Scout's View

What happened to Lastings Milledge's power?

As of this writing, Lastings Milledge has 206 at bats and 0 homeruns this season. So I asked several baseball people whose opinions I really respect. Their answer: "I don't really know."

So I watched a good number of at bats. My answer: "I don't really know."

I actually like his swing. Lately, Milledge is taking more pitches and walking more often, something he was not known for in his brief career.

He is also hitting the ball more to right field, which tells me he is going with the outside pitch and not trying to pull everything.

His bat speed seems to be just as quick as ever. To me, it's still pretty explosive. He doesn't get cheated at the plate. His old wrist injury is said to be healed.

So why is he not hitting more home runs?

After all the questions asked and all the at bats watched, the answer might just be this simple: LASTINGS MILLEDGE IS NOT A HOME RUN HITTER! Prior to this season he has 1,323 at bats and only 29 home runs! That's only 11 home runs per every 500 at bats. Why was it expected of him to come to the Pirates and all of a sudden hit 25-30 home runs? 

Bottom line: I think he can be a solid hitter, hitting around .275 or .280 with 10-13 homeruns. That might not be what you want out of a corner outfielder but that's what it is.

Claudio Reilsono
Director of Professional Scouting/Lead Scout
Paramount Scouting Bureau
& Head Baseball Coach Carnegie Mellon University