Juan Soto and Manny Machado are still searching for solutions to their season-long slumps. Neither MVP finalist has hit his stride at the plate yet. In fact, both are off to the worst starts of their big league careers.
It is NOT for lack of trying. Both players are spending extra time working on their swings, taking extra batting practice, trying to unlock the production we've seen their entire careers. The answer might be found in baseball's ever-expanding world of analytics.
LISTEN: With NBC 7 San Diego's Darnay Tripp and Derek Togerson behind the mic, On Friar will cover all things San Diego Padres. Interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes...the ups, downs, and everything in between. Tap here to find On Friar wherever you listen to podcasts.
On an off-day edition of the OnFriar Podcast, NBC 7's Derek Togerson and Darnay Tripp do a deep dive into the numbers and find there are some trends that are fairly easy to identify. Basically, we know the what. The tricky part is deciphering the why. Is it approach? Is it mechanical? Is it the pitch clock? Is it simply bad luck in a small sample size?
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
It's interesting analysis that identifies what is happening then tries to answer the most important question: is it fixable, and is there anyone out there who can help?
LISTEN: With NBC 7 San Diego's Darnay Tripp and Derek Togerson behind the mic, On Friar will cover all things San Diego Padres. Interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes...the ups, downs, and everything in between. Tap here to find On Friar wherever you listen to podcasts.