Question: Why do baseball fans sing, 'Take me out to the Ball game', when they're already there?
Answer: Take if from personal experience, it is because if you sing it when you are not already there, people look at you real funny.
Stevie Williams
-
Edwards Kings
- Posts: 5879
- Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2004 6:00 pm
- Location: Duluth, Georgia
Stevie Williams
Baseball is a slow, boring, complex, cerebral game that doesn't lend itself to histrionics. You 'take in' a baseball game, something odd to say about a football or basketball game, with the clock running and the bodies flying.
Charles Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer
Stevie Williams
Religion
When I was a kid, I was not typical.
I would get up early on Sunday mornings. Sunday was the day that the paper was huge. Special.
Sunday's paper held the up to date statistics, (through the previous Friday night) of every player in baseball with qualified at bats.
I would see how my favorite players were doing. Write down the leaders in each category and guess who would be doing well by next Sunday.
I had to get up plenty early, because that paper had to look like it wasn't read by the time my father got up to read it.
He was just that way.
Mom and Dad would haul my butt to Church on Sunday in my best clothes. Never did feel comfortable in them things.Probably why I have a distaste for dressing well now. I can pass for a protesting 'occupier' most days.
While in church I would go through the motions. Answering every question with 'God' or 'Jesus'. To me, he was my Ty Cobb answer, if I could bat .400 with that answer, I was ok.
When they'd read from the Bible, I'd pull out some 'leaders sheets' that I had just copied from the Sunday paper. The teachers would be impressed that I took notes. No need of them seeing the subject matter.
Timing was perfect for me back then though. Church let out at Noon. The same time most doubleheaders would start.
If it was a single game, a one o'clock start.
Sometimes there would be a Church Social. This was so grown ups can talk with each other cuz they couldn't talk much in Church.
I had to be sneaky. If I went right to the car to listen to the game, my Mom and Dad would not allow it and force me to re-meet the folks that I had just spent three hours with.
So, I would hang around them until they were in a group of at least six people, then tell them I was going to play with the other kids.
In their minds, the 'other kids' were kids of my age.
In my mind, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey.
Since those days, I've taken some of the Church going and applied it to good use...
Turn the other cheek-
It means lay off that high fastball, you may get a better pitch...
An eye for an eye-
It means, you hit our best hitter, now we're hitting yours...
Goliath and David-
Sandy Koufax and any hitter....
In the beginning, God created the Heavens and earth-
I heard...In the Big Inning God created heaven on earth, baseball....
When I was a kid, I was not typical.
I would get up early on Sunday mornings. Sunday was the day that the paper was huge. Special.
Sunday's paper held the up to date statistics, (through the previous Friday night) of every player in baseball with qualified at bats.
I would see how my favorite players were doing. Write down the leaders in each category and guess who would be doing well by next Sunday.
I had to get up plenty early, because that paper had to look like it wasn't read by the time my father got up to read it.
He was just that way.
Mom and Dad would haul my butt to Church on Sunday in my best clothes. Never did feel comfortable in them things.Probably why I have a distaste for dressing well now. I can pass for a protesting 'occupier' most days.
While in church I would go through the motions. Answering every question with 'God' or 'Jesus'. To me, he was my Ty Cobb answer, if I could bat .400 with that answer, I was ok.
When they'd read from the Bible, I'd pull out some 'leaders sheets' that I had just copied from the Sunday paper. The teachers would be impressed that I took notes. No need of them seeing the subject matter.
Timing was perfect for me back then though. Church let out at Noon. The same time most doubleheaders would start.
If it was a single game, a one o'clock start.
Sometimes there would be a Church Social. This was so grown ups can talk with each other cuz they couldn't talk much in Church.
I had to be sneaky. If I went right to the car to listen to the game, my Mom and Dad would not allow it and force me to re-meet the folks that I had just spent three hours with.
So, I would hang around them until they were in a group of at least six people, then tell them I was going to play with the other kids.
In their minds, the 'other kids' were kids of my age.
In my mind, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey.
Since those days, I've taken some of the Church going and applied it to good use...
Turn the other cheek-
It means lay off that high fastball, you may get a better pitch...
An eye for an eye-
It means, you hit our best hitter, now we're hitting yours...
Goliath and David-
Sandy Koufax and any hitter....
In the beginning, God created the Heavens and earth-
I heard...In the Big Inning God created heaven on earth, baseball....
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Herbert Hoover
Some do not like a walk back through history. As for me, my pace slows and I enjoy the stroll.
Stanford opened its doors in 1891. That first year, they charged no tuition fees. Among the first students to attend was future President, Herbert Hoover.
Hoover loved sports, especially baseball. He became the 'Manager' for both Stanford's football and baseball teams. He did this to stay close to the fields. As he would say later, "I was for a short time, the shortstop on the baseball team, where I was no good."
Unusual for a President, Hoover graduated Stanford, with a degree in geology.
Working in mines and rising through the ranks, he became a mine owner, author, and consultant.
In 1914, World War I began. Hoover headed up 500 volunteers in distributing clothing, food, steamship tickets, and cash for the military. "I didn't realize it at the time, but on August 3, 1914, my career was over forever."
He continued his efforts in aiding America during the Great War.
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover as head of the U.S. Food Administration. Hoover had his foot in the door of Public Service.
In 1927, Babe Ruth set the home run record with 60. The Murderers Row that was the Yankees was the toast of America.
But, America was jolted out of its 'Roaring 20's' good times by the stock market crash of 1929. The Great Depression followed.
Hoover had taken the office of President just a few months before the crash. The Great Depression would last his entire term.
As the depression worsened, most baseball players were asked to take cuts in salary.
Not Babe Ruth.
Ruth signed a contract for $80,000. When a reporter told him that President Hoover only made $75,000, Ruth offered the great line, "Well, I had a better year!"
Hoover had SOME policies that assisted the Great Depression, but being the man in office, he received ALL the criticism from Americans.
At the same time, prohibition was still enforced too.
Hoover had enjoyed many ball games as President and amidst the troubles, was convinced by his wife and advisers to 'get away' from it all and enjoy a ball game.
Here are Hoover's words after that game.
"I was not able to work up much enthusiasm over the ball game, and in the midst of it, I was handed a note informing me of the sudden death of Senator Dwight Morrow. His, was a great loss to the country and me. I left the ball park with the chant of the crowd ringing in my ears, 'We want Beer! We want Beer! We want Beer!'
Hoover loved high scoring games.
"I protest that we fans are being emotionally starved and frustrated by long periods of perfect performance by these batteries. More over, when there are nothing but balls and strikes going on, you relapse into your worries of the Bank of England, or something else."
"I want more runs in baseball itself. When you were raised on a sandlot where the scores ran 61-23, you yearn for something more than a five to two score. You know as well as I do that the excitement, temperature, and decibels rise instantly when there is someone on base. It reaches ecstasy when someone scores a run."
Hoover would continue to go to baseball games and be booed.
After his first game in which he was booed, the New York Sun had this line the next day- 'This must be the first time a President has been booed in public, and at a ball game, of all places.'
Hoover understood.
These folks mired in the depression and an alcohol prohibited society needed to vent their anger and Hoover was the main target.
Hoover would run for President again, reluctantly, for a second term. On the campaign trail, his railroad car was regularly egged, spikes were taken out of tracks in front of his train to try and cause derailment. A man armed with dynamite was taken down by his security detail. Death threats were too many to keep track of.
He would lose the election in a landslide.
Ted Williams would speak up later in defense of Hoover.
"Not Lincoln, Washington, Alexander Graham Bell, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Attila the Hun, Not Jefferson, Wilson, Churchill, not even FDR, but Herbert Hoover by God, Hoover.
Every cure of the depression was thought up by Hoover. Here is a man that is being blamed for things that were not his fault, yet, he never complained, and continued to help his country for the rest of his life. To me, that's a real man."
