nope! Acuna hits for average and power :)

Screw the extra BB % and amazing plate discipline… doesn’t matter if you can’t get on base when you make contact and the power is fleeting


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[QUOTE=comicbooksgo;19073493]Lol pewe...COME on..Ronnie has 59 more hits than Soto this season. Soto has 51 more walks than Acuna. You aren't really saying that you think 51 walks>59 hits are you? You really just can't.[/QUOTE]


And thus why I said Acuna and Soto aren’t comparable at the plate ;)

I’m not sure why everyone wants to compare them. They have a different toolset at the plate.


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[QUOTE=pewe;19073561]I don’t believe I brought Tatis into my earlier post. You’ll see I was arguing that Soto, Trout, Bregman, Betts are different batters when it comes to taking walks.

I’d say the update since then: Trout has fallen off the boat. Jeesh, what happened to his plate discipline??? Last three years his swinging strike rate skyrocketed and BB came way down. The other three remain strong, though.

And honestly the super impressive improvement by Acuna??? His K%. I definitely didn’t see that coming. I believe the drop is one of the largest in MLB history. It’s really stunningly amazing, in my opinion.


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Okay, but the comment in question you said Soto is like Trout. Then listed a bunch of items and said you didn't think Acuna had the capability to do most of those.

You claim it's still accurate, so which ones do you think he isn't capable of doing? You can't seriously thing that Acuna still isn't in the conversation with that group in terms of batting ability. It wasn't just about walks

Nobody picking Tatis now.

[QUOTE=whitmm;19073587]Okay, but the comment in question you said Soto is like Trout. Then listed a bunch of items and said you didn't think Acuna had the capability to do most of those.

You claim it's still accurate, so which ones do you think he isn't capable of doing? You can't seriously thing that Acuna still isn't in the conversation with that group in terms of batting ability. It wasn't just about walks[/QUOTE]


I will do my best to channel the me of a few years ago… I think at the time I was really into a profile I’d seen in HOF players: low K%, good BB%. And had been reading a bunch of Fangraphs work on plate discipline, particularly contact rate and swinging strikes as a durable indicator to deliver.

I’d noted that group of players was leading MLB every year in those characteristics. And at the time Acuna was not.

Since then Trout has imploded on his plate discipline and swinging strike rate. Yikes!

The others remain strong on it.

Acuna made impressive strides this year on his K% driven by improving his contact rate (dropped his swinging strike rate). But is still more of a contact batter vs. one who likes to work a walk.

I’m not sure he’ll ever be much for trying to draw the BB, but maybe I’m wrong. Hopefully he can keep the K% down (via maintaining the improved contact rate)! That will keep him near the top every year going forward, if so.


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[QUOTE=KhalDrogo;19073679]Nobody picking Tatis now.[/QUOTE]


His thread is on page 10. ZERO comments in nearly a month. Not a single collector showing off a mail day or excitement over a single good play.


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I’m going with Soto, based on unforeseen circumstances when this Thread started. See how easy it is to predict the future if you wait long enough? :cool: