Odd Tyler Locklear splits.

[Seattle or Bust]

I see so many people saying that you can't call Tyler Locklear up because he would only be able to platoon against lefties and he needs to play every day.

Locklear's stats vs R/L in the minors:

2022: .960 OPS vs R over 94 PA's // .609 OPS vs L over 39 PA's

2023: .944 OPS vs R over 279 PA's // .793 OPS vs L over 96 PA's

2024: .832 OPS vs R over 410 PA's // .788 OPS vs L over 145 PA's

You could literally DFA both Solano and Tellez... start Locklear at 1B always... and start Raley at DH/OF against righties...

But alas... Locklear wasn't an All Star over 50 PA's his rookie year so he's cooked and we're going to roll w. Garver, Solano, Tellez when he can do the job of all 3.

[Donn Beach]

They didn't platoon him last season, would they do it this season? Perhaps if they decided to give him some sort of soft landing. I'm just going to say this. I don't believe FOs see any value in splits, sample size is way too small. Their opinions are based on generally held beliefs. Left handed pitchers are harder to hit for a right handed hitter than right handed pitchers at the ML level

[Seattle or Bust]

They didn't platoon him last season, would they do it this season? Perhaps if they decided to give him some sort of soft landing. I'm just going to say this. I don't believe FOs see any value in splits, sample size is way too small. Their opinions are based on generally held beliefs. Left handed pitchers are harder to hit for a right handed hitter than right handed pitchers at the ML level

Ignoring 600+ PA's worth of data seems to be pretty stupid. Especially when he repeated the same thing in the majors.

Generally held beliefs have led them to a combined 5 for 50 between their current platoon at 1B.

I'm hard pressed to find a platoon they've tried to utilize that has worked?

Certainly hasn't happened at DH and 1B.

[Donn Beach]

I believe 1,500 PAs against a handedness is considered the threshold where splits begin to have value. That their platoons haven't worked really isn't indicative of anything other than their players can't hit. A platoon is essentially trying to make a better player out of two limited players. It doesn't mean it's going to work

. A player with 1,500 plate appearances (PA) against a certain pitcher type is often used as a threshold to consider the split statistically significant.

[Seattle or Bust]

I believe 1,500 PAs against a handedness is considered the threshold where splits begin to have value. That their platoons haven't worked really isn't indicative of anything other than their players can't hit. A platoon is essentially trying to make a better player out of two limited players. It doesn't mean it's going to work

. A player with 1,500 plate appearances (PA) against a certain pitcher type is often used as a threshold to consider the split statistically significant.

Lol ya... every year he hits far better against righties but that's not significant... Ignoring what appears to be a strength of Locklear because of a conceived norm is fucking dumb. He appears to hit both dexterities well, so let him when he gets the chance (it will save you a roster spot). Which likely isn't coming soon b/c Jerry is too proud to admit that he's fucked everything up again.

Re the bolded text: Or maybe it actually does say something about platoons... I don't know what that something is but it's clearly more than "their players can't hit" when it happens repeatedly. Maybe the answer is stop doing them if they're not working.

I mean Jesus... if AJ Pollock isn't case study enough. In 2022 he hit to a .935 OPS vs lefties and a .593 OPS vs righties... the caveat being that he had 250 less at bats against lefties than righties, BUT he got very regular playing time.

The M's then have the genius idea to sign him as a pure platoon bat where he hits for a .363 OPS vs lefties and .725 OPS against righties up against very irregular playing time. Perhaps Pollock wasn't made to platoon... perhaps the athlete in him needed to get more regular at bats to gain a rhythm rather than sitting and then going against a lefty... something he had never done in his career. Basic sports psychology just goes out the window because people were dumb enough to say... "Wow look what he did against lefties last year! He should only do that!"

Solano faced righties at almost double the rate of lefties last year. Was he better against lefties? Sure... so bad that he can't hit righties? No, not even close. .720/.816. The M's again take that and give him 15 AB's vs lefties and 4 AB's vs a righty that mostly happen because a righty reliever comes in.

You have to find what makes an athlete tick. Clearly the M's have done a poor job identifying which players are fit to platoon because it's more complicated than "herrrrr durrrrrr... he hit lefties well last season... so lets have him do a lot more of that."

[Captain 97]

Tyler Locklear in 2024
49 PA .156/.225/.311/.536 -.3 WAR

Solano and Teliz combined in 2025
56 PA .094/.125/.169/.294 -.6 WAR

[GL_Storm]

Have you looked at his home/away stats last year in the minors?

[Donn Beach]

I believe 1,500 PAs against a handedness is considered the threshold where splits begin to have value. That their platoons haven't worked really isn't indicative of anything other than their players can't hit. A platoon is essentially trying to make a better player out of two limited players. It doesn't mean it's going to work

. A player with 1,500 plate appearances (PA) against a certain pitcher type is often used as a threshold to consider the split statistically significant.

Lol ya... every year he hits far better against righties but that's not significant... Ignoring what appears to be a strength of Locklear because of a conceived norm is fucking dumb. He appears to hit both dexterities well, so let him when he gets the chance (it will save you a roster spot). Which likely isn't coming soon b/c Jerry is too proud to admit that he's fucked everything up again.

