Washington Nationals: Creating the ultimate superstar

Eye: Anthony Rendon

If you were going for gusto, you might want Max Scherzer’s heterochromatic ocular pair simply for the intimidation factor. However, if you’re more in the mood for patience at the plate, Scherzer’s 12 career walks likely won’t do you any good.

Luckily, Anthony Rendon has developed an improved batting eye throughout his career, and posted a team-high 13.9 percent walk rate in 2017, good for 10th in baseball. Rendon was also one of five qualified players in the majors to finish with more walks than strikeouts last season.

Even though a great batting eye doesn’t always lead to walks, a double-digit walk rate generally displays elite plate vision and discipline. Rendon swung at just 21 percent of pitches out of the zone last season, which ranked sixth in the majors.

It’s probably no coincidence that in the year Rendon posted a career-high walk rate, he also posted career bests across the board. When a hitter knows what he is looking for and swings only at his pitch, it makes hitting for average and power that much easier.

And at the very least, Rendon’s patience is making the opposing pitcher work that much harder. Rendon saw 4.37 pitches per plate appearance in 2017, fourth in baseball. Driving up pitch counts and forcing managers into their bullpen earlier pays dividends over the course of the long season, and allows other Nationals further down the lineup to face a fatigued or lesser pitcher.