Minnesota Twins: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not, Early Season Edition
By Jordan Ison
After a slow start to the season, Robbie Grossman has hit his stride for the Minnesota Twins.
Not many people expected Robbie Grossman to be getting the playing time he’s gotten so far this season. As a career .254 batter, nobody at all expected him to be put in the designated hitter position. But now he is on the verge of being the starting left fielder, and it seems as if Paul Molitor can’t keep him out of the line-up.
While the numbers may not seem too gaudy, it’s what he’s been able to accomplish at the plate that really makes Robbie stand out.
After a shaky start, Grossman is now batting .286 with an on-base percentage of .444. He has tallied up six walks compared to only five strike-outs. He also has one home-run, and 3 RBI’s in 27 at-bats.
While the numbers may not seem too gaudy, it’s what he’s been able to accomplish at the plate that makes Robbie stand out.
He is excellent at working the pitcher, averaging nearly 6 pitches per at-bat. While working the count can lead to strike-outs in a lot of cases, Grossman’s patience has paid off as he has drawn more walks than strike-outs.
It’s always nice to have a guy in the line-up that isn’t afraid to work the count. Robbie Grossman’s on-base percentage can be used as proof of his patience at the plate. With a .444 OBP, expect to hear Grossman’s name a lot during Twins’ games. If he keeps this pace up, one can only expect him to be an every-day starter very soon.