Defense
by Grant on Dec 16, 2008 1:27 PM PST
139 comments
Knowledge sucks the fun out of everything. Imagine if scientists came out and said that The Bloop was just an ocean current or some other natural phenomenon. No monster squid, no aqua-Yeti – nothing. That wouldn’t be fun.
Imagine if you were still expecting a fat, bearded man to come down your chimney and leave behind Colecovision games every year. Some sort of benevolent magician? What kind of gift-leaving wizardry is this? And every year you waited for him, and every year he came. That would be awesome. Well, good ol’ knowledge and logic sure screwed that up for us. Knowledge sucks the fun out of everything.
This offseason, every player the Giants might have interest in is a defensive abomination. Wow, Adam Dunn can hit 40 homers with an on-base percentage over .400, and…oh. He plays defense as if he were in a one-legged sack race with that guy who fell into the toxic waste in Robocop. But hey, Pat Burrell is still available, and he’s from the Bay Area, and…oh. He has the defensive range of two turtles making slow, despondent love on top of a broken washing machine as they suffer from the kind of lingering malaise that makes it hard even to get out of bed. Every player the Giants might have interest in – Edwin Encarnacion, Jorge Cantu, Ty Wigginton – awful, awful, awful. They might have a little pop, but they give most of the runs back with their shoddy fielding.
I yearn for simpler times. When the Giants signed Darryl Hamilton to a three-year contract, the internet baseball world guffawed and snorted, myself included. The Giants got some .340 OBP, over-30 guy for three years? Guffaw. Snort. In retrospect, Hamilton played silly-good defense at a crucial defensive position, and his above-average OBP was just cherry gravy on the turkey sundae. He was over 30, but he was a mighty fine player. Nowadays, when the main return for a valuable trade chip is a glove man without any idea how to get on base, the blognoscenti are on board. As they should be, mind you, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. It used to be that you could look at a player’s on-base percentage and quickly determine if you were smarter than baseball executives. No more.
It’s a brave new world. The Orioles signed Cesar Izturis – a no-hit, all-glove demon – and the responses in Oriole-land are…reasonable expectations and acknowledgments of intrinsic defensive value? What the… What happened to the days of crazy, pitchfork-wielding on-base percentage zealots?
Defense killed the offense star. In 1997, I would have crossed my fingers and hoped for an Adam Dunn Christmas, a Ty Wigginton Hanukah, and a Pat Burrell Festivus. That troika would probably help get the Giants up over 700 runs next season. Now we have a much better idea of how to account for defense, and we know those players would play defense so poorly that Tim Lincecum’s ERA would skyrocket over 3.00. Maybe even 3.10. The horror. Randy Winn, when considering defense, is probably much better than either Dunn or Burrell. Where’s the fun in that?
I don’t have a point. I’m just pining for the fjords of ignorance.
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two turtles making slow, despondent love on top of a broken washing machine as they suffer from the kind of lingering malaise that makes it hard even to get out of bed.
Great, now I am envisioning the Slowsky’s…
Bastige…
by Lars The Wanderer on Dec 16, 2008 1:31 PM PST reply actions
He’s an icehole!
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Dec 16, 2008 1:41 PM PST up reply actions
a farging icehole, at that.
"ever so cynical yet whimsical giants related signature"
by The Gene Hackman on Dec 16, 2008 1:43 PM PST up reply actions
Turtle sex is just natures way of saying slow down in the sack…We could all learn a thing or two from turtle sex.
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
Frankly, I think turtles could learn a thing or two from me sex.
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Dec 16, 2008 2:03 PM PST up reply actions
Are you self-identifying as "sex"?
If so, there should be a comma before it.
¿Julio is tourist in San Francisco? Harper's Bizarre!
Nope. Much like “turtle sex,” in which “turtle” is the adjective which qualifies what kind of sex is being had, the “me” in “me sex” qualifies what kind of sex is being had.
Me can also here be recognized as synonymous with “awesome” or “really, really good.”
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Dec 16, 2008 3:29 PM PST up reply actions
Sounds To Me Like Your Just Masterbating
by giantsrainman on Dec 16, 2008 3:39 PM PST up reply actions
Like I said: “awesome” or “really, really good” do apply.