Hoover attended nine baseball games during his term. He reluctantly turned down offers and invitations for more, not at the risk of being booed, but of the perception of Americans seeing him at the ball park too much in their morning papers.
He would talk with reporters about adding another strike, to make it four balls and four strikes, in order to make games more high scoring.
Preferring to talk baseball over economics.
Hoover continued going to games after his presidency. In 1960, he threw out the first ball at Yankee Stadium for an old timers game.
He, at that time, was 86.
[ October 19, 2011, 02:18 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
Some do not like a walk back through history. As for me, my pace slows and I enjoy the stroll.
Stanford opened its doors in 1891. That first year, they charged no tuition fees. Among the first students to attend was future President, Herbert Hoover.
Hoover loved sports, especially baseball. He became the 'Manager' for both Stanford's football and baseball teams. He did this to stay close to the fields. As he would say later, "I was for a short time, the shortstop on the baseball team, where I was no good."
Unusual for a President, Hoover graduated Stanford, with a degree in geology.
Working in mines and rising through the ranks, he became a mine owner, author, and consultant.
In 1914, World War I began. Hoover headed up 500 volunteers in distributing clothing, food, steamship tickets, and cash for the military. "I didn't realize it at the time, but on August 3, 1914, my career was over forever."
He continued his efforts in aiding America during the Great War.
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover as head of the U.S. Food Administration. Hoover had his foot in the door of Public Service.
In 1927, Babe Ruth set the home run record with 60. The Murderers Row that was the Yankees was the toast of America.
But, America was jolted out of its 'Roaring 20's' good times by the stock market crash of 1929. The Great Depression followed.
Hoover had taken the office of President just a few months before the crash. The Great Depression would last his entire term.
As the depression worsened, most baseball players were asked to take cuts in salary.
Not Babe Ruth.
Ruth signed a contract for $80,000. When a reporter told him that President Hoover only made $75,000, Ruth offered the great line, "Well, I had a better year!"
Hoover had SOME policies that assisted the Great Depression, but being the man in office, he received ALL the criticism from Americans.
At the same time, prohibition was still enforced too.
Hoover had enjoyed many ball games as President and amidst the troubles, was convinced by his wife and advisers to 'get away' from it all and enjoy a ball game.
Here are Hoover's words after that game.
"I was not able to work up much enthusiasm over the ball game, and in the midst of it, I was handed a note informing me of the sudden death of Senator Dwight Morrow. His, was a great loss to the country and me. I left the ball park with the chant of the crowd ringing in my ears, 'We want Beer! We want Beer! We want Beer!'
Hoover loved high scoring games.
"I protest that we fans are being emotionally starved and frustrated by long periods of perfect performance by these batteries. More over, when there are nothing but balls and strikes going on, you relapse into your worries of the Bank of England, or something else."
"I want more runs in baseball itself. When you were raised on a sandlot where the scores ran 61-23, you yearn for something more than a five to two score. You know as well as I do that the excitement, temperature, and decibels rise instantly when there is someone on base. It reaches ecstasy when someone scores a run."
Hoover would continue to go to baseball games and be booed.
After his first game in which he was booed, the New York Sun had this line the next day- 'This must be the first time a President has been booed in public, and at a ball game, of all places.'
Hoover understood.
These folks mired in the depression and an alcohol prohibited society needed to vent their anger and Hoover was the main target.
Hoover would run for President again, reluctantly, for a second term. On the campaign trail, his railroad car was regularly egged, spikes were taken out of tracks in front of his train to try and cause derailment. A man armed with dynamite was taken down by his security detail. Death threats were too many to keep track of.
He would lose the election in a landslide.
Ted Williams would speak up later in defense of Hoover.
"Not Lincoln, Washington, Alexander Graham Bell, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Attila the Hun, Not Jefferson, Wilson, Churchill, not even FDR, but Herbert Hoover by God, Hoover.
Every cure of the depression was thought up by Hoover. Here is a man that is being blamed for things that were not his fault, yet, he never complained, and continued to help his country for the rest of his life. To me, that's a real man."
Hoover attended nine baseball games during his term. He reluctantly turned down offers and invitations for more, not at the risk of being booed, but of the perception of Americans seeing him at the ball park too much in their morning papers.
He would talk with reporters about adding another strike, to make it four balls and four strikes, in order to make games more high scoring.
Preferring to talk baseball over economics.
Hoover continued going to games after his presidency. In 1960, he threw out the first ball at Yankee Stadium for an old timers game.
He, at that time, was 86.
[ October 19, 2011, 02:18 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Dayton Moore
It is that time of year again. You know, the time where I question why Dayton Moore is still a GM at the Big League level.
Kansas city has been just a pathetic excuse for a Major League team. They were bad before Dayton, they are bad with Dayton, but they could be better after Dayton.
Moore has won Championships. Unfortunately, those Championships have come on paper. Papers published by Baseball America. They've given the Royals the highest ranking for a farm system since the publication opened up shop.
This has misled Royals fans into thinking that Moore is something he is not.
Good at his job.
Moore has set up a system that can prosper in the future. The problem being that he makes atrocious decisions at the Major League level.
The Royals can bring up Hosmer, Moustakas, Myers, Montgomery. It doesn't matter.
There will be no experienced players at the top that are used to winning and more importantly, want to win in Kansas City.
Francouer and Melky Cabrera are just a couple of many players who have been in the Braves organization. The Braves use the Royals and Moore as a dumping grounds for their castoff players.
Moore thinks of these players as winners. The Braves think of them as players they cannot win with.
The twain shall never meet.
Since Moore has taken the helm with Kansas City six years ago, the Royals have finished, at best 12 games under .500, at worst, 38 games under .500.
They have averaged 94 losses a year and their best pitcher over the last two seasons has been Bruce Chen.
Yes, in a pitchers era.
I think Kansas City fans are among the best in the Majors. Continually coming out to see a poor quality of baseball at the Big level, while AAA Omaha brims with talent and wins.
If all these kids came up at once and fulfilled their destiny, would they have a chance in Kansas City?
Well, the fans would see a better brand of baseball and have something worth cheering, but when losing your best pitcher over the last two years, and that pitchers name is Bruce Chen.
That better answers the question.
It may sound like I'm harsh on Moore.
I am.
But, at the same time I have to give him credit.
Nobody can dangle a carrot like Dayton Moore.
He will probably stay in that job for the next three or four years.
The Minor League system that he has built will still be a favorite of Baseball America and give Royals fans hope.
And like Cubs fans, if their players do not perform well on the field, they can take solace that next year may be better.
It won't, but that dangling carrot of hope remains.
[ October 20, 2011, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
It is that time of year again. You know, the time where I question why Dayton Moore is still a GM at the Big League level.
Kansas city has been just a pathetic excuse for a Major League team. They were bad before Dayton, they are bad with Dayton, but they could be better after Dayton.
Moore has won Championships. Unfortunately, those Championships have come on paper. Papers published by Baseball America. They've given the Royals the highest ranking for a farm system since the publication opened up shop.
This has misled Royals fans into thinking that Moore is something he is not.
Good at his job.
Moore has set up a system that can prosper in the future. The problem being that he makes atrocious decisions at the Major League level.
The Royals can bring up Hosmer, Moustakas, Myers, Montgomery. It doesn't matter.
There will be no experienced players at the top that are used to winning and more importantly, want to win in Kansas City.
Francouer and Melky Cabrera are just a couple of many players who have been in the Braves organization. The Braves use the Royals and Moore as a dumping grounds for their castoff players.
Moore thinks of these players as winners. The Braves think of them as players they cannot win with.
The twain shall never meet.
Since Moore has taken the helm with Kansas City six years ago, the Royals have finished, at best 12 games under .500, at worst, 38 games under .500.
They have averaged 94 losses a year and their best pitcher over the last two seasons has been Bruce Chen.
