War on strikeouts continued at the Union-Tribune

On June 22, San Diego Union Tribune writer Tom Krasovic published an article covering the year long ineptitude of the San Diego Padres.  Of course, any writer could find evidence of this printed on a bottle of baby powder, the way the team’s poor play slaps viewers across the face. Unfortunately Krasovic chose to stretch the limits of traditional statistical analysis by addressing the rather infamous topic of hitting with runners in scoring position.  To throw fuel on the fire, he mixes that with some hot strikeout hating action. Compared with the National League average, [the Padres] are 13 percent more likely to strike out with a man in scoring position. One short line, no big deal, right?  The problem, is he is dead wrong. Tom Krasovic is the UT’s expert. He misinformed readers who trust him to teach important statistical concepts and instruct fans about the game. Strikeouts We’ve covered the strikeout controversy already.  Mark Grant’s crit...