Upton improving strike-out ratio
Apr 14, 2011, 12:11 AM | Updated: 2:34 pm
Justin Upton’s 2011 season was defined Tuesday night by a 478-foot bomb against the Cardinals but the real story may be in his low strike-out rate.
Through 49 plate appearances this year, Upton has only struck out at 15 percent of his at-bats
It takes around 150 plate appearances to gather a good sample size but there is already an obvious improvement from his average of 25.9 percent last year.
For example, until Monday against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, Upton was 0-for-11 with eight strike-outs.
He was also the first player in MLB history to strike-out 400 times by the time he was 22 but his numbers so far this season indicate he may be shaking his penchant for K’s.
Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Wednesday the team has been working on swinging the bat through all of spring training.
He said Upton is doing well this season with his at-bats, especially with the right fielder’s blast against the Cardinals.
“It was good timing, he is swinging the bat very well and he certainly got a hold of that one. We just want him to get over the fence but that one had a little extra on it.”