Yes, in a pitchers era.
I think Kansas City fans are among the best in the Majors. Continually coming out to see a poor quality of baseball at the Big level, while AAA Omaha brims with talent and wins.
If all these kids came up at once and fulfilled their destiny, would they have a chance in Kansas City?
Well, the fans would see a better brand of baseball and have something worth cheering, but when losing your best pitcher over the last two years, and that pitchers name is Bruce Chen.
That better answers the question.
It may sound like I'm harsh on Moore.
I am.
But, at the same time I have to give him credit.
Nobody can dangle a carrot like Dayton Moore.
He will probably stay in that job for the next three or four years.
The Minor League system that he has built will still be a favorite of Baseball America and give Royals fans hope.
And like Cubs fans, if their players do not perform well on the field, they can take solace that next year may be better.
It won't, but that dangling carrot of hope remains.
[ October 20, 2011, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
An addendum-
I mentioned that the Royals will be a better team after Moore leaves.
They will.
If Moore worked at a jig saw puzzle factory, he would select the pictures on which the puzzle is to be built. It would be up to somebody else to piece the puzzle together.
Royals ownership will realize this later than sooner. And maybe, just maybe, there'll still be enough talent assembled in Kansas City to assist a more knowing GM in putting a contending team together.
I mentioned that the Royals will be a better team after Moore leaves.
They will.
If Moore worked at a jig saw puzzle factory, he would select the pictures on which the puzzle is to be built. It would be up to somebody else to piece the puzzle together.
Royals ownership will realize this later than sooner. And maybe, just maybe, there'll still be enough talent assembled in Kansas City to assist a more knowing GM in putting a contending team together.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Doubles
.
.
.
.
.
To a roto player, the thought of a double is more enticing and tantalizing than the actual action of our hitter striking a double.
When our player hits a double down the left field line with the bases empty, our mind tallies a hit, good for our average, and the possibility of our player scoring.
At the end of the year, that double goes into the totals for extra base hits. No matter that it was a well placed ball, like most singles.
That double will now be placed into the power factor for a hitter.
Should it?
Of course not.
But, to utter one of the worst cliches that has ever gripped America, a phrase that can be said for almost any situation, a phrase that can be said after seeing two men kissing or seeing God coming down from the Heavens, a phrase that I hope will terminate in our minds as the term 'groovy' did from the 60's to the 70's.... 'it is what it is'.
I feel dirty.
I thought about that double while participating in an ongoing draft. Alex Gordon was selected and the drafter responded that 'Gordon was great last year, next year will even be better when those doubles turn into home runs'.
This line of thinking has always baffled me. I guess, in our minds, doubles are hit off the wall, barely missing out on being a home run.
The reality being that most are well struck balls that find a line or an alley.
To think doubles turn into home runs, is to think Corvairs turn into Corvettes.
Jeff Francoeur finished second in doubles last year with 47. He also had 20 home runs. Raise your hand if you think those doubles turn into home runs.
Anybody?
In 2007, Francoeur hit 40 doubles with 19 home runs.
How many of those doubles translated into homers in 2008?
None.
Francoeur ended 2008 with almost as many doubles, 33, but only hit 11 home runs.
A double is a double. Not an 'almost home run'. It's amusing how our minds work. A triple has to be struck somewhere close to a fence for the batter/runner to make it to third base, but we downgrade it in our minds as a 'speed hit'. No thought of those triple turning into home runs.
29 hitters had at least 36 doubles last year. Of those 29, 17 hit .300 last year. Except for Chris Young, .236, every one of those doubles hitters hit for at least a .269 average.
Watching our player hit a double is a good feeling. It could knock in a run or two while putting our player in scoring position.
At the end of year, instead of seeing that double as a 'power stat' though, think of it more as a better indication of batting average..
The double is the home run's distant cousin,
but more importantly, it is the single's Daddy.
[ October 23, 2011, 12:06 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
.
.
.
.
.
To a roto player, the thought of a double is more enticing and tantalizing than the actual action of our hitter striking a double.
When our player hits a double down the left field line with the bases empty, our mind tallies a hit, good for our average, and the possibility of our player scoring.
At the end of the year, that double goes into the totals for extra base hits. No matter that it was a well placed ball, like most singles.
That double will now be placed into the power factor for a hitter.
Should it?
Of course not.
But, to utter one of the worst cliches that has ever gripped America, a phrase that can be said for almost any situation, a phrase that can be said after seeing two men kissing or seeing God coming down from the Heavens, a phrase that I hope will terminate in our minds as the term 'groovy' did from the 60's to the 70's.... 'it is what it is'.
I feel dirty.
I thought about that double while participating in an ongoing draft. Alex Gordon was selected and the drafter responded that 'Gordon was great last year, next year will even be better when those doubles turn into home runs'.
This line of thinking has always baffled me. I guess, in our minds, doubles are hit off the wall, barely missing out on being a home run.
The reality being that most are well struck balls that find a line or an alley.
To think doubles turn into home runs, is to think Corvairs turn into Corvettes.
Jeff Francoeur finished second in doubles last year with 47. He also had 20 home runs. Raise your hand if you think those doubles turn into home runs.
Anybody?
In 2007, Francoeur hit 40 doubles with 19 home runs.
How many of those doubles translated into homers in 2008?
None.
Francoeur ended 2008 with almost as many doubles, 33, but only hit 11 home runs.
A double is a double. Not an 'almost home run'. It's amusing how our minds work. A triple has to be struck somewhere close to a fence for the batter/runner to make it to third base, but we downgrade it in our minds as a 'speed hit'. No thought of those triple turning into home runs.
29 hitters had at least 36 doubles last year. Of those 29, 17 hit .300 last year. Except for Chris Young, .236, every one of those doubles hitters hit for at least a .269 average.
Watching our player hit a double is a good feeling. It could knock in a run or two while putting our player in scoring position.
At the end of year, instead of seeing that double as a 'power stat' though, think of it more as a better indication of batting average..
The double is the home run's distant cousin,
but more importantly, it is the single's Daddy.
[ October 23, 2011, 12:06 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
The Bench
.
.
.
.
.
If you are reading this, there is at least a small part of you that thinks that you are good at this stuff. Most of us played or were enthralled with baseball as a kid and growing up, we never lost the love for the game.
Somebody said 'baseball is an addiction and the statistic is its heroin'.
That's us.
In playing the sport, all of us tried to avoid one thing.
The bench.
Nobody wants to sit on the bench and watch others play.
The only good bench is Johnny Bench!
For our purposes, that bench is a useful tool. Seven spots.
To be used for prospects, injured players, subs, positional backups, closers in waiting, matchup pitchers, refuse for a bad matchup....the list goes on.
Utilizing all seven spots is a must for me. Hardly ever will I use a spot for a player in the minors. Playing the GM game is a losers game and most prospects fizzle or need adjustment time once up anyway. For every Eric Hosmer, there are 10 Mike Moustakas, or even worse, Mat Gamel.
Two of my bench spots are splits-friendly players. Seth Smith types that play against righties and has a great ball park. Or a San Diego pitcher with great home splits.
Too often, we look at stats as a whole when selecting players. Once we are beyond round 20, we should be looking for a diamond in the rough or a great splits player. Chances are, that players we draft in late rounds will end up being dropped. At the least, let their splits work for you. Having a guy come off the bench at Coors for a weekend series is better than a kid at Omaha who hits four homers.
Positionally wise, there is no perfect ratio for bench players. Some weeks we'll feel more comfortable with one pitcher on our bench, some with six. Ratio does not matter at all, it is flexible and week to week.
If we have an injury prone player like Kinsler or Weeks, we'd probably be more comfortable with another 2b. Even then, we have to ask ourselves, can I find something as good next faab?
Injuries are tough on everyone.
A double penalty.
We lose the services of a viable player and he takes up a bench spot.
