There's something I've noticed about Tank's splits over the years and I check again today...and voila. Every full season in the major leagues, he's hit significantly worse at home. It just seems like a thing that, at this point, can't be attributed to chance. Let's look at the numbers:

 

2012:

Home - .240/.276/.422, 13HR, 42RBI, 3.6BB%/25.4K%, 81 wRC+

Away - .273/.326/.467, 12HR, 36RBI, 6.8BB%/18.6K% 116 wRC+

 

2013:

Home - .261/.303/.379, 5HR, 20RBI, 6.1BB%/20.2K%, 80 wRC+

Away - .270/.306/.470, 9HR, 36RBI, 4.1BB%/21.2K%, 111 wRC+

 

2014:

Home - .230/.283/.333, 2HR, 10RBI, 6.9BB%/20.7K%, 63 wRC+

Away - .263/.315/.474, 6HR, 17RBI, 6.1BB%/20.0K%, 117 wRC+

 

Career:

Home - .256/.299/.405, 24HR, 85RBI, 5.3BB%/22.4K%, 85 wRC+

Away - .265/.311/.450, 29HR, 95RBI, 5.5BB%/20.2K%, 108 wRC+

 

The splits are within 13 PA of each other, so it isn't as if he's gotten more playing time in one place than another. He's about 7% more likely to a lefty on the road

 

Remember that wRC+ is a league and ballpark adjusted statistic, so it isn't a matter of trying to declare the Cell a worse ballpark to hit in. It seems as if, despite the fact the Cell is a great hitters park, his raw numbers are slightly worse.

 

Here's the closest I can come to explaining it:

Home vs L, career - 192 PA

Away vs L, career - 218 PA

 

Home vs R, career - 585 PA

Away vs R, career - 550 PA

 

Does that explain the difference in numbers? You tell me. It seems really close, but he's basically a handful of homers and singles away from being pretty similar I suppose. Any other theories? Random chance despite the sample size?

I mean there's the obvious comment that guys try too hard to hit homers at the cell. What your research tells me is that tank has yet to take a step forward.

Something with the hitter's backdrop?

 

Didn't/doesn't this happen with Beckham as well...Quentin?

 

 

Or, conspiracy theory, he's trying to get traded and will become an All-Star once he leaves Chicago.

Has any team ever employed a home/road platoon??

The problem is caused by women.

Has any team ever employed a home/road platoon??

 

Ed Whitson is the name that comes to mind.

The problem is caused by women.

 

Isn't every problem?

Interesting observation. What's his BABIP/xBABIP at home? The K/BB rates are surprisingly similar considering the huge disparity in production.

I'm no hitting coach, but it's pretty obvious he tries to blast the ball as far as he can every time to the plate. He never adjusts to the count. He swings as hard as he can and has connected only nine times. He'll probably wind up with 18-20 homers and hit .240. That's not very valuable. Get rid of him.

I'm no hitting coach, but it's pretty obvious he tries to blast the ball as far as he can every time to the plate. He never adjusts to the count. He swings as hard as he can and has connected only nine times. He'll probably wind up with 18-20 homers and hit .240. That's not very valuable. Get rid of him.

 

He did his best work earlier this year when he was shorter and looking to right-center. He stayed on the ball much longer, and it showed.

He did his best work earlier this year when he was shorter and looking to right-center. He stayed on the ball much longer, and it showed.

 

On one hand he's clearly worked on laying off garbage outside and up. On the other hand, he clearly still has major holes in his swing. It's way too long most of the time. For a guy with great bat speed he has a hard time pulling the damn ball with power.

 

I just don't think he'll ever put it together outside of maybe one fluke year or two in his career. And by "fluke year" I'm talking like 270/320/480, hardly the sort of line you wait around for.

Tank chronically lets the ball get too deep. Even his grounders to short, which is his go-to sort of out lately, are from mistiming. You can tell particularly because they are usually chopped. You can handle seeing the ball deep when he is pounding balls to the opposite field, but even when people were highly optimistic about him, they were hoping he'd learn to catch the ball out front.