Was Mark McGwire a Slugger or Hitter? Mark finished his career with a .263 batting average. I have always thought of Mark McGwire as a Slugger and not a Hitter. It seemed when Mark was at the plate it was either all are nothing. This pretty much describes the offense of this years Cardinals. They have taken on the characteristics of their hitting coach. It seems the only way they can score runs is by hitting home runs. This team has a tough time scoring runs with runners in scoring position. Many games could have been won with singles, doubles, triples and even squeeze bunts. The team has scored two or less runs in twelve of their seventeen loses. Skip Schumaker, Brendan Ryan and Matt Holliday all worked with Mark McGwire during the past off seasons. Schumaker and Holliday finished with averages over .300 last year, with Brendan Ryan finishing at .292 under the guidance of hitting coach Hal McRae, a lifetime .290 hitter. Schumaker and Ryan are off to horrible starts, and Holliday is not the Holliday of last year. Maybe a little of McGwire during the off season is good, but not as an everyday coach during the regular season. This is McGuire’s first coaching job. Many people have great philosophies on certain subjects, but can they teach it? I hope my current observations are wrong and McGwire becomes a great hitting coach, and the players struggling at this time will go on to have a great season. I don’t consider myself an expert on this subject, but I was a high school hitting coach for fifteen years. Will the Cardinals be sluggers or hitters? Only time will tell.
Paul