If the injured player is a fringe player or someone replaced with similar stats, he should be dropped. For irreplaceable players, we are forced to use a bench spot.
I have a 10 week rule for myself. No matter how good the player, if the player is out more than 10 weeks, I cut bait. Usually, time lines for recovery are best case scenario. Then, once that player comes back, there is usually an adjustment period.
For example, I did not own David Wright last year, but I would have dropped him. The stats I can get from his spot while gone, had better be better than zeroes while Wright was gone and after he came back. If not, my team is probably not going to have a chance to win the league anyway. But, it would be a better chance than carrying Wrights dead weight for months.
I may be one of the few that draft players specifically for a bench spot, but it works for me.
If liking the thought, try it. A good bench player beats a dropped player every time.
[ October 25, 2011, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
.
.
.
.
.
If you are reading this, there is at least a small part of you that thinks that you are good at this stuff. Most of us played or were enthralled with baseball as a kid and growing up, we never lost the love for the game.
Somebody said 'baseball is an addiction and the statistic is its heroin'.
That's us.
In playing the sport, all of us tried to avoid one thing.
The bench.
Nobody wants to sit on the bench and watch others play.
The only good bench is Johnny Bench!
For our purposes, that bench is a useful tool. Seven spots.
To be used for prospects, injured players, subs, positional backups, closers in waiting, matchup pitchers, refuse for a bad matchup....the list goes on.
Utilizing all seven spots is a must for me. Hardly ever will I use a spot for a player in the minors. Playing the GM game is a losers game and most prospects fizzle or need adjustment time once up anyway. For every Eric Hosmer, there are 10 Mike Moustakas, or even worse, Mat Gamel.
Two of my bench spots are splits-friendly players. Seth Smith types that play against righties and has a great ball park. Or a San Diego pitcher with great home splits.
Too often, we look at stats as a whole when selecting players. Once we are beyond round 20, we should be looking for a diamond in the rough or a great splits player. Chances are, that players we draft in late rounds will end up being dropped. At the least, let their splits work for you. Having a guy come off the bench at Coors for a weekend series is better than a kid at Omaha who hits four homers.
Positionally wise, there is no perfect ratio for bench players. Some weeks we'll feel more comfortable with one pitcher on our bench, some with six. Ratio does not matter at all, it is flexible and week to week.
If we have an injury prone player like Kinsler or Weeks, we'd probably be more comfortable with another 2b. Even then, we have to ask ourselves, can I find something as good next faab?
Injuries are tough on everyone.
A double penalty.
We lose the services of a viable player and he takes up a bench spot.
If the injured player is a fringe player or someone replaced with similar stats, he should be dropped. For irreplaceable players, we are forced to use a bench spot.
I have a 10 week rule for myself. No matter how good the player, if the player is out more than 10 weeks, I cut bait. Usually, time lines for recovery are best case scenario. Then, once that player comes back, there is usually an adjustment period.
For example, I did not own David Wright last year, but I would have dropped him. The stats I can get from his spot while gone, had better be better than zeroes while Wright was gone and after he came back. If not, my team is probably not going to have a chance to win the league anyway. But, it would be a better chance than carrying Wrights dead weight for months.
I may be one of the few that draft players specifically for a bench spot, but it works for me.
If liking the thought, try it. A good bench player beats a dropped player every time.
[ October 25, 2011, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Two Catchers
.
.
.
.
.
If I could change one thing our fantasy fathers did and is being carried on by the NFBC, it would be the two catcher requirement.
It's like starting two tight ends in fantasy football. We've taken the worst hitting position on the field and forced lineups to use two of them.
Catchers are our mother-in-laws.
Catchers are pimples.
Catchers are the unexpected bill in the mail.
In short, catchers are a pain in the ass.
Make that TWO pains in the ass.
I'm not one to bitch and moan if I don't have a solution though.
I haven't mentioned this to Greg or another living soul. It is just the thoughts of a man who is tired of being in a 15 team league where, possibly, every starting catcher in baseball will be starting in one of our leagues.
Yecchh!
So here it is.
Since we have a mi as a third ss/2b player.
And since we have a ci as a third 1b/3b player.
Why not turn the second catcher into C/OF?
Sure, it'll drain the OF pool a little, but I like all the strategy a change like this could make.
Some catchers will be snapped up a little earlier in drafts to give teams the option of either going after a C or an OF.
Some will draft outfielders early hoping for a 6th outfielder that would be the number three outfielder on other teams.
Most catchers hit better than a sixth outfielder on most teams. It shortens the outfielder pool, but in the process, gives us more options for catcher injuries.
There are a multitude of ways this strategy can play out.
For me, I would just like another option over seeing duds like Thole or McKenry or Towles in everyday lineups.
At least if we could even play a platoon playing outfielder like Matt Diaz, it gives our lineup more dignity than a Jason Varitek would.
I would like to see it happen.
Two catchers were meant for 10 and 12 team leagues. I do not believe they were meant for 15 teamers.
I'm for anything in a fantasy lineup that is viable and produces more strategy, this fills the bill on both counts.
If liking the idea, let me know and we can approach Greg and the rest of the players.
If not, let me know that too, and I'll know not to mess with tradition.
.
.
.
.
.
If I could change one thing our fantasy fathers did and is being carried on by the NFBC, it would be the two catcher requirement.
It's like starting two tight ends in fantasy football. We've taken the worst hitting position on the field and forced lineups to use two of them.
Catchers are our mother-in-laws.
Catchers are pimples.
Catchers are the unexpected bill in the mail.
In short, catchers are a pain in the ass.
Make that TWO pains in the ass.
I'm not one to bitch and moan if I don't have a solution though.
I haven't mentioned this to Greg or another living soul. It is just the thoughts of a man who is tired of being in a 15 team league where, possibly, every starting catcher in baseball will be starting in one of our leagues.
Yecchh!
So here it is.
Since we have a mi as a third ss/2b player.
And since we have a ci as a third 1b/3b player.
Why not turn the second catcher into C/OF?
Sure, it'll drain the OF pool a little, but I like all the strategy a change like this could make.
Some catchers will be snapped up a little earlier in drafts to give teams the option of either going after a C or an OF.
Some will draft outfielders early hoping for a 6th outfielder that would be the number three outfielder on other teams.
Most catchers hit better than a sixth outfielder on most teams. It shortens the outfielder pool, but in the process, gives us more options for catcher injuries.
There are a multitude of ways this strategy can play out.
For me, I would just like another option over seeing duds like Thole or McKenry or Towles in everyday lineups.
At least if we could even play a platoon playing outfielder like Matt Diaz, it gives our lineup more dignity than a Jason Varitek would.
I would like to see it happen.
Two catchers were meant for 10 and 12 team leagues. I do not believe they were meant for 15 teamers.
I'm for anything in a fantasy lineup that is viable and produces more strategy, this fills the bill on both counts.
If liking the idea, let me know and we can approach Greg and the rest of the players.
If not, let me know that too, and I'll know not to mess with tradition.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Steroid Era
.
.
.
.
.
There are so many different reactions from baseball fans when the steroid era is mentioned.
Disgust, denial, blame, anger,pleasure, happiness.
Depending on the person, all of these emotions could be displayed in a conversation.
The era distorted record books.
It messed with baseball tradition.
If someone could hit 73 home runs, we wanted him to look like a natural Paul Bunyan and be as personable and seemingly a nice guy like Peyton Manning.
But, we didn't get that.
Asterisks are never the answer.
Neither is an eraser.
It happened.
The record books will carry the names of those record breakers during the era. And we are left to deal with it in our own ways.
For me, Hank Aaron is still the leading home run hitter over a career.
Roger Maris over a season.
Hey, it's my mind, I'll do what I want!
I don't have animosity towards the players themselves. Maybe, a little disgust towards the established stars whose sole purpose was selfish and bent on setting new records.
