A high-yield, quick read that is designed to summarize Ben Gamel’s evolution as a Big Leaguer. BREW MATHs ‘mines the data’ to see how Gamel might help The 2019 Milwaukee Brewers… get to know the 2016 International League MVP!
Bats: L, Throws: L / 5-11, 185# / Outfielder
CAREER TRENDS
- LEFT: As Gamel progresses, his plate production (wOBA) and quality of contact improve (BABIP over a large sample size)
- RIGHT: The rate stats all trend in the right direction
- K% goes down
- BB% ‘levels out’ above average
- On-base percentage (OBP) steadily rises
- Gamel did not play as much last year for multiple reasons:
- Denard Span was acquired in a mid-season trade
- He was out the first three weeks of the season with an oblique strain
- Ben Gamel is very good at hitting fastballs (of all varieties)
- He is not good at hitting breaking / offspeed stuff (but he seems to be getting better!):
- Gamel also struggles against left-handed pitching (and therefore is not often used against LHP):
PLATE DISCIPLINE
Follow LINK for BREW MATHsummary of Plate Discipline
- LEFT: Gamel is making contact at a higher rate as time goes on
- RIGHT: BG is whiffing (swinging and missing) progressively less
BATTED BALL STATs
- Line drive percentage (LD%) is consistently above league average and is now sharply on the rise. His career exit velocities echo a similar trend:
Overall, Gamel is a pretty good at protecting the zone and only struggles with pitches in the lower portions:
Keep in mind: Gamel is a left-handed hitter and would be standing on the RIGHT side of these boxes (catcher’s view)
COMPARISONs
Fun to note… Statcast uses career numbers to identify players statistically similar to Gamel, as follows:
Gamel will be trying to fill Domingo Santana’s shoes. This is how the two compare in wOBA, based on age (TOP) and season (BOTTOM):
INTERPRETATIONS / CONCLUSIONs
- Gamel’s sample size is relatively small over his three-year career but large enough to give us some confidence what we are looking at is predictive.
- Gamel has shown flashes of potential but has been limited by injuries and a crowded outfield (there won’t be much room in Milwaukee either)
- When Gamel gets steady reps, he produces at a respectable clip – he clearly is talented and plays with high energy
- Check out his 2017 stats (found at top) when he got regular playing time!
- He’s GOOD at hitting fastballs & against righties
- He’s POOR at hitting breaking stuff & against lefties
- His plate discipline, contact and batted ball stats are all steadily improving across his three-year pro career
- While Gamel is still learning, there should not be a big drop-off from Santana.
- He probably will be utilized in a similar fashion, splitting time between The Bigs and AAA. He is younger, cheaper and faster
- His speed and hustle translate on the field. He makes highlight reel catches look routine
- He probably will be utilized in a similar fashion, splitting time between The Bigs and AAA. He is younger, cheaper and faster
- The Milwaukee Brewers head into 2019 with an embarrassment of riches…