Chicago White Sox: Yasmani Grandal’s impressive May batting line

Part of the reason why batting average has fallen out of favor is that it is not a true measure of a player’s success. Yes, a .300 batting average is nice, but if the player is not drawing walks or hitting for power, that number becomes hollow. In the case of Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal, the opposite is true, where his low batting average for May hides his production.

One would even assume that he has not played much this month based on his batting average. He has just two hits in 14 at bats heading into Friday, a relatively low amount for a player that is supposed to be the White Sox starting catcher. But there is more here than meets the eye.

Yasmani Grandal producing for Chicago White Sox in May

There is the matter of those two hits by Grandal. Both were homers, leading to an entertaining .000 batting average on balls in play for the month. While he does get a hit for both homers, they are technically not considered in play because they went over the fence, leading to that .000 mark.

Grandal has also been an on base machine in May. He has drawn 16 walks already this month, one less than Tim Anderson, Nick Madrigal, and Yermin Mercedes have combined for all season. Those walks have led to a .581 on base percentage this month, as he leads the majors in both walks and OBP for May.

Usually, a catcher is not considered for their on base skills. They are slow runners, clogging the bases. Grandal does have 11 steals in his career, so he is not exactly a slug on the basepaths, but this is not Billy Hamilton either. However, those walks have plenty of value as he is getting pitchers to increase their pitch counts and potentially get to the bullpen faster.

This value is somewhat hidden. The idea that Grandal has just two hits in 14 at bats in May is easier to comprehend, leading to the idea that he has somewhat struggled this month. That is not the case at all, as he has been laying off those pitches outside the zone and taking walks as they come. Sometimes, there is value in doing nothing.

Yasmani Grandal has been much more than his batting average for the Chicago White Sox this month. He has, very quietly, had an incredible May.