Player Comparison: The Kerry Carpenter Platoon
Statistics and data via FanGraphs
Kerry Carpenter came on the scene last year with a bang. It was his third season, but second as a full time big-leaguer. He’s been a power bat in the majors since he debuted. He boasts a powerful left-handed swing (one of my favorite swing’s in the game). He’s nearly fully-loaded onto his back foot the entire at bat, and propels himself through the baseball, resulting in overwhelming power.
Most baseball fans were introduced to him in 2024 when the Tigers went on their improbable second half run that took them into the playoffs, where they stunned the Astros in the wild card round. Carpenter was a crucial factor in those victories. In his three seasons, Carpenter has posted .800+ OPS numbers. Take a look at his counting stats as well as his advanced hitting metrics:
What stands out here are his 2024 power numbers, best represented in his advanced metrics by his Slugging%, OPS, and his wRC+. It’s important to look at the advanced metrics, as his counting stats were affected by the games he missed, due to lumbar spine stress fracture. But when healthy, his presence was felt. I’d argue that most Tigers fans would agree he’s one of the most important pieces of the Tigers’ lineup, if not the most, alongside Riley Greene. But even when healthy, the at-bats don’t reflect an everyday hitter.
Why? Because Kerry Carpenter does not face lefties.
Carpenter is a victim of a left-right platoon that causes him to miss a significant chunk of plate appearances. Just Wednesday, he was left out of the lineup against the Astros, as they had lefty Framber Valdez taking the mound. But this is a common strategy all across MLB, so why is it worth writing about? Well, I’m a big fan of both Talkin’ Baseball and Baseball Today (Jomboy Media) and Trevor Plouffe was talking about how Kerry Carpenter doesn’t get opportunities against lefties. He was indicating that, say the Tigers draw a postseason matchup against the Yankees, and it happens to be a wild card series. It’s the best-of-3, and the Yankees trot out their top two starting pitchers in the first two games, lefty Max Fried and lefty Carlos Rodon. Do the Tigers play two postseason games without starting one of their best hitters due to the platoon? Of course, Carpenter will come in the game once the starters are booted and a righty comes in from the bullpen, but it does raise an interesting debate.
Is Kerry Carpenter really THAT much worse against lefties than his righty counterparts?
I took the data from FanGraphs and compared Kerry Carpenter against left-handed pitching alongside the Tigers’ players that typically play in his place.
I sorted the results by OPS as I feel that it is one of the best indications of a player’s hitting value and it’s a simple statistic, on-base plus slugging. Something to note: Wenceel Perez is a switch hitter, so he’s been able to slot into many different positions and play alongside Carpenter.
Take a look at the OPS numbers. Kerry Carpenter is by far the worst of the five. Justyn-Henry Malloy is in AAA right now, and still has had more at-bats and better success than Carpenter. Jahmai Jones has been the main platoon partner for Carpenter, and as you look at the numbers, it makes complete sense. He’s walking more, striking out less, getting on base more often, slugging better, and creating far more runs than Carpenter is against lefties. Matt Vierling has had a tough year with his performance and injuries, and still is a better option against lefties.
But is it just this year? Let’s look at the past 3 full seasons he’s played.
Nope, not just this year. His whole career so far has been put at the mercy of left-handed pitching. Yes, he doesn’t have a ton of at-bats, but to be fair to the Tigers’ managerial staff, he hasn’t really shown the ability to stay in the lineup vs lefties.
So yes, I think the Tigers are doing the right thing by platooning Carpenter (not like they needed my approval anyway). So who would the Tigers like to face in the playoffs? If they want to see righties, the Mariners and Blue Jays would be great matchups. But avoiding the Yankees would be in Kerry’s best interest for sure.
To end on a high note, here’s Kerry’s stats against right-handed pitching.
Now that’s more like it.
Tigers’ fans, you watch the games more than I do. What do you see that the numbers may not tell me?
Throw me a follow on X or Instagram and let me know.