Stat of the Year So Far
Most Major League hitters SUCK when the count gets to 0-2. Want a case in point? Albert Pujols, who's hitting .308 overall and is generally regarded as the best all-around hitter in baseball, bats .226 in ABs that start out 0-2. When he puts the ball in play (or strikes out) ON 0-2 PITCHES THEMSELVES, his average is .167. And that's totally normal...

Unless your name is David Wright. Wright's average after the count goes to 0-2? It's .324! "Okay," you say, "So what's HIS average when he puts the ball in play (or strikes out) ON 0-2 PITCHES?" In other words, if David Wright's AB ends while the count is still 0-2, what is his batting average? The answer: .556. He's 5-for-11 (with a homer) in those situations. If you need any more indication that he's the best 2-strike hitter in baseball, you need to have an alcoholic beverage filled with stiffness and rigidity.

Okay, okay, Joe Mauer and Ichiro are good after the count gets to 0-2 as well. So is Scott Rolen. All these guys have ridiculously high averages, just like Wright. But seriously, click on those situational stats the next time you're browsing Yahoo Sports or ESPN.com. It's really a good one to look at.

Look away now if you're squeamish about anti-Alex Rodriguez numbers and stories. His average after the count gets to 0-2? .158.

But A-Rod CAN take solace in the fact that he's hitting over .300 this year with runners in scoring position and two outs.