One of the main advantages that Willis brings to the Tigers (amongst others) is his dominance over left handed hitting.
Willis’ 2007 Lefty (first line) and Righty splits
And now a three year (2005-2007) set of splits
Coming from the NL East, where there were a number of top level left handed & switch hitting batters, Willis ended up with a great track record of success. Here’s an example of how the NL East top lefties & switch hitters fared against Willis. I’ve included Thome since he meets the 20 AB criteria, along with his past with the Phillies & his future match-ups in Chicago.
Over in his new digs, Willis jumps into the left handed heavy AL Central. It would safe to venture that the majority of the top-level batters in the division have trouble with left-handed pitching, as aside from Konerko the top level stars are lefties or switch hitters. Below is a graphic using three year average OPS vs lefty/righty splits.
This strong mix, along with current MLB scheduling practices gives the Tigers & Willis a built in advantage for the 2008 season.
Willis Could Own the AL Central in 2008
Tigers Hope Willis Owns the AL Central in 2008
One of the main advantages that Willis brings to the Tigers (amongst others) is his dominance over left handed hitting.
Willis’ 2007 Lefty (first line) and Righty splits
And now a three year (2005-2007) set of splits
Coming from the NL East, where there were a number of top level left handed & switch hitting batters, Willis ended up with a great track record of success. Here’s an example of how the NL East top lefties & switch hitters fared against Willis. I’ve included Thome since he meets the 20 AB criteria, along with his past with the Phillies & his future match-ups in Chicago.
Over in his new digs, Willis jumps into the left handed heavy AL Central. It would safe to venture that the majority of the top-level batters in the division have trouble with left-handed pitching, as aside from Konerko the top level stars are lefties or switch hitters. Below is a graphic using three year average OPS vs lefty/righty splits.
This strong mix, along with current MLB scheduling practices gives the Tigers & Willis a built in advantage for the 2008 season.
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