Andy Dirks Has Issues

Coming into play on July 30, the top ten American League hitters in infield flyball percentage:

1. Matt Dominguez: 21.6%

2. Vernon Wells: 20.9%

3. Alexei Ramirez: 18.6%

4. Mike Moustakas: 18.1%

5. Jose Bautista: 17.6%

6. Ichiro Suzuki: 17.4%

7. Manny Machado: 16.8%

8. Brett Gardner: 16.3%

9. Andy Dirks: 16.0%

10. Lorenzo Cain: 15.4%

What can we make of this list?

-It's not just you. Dirks is popping out left and right.

-Matt Dominguez sucks. Poor Astros fans have to watch him pop out once in every five times he hits the ball.

-None of these hitters are that good, outside of Bautista. Machado and Ichiro are relying on a smoke and mirrors of BABIP that can't be sustained with that many infield flies. Bautista, of course, hits everything in the air anyway.

-Dirks has a line drive rate of 25.5%, which is actually quite good. I would say that's the only thing saving his BABIP going from the .285 it is to .240 (Don Kelly's career average). At this point, Dirks' batted ball profiles are a mystery wrapped in an enigma. High LD and IFFB rates usually don't go hand in hand. One or the other must give.

It better be the popups. I'm sick of watching those.