Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is not swinging at strikes often enough, letting them go more than half the time, the South Florida Sun Sentinel noted. That's a big problem for the slugger because he is seeing pitches in the strike zone at the lowest rate in the majors, according to FanGraphs.com.
Only 30 percent of the pitches Stanton sees are strikes, so he cannot afford to be passive at the plate. He is actually swinging at out-of-the-zone pitches more frequently, but barely at a higher rate than he did last year. Although Stanton can't force opposing pitchers to stop pitching around him, his reluctance to go after strikes is troubling.
We are still looking at small samples, which can produce extreme results. But if Stanton's low swing rate in the zone persists, it may be time to reevaluate him. If he reverses the trend, then it's time to buy low on Stanton.