Adam Dunn and Pitch Velocity

Over at SBNation, Rob Neyer takes a look at a few questions facing the Chicago White Sox going into this season.  He noted that the acquisition of Adam Dunn fills a big hole at DH for the Sox.  Dunn is a tremendous power hitter who strikes out a ton, but when he makes contact, he can put the ball in orbit.  His 35.7% K-rate was the second worst in the majors last year, while his .536 slugging percentage was 10th best.

Dunn, like many left handed power hitters, does well against fastballs.

Adam Dunn, 2008-10

Over the last 3 years, Dunn's contact rate against fastballs was 19.7% better than against off-speed pitches.  As indicated above, Dunn's swing rate increases against pitches with more velocity.  And his contact and slugging percentage follow.  That's a sign of a hitter who knows what he likes, and a good sign for the Chicago White Sox.

White Sox Beckham Looking to Regain Form

The White Sox are very much hoping that Gordon Beckham can bounce back from a below average 2010 and regain the offense from his 2009 season, when he finished 5th in Rookie of the Year voting.

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune notes that a sore right shoulder probably contributed to his suppressed numbers. Beckham also suffered a bruised right hand at the end of September, essentially ending his sophomore season prematurely. However, fully healthy going into spring training, the White Sox will be eager to see how he starts the 2011 season.

Beckham’s power saw a noticeable dropoff last season, falling from a .442 slugging percentage to .367.

Gordon Beckham, 2009 Gordon Beckham, 2010 Looking at Beckham’s contact rates, we see he had trouble hitting the outside pitch in his second season. Gordon Beckham, 2009 Gordon Beckham, 2010 As Gonzales notes, Beckham wasn’t getting as many opposite field hits in 2010. In the selected zone above, his contact rate dropped to 73.8%, about 4% less than in 2009. This likely contributed to fewer hits to right last season. If his shoulder and hand injuries are fully behind him, look for Beckham to make better contact on pitches away in 2011, and perhaps boost his power numbers overall.