Edouard Julien Once more | FanGraphs Baseball

Again in February, I wrote (and sang) in regards to the electrical debut of Edouard Julien, which featured glorious plate self-discipline and excessive platoon splits. The rookie second baseman ran a 136 wRC+ and put up 2.8 WAR in simply 109 video games, then hit even higher within the postseason. Dealing with a gradual food regimen of righties, Julien balanced out a precipitously excessive strikeout price with an excellent higher stroll price. He additionally balanced out roughly common uncooked energy by hitting the ball exhausting constantly. This season, nevertheless, his strikeout price has gone from excessive to untenable and his contact high quality has taken a major step again. Julien was despatched all the way down to Triple-A St. Paul to determine issues out in June. Let’s check out what’s happening and the way he would possibly be capable to repair it.

We should always begin by making it clear that Julien’s season, whereas disappointing, has not been disastrous by any means. He has a 93 wRC+, together with a a lot improved 98 wRC+ in opposition to left-handed pitching (although as soon as once more it’s an especially small pattern measurement). He’s additionally improved his protection, and in consequence, he’s put up 0.8 WAR over his 63 video games with Minnesota. Prorated out over a full 162-game season, he’s proper round league common at 2.1 WAR.

Julien’s demotion got here from a confluence of things. The Twins are preventing for a Wild Card spot, so each win issues and there wasn’t a lot time to attend for Julien to determine issues out, particularly with so many different good choices obtainable. Twins infielders have amassed 11.9 WAR this season, third most in baseball. The opposite issue was Julien himself. The crew believed the younger participant had the maturity to take the demotion as an opportunity to get again on observe with out letting it shake his confidence. The Twins communicate glowingly of Julien, and so they had religion that he would determine issues out and slug his approach again to Minneapolis. In spite of everything, he was despatched down twice in 2023 and responded effectively to it, closing out the season with a 142 wRC+ after being referred to as up for good on June 10.

Sadly, that plan was considerably derailed by accidents. Only a few weeks in the past, when Julien was introduced again as much as fill in for the plantar fasciitis-plagued Carlos Correa, he had run a 30% strikeout price and .323 slugging proportion with St. Paul. That’s not horrible, however it’s not slugging your approach again onto the roster both, and the crew despatched him again down just some days later. Little question the Twins would have most well-liked to let him preserve engaged on issues relatively than yo-yoing him between the minors and majors.

Let’s begin by Julien’s swing. As Esteban Rivera wrote again in February, Julien has one of many steepest vertical bat angles within the majors, that means that his bat is commonly diagonal relatively than perpendicular to the bottom. That diagonal bat path helps Julien crush fastballs from righties, because it matches the airplane of their motion. Esteban in contrast Julien to Freddie Freeman, who has an identical VBA, however famous that the 2 gamers obtain it very in a different way: “Julien makes use of extra aggressive actions to get to totally different pitch heights, whereas Freeman shifts his shoulder airplane and avoids extra drastic physique changes.” Julien takes ferocious cuts, and his aggressive motion consists of an excessive sideways tilt to his torso, even on pitches on the prime of the zone. Have a look at the angle of his belt in comparison with the angle of his shoulders. Oftentimes, his head is almost parallel to the bottom for the time being of contact.

There’s no disgrace in having much less barrel variability than Freeman; so does nearly all people else on earth. Nonetheless, when you’re a right-handed pitcher, seeing that excessive tilt on swing after swing provides you a reasonably clear plan of assault. In an effort to keep away from that bat path, you’re going to throw extra breaking balls and fewer fastballs and changeups. Whenever you do throw a four-seamer, you’re going to be sure to find it on the prime of the zone, ideally inside, the place a flatter bat path and angle are required. That’s simply what has occurred.

Julien’s whiff price in opposition to offspeed pitches has jumped from 41.6% final 12 months to 51.2% this season. When pitchers have thrown four-seamers, they’ve completed a significantly better job of getting them at or above the highest of the zone, as you may see within the warmth maps under. (In all of the graphics to comply with, 2023 is on the left and 2024 is on the appropriate.)

Clearly, there’s a guide on Julien now. This season, his edge price, the share of extraordinarily hard-to-handle pitches on the sting of the strike zone, has elevated from 40.4% to 44.5%. That’s one of many largest leap within the league. A few of that enhance most likely comes from easy dangerous luck, however some comes from the truth that pitchers are not seeing a rookie and difficult him with fastballs over the guts of the plate till he proves that he can deal with them. The league has adjusted to Julien, and it’s nonetheless his flip to regulate again.

