The new television season has “The X Factor,” the latest effort from the creators of “American Idol.” The just-concluded 2011 Nationals season had “The K Factor,” though it wasn’t the kind of show that builds much of an audience. As a team, the Nationals struck out 1,323 times in 2011, most in the majors. That’s like two everyday players striking out every time they came to the plate all season. Granted, it’s 200 less than the Arizona Diamondbacks whiffed in 2010, but that club lost 97 games en route to finishing last in the NL West. This year’s Diamondbacks whittled that number down by 280 strikeouts and won their division. It wasn’t all due to the decreasing punch outs, obviously, but that certainly was a factor.
That the Nationals finished the year 80-81 is a sterling tribute to the performance of the pitching staff, which finished the year with a cumulative ERA of 3.58, sixth-best in the NL and only about a half-run higher than the first-place Phillies. Had this club had any consistent hitting over the last six months, they’d be looking at a win total closer to 90 than to 80.
No one actually goes to the plate intending to strike out, but it’s pretty apparent that there’s little stigma attached to it any more. Long gone are the days of hitters like Nellie Fox, who never struck out as many as 20 times in a season, or Joe Sewell, who whiffed only 114 times in his entire 14-year career. They’re both in Cooperstown, but even some fairly weak hitters did a better job of protecting the plate. The late Ed Brinkman, a longtime local favorite with the expansion Senators, was only a .224 career hitter but topped the century mark in strikeouts only one time in his career.
We used to think Frank Howard struck out a lot, but his 162-game average was “only” 125 strikeouts.
Washington’s double-play combo of Danny Espinosa and Ian Desmond combined for 305 strikeouts this year, far too many. Espinosa edged Jayson Werth for the team lead in strikeouts, 166-160. Michael Morse’s breakout season featured 126 whiffs. And despite a stint on the disabled list and fewer than 400 at-bats, Rick Ankiel managed to strike out 96 times in 2011.
Ex-Nat Adam Dunn told me a couple of years ago that, in his mind, a strikeout was “just another out,” but then Dunn is an acknowledged master of the genre. The only “good” strikeout is the one that comes with men on base and less than two out; better one out than a double-play ball.
“The K Factor” will never be a ratings smash, but bringing it under control will go a long way toward increasing viewership on South Capitol Street.
Examiner columnist Phil Wood is a baseball historian and contributor to MASN’s Nats Xtra. Contact him at [email protected].