But, at the heighth of the era I was approached by a man who coached in the minor leagues. He gave me an example of what was happening then.
A 2b is told at the AA level that he has game, but not enough power to make it to the show. If somehow you could gain some strength quickly, that door could open.
To me, that youngster can't be blamed.
Is it the right thing to do?
That is what he'll have to ask himself.
I was reminded of the era when I got some spam e-mail. The subject was peniss enlargement from Jack$5 a pill.
Now, I know my decision on whether to use that pill is miniscule compared to that kid playing 2b, but at the same time, it is the same, just on a much smaller scale.
The real question is, how do these spammers know my size?
Or worse, have they asked my wife?
It is amazing what e-mailers can get away with. Can you imagine a phone call from a company asking about your size?
Or before phones, a door to door salesman asking if you need more 'heft'.
That could/would be a dangerous job!
Yet, these spammers can send out millions of these things.
They do it because they can and because it'll make them more money.
Just like the record breakers from the steroid era.
.
.
.
.
.
There are so many different reactions from baseball fans when the steroid era is mentioned.
Disgust, denial, blame, anger,pleasure, happiness.
Depending on the person, all of these emotions could be displayed in a conversation.
The era distorted record books.
It messed with baseball tradition.
If someone could hit 73 home runs, we wanted him to look like a natural Paul Bunyan and be as personable and seemingly a nice guy like Peyton Manning.
But, we didn't get that.
Asterisks are never the answer.
Neither is an eraser.
It happened.
The record books will carry the names of those record breakers during the era. And we are left to deal with it in our own ways.
For me, Hank Aaron is still the leading home run hitter over a career.
Roger Maris over a season.
Hey, it's my mind, I'll do what I want!
I don't have animosity towards the players themselves. Maybe, a little disgust towards the established stars whose sole purpose was selfish and bent on setting new records.
But, at the heighth of the era I was approached by a man who coached in the minor leagues. He gave me an example of what was happening then.
A 2b is told at the AA level that he has game, but not enough power to make it to the show. If somehow you could gain some strength quickly, that door could open.
To me, that youngster can't be blamed.
Is it the right thing to do?
That is what he'll have to ask himself.
I was reminded of the era when I got some spam e-mail. The subject was peniss enlargement from Jack$5 a pill.
Now, I know my decision on whether to use that pill is miniscule compared to that kid playing 2b, but at the same time, it is the same, just on a much smaller scale.
The real question is, how do these spammers know my size?
Or worse, have they asked my wife?
It is amazing what e-mailers can get away with. Can you imagine a phone call from a company asking about your size?
Or before phones, a door to door salesman asking if you need more 'heft'.
That could/would be a dangerous job!
Yet, these spammers can send out millions of these things.
They do it because they can and because it'll make them more money.
Just like the record breakers from the steroid era.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Yogi Berra
.
.
.
If you're reading this, you are probably already following the All Time Greats Draft.
And loving it.
Me too.
It has me thinking about one player in particular.
A guy that has to be the most universally loved baseball player of all time.
Yogi Berra.
Few baseball players are recognized by only their first names. Yogi has that distinction. Yogi's quotes and 'Yogisms' have been published in books, even AS a book. In this way, Yogi's accomplishments on the field have almost been lost.
We each live in a generation where we say, "There'll never be another hitter like him." When talking about Berra it is true. Yogi never met a pitch he didn't like. Some pitchers thought the best way to get him out was to throw the ball down the middle!
If having not seen Berra, your mind may be comparing him to Vladimir Guerrero.
Not good.
Berra, while swinging at most pitches, also made contact with most.
Try this stat on for size-
In 1950, Yogi Berra had 597 at bats.
Now, guess his strike outs.
Yes, less than 100.
Yes, less than 75
Yes, even less than 50.
Let me save you some time. 12.
That's right 12 strike outs for a free wheeling bat!
That season was not an anomaly. Berra never struck out more than 40 times in a season.
7,555 career at bats
414 strike outs.
Mark Reynolds could do that in two seasons!
Berra played 20 seasons.
Yep, an average of just over 20 strike outs a season!
Berra had five 100 rbi seasons and 11 seasons with over 20 home runs.
Berra had 12 home runs in World Series play as well.
He also caught over 150 games twice.
In five seasons, he had more home runs than strike outs.
The man was a beast on the field. We may chuckle at his physique and quips, but no pitchers were amused when Yogi stepped to the plate.
He truly was, one of a kind.
[ October 28, 2011, 01:09 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
.
.
.
If you're reading this, you are probably already following the All Time Greats Draft.
And loving it.
Me too.
It has me thinking about one player in particular.
A guy that has to be the most universally loved baseball player of all time.
Yogi Berra.
Few baseball players are recognized by only their first names. Yogi has that distinction. Yogi's quotes and 'Yogisms' have been published in books, even AS a book. In this way, Yogi's accomplishments on the field have almost been lost.
We each live in a generation where we say, "There'll never be another hitter like him." When talking about Berra it is true. Yogi never met a pitch he didn't like. Some pitchers thought the best way to get him out was to throw the ball down the middle!
If having not seen Berra, your mind may be comparing him to Vladimir Guerrero.
Not good.
Berra, while swinging at most pitches, also made contact with most.
Try this stat on for size-
In 1950, Yogi Berra had 597 at bats.
Now, guess his strike outs.
Yes, less than 100.
Yes, less than 75
Yes, even less than 50.
Let me save you some time. 12.
That's right 12 strike outs for a free wheeling bat!
That season was not an anomaly. Berra never struck out more than 40 times in a season.
7,555 career at bats
414 strike outs.
Mark Reynolds could do that in two seasons!
Berra played 20 seasons.
Yep, an average of just over 20 strike outs a season!
Berra had five 100 rbi seasons and 11 seasons with over 20 home runs.
Berra had 12 home runs in World Series play as well.
He also caught over 150 games twice.
In five seasons, he had more home runs than strike outs.
The man was a beast on the field. We may chuckle at his physique and quips, but no pitchers were amused when Yogi stepped to the plate.
He truly was, one of a kind.
[ October 28, 2011, 01:09 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:
I would like to see it happen.
Two catchers were meant for 10 and 12 team leagues. I do not believe they were meant for 15 teamers.. FWIW, the game the founding fathers invented was for AL and NL only leagues, where 24 and 26 catchers were needed.
Personally, come from the point of view that value is relative and the 30th catcher in a 15 team mixed league has the same value as the last 1B. 2B, 3B SS and OF drafted so it is up to us to properly adjust and draft accordingly.
[ October 28, 2011, 09:10 PM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]
I would like to see it happen.
Two catchers were meant for 10 and 12 team leagues. I do not believe they were meant for 15 teamers.. FWIW, the game the founding fathers invented was for AL and NL only leagues, where 24 and 26 catchers were needed.
Personally, come from the point of view that value is relative and the 30th catcher in a 15 team mixed league has the same value as the last 1B. 2B, 3B SS and OF drafted so it is up to us to properly adjust and draft accordingly.
[ October 28, 2011, 09:10 PM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]
2019 Mastersball Platinum
5 of the past 6 NFBC champions subscribe to Mastersball
over 1300 projections and 500 player profiles
Standings and Roster Tracker perfect for DC and cutline leagues
Subscribe HERE
5 of the past 6 NFBC champions subscribe to Mastersball
over 1300 projections and 500 player profiles
Standings and Roster Tracker perfect for DC and cutline leagues
Subscribe HERE
Stevie Williams
Originally posted by ToddZ:
quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:
I would like to see it happen.
Two catchers were meant for 10 and 12 team leagues. I do not believe they were meant for 15 teamers.. FWIW, the game the founding fathers invented was for AL and NL only leagues, where 24 and 26 catchers were needed.
