Ackley Owns the Strike Zone

The Seattle Mariners rank dead last in the American League in runs scored for a third straight season, but no one can blame rookie second baseman Dustin Ackley.

The second overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft began the year at Triple-A Tacoma, where he batted .303/.421/.487 and posted a 55-to-38 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has continued to show superb plate discipline since his big league promotion in mid-June. Ackley has a .312/.377/.565 line in 154 plate appearances, drawing 15 walks and punching out just 20 times.

The key to Ackley's early success has been his willingness to lay off pitches thrown out of the strike zone and his ability to make contact. The 23-year-old exhibits the plate approach of a wise veteran:

 Ackley's swing rate by pitch location

League average swing rate by pitch location

Ackley has chased a little over 18 percent of pitches thrown out of the zone, compared to the 28 percent league average. That's the twelfth-lowest chase rate among MLB batters with 150+ plate appearances.

And when Ackley does swing, he rarely misses:

Ackley's contact rate by pitch location League average contact rate by pitch location

The lefty has missed slightly less than 14 percent of the pitches that he has swung at, well south of the 20 percent league average.

According to Baseball-Reference, Ackley's bat has already produced 12 runs compared to that of an average hitter. The rest of Seattle's hitters have a collective -105 batting runs. Talk about a one man show.

Who is getting Squeezed?

Time to check in on which pitchers aren't getting the close calls from umpires:

(ClStk%=called strikes/pitches taken; Data based on PitchFX strike zone.)C.J. Wilson (TEX) ranks number one in terms of the most pitches called balls in the strike zone with 124.  But this is due to volume; Wilson has thrown the second most pitches within the strike zone in the majors this season behind only Cliff Lee (PHI). 

Doug Fister (SEA) and Cliff Lee rank second and third in most missed strikes with 114 and 108 respectively.  Chad Billingsley (LAD) comes in 4th with 107 missed strikes - combine that with his overall 17th ranking in lowest called strike percentage in the zone, and he's a good candidate for the most squeezed pitcher in baseball this season.

League Earns a Reputation

Brandon League of the Seattle Mariners earned an All-Star berth as he experience the best season of his short career.  League brought down both his walk rate and home run rate this season leading to a career best .268 wOBA.  Weighted OBA represents linear weights put on the scale of OBP, so league average is going to be around .330.  This season, when batters face Brandon, they are hitting below replacement level.

During the previous three seasons, League induced batters to swing at pitches off the edge of the plate on the catcher's glove had side.

Brandon League, swing rate, 2008-2010.Batters expanded their strike zones.  League used to get a fair amount of called strikes there, as batters defined a wider zone:

Brandon League, called strike rate, 2008-2010.This season, he's getting a much wider slice off the plate.

Brandon League, called strike rate, 2011.Where he used to get some yellow up to the dotted line, (the could go either way part of the strike zone), he's now getting some red past it.  That's nothing but good for Brandon.  If batters take the pitches, (which they should), the called strike puts them in a hole.  If they swing, it's not a good part of the strike zone in which to make solid contact.  As long as League continues to get these calls, he'll have the advantage over the hitters.