Veronica Nelson & the lost art of the intentional walk

[radness]

BB appears noticeably higher starting in 2002.
Is that unintentionally actually intentional?!
Hmmm because in a certain count/situation don't want to feed a meaty strike.
The lesser of what could happen is just one base by walking.

 

[radness]

Holy mackerel look 👁👁 at the hit by pitch statistics That Grew massively in 2004.
' let's hand out free bases'
Have commented before about how much the change to the rule of batters not having to move out of the way of errant pitches affected the game. Took away locations from pitchers and gave batters free bases.

 

[Nimrod]

Appears in 2002 Cal won there 1st WCWS.

2003 UCLA won, again.
coached by Sue Enquist who has a lot of nerve walking an elite hitter!

Correct. I meant 'nerve' as a compliment, regardless of whether it was the right move. Takes courage to make that call.

 

[Nimrod]

How much better of a hitter was Nelson than the rest of the team? Yeah Alo was lights out last year but the hitter(s) behind her hit over .400...At some point, statistically, if the gap is big enough between a player and the hitter who hits behind her (in particular if the said hitter cannot run) it probably makes sense to put her on first base in some circumstances.

Here is an analysis (bottom of the page) for Barry Bonds with Edgardo Alfonzo hitting behind him

Using Run Expectancy to Value Intentional Walks - The Data Jocks

We use simulation and the concept of the run expectancy matrix to analyze the value of intentional walks. Our case study is Barry Bonds in 2004.

thedatajocks.com

The lack of intentional walks in recent years probably indicates lineups are much deeper than what they used to be in combination with some recognition that the statistics tell you that in MOST circumstances it doesn't make sense to put a person on 1st base.

Certainly some truth to that. Nelson hit .359 in 2003. Cal had a bunch of singles hitters. Team batting average of .270 is weak by WCWS standards. They hit .162 in OKC. Nelson hit only 13 homers that year, but that's largely because no one pitched to her. She walked an incredible 107 times. Previous year, she hit only 9 homers but walked 108 times.

Another issue w/ Nelson was that she was slow. She didn't hit a double or a triple in 2003. So, she gets one pinch runner. Then, she's on her own. I guess the idea was that Cal couldn't hit Goerl well enough to get her around the bases.

Cal 2003 stats:

NCAA® Career Statistics

 

[_MIA_]

Nelson hit only 13 homers that year, but that's largely because no one pitched to her. She walked an incredible 107 times. Previous year, she hit only 9 homers but walked 108 times.

Wow, how many ABs did she have in those years? I am guessing she probably hit a HR at least every 6 or 7 AB in 2003..(as a comparison Alo hit 34 HR in 183 AB last year, so roughly one for every 5.5 AB)

 

[Nimrod]

Wow, how many ABs did she have in those years? I am guessing she probably hit a HR every 7 or 8 AB in 2003..

She hit 55 HR in 577 at-bats. She walked 395 times.

Cal was in the WCWS in 3 of those seasons, so Cal averaged about 73-74 games per year during Nelson's time.

In 2003, she hit 13 in 117 at-bats, so exactly 1 HR per 9 at-bats.

 

[_MIA_]

In 2003, she hit 13 in 117 at-bats, so exactly 1 HR per 9 at-bats.

I was off a little bit but still impressive considering the bats they used in 2003..

 

[Nimrod]

Here's Nelson as a sophomore driving one out against Jennie Finch.



In case anyone's curious, Nelson is a lawyer today. She's running for district judge in Houston as we speak.

HOME | Veronica Nelson

www.veronicanelsonforjudge.com

Are Veronica Nelson and Jennie Finch really in their 40s now? Can't be.

 

[radness]

Here's Nelson as a sophomore driving one out against Jennie Finch.



In case anyone's curious, Nelson is a lawyer today. She's running for district judge in Houston as we speak.

HOME | Veronica Nelson

www.veronicanelsonforjudge.com

Are Veronica Nelson and Jennie Finch really in their 40s now? Can't be.

OHHH OUCH...
that pitch location,
Gonna guess Jennie knew that was going to happen when she let go of the pitch.

 

[_MIA_]

Here's Nelson as a sophomore driving one out against Jennie Finch.



In case anyone's curious, Nelson is a lawyer today. She's running for district judge in Houston as we speak.

HOME | Veronica Nelson

www.veronicanelsonforjudge.com

Are Veronica Nelson and Jennie Finch really in their 40s now? Can't be.

Heck of a swing..