MLB
Matt Carpenter had a rough first month of the season to say the least. In April he slashed .155/.305/.274, with a 66 wRC+, on 13 total hits. Of those 13 hits, seven were singles, four were doubles, and two home runs. Since the calendar flipped to May though, Carp has been turning things around.
Turning Things Around
In 15 games in May, Carpenter is hitting .260/.351/.480 with a .364 BABIP and a 129 wRC+. In other words, he’s been Matt Carpenter. This month, in ten fewer games than last month, Carp already has three more extra base hits with eight doubles and a home run. He also has four singles to equal his hit total from the opening month. He’s only raised his average to .194 for the season, and still has a below average wRC+ at 89, but he is definitely turning things around.
A Deeper Look
Of the 14 starts Carpenter has made in May, 8 of them have been at home against right handed pitchers. This season, Carp’s best numbers have been against right handers at home. In that scenario, he has a slash line of .260/.351/.480, a 122 wRC+, a .351 wOBA, with two of his three home runs, seven of 12 doubles, and six of 11 singles.
The fact that the Carp has been hitting against mostly right handers at home could certainly have something to do with his recent success. Other factors could include his line drive, fly ball, and ground ball percentages, as well as his hard hit percentage.
In May, Carp’s hitting 2.3% less groundballs in favor of line drives. He’s also hitting the ball the other way more often. In April he hit 45% to right, 33.3% to center, and just 21.7% to left. This month he is spreading the ball out much better, hitting 44.1% to right, 29.4% to center, and 26.5% to left. Carp is hitting the ball softly 4.9% more often this month, but he’s also getting a lot more hard hit balls. Since May 1st, his hard hits and medium hits have nearly flipped. His percentages for April were 56.7% medium and 36.7% hard hit, versus 29.4% medium and 58.8% hard hit this month.
All of these things combined are good indicators for why Carpenter is turning things around the way he is. They also seem to show that he has a better approach at the plate. Based on these numbers, Carp is trying to hit the ball on a line more often and use all parts of the field, which is leading to harder hit balls and more doubles.
Looking Ahead to the Royals
The upcoming series should be a good one for Matt to keep going in the right direction. Most fans know how well Marp hits in interleague play. The Royals have a lot to do with that, as some of his best success has come at their expense.
In 25 career games against Kansas City, Carpenter has a slash line of .365/.461/.635. He’s also got a BABIP of .380 and an OPS+ of 162. Of his 35 hits against the Royals, 15 have been for extra bases, nine doubles, one triple, and five home runs. Carp has been a run producer in the I-70 series as well, scoring 19 runs and driving in 19. All his numbers against Kansas City, plus three matchups with right handers at Busch Stadium, make this series a perfect storm for Carpenter.
This article was originally written by former TSJ101SPORTS MLB Department editor and writer Canyon Clark. Due to systems modalities, the article has been assigned to the author tag designation “Former Writers”.
