Is there anything worse in baseball than a bases-loaded walk? You’re just giving the team a free run. Even if you throw the meatiest meatball, there’s a chance the batter might either miss it entirely, or only strike a glancing blow. So far in 2019, the wOBA on a middle-middle fastball is .405. It’s only .449 when the pitcher is behind in the count on that same pitch. On a 3-0 count, it only goes up to .627. A walk is a “free” .700ish wOBA, and when it comes with the bases loaded, there’s no excuse about “not giving in.
Quick hits: Bases-loaded waaalks!
