Why is McGehee struggling

[reillymcshane]

I was wondering if people had any clues as to Casey McGehee's struggles this year.

 

I don't watch a ton of games, but from what I've seen he looks pretty much like last year. I might just be missing something.

 

I don't want this to be a debate about replacing McGehee or who should be playing instead, but opinions of people as to what's causing Casey's problems. Has his bat speed slowed? Is he swinging at bad pitches? Has he been unlucky? Have pitchers simply 'figured him out'? I'm curious as to what others think.

 

I know he's hit lefties really bad this year. Not sure why. But he usually crushes them pretty good.

 

Last year he had a sub .700 OPS for June/July (about 200 ABs). Is he just going through a similar spell (albeit, a little longer).

 

Again, wondering what others are seeing in Casey that might explain his poor batting.

 

Thanks.

[MJLiverock]

To me it looks like he is just missing the ball. Not swinging and missing but missing the timing or the sweet spot of the bat by a hair. Last night's game where he had a 9 or 10 pitch AB was a perfect example. He fouled off a lot of pitches, some of which were very hittable but he was just under them or just off a bit in his timing.

 

His BABIP is down from around .300 to .250-.260. His line drives are down, his ground balls are up, his HR/FB is half the previous two years' numbers. His K rate and Walk rate haven't really changed. All of his swing factors like O and Z etc. look pretty similar to previous years. He just seems to be missing the ball by a bit.

 

I don't think pitchers have figure him out since the K rate and swing factors are similar and it makes me think he isn't swinging at bad pitches. The BABIP luck factor is down but I think it is due to just not hitting the ball square.

 

If his bat speed has slowed that could be a factor, but it isn't like he is that old yet unless he is just that outlier who ages fast. He may just be in a slump where he is off by just that little bit or he isn't seeing the ball well causing his timing/location to be off but it has been going on for a long time to where you would think a few extra hitting sessions or days off would right it but not so far.

[homer]

I think he's trying to pull everything. Even the outside pitches he's trying to jerk to left hence the week grounders to short and third. He did go to right a few times yesterday. Maybe that's a sign he's about to turn it around.

[topper09er]

I think he's trying to pull everything. Even the outside pitches he's trying to jerk to left hence the week grounders to short and third. He did go to right a few times yesterday. Maybe that's a sign he's about to turn it around.

He looks like Bill Hall in 2007, after his monster power season he tried too hard to repeat it and pull everything instead of just hitting the ball where it is pitched, which is how he ended up with a good year last season. The tell tale sign of a guy in a slump is pulling weak grounders on outside pitches which McGehee has basically done all year.

[endaround]

His swing is completely messed up. He is the only player with such a wide stance that I've seen pick up a leg step timing mechanism. It looks awkward as hell.

 

He was never fast but he is Estrada slow now making me wonder if his injury has really affected him. The amount of groundballs he's hit has gone up while his HR/FB ratio has been cut in half.

[reillymcshane]

Casey was never a real athletic guy, and those types tend to age quicker than most players. I hope it's not that - I hope it's just mechanics that he can correct.

 

I was hoping he'd show up a bit lighter this year - make him a little more agile at 3B, a little quicker. If anything, he looks slower.

 

Endaround, you mention 'his injury' - what is that referring to? I remember he had some issues before 2010, had a minor operation on his knee or something. Was it that, or is something else bothering him?

[Ennder]

In April he was hitting the ball hard right at guys and it seemed to just be bad luck more than anything, since then he seems to just be making poor contact all around.

[endaround]

Casey was never a real athletic guy, and those types tend to age quicker than most players. I hope it's not that - I hope it's just mechanics that he can correct.

 

I was hoping he'd show up a bit lighter this year - make him a little more agile at 3B, a little quicker. If anything, he looks slower.

 

Endaround, you mention 'his injury' - what is that referring to? I remember he had some issues before 2010, had a minor operation on his knee or something. Was it that, or is something else bothering him?

Yeah his knee. He had surgery this past offseason as well

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/104611464.html

[Hate those Rodents]

He's dipping his shoulder and popping the ball up everytime. He should try and go opposite field the next few atbats.

[JohnBriggs12]

I think he's trying to pull everything. Even the outside pitches he's trying to jerk to left hence the week grounders to short and third. He did go to right a few times yesterday. Maybe that's a sign he's about to turn it around.

I don't think that's the problem. The problem is his swing got longer. He hits a lot of weak fly balls to RF and CF. He's not catching up to balls in the inner half. In 09 he was turning on pitches with a short compact stroke and crushing balls on the inner half.. If anything he became too conscious of looking for the ball up on the outer half to bang it to right.

 

Right now he needs to forget about working counts or inside/outing balls. He needs to concentrate on swinging at strikes no matter the count and keeping his stroke compact.. If he does that eventually, he's going to start making better contact and his feel at the plate will return. Once his timing and feel return, then he can do more working counts and hitting situationally.

