Dave Roberts issues warning to Andy Pages ahead of Royals game
· Yahoo Sports
Andy Pages is undoubtedly one of the best players on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now in his third season with the organization, he has fully broken out.
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He earned his first All-Star selection for his performance both in the batter’s box and defensively in the outfield. Across 118 games, he has posted a .270 batting average, .337 on-base percentage, .794 OPS, 19 home runs and 76 RBIs.
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However, Pages does have his flaws, and the biggest problem he has had this year involves one of MLB’s biggest changes, the Automated Ball-Strike system.
Pages has challenged 24 total pitches this season and has been successful just 11 times, a 46% success rate that falls below the league average of 48%.
He has also routinely challenged pitches early in games at moments where the run expectancy does not change much even if the call is overturned, making the challenges feel wasteful rather than strategic.
His ABS decisions have started to frustrate manager Dave Roberts, who issued a warning before Tuesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, according to Jack Harris of the California Post.
Roberts and the coaching staff have addressed several players, including Pages, about ABS challenge usage. Roberts also admitted the team is weighing whether they could potentially ban individual players from challenging altogether if the results do not improve.
His comments make sense considering how the league has adapted to the ABS system. According to Baseball Savant, catchers have had a significantly higher success rate at 59% when challenging pitches.
Banning hitters, especially ones who struggle with identifying the right moment to challenge, could be a smart approach moving forward.
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