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Dec 16, 2008 3:46 PM PST up reply actions
I love to bat masters.
Never has a poster been more correct in the history of the internet. Ever! - ResDog on yours truly
You love this guy?
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
I’m a stupid.
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
im interpreting this as howtheyscored being a pirate
It's spelled "M-A-R-C-H-I-N-G-B-A-N-D."
I support inroywetrust in his support of The VD Special in his support of me supporting Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
My life goal is to develop a stat that measures GRIT and HEART so sportswriters can just shut the hell up about how you can’t measure it.
“Actually, Mr. Plaschke, David Eckstein’s HEART+ is well below league average”
pwn.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
if my choices are:
sucking because we can’t score runs
or
sucking because we give up runs
i’ll take the latter.
I long for offense. Defense can suck it.
"ever so cynical yet whimsical giants related signature"
by The Gene Hackman on Dec 16, 2008 1:45 PM PST reply actions
Buck futter!
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
Connery: I’ll take famous titties for $400.
Trebek: That’s famous titles
Connery: Not a fan of the ladies, eh Trebek?
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
by WilliamVanLandingham on Dec 17, 2008 12:04 PM PST up reply actions
"It's so simple, boys! Maybe you need a refresher."
(I forgot just how great Maddux and Glavine are in this ad.)
My plans for 2009: getting married and attending Tim Lincecum Bobblehead Day.
The beginning of a long list of GREAT ESPN commercials.
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
my personal favorite
the Y2K test: “Follow me… follow me to freedom!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPt3eLv7Ie0
Idolizing Robb Nen since 2002...
by Smoke on the Water on Dec 16, 2008 1:59 PM PST up reply actions
so great
"ever so cynical yet whimsical giants related signature"
by The Gene Hackman on Dec 16, 2008 2:35 PM PST up reply actions
my personal favorite:
some hockey player (neely, maybe) and the ad ends with him saying something like: “Why don’t you kick my dog while you’re here?” Can’t find a damn link, tho. so i can’t confirm if it’s as funny as i remember.
The one with lance powering the whole ESPN bldg with a bike-generator is killer too. “Lance can i get you an enegy bar or something?”
not a fan of ABC or anything, but those SC ads are among the best ads ever.
"ever so cynical yet whimsical giants related signature"
by The Gene Hackman on Dec 16, 2008 2:22 PM PST up reply actions
that might be the best scene in Fletch
"ever so cynical yet whimsical giants related signature"
by The Gene Hackman on Dec 16, 2008 2:00 PM PST up reply actions
Can I borrow your towel for a sec? My car just hit a water buffalo.
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
And the best line of the movie
Chief Karlin: Dipshit! You go back on that goddamn beach and you won’t live to regret it! All right?
Fletch: Hey, you and Tommy LaSorda!
Chief Karlin: Yeah.
Fletch: I hate Tommy LaSorda!
[punches glass out of the picture frame]
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
There’s a reason this is my favorite Onion article of all time.
My plans for 2009: getting married and attending Tim Lincecum Bobblehead Day.
"Pining for the fjords?"
Thanks , Kit.
I does love me some irreverence.
http://www.theonion.com/content/amvo/bettie_page_dead
Who has the fun?
Is it always the man with the gun?
- The Stranglers
by victor frankenstein on Dec 16, 2008 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
Strong up the middle defense
What happened to the days when you wanted to have a strong defensive catcher, SS, 2b and CF and could live with bats on the corners days?
Bill James used a melted tooth brush with a straight razor stuck in the end to murder those days in a communal shower.
/needs to stop watching Oz re-runs
/deer head
Bay City Ball
you could, but
you would actually need “bats at the corner”.
FIRE BRIAN SABEAN... UNLESS HE KEEPS DRAFTING WELL. .. AND SIGNS UNDERRATED PLAYERS LIKE AFFELDT OR PHELPS. .. OR ALRIGHT WHO'S PLAYING WITH THE ALIEN MIND-SWITCHING RAY?