Personally, come from the point of view that value is relative and the 30th catcher in a 15 team mixed league has the same value as the last 1B. 2B, 3B SS and OF drafted so it is up to us to properly adjust and draft accordingly. [/QUOTE]That second catcher just never has looked right in the nfbc. It is up to us to properly adjust for any position or even bench player really.
The same could be said for a c/of.
I like that it'll open up some faab spots for catchers. Even with five outfielders on our rosters, they look to be the most plentiful position available in faab.
Two catchers is a tradition that should not have been followed here. We only play it this way because of our forefathers.
We need a stepdad
quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:
I would like to see it happen.
Two catchers were meant for 10 and 12 team leagues. I do not believe they were meant for 15 teamers.. FWIW, the game the founding fathers invented was for AL and NL only leagues, where 24 and 26 catchers were needed.
Personally, come from the point of view that value is relative and the 30th catcher in a 15 team mixed league has the same value as the last 1B. 2B, 3B SS and OF drafted so it is up to us to properly adjust and draft accordingly. [/QUOTE]That second catcher just never has looked right in the nfbc. It is up to us to properly adjust for any position or even bench player really.
The same could be said for a c/of.
I like that it'll open up some faab spots for catchers. Even with five outfielders on our rosters, they look to be the most plentiful position available in faab.
Two catchers is a tradition that should not have been followed here. We only play it this way because of our forefathers.
We need a stepdad
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Not that it matters, but there is anecdotal evidence the reason two catchers were chosen was to best represent the standard MLB roster. Of course, the counter to that is there are 25 men on an MLB roster, but I was not invited to lunch at La Rotisserie that afternoon.
The change I would like to see is taking the 5th OF spot and making it an OF/P spot, or U/P spot.
This is actually being done in a handful of private leagues and many scoring services are set up to handle it.
My reasoning is the construct of the MLB roster has changed from 15 hitters/10 pitchers to 14/11 and now 13/12. Heck, for a few weeks, some teams even go 12/13 nowadays.
Adding this extra mixed utility spot helps keep the penetration into the hitter and pitcher pools about the same as when the game was first invented.
[ October 28, 2011, 09:55 PM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]
The change I would like to see is taking the 5th OF spot and making it an OF/P spot, or U/P spot.
This is actually being done in a handful of private leagues and many scoring services are set up to handle it.
My reasoning is the construct of the MLB roster has changed from 15 hitters/10 pitchers to 14/11 and now 13/12. Heck, for a few weeks, some teams even go 12/13 nowadays.
Adding this extra mixed utility spot helps keep the penetration into the hitter and pitcher pools about the same as when the game was first invented.
[ October 28, 2011, 09:55 PM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]
2019 Mastersball Platinum
5 of the past 6 NFBC champions subscribe to Mastersball
over 1300 projections and 500 player profiles
Standings and Roster Tracker perfect for DC and cutline leagues
Subscribe HERE
5 of the past 6 NFBC champions subscribe to Mastersball
over 1300 projections and 500 player profiles
Standings and Roster Tracker perfect for DC and cutline leagues
Subscribe HERE
Stevie Williams
Really, I think both make more sense than our lineup now. Having both would allow for a lot more flexibility, strategy, and the development of teams.
C, c/of, 1b, 2b, 3b,ss, mi, ci, of, of, of, of, of/p, u, p, p, p, p, p, p, p, p, p
I like it.
The problem being that there aren't enough forward thinking people in our hobby. Most enjoy there comfort level where they are or have been.
This isn't change for the benefit of change. It changes the dynamics to better reflect the players on the field and the players that we draft on paper.
It would be a good change for our contest.
C, c/of, 1b, 2b, 3b,ss, mi, ci, of, of, of, of, of/p, u, p, p, p, p, p, p, p, p, p
I like it.
The problem being that there aren't enough forward thinking people in our hobby. Most enjoy there comfort level where they are or have been.
This isn't change for the benefit of change. It changes the dynamics to better reflect the players on the field and the players that we draft on paper.
It would be a good change for our contest.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
I get asked why I'm not participating in the All Time Draft.
Well, I don't speak numerish. I think the winner of this draft will handle the numerish part pretty well.
Player evaluating is out of the picture. Injuries, upside, and past performance doesn't matter.
The numbers are there for the drafters. Sorta like playing scrabble with the words already formed, thus just placing those words on the board in the most advantageous manner.
It's fun to see the variance of the different era's and players within them being drafted. Remembering that the balls were so bad during the dead ball era that they played with a ball till a hitter, literally, hit the cover off the ball. To the other end of the spectrum, the steroid era, when not hitting a ball on the sweet spot did not pose much of a problem.
What this draft does do, is provide a distraction during the cold months for the baseball enthusiast, and there's nothing wrong with that.
During this time, I've already completed a 'real draft' and am in the middle of a second draft.
It looks like Matt Kemp will be the number one pick in most drafts.
A little sad because over the last few years, the number one pick has been synonymous with the number one hitter in baseball, Albert Pujols. I don't think anybody thinks of Kemp as baseball's best hitter, just best fantasy player.
Some picks will move up the Boards as more analysts enlighten with their numbers and opinions. One of those players will be Eric Hosmer. Hosmer has gone in the third round of both drafts. Where I thought he would go, but I think by the time hypesters have their way with him, he will be drafted in the bottom of the second inning or round.
I shudder to think how Kansas City would have finished without Hosmer last year. Even with Gordon, Francoeur, and Cabrera's contributions.
Here are two sets of numbers:
.374-44-12-45-7
.229-22-7-33-4
The first set of numbers are what Hosmer hit during KC's 54 wins with him at the Major League level.
The second set of numbers are Hosmer's numbers during their 77 losses.
Like Colorado with Tulowitzki and Milwaukee with Braun, The Royals have an early peek at their future superstar. The Rockies and Brewers were smart enough to sign those stars for the future. Kansas City should do the same with Hosmer.
Well, I don't speak numerish. I think the winner of this draft will handle the numerish part pretty well.
Player evaluating is out of the picture. Injuries, upside, and past performance doesn't matter.
The numbers are there for the drafters. Sorta like playing scrabble with the words already formed, thus just placing those words on the board in the most advantageous manner.
It's fun to see the variance of the different era's and players within them being drafted. Remembering that the balls were so bad during the dead ball era that they played with a ball till a hitter, literally, hit the cover off the ball. To the other end of the spectrum, the steroid era, when not hitting a ball on the sweet spot did not pose much of a problem.
What this draft does do, is provide a distraction during the cold months for the baseball enthusiast, and there's nothing wrong with that.
During this time, I've already completed a 'real draft' and am in the middle of a second draft.
It looks like Matt Kemp will be the number one pick in most drafts.
A little sad because over the last few years, the number one pick has been synonymous with the number one hitter in baseball, Albert Pujols. I don't think anybody thinks of Kemp as baseball's best hitter, just best fantasy player.
Some picks will move up the Boards as more analysts enlighten with their numbers and opinions. One of those players will be Eric Hosmer. Hosmer has gone in the third round of both drafts. Where I thought he would go, but I think by the time hypesters have their way with him, he will be drafted in the bottom of the second inning or round.
I shudder to think how Kansas City would have finished without Hosmer last year. Even with Gordon, Francoeur, and Cabrera's contributions.
Here are two sets of numbers:
.374-44-12-45-7
.229-22-7-33-4
The first set of numbers are what Hosmer hit during KC's 54 wins with him at the Major League level.
The second set of numbers are Hosmer's numbers during their 77 losses.
Like Colorado with Tulowitzki and Milwaukee with Braun, The Royals have an early peek at their future superstar. The Rockies and Brewers were smart enough to sign those stars for the future. Kansas City should do the same with Hosmer.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Splits
.
.
.
.
When I look up stats for self-entertainment, I go to splits. Splits may tell you a little or a lot about a player. Then again, I guess all stats can be described that way. But, splits isn't usually acceptable in most fantasy circles as a 'stat in concrete'. Unless a trend develops over a few years, such as Rockies hitters hitting at home or San Diego pitchers at PetCo.
