Just whenever you are ready to think that plate patience and strike zone judgment (the two are not the same thing) can’t be taught, a player with a couple years’ experience becomes a teammate of a guy like Barry Bonds or Rickey Henderson or Edgar Martinez, and a light goes on (or back on). Witness Jose Cruz (still depicted by ESPN in a Blue Jays hat), who after drawing a decent number of walks in 1999-2000 drew just 45 and 51 as an everyday player in 2001 & 2002, respectively. This season: 445 at bats, 83 walks, which helped make Cruz a big part of the Giants’ early success.
Lately, while he’s kept walking, Cruz has stopped hitting, batting .216 and slugging .289 since the All-Star break. In fact, since May 11, he’s batting .243 and slugging just .399. But his season OBP remains a respectable .364.