Baseball's Best Two-Strike Sluggers in 2012

When a batter gets down to his last strike, he's usually cooked. Hitters have a .178 average, a .244 on-base percentage and a .273 slugging percentage in two-strike counts this season. That's Brendan Ryan Lite. But a select few have managed to inflict pain on pitchers even with their backs against the wall. Who are baseball's best two-strike sluggers?

Here are the hitters with the highest slugging percentage in two-strike counts this season:

Batter	Two-Strike Slugging Pct.
Andrew McCutchen	.573
David Ortiz	.539
Ryan Braun	.511
Prince Fielder	.500
Jed Lowrie	.469
Edwin Encarnacion	.460
Adam Jones	.458
David Wright	.449
Alex Rios	.437
Mark Teixeira	.435

McCutchen has hit a major league-best 14 home runs in two-strike counts. Here's a hint to opposing pitchers: Don't try to challenge Cutch's quick wrists with a two-strike pitch inside.

McCutchen's two-strike slugging percentage by location

Average two-strike slugging percentage by location

Ortiz, meanwhile, is mauling most two-strike offerings thrown below the letters:

Ortiz's two-strike slugging percentage by location

Braun, like McCutchen, has been an inside slugger when he doesn't have a strike to spare:

Braun's two-strike slugging percentage by location

Braun's no one-year wonder, either: He has consistently drilled two-strike pitches. Braun has the highest two-strike slugging percentage in the majors since 2008. Papi also makes an appearance in the top ten:

Batter	Two-Strike Slugging Pct.
Ryan Braun	.428
Albert Pujols	.422
Troy Tulowitzki	.420
David Ortiz	.402
Prince Fielder	.401
Robinson Cano	.401
Jason Kipnis	.398
Allen Craig	.389
Fernando Tatis	.388
Aramis Ramirez	.384