Nate McLouth hitting like its 2008?

There has been a lot of eyes fixed on Nate McLouth this Spring in the Atlanta Braves’ spring training camp. He is coming off a horrid year in 2010, which he saw himself hit rock bottom with a demotion to AAA to work on his swing. The numbers he put up in 2010 are horrible, but here is a reminder:

Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2010 85 288 242 30 46 12 1 6 24 7 2 33 57 .190 .298 .322 .620 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/9/2011.

There is no doubt that McLouth is important to the Atlanta Braves. They cannot afford to have an abyss in their lineup like they did in 2010. (Though it wasn’t only McLouth. Matt Diaz and Melky Cabrera combined to add another void in left field). McLouth is important to the Braves’ success in 2011.

McLouth has come to camp with a spring in his step and some pop in his bat. Through Tuesday, McLouth is second on the Braves’ team in batting with a .467 average, first in OBP and slugging % at .636 and .800, he has a home run, 3 rbis, and 5 runs scored. Even more encouraging is the fact that he has 5 walks and 0 Ks. Granted this is only through 20+ plate appearances.

However, his approach and early success has garnered notice. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution asked Frank Wren his impression of McLouth so far and here is his response:
“He’s been tremendous. He looks like Pittsburgh Nate. We weren’t asking for anything more than that. We just wanted him to be Pittsburgh Nate, and he sure looks like that guy.”

Frank Wren isn’t the only one who has taken notice. Here is what Chipper Jones said a week ago in an interview with Mark Bowman:
“He’s made some adjustments at the plate,” Jones said. “He’s starting with some rhythm and getting something going, as opposed to starting from a dead standstill. We’ve got to get him a little more aggressive than he was last year. I don’t want to see him taking 2-0 and 3-1 pitches right down the middle, hoping for a walk. I want him to do damage.”

That’s right. He has been hitting like Pittsburgh Nate. What did Pittsburgh Nate do? Here is his 2008 season and career numbers in Pittsburgh:

Year G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2008 152 685 597 113 165 46 4 26 94 23 3 65 93 .276 .356 .497 .853 PIT (5 yrs) 481 1679 1473 272 384 96 10 60 194 64 5 146 278 .261 .339 .462 .801 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/9/2011.

McLouth still has to prove he can continue and keep up the new approach and success he is having at the plate through the first 10 days to 2 weeks of camp. What will happen when he goes through a slump? How will he handle it?

McLouth is hitting like it is 2008 all over again. The Braves don’t need him to be that McLouth. They especially don’t need him to be 2010 McLouth. But, if he put up numbers like 2008, the Braves would be dominant.