True
it is an organization strategy that you plan out and then put into action. SF has not done this with the likes of BMoney, Renteria and Rowand. Possibly going forward in the future with Posey, Burriss and a strond defensive CF then the Giants could live with the defense of Sandoval and Villalona on the corners.
WTF kind of scientist discovers an ultra low frequency sound eminating from the depths of the ocean and names “The Bloop”?
That dude should have to give his lab coat back.
My adopted Giant: "Raptor Jesus" Guzman
I'm sure we could come up with a better name
Like the Robotron the Texasleaguer
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
and no, he can't play 3rd
Proud adopted parent of future big league slugger Thomas Neal
by nostocksjustbonds on Dec 16, 2008 1:56 PM PST reply actions
Defensive truths
I still think defensive stats, as far as they come, are taken a bit too much as truth right now. Offensive stats are far more measurable and are much easier to accept as “law”.
When someone comes up with a stat that can cite something so exact as “player X is 16 runs better than player Y offensively” I can more or less believe that because of how absolutely tangible offensive stats are.
People now do the same with defensive stats, and maybe I’m just a luddite, but I can’t accept those with the same degree of confidence. I believe that defensive stats are headed in the right direction but it’s hard for me to believe that at least in their current form, they are anywhere near as exact as offensive stats.
They can give us a very good idea about how a player performed, especially to one another, but I’m not sold completely on the exact differences between fielder to fielder, or in the relative value defense can hold to offense. So when I hear statements like Randy Winn is better than Adam Dunn, which on paper clearly has some merit, I just don’t think I can accept is as fact as easily as others.
A statement like that can help me pause and think for a bit, and perhaps help me to realize just how overrated one is and how underrated the other might be, but I certainly don’t think it’s necessarily a fact.
The tools accessible to us (UZR, +/-, etc.) are as great as WE the fans can get, but I think it is a mistake to believe they are as exact as some of the offensive stats we have
by NeifiChicken on Dec 16, 2008 1:57 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
After 2007 Defensive Stats Could Be Used To Say Pedro Felix Was As Good As Miguel Cabrera
I know. I did exactly that last year here at the McCoven. I agree that we just don’t know enough about how to measure defense for these claims to have any dependability. It could be true but it also could be a damm lie.
by giantsrainman on Dec 16, 2008 2:04 PM PST up reply actions
This is true. Defensive stats can’t be as precise as hitting stats, if only because there’s so much more space to measure in the field than in the batter’s box. And it takes at least a couple of years to have any faith in the reliability of a player’s fielding stats, by which time their skills have often changed.
But one thing that makes me inclined to trust them is precisely the Darryl Hamilton factor. The newfangled defensive stats indicate that the traditional baseball guys have correctly valued defensive stars like Hamilton, while we who focused on OBP über alles were wrong. Isn’t it a bit reassuring to find that the up-to-date metrics jibe with the intuitive assumptions of the people who know more about baseball than anyone on earth — the scouts and managers and executives?
Honestly, I think that if you watch the two of them play for a while, it becomes clear that Randy Winn is as good as Adam Dunn, probably better. What causes this to feel like a counterintuitive conclusion is that we have trained ourselves to have faith in the hard empirical facts of offensive stats and to discount the impenetrable murk of defense and intangibles.
I actualy think the stats
particularly the PBP stats are probably reasonably accurate. The issue is that the year-to-year variance is quite huge, much bigger than what we are used to with batting stats. So, while you can probalby say “Dunn was worse than Winn last year to the tune of 20 runs” – you could predict he would be worse next year too, but by who knows how many runs.
Part of this is that the stats don’t really measure difficulty of play well, the other is probably just that batted balls are a little random (not to mention different pitching staff, etc.)
I would be happier if someone actually figured out Fenway park though.
FIRE BRIAN SABEAN... UNLESS HE KEEPS DRAFTING WELL. .. AND SIGNS UNDERRATED PLAYERS LIKE AFFELDT OR PHELPS. .. OR ALRIGHT WHO'S PLAYING WITH THE ALIEN MIND-SWITCHING RAY?
