2022 Diamondbacks: The Best and Worst Hitter on the Road
Best Hitter on the Road: Christian Walker (.856 OPS)
If you didn’t know, Christian Walker is an absolute DAWG. Here is where Walker ranked among first basemen a season ago: 2nd in HRs (36), 7th in RBIs (94), and 9th in OPS (.804). To put those numbers into perspective, Walker had more home runs than baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani, and Blue Jays star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Walker had more RBIs than two top-5 third basemen; Astros Alex Bregman and Braves Austin Riley. Walker also had a higher OPS than Braves tall lefty Matt Olson and Mets crazy-haired shortstop Fransico Lindor.
Surprisingly, Walker was better on the road than at home a season ago. In 80 road games a season ago, Walker slashed .256/.334/.522; bringing his OPS to an impressive .856. In those 80 games, Walker also hit 21 home runs and knocked in 52 runs. What a season for Walker, let’s hope he can keep up the offensive production on the road because offensive production helps ball clubs win games and it is not easy to win games away from home.
Mike Hazan and the front office better figure out how they can come up with the money to resign this man as the end of his contract is on the horizon…
Worst Hitter on the Road: Geraldo Perdomo (.510 OPS)
It is no secret that Perdomo is known for his glove and athletic ability to cover ground in the infield. Last season Perdomo finished with an OAA (Outs Above Average) of 3 ranking him in the top 60 among all infielders. Even though Perdomo is more than capable on the defensive side of the game, if he wants to stay on an MLB roster, he needs to be spending hours in the batting cage…
To say that road games in 2022 were rough for Perdomo might be a little bit of an understatement. In 75 road games, Perdomo slashed .167/.266/.244; bringing his OPS to a weary .510. Trust me, I could not do better, but to have an OPS of .510 through 75 games at the major league level is really bad…
Alek Thomas struggled mightily at home a season ago whereas Perdomo struggled on the road. Both are very young and need a little time to figure out major-league arms. Hopefully, for both, this is their year to do so…