During the 2014 season, Matt Carpenter began walking a lot. He posted absurd walk rates in the minors, but he took a slightly more aggressive approach when he reached the majors. Or pitchers just challenged him more. Either way, he had 10% walk rates in his first two years. At some point during 2014, it looked like 100 walks was possible, so I started rooting for him to reach 100 walks. At the time, he had a .103 ISO, so walking that much with that little power would be inconceivable. He failed ultimately, topping at 95 walks, but did reach 100 walks twice eventually, once he was an established power hitter.
Seven stats I’ll be following in the 2022 season