Re the bolded text: Or maybe it actually does say something about platoons... I don't know what that something is but it's clearly more than "their players can't hit" when it happens repeatedly. Maybe the answer is stop doing them if they're not working.

I mean Jesus... if AJ Pollock isn't case study enough. In 2022 he hit to a .935 OPS vs lefties and a .593 OPS vs righties... the caveat being that he had 250 less at bats against lefties than righties, BUT he got very regular playing time.

The M's then have the genius idea to sign him as a pure platoon bat where he hits for a .363 OPS vs lefties and .725 OPS against righties up against very irregular playing time. Perhaps Pollock wasn't made to platoon... perhaps the athlete in him needed to get more regular at bats to gain a rhythm rather than sitting and then going against a lefty... something he had never done in his career. Basic sports psychology just goes out the window because people were dumb enough to say... "Wow look what he did against lefties last year! He should only do that!"

Solano faced righties at almost double the rate of lefties last year. Was he better against lefties? Sure... so bad that he can't hit righties? No, not even close. .720/.816. The M's again take that and give him 15 AB's vs lefties and 4 AB's vs a righty that mostly happen because a righty reliever comes in.

You have to find what makes an athlete tick. Clearly the M's have done a poor job identifying which players are fit to platoon because it's more complicated than "herrrrr durrrrrr... he hit lefties well last season... so lets have him do a lot more of that."

Sure, I don't disagree and as far as I know neither do the mariners, they haven't been platooning Locklear. Terms of Pollock, that had to do with wanting to platoon kelenic. They needed a player to fill in the other half. Pollock was considered a decent hitter than could manage it. And the reason they wanted to platoon kelenic was the slider. Kelenic can't hit one to save his life. Platooning as I understand it generally comes down to that. Its the one pitch that's really affected by handedness because of the way it's either breaking in or away from the hitter. Curve balls, fast balls, change ups really are more handiness neutral.

[Seattle or Bust]

I believe 1,500 PAs against a handedness is considered the threshold where splits begin to have value. That their platoons haven't worked really isn't indicative of anything other than their players can't hit. A platoon is essentially trying to make a better player out of two limited players. It doesn't mean it's going to work

Lol ya... every year he hits far better against righties but that's not significant... Ignoring what appears to be a strength of Locklear because of a conceived norm is fucking dumb. He appears to hit both dexterities well, so let him when he gets the chance (it will save you a roster spot). Which likely isn't coming soon b/c Jerry is too proud to admit that he's fucked everything up again.

Re the bolded text: Or maybe it actually does say something about platoons... I don't know what that something is but it's clearly more than "their players can't hit" when it happens repeatedly. Maybe the answer is stop doing them if they're not working.

I mean Jesus... if AJ Pollock isn't case study enough. In 2022 he hit to a .935 OPS vs lefties and a .593 OPS vs righties... the caveat being that he had 250 less at bats against lefties than righties, BUT he got very regular playing time.

The M's then have the genius idea to sign him as a pure platoon bat where he hits for a .363 OPS vs lefties and .725 OPS against righties up against very irregular playing time. Perhaps Pollock wasn't made to platoon... perhaps the athlete in him needed to get more regular at bats to gain a rhythm rather than sitting and then going against a lefty... something he had never done in his career. Basic sports psychology just goes out the window because people were dumb enough to say... "Wow look what he did against lefties last year! He should only do that!"

Solano faced righties at almost double the rate of lefties last year. Was he better against lefties? Sure... so bad that he can't hit righties? No, not even close. .720/.816. The M's again take that and give him 15 AB's vs lefties and 4 AB's vs a righty that mostly happen because a righty reliever comes in.

You have to find what makes an athlete tick. Clearly the M's have done a poor job identifying which players are fit to platoon because it's more complicated than "herrrrr durrrrrr... he hit lefties well last season... so lets have him do a lot more of that."

Sure, I don't disagree and as far as I know neither do the mariners, they haven't been platooning Locklear. Terms of Pollock, that had to do with wanting to platoon kelenic. They needed a player to fill in the other half. Pollock was considered a decent hitter than could manage it. And the reason they wanted to platoon kelenic was the slider. Kelenic can't hit one to save his life. Platooning as I understand it generally comes down to that. Its the one pitch that's really affected by handedness because of the way it's either breaking in or away from the hitter. Curve balls, fast balls, change ups really are more handiness neutral.

Kelenic by no means is a great hitter... and I think some of that has to do w. the M's ruining him... but in 2023 he had reverse splits. He hit for a .774 OPS vs lefties vs a .738 OPS vs righties. God knows why that year he could magically hit lefties... perhaps it wasn't limiting him? I don't really know.

[Seattle or Bust]

Have you looked at his home/away stats last year in the minors?

2024 - Home: .888 OPS (20ish games in Arkansas, 40ish games in Tacoma) // Away: .755 OPS

2023 - Home: .876 // Away: .933

2022 - Home: .818 // Away: .952

His splits are really weird home and away. He hit very well in Arkansas which is considered one of the worst parks for hitters in the minors... but was pretty avg in Modesto which is considered one of the easiest.