Rangers' Elvis Andrus: Resistant to statistical analysis
Andrus is being challenged by manager Chris Woodward to be more productive offensively, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Andrus hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Tuesday's win over the Astros, but prior to that at-bat, he'd hit three meek grounders, two of which ended in double plays. Andrus, who has the fifth lowest OPS (.680) over the last three seasons among hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances, has been resistant to the statistical analysis the Rangers have offered and laments the increasing reliance on metrics in baseball as a whole. "The toughest thing for me is to not to believe my instincts during the game and to actually believe more in a piece of paper, or report," he said. "That's where the game is right now. I think that's what I've been a little hard-headed about." Woodward, a statistically-inclined manager, has given the 12-year veteran data that indicates opposing pitchers know his power zones, and they avoid them when pitching to him. As a result, Andrus has chased or taken defensive swings and experienced an offensive decline. Texas could decide to move on from Andrus and has candidates such as Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Anderson Tejeda ready to fill in.
