Top Hitters with Two Strikes

Most Hits with Two Strikes in 2012

Rank	PLAYER	pa	H	2B	3B	HR
T1	Adam Jones	83	24	3	0	3
T1	Derek Jeter	77	24	6	0	0
3	Josh Reddick	84	23	4	0	0
T4	David Ortiz	73	22	3	0	4
T4	Martin Prado	81	22	4	1	0
T6	Joe Mauer	85	21	4	1	4
T6	Rafael Furcal	76	21	3	0	1
T8	Mark Ellis	79	20	2	0	1
T8	Emilio Bonifacio	100	20	5	1	0
T10	Daniel Murphy	72	19	3	1	0
T10	Ryan Braun	82	19	0	1	1
T10	Bryan LaHair	74	19	4	0	0
T10	Prince Fielder	76	19	7	0	4
T10	Elvis Andrus	81	19	5	0	3
T10	A. J. Ellis	72	19	4	0	4
T10	Dustin Pedroia	83	19	5	2	2
T17	Edwin Encarnacion	89	17	7	0	2
T17	Joey Votto	78	17	4	0	3
T17	Jayson Werth	69	17	2	0	2
T17	Brett Lawrie	76	17	3	0	1
T17	Michael Bourn	92	17	5	0	1
T17	Michael Cuddyer	81	17	1	0	0
T17	Curtis Granderson	92	17	0	0	3
T17	Ian Kinsler	87	17	1	1	1
T17	Nelson Cruz	80	17	2	0	0

Adam Jones has been on fire for the Baltimore Orioles. He's batting .302 with a .591 slugging percentage. And his .397 wOBA is 67 points higher than his 2008-2011 average. Jones is apparently doing much better with two strikes as well, as he's tied with Derek Jeter for the league lead in hits when one pitch away from a strikeout.

In 2011, Jones had 51 hits in two strike counts, and with not even a quarter of the current season finished he's almost half way there. His wOBA with two strikes between 2008 and 2011 was .245. In 2012: .388.

One possible reason for his success this year is that Jones has become more selective when down in the count. Between 2008 and 2011, Jones chased 54.0% of pitches out of the zone with two strikes. This season that number is down to 49.4%. Jones is also making more contact in two strike counts as his miss rate is down to 19.1% from 22.8% between the 2008 and 2011 seasons.

Of course, there's always a little bit of luck involved with balls in play, and Jones is no exception. His BABIP with two strikes is a rather high .408, compared to .312 between 2008 and 2011, and a .298 League Average BABIP with two strikes in 2012.