But, I say screw studying for a fantasy test, I'm gonna have some self-entertainment that is a little easier on the right hand.
This should be called 'Splits Stuff' because it'll be some one line stats that are just fun.
Greg Holland pitched 28 2/3 innings at home last year.
He gave up just one run.
Batting Average against?...105
Scott Downs gave up one earned run at home all last year as well. I know, because I picked him up in order to bolster my WHIP and ERA for the last week of the season.
Of course, he gave up that one earned run in his last appearance of the year.
See, I told you 'splits' aren't concrete stats!
Clayton Kershaw's ERA at home? 1.69
Daniel Bard is the devil on Sundays.
He pitched on 12 different Sundays, 14 innings, and didn't give up a run.
Justin Verlander had five starts on Sunday.
He averaged over eight innings a start.
Verlander gave up one run during those five starts, for an ERA of 0.22
In the first inning of Cliff Lee starts last year, his ERA was 1.41
What about the all important fifth inning?
The inning we need for a W.
The inning the starter needs for a W.
Here are some bad ones, and the reason they didn't maintain starting status.
Phil Coke- 9.00
Rubby DeLaRosa- 9.35
Charley Furbush- 9.00
Joel Pineiro- 7.52
Brandon Morrow- 7.52
Fausto Carmona- 7.43
There's a lot of heartache in those numbers
I found a stat pleasing for DiceK owners-
After 76 pitches in a game, DiceK over 10 innings had a 0.00 ERA.
It's those first 75 pitches that mess him up!
I'll be back with more splits later....
.
.
.
.
When I look up stats for self-entertainment, I go to splits. Splits may tell you a little or a lot about a player. Then again, I guess all stats can be described that way. But, splits isn't usually acceptable in most fantasy circles as a 'stat in concrete'. Unless a trend develops over a few years, such as Rockies hitters hitting at home or San Diego pitchers at PetCo.
But, I say screw studying for a fantasy test, I'm gonna have some self-entertainment that is a little easier on the right hand.
This should be called 'Splits Stuff' because it'll be some one line stats that are just fun.
Greg Holland pitched 28 2/3 innings at home last year.
He gave up just one run.
Batting Average against?...105
Scott Downs gave up one earned run at home all last year as well. I know, because I picked him up in order to bolster my WHIP and ERA for the last week of the season.
Of course, he gave up that one earned run in his last appearance of the year.
See, I told you 'splits' aren't concrete stats!
Clayton Kershaw's ERA at home? 1.69
Daniel Bard is the devil on Sundays.
He pitched on 12 different Sundays, 14 innings, and didn't give up a run.
Justin Verlander had five starts on Sunday.
He averaged over eight innings a start.
Verlander gave up one run during those five starts, for an ERA of 0.22
In the first inning of Cliff Lee starts last year, his ERA was 1.41
What about the all important fifth inning?
The inning we need for a W.
The inning the starter needs for a W.
Here are some bad ones, and the reason they didn't maintain starting status.
Phil Coke- 9.00
Rubby DeLaRosa- 9.35
Charley Furbush- 9.00
Joel Pineiro- 7.52
Brandon Morrow- 7.52
Fausto Carmona- 7.43
There's a lot of heartache in those numbers
I found a stat pleasing for DiceK owners-
After 76 pitches in a game, DiceK over 10 innings had a 0.00 ERA.
It's those first 75 pitches that mess him up!
I'll be back with more splits later....
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Continuing splits....
Here is a split that is more telling of a season than the split itself.
AJ Burnett's ERA after 100 pitches is infinity.
He only faced four batters after 100 pitches. He gave up two walks and two home runs, four earned runs.
It would be hard to even call Burnett an innings eater with that split.
In the, 'how lucky can he be' department....
Brad Lidge's first 15 pitches of each ballgame ended with a 0.57 ERA.
However during those 15 innings, Lidge allowed 13 hits and 13 walks for a 1.66 WHIP.
To heck with Venters and Kimbrel!....
With the bases loaded last year, Eric O'Flaherty faced nine batters.
He retired them all, five by strike out.
O'Flaherty was outdone by David Robertson with the bases juiced though.
Robertson faced 20 batters, striking out 14 of them and only allowed one hit.
Let's go to the other end of the spectrum. If you're a Carmona owner, root for the Manager to get his ass out of the game when he fills the bases.
He faced 16 batters with the bases loaded (alarming in itself!), he got seven outs, gave up eight hits and a walk.
His ERA with the ducks on the pond?
88.71
If everyday were Sunday, they'd call me Ted Williams...
On Sunday's last season, Paul Konerko hit.409
Ryan Doumit went 17-31 on Mondays for a 548 average.
Unfortunately for Ryan, the Pirates played on other days too.
Another catcher, Eli Whiteside had 20 at bats on Mondays, and failed to get a hit.
It's up to you to decide what is scarier, the no hits part, or the 20 at bats.
Cripple shooter?
Mike Napoli hit 18 of his home runs and .395 while the Rangers were ahead in games last year.
Eight is Enough?
The best eighth hitter in baseball with over 100 at bats in the spot was Wilson Ramos.
Hitting in front of the pitcher, Ramos hit six homers and batted .344
In under 100 at bats, Ramon Hernandez hit .349 and also had six homers.
More Splits later....
Here is a split that is more telling of a season than the split itself.
AJ Burnett's ERA after 100 pitches is infinity.
He only faced four batters after 100 pitches. He gave up two walks and two home runs, four earned runs.
It would be hard to even call Burnett an innings eater with that split.
In the, 'how lucky can he be' department....
Brad Lidge's first 15 pitches of each ballgame ended with a 0.57 ERA.
However during those 15 innings, Lidge allowed 13 hits and 13 walks for a 1.66 WHIP.
To heck with Venters and Kimbrel!....
With the bases loaded last year, Eric O'Flaherty faced nine batters.
He retired them all, five by strike out.
O'Flaherty was outdone by David Robertson with the bases juiced though.
Robertson faced 20 batters, striking out 14 of them and only allowed one hit.
Let's go to the other end of the spectrum. If you're a Carmona owner, root for the Manager to get his ass out of the game when he fills the bases.
He faced 16 batters with the bases loaded (alarming in itself!), he got seven outs, gave up eight hits and a walk.
His ERA with the ducks on the pond?
88.71
If everyday were Sunday, they'd call me Ted Williams...
On Sunday's last season, Paul Konerko hit.409
Ryan Doumit went 17-31 on Mondays for a 548 average.
Unfortunately for Ryan, the Pirates played on other days too.
Another catcher, Eli Whiteside had 20 at bats on Mondays, and failed to get a hit.
It's up to you to decide what is scarier, the no hits part, or the 20 at bats.
Cripple shooter?
Mike Napoli hit 18 of his home runs and .395 while the Rangers were ahead in games last year.
Eight is Enough?
The best eighth hitter in baseball with over 100 at bats in the spot was Wilson Ramos.
Hitting in front of the pitcher, Ramos hit six homers and batted .344
In under 100 at bats, Ramon Hernandez hit .349 and also had six homers.
More Splits later....
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Lyrics and other side Splits...
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.
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I play fantasy baseball
I see the game from different eyes,
Traditionalists treat me with scorn
They look at me with despise.
My friends update me with a score,
They give me a running tally,
They don't comprehend that I'd rather know,
Who started and who ended the rally.
Home fans revel in a comeback win,
Oh, the pleasure! They rave!
As for us, we are left asking,
Who got the win? Who got the Save?
I don't care who won the game,
And I know it sounds a little lame,
But that is Fantasy,
Can't ya see?
Your reality, is my fantasy.
- Anonymous (That's legal, you know)
Offensively, The Cardinals and Rangers had the lowest strike out percentage in Major League Baseball.
Coincidence? I don't know.
