Willy

The last couple of games have made me think about a stat (not even sure it is really a stat) that I never considered before the homers by Hairston and Dickerson the last two evenings. How much of an effect does Willy being on base have on the hitter's at bat? It's been obvious that the pitcher's have been very concerned about Willy on the basepaths and the hitters have got good pitches to hit that have led to home runs. I have always thought that speedsters are better suited for near the bottom of the lineup, where the hitters behind them have lower SLG. Why steal second in front of a guy like Howard or Berkman?. If he does get a hit, he is almost as likely to drive you in from first as from second. If you steal second in front of a hitter like Janish, it gives him a chance to drive you in that he probably would not have with you at first. If it does help the hitters, why not help the hitters who need the most help?Hairston was talking about this the other night when he was being interviewed after hitting his early game HR. He said that with a guy like Willy on base pitchers often revert to what he called a slide step. When they start doing that they are more likely to leave a pitch high in the zone. If you've got a batter that can take advantage of that there is no doubt that if what Hairston is saying is true this would translate into more flyballs and more HRs. I'm sure pitchers are more focused on getting through their motion faster, and even getting the ball to home faster. With a guy like Taveras out there, the difference between a fastball and curveball will make the difference between making a play at 2nd and a no throw as we saw a few days ago.