It’s a strange Twilight Zone-esque commentary coming from
the media. You can sit and watch Allen Craig knock in run after run while
simultaneously hearing about his growing number of plate appearances without a
home run. It feels odd to criticize a player’s performance at the dish while he
is actually giving the team precisely what it pays him to: produce runs.
Is he as good as 2012? Not yet. In 2012, Craig ended with a
.307 average, and a .876 OPS. He’s well short of that now, at .263/.652.
However, it’s interesting to note that he’s already racked up 18 RBIs. That’s the same number of RBIs he totaled in 2010, when he saw 38 more plate appearances than he’s had so far this year. He was even better in 2011, with .315/.917. So while his average is lower this year than either of the previous two years, he’s actually managing to be more productive in terms of helping the team win.
However, it’s interesting to note that he’s already racked up 18 RBIs. That’s the same number of RBIs he totaled in 2010, when he saw 38 more plate appearances than he’s had so far this year. He was even better in 2011, with .315/.917. So while his average is lower this year than either of the previous two years, he’s actually managing to be more productive in terms of helping the team win.
Here’s something else he’s not doing this year: grounding
into double plays. He’s only done that one time. For my money, the guy could
never hit another homer in his life, if he can avoid GIDP and keep driving in
runs the way he has been.
Of course, that means
the rest of the lineup is doing a good job getting on base in front of him.
Most of the 21 hits he’s racked up this year have been productive because the
Cardinals already had runners in scoring position when Craig hit them, than in
years past. So credit Mike Matheny and the rest of the lineup for doing their
job to minimize a minor power outage from Craig.
Back to that power outage; exactly how bad is it?
Well, he did hit the long ball 22 times last year in 514 appearances. He’s hit none in 86 this year. It is still more than possible for Craig to meet or beat last year’s numbers, given that so much of the season remains. Homeruns seem to come in batches. A player gets hot (like Beltran did on Friday night) and goes deep several times over the course of a few games.
Well, he did hit the long ball 22 times last year in 514 appearances. He’s hit none in 86 this year. It is still more than possible for Craig to meet or beat last year’s numbers, given that so much of the season remains. Homeruns seem to come in batches. A player gets hot (like Beltran did on Friday night) and goes deep several times over the course of a few games.
There’s no way to know when Craig will find the power stroke
again. However, if the team can continue to set him and themselves up for
success, it’s going to be hard to argue that Craig is contributing more than
his fair share…with or without giving out souvenirs.
Wes Keene writes about the St. Louis Cardinals for StlSportsMinute.com and also runs his own website, Keene on MLB. You can also follow Wes on Twitter (@KeeneMLB).
Wes Keene writes about the St. Louis Cardinals for StlSportsMinute.com and also runs his own website, Keene on MLB. You can also follow Wes on Twitter (@KeeneMLB).
