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Detroit Tigers: Take a Sad Stat and Make It Better

By Roger Castillo

DETROIT, MI - JULY 29: Niko Goodrum #28 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates with a foot tap with JaCoby Jones #21 of the Detroit Tigers after a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park on July 29, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JULY 29: Niko Goodrum #28 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates with a foot tap with JaCoby Jones #21 of the Detroit Tigers after a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park on July 29, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 08: Niko Goodrum #28 of the Detroit Tigers hits a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 8, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 08: Niko Goodrum #28 of the Detroit Tigers hits a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 8, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Niko Goodrum Average Shortstop Strikeout Rate

Chris Brown:

The league average strikeout rate for shortstops is just 20.8%. What happens if we take Niko Goodrum’s 38.8% strikeout rate and drop it to average?

Well, that drops his raw strikeout totals from 50 in 129 plate appearances to just 27, so now we have 23 more batting events to examine. At Goodrum’s current walk-rate (10.1%) and BABIP (.263), this average K-rate would result in 2 more walks and 6 more hits. Just over half of Goodrum’s hits this season have gone for extra bases (5 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers), so we’ll give him 3 singles, 2 doubles, and a homer.

Niko Goodrum with a league-average strikeout rate would raise his slash line from .186/.264/.381 to .243/.325/.478, and provide about 7 more runs of offense to the team. FanGraphs grades Goodrum as the 2nd best shortstop defender this season, so with this new offense he’d be worth about 1.1 WAR, making him roughly as valuable as Carlos Correa and Fransico Lindor have been this season. That would be helpful.

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