Groundballs Galore for Jean Segura

Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to hitting groundballs, Jean Segura is king. Nobody in Major League Baseball, aside from Allen Craig, has a higher groundball percentage than Segura.

And this is a problem.

Going into Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Segura is hitting .240/.283/.320. He has hit 30 groundballs, seven line drives and three fly balls. His groundball percentage is a massive 75%,  and unlike last season, Segura isn’t racking up the hits on groundballs.

In 2013, the Brewers’ shortstop found success when he hit the ball on the ground. He managed 38 infield hits, second-most in baseball. And despite having a groundball percentage of 58.7%, he finished the season with a .294 average.

A big reason for high average last year was his batting average of balls in play. Last season, Seguea had a BABIP of .326. But so far in 2014, his BABIP is a mere .286.

To be clear, this was expected to happen. A player who hits an abundance of groundballs doesn’t figure to have a high BABIP year in and year out.

Segura isn’t a power hitter. He hit 12 home runs in 2013, but I’ll be astonished if he reaches double-digit numbers again. So in order to make up for his lack of power, Segura will need to focus on hitting line drives on a more consistent basis. He can’t rely solely on hitting groundballs and using his speed to reach base safely.

If Segura hopes to become the player the Milwaukee Brewers expect him to be, he’ll need to start hitting the ball in the air.