How the game has changed regarding the whiff or the walk of shame after flailing away attempting to hit that tricky white sphere.
Sometimes, it is the embarrassment of taking a heater right down Broadway while expecting a curve. Either way, it is a wasted at-bat. Good or bad things happen when a ball is in play, and the whiff eliminates that option.
The Boston Red Sox are on pace to surpass the team record of 1386 strikeouts in a single season, set in 2021. This will require a cooperative effort by the entire lineup, with four players a lock to finish with 100+. Apparently — unless someone catches fire — Mike Napoli's 187-team record is safe. But a target for the future is Mo Vaughn's 155 by a lefty.
Historically, Boston's Jake Stahl bagged three consecutive American League whiff titles (1908-10). Babe Ruth won a league-best 58 in 1918, and the list has some notable Boston names, but there's been a drought since the last crown was won by Mark Bellhorn (177) in 2004.
The Red Sox are experiencing a whiff of failure at the plate
Ruth is an interesting case. One criticism of Ruth was his strikeouts, but Babe never topped 100 in a single season; he was the career leader (1330) when he retired. Ruth is not even in the top 100, but the list has the Red Sox all-time leader, Dwight Evans (1643). Jim Rice and David Ortiz are behind Evans in second and third place on Boston's career whiff list.
Jarren Duran has an outside shot at leading the AL, but that will require passing over ten other players — a daunting task. But this emphasizes a problem in MLB: lack of contact and a proliferation of strikeouts.
Is it the rise of power pitching or a swing-from-the-heels attitude? It's probably a combination of the two since MLB is turning into Earl Weaver's three-run homer mantra. Where is Big Klu when you need him?
Ted Kluszewski was a lefty slugger of the 1950s with an intriguing stat line over four years (1953-56). Klu hammered 40, 49, 47, and 35 home runs and, in each of those seasons, had fewer whiffs than homers. It can be done.
With the Red Sox, it is all about opportunity, as Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Tyler O'Neill, and Rafael Devers may even be joined by David Hamilton in the 100+ strikeout club when the season is finished. With Duran, Hamilton, and Rafaela, it is lost contact and not getting on base to do their specialty —steal.
If there is good news, it is Boston's 22.2K%, which is twelfth in the AL. This is certainly an area to tighten up in the offseason.