Jeter's Needed Rest
David Pinto | Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 7:21PM
Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees improved his hitting since coming off the disabled list on July 4th. Before the injury, Derek could not hit the fastball, producing a .248/.323/.326 slash line on the pitch. If you look at his in play average heat map and spray chart, it becomes very clear that Jeter could not pull the pitch:
Derek Jeter vs. the fastball, 2011 season through June 13th.As Jeter ages, his bat speed should slow, making pulling hard pitches more difficult. After spending three weeks on the disabled list, however, Jeter is pulling the ball more:
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Derek Jeter vs. the fastball, 2011 season, July 4 to August 9.Jeter's offense dropped in 2010, and he worked on his hitting quite a bit over the winter and all through spring training. Could it be he worked too much and wore down? Since returning, Derek's slash line against the fastball stands at .339/.409/.407. He's also getting hits to leftfield again. Maybe his contract won't be a burden after all.
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