Dont forget SSS
Most fielders only have 300-400 balls hit to them every year (compared to the 600-700 PA’s batters get), so some year-to-year variance would be expected even if fielding stats were as accurate as batting stats. Still, when used over a large sample size and combined scouting reports (whether they come from scouts, Tango’s fans’ scouting report, or your own impressions), I think the advanced fielding metrics give you a solid estimate of a player’s defensive value.
..so allow me to present Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain as two sweet, sweet bottles of warming hooch.
Yeah, BIP distribution can really skew things.
I think you made a good point about also using scouting reports to back up the PBP data.
/deer head
Bay City Ball
i wonder who would win the feats of strength at Pat Burrell Festivus?
It's spelled "M-A-R-C-H-I-N-G-B-A-N-D."
I support inroywetrust in his support of The VD Special in his support of me supporting Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
I know someone who could give him a run for his money…
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
The way she instantly (and casually) rubbed it in with her foot makes one thing that happens to her on a regular basis.
My adopted Giant: "Raptor Jesus" Guzman
Festivus
The Airing of Grievances has begun!
Proud adopted parent of future big league slugger Thomas Neal
by nostocksjustbonds on Dec 16, 2008 2:02 PM PST reply actions
The real reason behind the Giants struggles
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
This is going to be an inside joke now, right?
I expect us all to remember this and quote it frequently in GD threads next year when the team is struggling.
Cuz we all suck like that
by bondslegend on Dec 17, 2008 10:15 AM PST up reply actions
Reply fail
that’s a funny article, but I was responding to the one above you…
OMG THIS SITE SUX0RZ
by bondslegend on Dec 17, 2008 10:23 AM PST up reply actions
IDK
He needs BLB’s OPS numbers to make up for that butchery he calls “defense”
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Dec 16, 2008 2:19 PM PST up reply actions
Why is the Bloop all over the Internet now?
I’ve seen like 5 references to it in the last day.
GROUGTHINK ALERT
I don’t even know what Bloop is.
/logs off of CompuServe, closes dial-up connection
My plans for 2009: getting married and attending Tim Lincecum Bobblehead Day.
/opens Oregon Trail
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
/shoots squirrel with square green bullet
Sergio Romo will gladly hand you a bench to sit on / GIANTSPACE™ / Adopted brother of the AnVil
by SoFa King Mike on Dec 16, 2008 3:55 PM PST up reply actions
“What do mean I can only carry 100lbs back to the wagon? So I killed all these buffalo for nothing?”
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
Aww I died..
::starts new game::
What’s disentry? Oh well.
-WalrusKid
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
What’s buttpee?
-WalrusKid
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
The technical term is "loosey deucey"
This should help satiate your thirst for knowledge young grasshopper.
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
/deftly harpoons log
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Dec 16, 2008 4:11 PM PST up reply actions
/bangs dinosaur bone against obelisk
by Lars The Wanderer on Dec 16, 2008 4:35 PM PST up reply actions
what are you doing on here?
I want my NN predictions results darnit!
Still defending Rich Aurilia, and the Niners' classic unis
not really
actually, not at all, but I picked the Dolphins and I got a raw score of 6 in the Philly game, so I’m holding out hope for a few points at least.
Still defending Rich Aurilia, and the Niners' classic unis
HAHA i asked the same thing in another thread…he said he’s got an xmas party to go to and may be doin’ a little bit a boozin’…you SHOULD be worrying about what my Monta Ellis Motorcycle Club is going to do to you in the second round of the consolation playoffs!
Gawd I need a life…
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
my NN fantasy team
was an absolute joke. I can’t believe I had a bye in the consolation playoffs. Maybe I should actually check that team this week.
Still defending Rich Aurilia, and the Niners' classic unis
Yeah, my team is awful too, I think I had about a 7 game losing streak…I still check it every week, but disappointment soon follows…I did however finally pick all 6 winners this week, but the scores were WAY off
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
I thought Pat Burrell
was from Arkansas.
Actually I think defense is way overrated for 3B. I know I have said this before creating a lot of dissenting opinions, but there aren’t that many chances at 3B, so overall a good defensive player still doesn’t make a big difference.