When you’ve been watching Julien carefully this season, one factor has absolutely jumped out at you: the referred to as strikeouts. He’s come to the plate simply 209 occasions, however his 39 referred to as strikeouts are tied for fourth most in baseball. That makes his 18.7% referred to as strikeout price the very best within the majors. The one different participant above 11% is Cavan Biggio, who has now been DFA’d by two groups this season. Plate self-discipline has been Julien’s calling card since he was a freshman operating a 15% stroll price at Auburn, however this season, he’s swinging much less total and the pitches he’s swinging at have modified.

Julien is swinging at fewer pitches within the zone and extra at pitches exterior the zone. Taking so many extra hittable pitches has dropped his SEAGER rating from the 92nd percentile to the 52nd. In different phrases, final 12 months, he made among the greatest swing choices in baseball, however this 12 months he’s barely above common. The largest change within the desk above comes on Julien’s contact price exterior the zone, and it’s additionally one of many largest year-to-year shifts in baseball. Usually talking, making much less contact on pitches exterior the zone isn’t essentially a nasty factor; it’s usually higher to whiff than to make a positive out by hitting a nasty pitch weakly. However Julien’s whiff price on these pitches may be very practically the very best in baseball, and it illustrates the issue. Final 12 months, when he chased, he was in a position to foul the ball off practically 1 / 4 of the time. This 12 months, he’s fouling off simply 16% of them. It’s not simply that he’s chasing extra; it’s that extra usually, he’s chasing pitches he doesn’t have an opportunity at hitting.

Passivity isn’t nearly swing choices. It’s additionally about attacking the baseball. Julien’s exit velocity numbers have fallen, his line drive price has seen one of many largest drops in baseball, and his pull price has nosedived as effectively. Right here’s what that appears like in a twig chart.

Have a look at the house runs in magenta. Final season, Julien’s homers have been cut up evenly between left and proper area. This season, he has simply two pulled house runs. In reality, he has simply 4 pulled fly balls whole! Right here’s what those self same spray charts appear to be if we isolate pulled balls.

This 12 months, if he hits a ball exhausting to the pull aspect, he’s hitting it proper on the second baseman. His groundball price on pulled balls was round 66% final 12 months, however this season it’s practically at 80%. Hardly something has even made it onto the outfield grass, and Julien hasn’t ripped a double down the appropriate area line or into the hole in proper middle all season lengthy. His common exit velocity on pulled balls has dropped by an infinite 5.2 mph, and his barrel price has fallen from 11.6% all the best way to 2.7%

Check out that final column. When he goes the opposite approach, Julien’s common exit velocity has elevated by greater than 5 factors. In response to Baseball Savant’s run values, Julien was price 16 runs when he hit the ball the opposite approach in 2023, tied for eighth most in baseball even if he solely had 408 plate appearances. This season, his swing is one way or the other much more geared for reverse area contact. Nonetheless, he’s additionally been much less productive when he hits the ball to left. You may see why when you look under in any respect the additional grey within the launch angle graph on the appropriate. He’s hitting extra lazy fly balls and fewer line drives.

To my eye, the downturn in swing choices, contact high quality, and pull price go hand in hand. They communicate to a participant who’s caught in between; he’s late on fastballs and early on delicate stuff. Listed here are warmth maps of Julien’s common exit velocity this season and final 12 months.

You may see that his blissful zone has moved from the center of the plate to the surface. Extra importantly, it’s additionally gotten a lot narrower. There’s darkish blue on the perimeters of the strike zone, particularly the within nook. That change is much more stark when you take a look at his slugging proportion on balls in play within the graphs under. Julien doesn’t have a sizzling zone anyplace within the backside third of the zone, and he’s ice chilly on the inside third.

This season, the one a part of the strike zone the place Julien has been ready drive the ball constantly is up and away. However now check out warmth maps of his swing charges. Final season, he was searching for pitches over the center and hitting them exhausting. This 12 months, he’s searching pitches up and in, the spot the place he’s been making the weakest contact.

That’s not a coincidence. Earlier I confirmed you a chart that depicted pitchers elevating their four-seamers and bringing them inside extra usually. Julien is simply following the fastballs, which is sensible, as even on this down 12 months, he’s nonetheless been nice in opposition to them. Nonetheless, that pattern has affected his swing choices in opposition to different pitches too. Listed here are his swing charges in opposition to breaking and offspeed pitches. He’s nonetheless way more targeted on the inside third.

