Offense is still down across baseball, just as it has been the past handful of seasons. Joe Maddon believes it's due to the advanced metrics teams are using against hitters, and he's likely right. The Rays are also one of the biggest offenders. "All the stuff that's going on and all this stuff that's talked about, whether it's data, matrixes, all the different stuff that's out there is all slanted toward the pitching and the pitching and the defense," he told MLB.com's Bill Chastain. It's nine men against one every at bat, it only makes sense that the nine will have an advantage. There may not be much an individual hitter can do, but I think someone like Maddon and his ever changing lineup can at least try and gain whatever edge there is against a particular starter.
If there's an edge a hitter, or lineup, can gain I'd bet on Maddon and the Rays front office being the ones to find it.
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