Plus, I would prefer a good defensive player at 1B to one at 3B.
Greetings, Marklar! I am Marklar! This is Marklar.
He was born in Arkansas, but he went to high school in San Jose.
Never has a poster been more correct in the history of the internet. Ever! - ResDog on yours truly
Yup, he was a Bellarmine Belle
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
Plus
One!
Leading the Pro-Aaron Rowand contingent on the McC!
You can ridicule me in 2009 if you like...
by ThrillisGone22 on Dec 16, 2008 6:41 PM PST up reply actions
Los Gatos Wildcat here
So I subtract that one.
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
The Plus One
was for calling him a Belle
y’know…all feminine-like
Leading the Pro-Aaron Rowand contingent on the McC!
You can ridicule me in 2009 if you like...
by ThrillisGone22 on Dec 16, 2008 7:06 PM PST up reply actions
I went to Los Gatos so I no understand. Me sorry.
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
Boo - Why My Campbell High Buckeneers Don't Exist Any More
I still foundly remember kicking Los Gatos Wildcats’ Ass every Day After Turkey Day of my four years of high school football.
by giantsrainman on Dec 16, 2008 7:29 PM PST up reply actions
That’ll teach you to piss off the rich folk, lol
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
I could have lived with Castillo's Defense,
It was his hitting that was truly offensive.
Clearly, choosing between no-hitting players, you go with the better fielder.
Choosing between good hit/bad glove and bad hit/good glove, I’ll take the good hit/bad glove at 3B.
Greetings, Marklar! I am Marklar! This is Marklar.
Read this
Pretty math-y but it makes sense as to why 3B defense is surprisingly important
I actually linked the comments because that’s where he talks about infielders. The main entry is where he talks about outfielders.
Adopted Giant: Aaron King
Wearing the crown by 2011. Or at least the LOOGY hat
actually
what his numbers say is that the method (comparing players who played 2 positions) really fails for infielders.
FIRE BRIAN SABEAN... UNLESS HE KEEPS DRAFTING WELL. .. AND SIGNS UNDERRATED PLAYERS LIKE AFFELDT OR PHELPS. .. OR ALRIGHT WHO'S PLAYING WITH THE ALIEN MIND-SWITCHING RAY?
What makes you say that?
The 2B and 3B can be interpreted in many ways, all of which to say that they are probably equals. In one comparison point, the 3B is closer to SS than 2B (by 1.5 runs). In a second comparison point, the 2B is way ahead of the 3B (by 3.9 runs). And in the third comparison point, 2B is a bit ahead of 3B (by 0.5 runs). Overall, you might think of the average 2B to be 1 run ahead of 3B. Might as well call them even.
(bolding mine)
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all.
Here’re the thread for updated positional adjustments using 2008 data
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all.
Defense and our pitching staff
What I’ve wondered about is how important defense is for our pitching staff? Most of our pitchers are flyball/strikeout pitchers, so how much damage does having an awful 3rd baseman have in that situation? I think with the decreased number of chances, combined with the relatively inexact nature of defensive statistics, that I’d be more willing to sacrifice on D for more production at the plate. I’d feel differently if we had a bunch of Bill Swifts on the mound, but that’s not the case with this team. Especially if we get the Big Ugly.
by AngelWillSaveUs on Dec 16, 2008 2:39 PM PST reply actions
I think with the decreased number of chances, combined with the relatively inexact nature of defensive statistics…
Isn’t "inexact" an absolute? Can one thing be more inexact, relative to another? (I’ve often wondered the same about "inunique".)
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Dec 16, 2008 2:54 PM PST up reply actions
Submitted for your consideration :
Perhaps they go out of their way to induce more fly balls because those are the most likely to be successfully fielded.
Now I am not trying to say Cain could have the ground ball rates of Silvia. Yre wouldn’t it be nice to encourage these pitches use their full tool box? Especially in places like Cincinnati, Philly,
Whiffle Ball Park Huston etc?
Also a lot of the teams that stress Higher OBP tend to play a more station to station game (don’t take the about out of the guy behind you) giving a team with a solid defensive middle infield a lot of chances to turn two.