The tip result’s that there’s much more space within the strike zone the place Julien can’t deal with a pitch and appears all too prepared to take referred to as strikes. There are a number of delicate advantages to searching pitches over the center of the plate. To begin with, pitchers throw the ball over the center type of so much. When you’re a pitcher concentrating on anybody spot on the sting of the strike zone, a small miss leaves you close to the center. This season, 26.7% of all pitches have been within the coronary heart of the zone, and throughout the pitch-tracking period, that price has by no means as soon as fallen under 25%. However, when you cut up the strike zone into thirds by top (higher third, belt excessive, decrease third) and width (inside, center, exterior) no location has ever had a price above 20.1%. When you’re searching for pitches over the guts of the plate, you’ve acquired a greater likelihood of getting the pitch you’re searching for. The second purpose is that when you’re searching for pitches over the center, something near your candy spot remains to be in a hittable location. Searching for pitches over the center leaves you in a position to deal with a bigger proportion of the strike zone. Whenever you’re all the time searching pitches in a single nook, you’re writing off an entire portion of the zone. Pitchers have been blissful to oblige Julien, throwing him extra pitches away and down and in.

Right here’s one thing I wrote again in Might: “For some time now, I’ve suspected that there’s a super degree of aggression for every batter. When you’re too aggressive, you’re going to finish up placing out approach an excessive amount of and making poor contact on pitches which are exhausting to barrel up. When you’re too passive, you’ll let loads of hittable pitches go by, and whenever you do swing, you’ll be much less prone to assault the ball and get your A-swing off. That steadiness level is totally different for every hitter.” Because the possessor of one of many recreation’s greatest batting eyes, Julien’s superb degree of aggression will possible depart him with one of many decrease swing charges within the league. However even by his requirements, it positive looks as if he’s veered too far towards passivity this season. He’s letting hittable pitches go by, and when he does swing, he’s letting the ball get so deep that he can’t drive it the best way he did final 12 months.

If there’s one factor that the brand new bat monitoring knowledge has made clear to me, it’s the significance of attacking the baseball out in entrance of the plate. Your bat retains accelerating because it travels via the strike zone. That’s why pulled balls, the place contact essentially occurs farther out in entrance, have larger exit velocities and higher outcomes. If I labored for the Twins, I might do a pair issues. First, I might do a celebration dance, as a result of it looks as if it could be very cool to work for the Twins. Second, I might encourage Julien to assault the baseball. I’d inform him to deal with catching the ball out in entrance throughout his pregame work, to get a really feel for turning on the ball and driving it once more, and for dropping his bat head on pitches on the backside of the zone. I’d additionally give him an project. I’d inform him that for a number of video games, he ought to swing away and neglect about ready for the appropriate pitch. I’d say, “I do know you have got an important eye, however I don’t wish to see you’re taking a stroll for the subsequent three video games. I simply need you to go up there and keep in mind what it feels wish to assault the ball, even when it means loads of swinging strikeouts.”

Clearly, the Twins know Julien’s swing and his head significantly better than I do, and I can’t think about they might do something as reckless because the stunt I simply described. I’m positive there are way more cheap methods to assist him reset each his method and his swing. Nonetheless, it’s vital to take into account that Julien’s recreation is all the time going to be one thing of a tightrope stroll. Even when he’s at his greatest, his recreation options loads of strikeouts and walks, which signifies that his success can be very BABIP-dependent and he’ll run extra cold and warm than most hitters. As a result of he doesn’t make extraordinarily loud contact, he must hit the ball exhausting and within the air constantly. He gained’t be capable to do this if he’s not swinging at his pitch and if he’s not taking his trademark max-effort reduce.

It’s vital to do not forget that up to now in his younger profession Julien has performed simply 172 video games and made 617 PAs on the massive league degree. In different phrases, he has barely greater than a season’s price of expertise. We’re coping with small pattern sizes, particularly this 12 months. Julien was possible due for a bit little bit of regression, and whereas it’s by no means encouraging to see a participant battle, this downturn hasn’t actually modified my thoughts about his batting eye or his ceiling. I’m impressed by how effectively he’s managed to carry out regardless of the pretty excessive adjustments beneath the hood. Since his return to Triple-A on the finish of July, Julien has a 121 wRC+, and he’s at the moment driving a seven-game hit streak, together with a homer on Tuesday. Nonetheless, he’s placing out so much, and there’s positively extra work to do earlier than the Twins can ensure that he’ll be capable to assist them down the stretch and, sure, rule once more.