[Oxy]

I agree with Briggs in that I don't think he should be worrying about pulling it or hitting it the other way or his hands or his hips or anything like that. I think he should sit on fastballs and hit them square with the barrel of the bat. Ridiculously simple, but after hearing some comments by Roenicke about how he is a "grinder" and that he continuously works in the cage it is pretty obvious that he is pressing too hard. See fastball, hit fastball.

[tomwopat]

Is it too early to suggest that we get Aramis Ramirez at the trading deadline?

 

 

[PrinceEatMeat]

Is it too early to suggest that we get Aramis Ramirez at the trading deadline?

 

 

Kidding or not, he has said he won't waive his no-trade clause.

[jmeks23]

Personally I think his bat speed has slowed and as others have said he's been dipping his shoulder a bit. Being behind and swinging and missing, then when you do hit it you pop it up...it's a recipe for struggles. I also think pitcher's may have found his weak spots a little better too. I personally never saw him as a long term 3B option, but I will keep that out of the topic as you requested.

[Invader3K]

I see Roenicke has Casey batting sixth tonight. I doubt being lower in the batting order is suddenly going to cause a turn around for him, but I'm glad he won't be batting fifth for now.

 

I agree with Briggs that it looks like his swing has changed. Casey used to have such a nice compact swing, and you don't really see it this year.

[RyDogg66]

It's clearly his elbow.

[FVBrewerFan]

I'll add one more to the list, he's guessing alot. Maybe on every pitch. I can't prove it, just seems like he has an 0-2 count more than any player in MLB. He'll swing and miss at change-up in the dirt, then watch a fastball go by across the middle of the plate.

 

Happens to every play I know, but it seems to happen to McGehee virtually every AB.

[Warning Track Power]

He's dipping his shoulder and popping the ball up everytime. He should try and go opposite field the next few atbats.

I mentioned this in another thread a week or so ago...Watch his right shoulder tonight. It seems like his first move is to lift his left shoulder while simultaneously dipping his right shoulder. I don't have video to prove he hasn't done this before, but it is fairly evident and doesn't look like a very natural move.

[TheCrew07]

Players with limited athleticism like Brady Clark and Casey McGehee have a tougher time making physical adjustments, which is probably why they fade away quickly when they lose it.

 

I don't think he's done, he'll start hitting again, but if he doesn't start putting some work into his body I don't believe he has much of a future, not that I ever believed he was as good as he appeared in 2009 or even 2010.

[AJAY]

Two reasons for the struggles:

 

1) Casey is not standing close enough to the plate. Every pitcher is pitching him over the outside corner and he seems to be reaching out and not squaring up on the ball. If he moved 2 inches closer to the plate, he would be fine.

 

 

2) He lost too much weight this winter. He doesn't have the same body mass to generate the power that he used to have.

[CheezWizHed]

It's clearly his elbow.

 

I wrote up a post like this earlier today, but then passed. Should have left it. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[DHonks]

To me Casey is just flying open with his front side. He's driving plenty of balls to the outfield, but they're all landing as outs. He's used to go to all fields more, but not so much lately

[Gobias Industries]

Two reasons for the struggles:

 

1) Casey is not standing close enough to the plate. Every pitcher is pitching him over the outside corner and he seems to be reaching out and not squaring up on the ball. If he moved 2 inches closer to the plate, he would be fine.

 

 

2) He lost too much weight this winter. He doesn't have the same body mass to generate the power that he used to have.

Is this supposed to be in blue?

 

I pretty much agree with Briggs. He's rarely turned on any inside fastballs this year...something he was mighty capable of the last couple of years. The guy has basically become a 270 lb singles hitter....not a good recipe for success.

 

He's kind of suffering from the same thing Hardy did in 09 and Weeks did in early 08. Start off crushing the ball in April but with little to no results. After a decent amount of time, that can be draining and can create bad habits. Then you start to earn your bad results.

 

It would also be a little bit easier to come out of a slump if he had any chance of beating out an IF hit. That's why I find ajay's number 2 especially puzzling if he's being serious. He's getting slower each year.

[topper09er]

just seems like he has an 0-2 count more than any player in MLB.

I was interested in this an I tried to look it up and here is the best I could find, there have been 37,121 PA so far this season and 7091 PA that have started 0-2 across all the NL for 19.1%. (this includes all following counts after 0-2). It was 19.0% for the NL last season.

 

McGehee has started with 44 0-2 counts over 244 PA for only 18.0 %, so he is not even in the top half of NLers for most 0-2 counts seen.

[Hammer]

I still think that he has lost some pop due to the new roid testing. If there ever was a Brewer to look at Casey would be that guy for me.