Ivan Ochoa - Heir to the legacy of Rob Andrews & Rikkert Faneyte!
Here comes Captain Obvious wearing his Atomic Wedgie!
I think a pitcher’s stuff is what determines what kind of results they get. I don’t think a Derek Lowe could become a flyball pitcher because he had a bad defense and vice versa with Cain, Lincecum, etc.
Our pitchers tend to throw hard, throw up in the strike zone and don’t really possess much sinking action. In fact, I can’t think of anyone on the Giants staff who is a real sinkerballer, maybe Yabu, haven’t looked at the numbers. I think it’s more the Giants front office making a conscious decision to go after pitchers with flyball stuff because of PacBell.
by AngelWillSaveUs on Dec 17, 2008 10:45 AM PST up reply actions
When talking about bottom of the rotation talent I tend agree. I agree with you a Cain is not going to turn into a Swift or a Silvia over night. But also think top of the rotation pitchers (not just throwers) can choose to throw stuff more inclined to induce a desired result thus being able to shift by small amount of percents the results. This happens all the time and from the batting side of things we call it part of making adjustments.
As for the sinking action I think there are a couple starers that have the classic 12 -6 curve. What was probably the original pitch for inducing ground balls. But if your one of those pitchers were you more likely to use that curve to steal a strike in ‘08 or as a "kill" pitch to determine the P.A’s result? I would say it was more often used to steal a strike.
P.S.
I had some how missed Sanchez had backed up ’07’s 39.1% ground ball rate with a 41.1% in 2008. Thats with a dead arm for the final third of the seson. Get this kid a middle infield defense already. Well that and go take a leak on the next GM to offer E5 or Cantu for him.
Ivan Ochoa - Heir to the legacy of Rob Andrews & Rikkert Faneyte!
Here comes Captain Obvious wearing his Atomic Wedgie!
by daveinexile on Dec 17, 2008 12:29 PM PST up reply actions
Walks/OBP, defense and K's
What’s interesting about this “New-Found Knowledge” for modern baseball….that not making outs is the key on offense, that a strong defense is the key to prevent runs, and that the biggest keys for pitcher are generally striking guys out and not walking them…that was exactly what I knew when I played little league baseball.
As a hitter I wanted to get hits, but was pllenty ok with a walk. If I made two or three outs in a game I was furious.
As a pitcher I wanted to strike everyone out, so that there coudn’t be any bloops or errors. I knew exactly who the best defenders on the team were and I felt so much more confident when they were out there, especially at SS, 2B and 1B..(But 1B was mostly because in Little League it was still in question whether or not they’d even catch the ball).
So Grant... did you see the Cracked article
or the Fark thread based on the Cracked article?
Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?
Mmmmm aqua-yeti
I imagine the aqua-yeti swings a pretty good bat because the only image I can conjure up in my mind is an Adam Dunn looking behemoth with scaly skin and fins. Perhaps with better defense though on account of his webbed hands.
PINING FOR THE FJORDS?!?!?
What kind of talk is that???
"I didn't know (after seeing a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch) whether to shit or go blind." - Former Giants Outfielder Harvey Kuenn on Willie Mays
I'm in 1999 in BM..
Darryl Hamilton gave me a really good year last year, but Dante Powell is pretty much taking over CF with they years the two of them are having.
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
Yeah, it seems weird that Adam Dunn might be available for a contract like Ibanez (three years, $31 million), and I’m not all that excited about it. A couple years ago, I’d have said to hand him $75 million over five years or something.
After watching him fly out to death valley last year a couple of times with AZ, I agree.
If God had intended us not to rosterbate, he would've made our arms shorter.
Padre renuente de Luis Perdomo, porque él es todo el que se deja hasta junio.
Well, thing with Dunn is that
3 years ago, he was 25, going on 26, coming off consecutive 146 and 141 OPS+ seasons. He looked like he was possibly on a HOF path. Not only has he not improved, he has gone backwards since then.
ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524
I can't believe I didn't catch onto this before...
It’s not Bloop. That’s a misprint. It’s Bloor.
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
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