Jon Jay likely happier to be at home than most

ST. LOUIS -- They say there is something comforting about being home, but Jon Jay has taken that to the extreme in 2012. Jay's home-road splits would suggest he's thrilled to be back at Busch Stadium, where the center fielder hit .384 and posted a .453 on-base percentage during the regular season.

His numbers outside of St. Louis are hardly comparable. Jay's road batting average is .224; his on-base percentage is only .289. And in a nearly identical number of plate appearances, Jay has walked eight fewer times and struck out 13 more times on the road than he did at Busch Stadium.

"For whatever reason, right now it is trending that direction," manager Mike Matheny said. "But Jon's been such a big pickup for us as far as being able to step into that leadoff spot -- and it's nice he's done it at home. He takes the same approach on the road. He still puts together tough at-bats. I don't see any reason [for the discrepancy], and hopefully he doesn't think more [about] it than he should."

Jay's postseason numbers have so far followed the same trend. While 2-for-8 in two home playoff games, Jay has just four hits in 29 road at-bats. Still, he continues to be a fixture in the leadoff spot, which has been exclusively his since Rafael Furcal went down with a season-ending injury.


(mlb.com)