The Cardinals and Rangers both ranked in the top five in on base percentage as well.
Coincidence? Probably not.
The Cardinals and Rangers were each the top hitting teams in the National and American Leagues.
Coin.....NO!
Jarrod Saltalajustgotbyme had 26 passed balls last year.
Matt Wieters had one.
Here's a fantasy tip if you don't like moving players a whole lot.
Overdraft Ryan Raburn and bench him.
Bench him till August.
In August during the last two seasons, Raburn has hit .308 and .323
Then in September it only gets better.
The last two seasons, he has hit .378 and .383!
[ November 03, 2011, 03:25 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
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.
.
I play fantasy baseball
I see the game from different eyes,
Traditionalists treat me with scorn
They look at me with despise.
My friends update me with a score,
They give me a running tally,
They don't comprehend that I'd rather know,
Who started and who ended the rally.
Home fans revel in a comeback win,
Oh, the pleasure! They rave!
As for us, we are left asking,
Who got the win? Who got the Save?
I don't care who won the game,
And I know it sounds a little lame,
But that is Fantasy,
Can't ya see?
Your reality, is my fantasy.
- Anonymous (That's legal, you know)
Offensively, The Cardinals and Rangers had the lowest strike out percentage in Major League Baseball.
Coincidence? I don't know.
The Cardinals and Rangers both ranked in the top five in on base percentage as well.
Coincidence? Probably not.
The Cardinals and Rangers were each the top hitting teams in the National and American Leagues.
Coin.....NO!
Jarrod Saltalajustgotbyme had 26 passed balls last year.
Matt Wieters had one.
Here's a fantasy tip if you don't like moving players a whole lot.
Overdraft Ryan Raburn and bench him.
Bench him till August.
In August during the last two seasons, Raburn has hit .308 and .323
Then in September it only gets better.
The last two seasons, he has hit .378 and .383!
[ November 03, 2011, 03:25 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Hall of Fame
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I have many beefs with the Hall of Fame.
Some of the writers that vote do not follow baseball any more. It makes as much sense as a Hollywood entertainment writer in the 70's voting for the Academy Award today, even though in his mind, Burt Reynolds is still a star.
Yet, there it is.
Besides their feebleness at putting together a competent voting group, they have missed the boat (vote) on others.
I won't go into Shoeless Joe Jackson. That'll be for another post later.
Today, let's talk about Ron Santo.
Today it was announced that Santo's name goes to the veterans committee.
I would be very surprised if Santo isn't eventually named by them to the Hall.
It'll make some folks happy, I guess.
But, in Santo's case, the point has been lost.
Santo didn't have numbers that writers cared for. Old school writers look at the .277 lifetime average, and call Santo himself average. The sabremetric writers would pick up that Santo led the National League in walks four times. In OBP twice.
He played in over 154 games 11 times. The Man was a rock.
Yet, that was overlooked.
Here was a guy who was losing pieces of his body like I lose hair.
Santo's limbs were gone, but not his hope.
He clung to the hope that he would join his friends Ernie, Fergie, and Billy into the Hall of Fame. His numbers weren't as glamorous as his friends, but he was the cornerstone of that team. He knew it, his friends knew it, his teammates knew it, and fans knew it.
Somehow, the Hall of Fame voters did not know.
There are less third baseman than any other position in the Hall of Fame.
Maybe the voters expect first base numbers or don't take into account that of all the corner positions on the field, third basemen are injured most.
It doesn't matter.
Not now.
The Hall of Fame is supposed to be a good thing for baseball.
A reward for a job well done.
An award for the best of the best.
Ron Santo was good for baseball.
His, was a job well done.
And he was one of the best of the best.
He died not getting that confirmation from Hall of Fame voters.
And for that, the Hall of Fame should be ashamed.
[ November 04, 2011, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
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.
.
.
I have many beefs with the Hall of Fame.
Some of the writers that vote do not follow baseball any more. It makes as much sense as a Hollywood entertainment writer in the 70's voting for the Academy Award today, even though in his mind, Burt Reynolds is still a star.
Yet, there it is.
Besides their feebleness at putting together a competent voting group, they have missed the boat (vote) on others.
I won't go into Shoeless Joe Jackson. That'll be for another post later.
Today, let's talk about Ron Santo.
Today it was announced that Santo's name goes to the veterans committee.
I would be very surprised if Santo isn't eventually named by them to the Hall.
It'll make some folks happy, I guess.
But, in Santo's case, the point has been lost.
Santo didn't have numbers that writers cared for. Old school writers look at the .277 lifetime average, and call Santo himself average. The sabremetric writers would pick up that Santo led the National League in walks four times. In OBP twice.
He played in over 154 games 11 times. The Man was a rock.
Yet, that was overlooked.
Here was a guy who was losing pieces of his body like I lose hair.
Santo's limbs were gone, but not his hope.
He clung to the hope that he would join his friends Ernie, Fergie, and Billy into the Hall of Fame. His numbers weren't as glamorous as his friends, but he was the cornerstone of that team. He knew it, his friends knew it, his teammates knew it, and fans knew it.
Somehow, the Hall of Fame voters did not know.
There are less third baseman than any other position in the Hall of Fame.
Maybe the voters expect first base numbers or don't take into account that of all the corner positions on the field, third basemen are injured most.
It doesn't matter.
Not now.
The Hall of Fame is supposed to be a good thing for baseball.
A reward for a job well done.
An award for the best of the best.
Ron Santo was good for baseball.
His, was a job well done.
And he was one of the best of the best.
He died not getting that confirmation from Hall of Fame voters.
And for that, the Hall of Fame should be ashamed.
[ November 04, 2011, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
I'm a Jerk...
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I feel like a real jerk. It happens to me from time to time. I do something that hurts somebody's feelings. Never makes me feel good about myself.
Sometimes, I act like a know-it-all, when I do, it usually comes back to bite me in the ass.
We're in the process of a early draft. A little bit of banter and some opinions on players. Somebody drafted Austin Jackson. I noted that he was Drew Stubbs without the power.
I t is exactly how I feel about Jackson. Meaning no malice towards the drafter himself. Heck, he got Jackson in a late round. Anybody liking Jackson would think he got the dreaded value pick.
To make a long story short, the drafter reminded me of my shortcomings in the draft. Telling me that I overdrafted one position. Not to expect a return of first round status for my first round pick, and reminding me of the injury past of some others drafted.
In other words, you attack my player, I'll attack yours.
Silly, really.
I wouldn't be surprised if he's right about Austin Jackson. He may go on to have a great year. If he does, I'll be the first to tell him 'good job'.
But, he didn't ask for an opinion on Austin Jackson. Especially right after he drafted him. Especially, a negative opinion.
It didn't really serve a purpose other than to fortify a know-it-all mentality.
He didn't call me a jerk for the Austin Jackson comment. He didn't have to. I already know.
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.
.
I feel like a real jerk. It happens to me from time to time. I do something that hurts somebody's feelings. Never makes me feel good about myself.
Sometimes, I act like a know-it-all, when I do, it usually comes back to bite me in the ass.
We're in the process of a early draft. A little bit of banter and some opinions on players. Somebody drafted Austin Jackson. I noted that he was Drew Stubbs without the power.
I t is exactly how I feel about Jackson. Meaning no malice towards the drafter himself. Heck, he got Jackson in a late round. Anybody liking Jackson would think he got the dreaded value pick.
To make a long story short, the drafter reminded me of my shortcomings in the draft. Telling me that I overdrafted one position. Not to expect a return of first round status for my first round pick, and reminding me of the injury past of some others drafted.
In other words, you attack my player, I'll attack yours.
Silly, really.
I wouldn't be surprised if he's right about Austin Jackson. He may go on to have a great year. If he does, I'll be the first to tell him 'good job'.
But, he didn't ask for an opinion on Austin Jackson. Especially right after he drafted him. Especially, a negative opinion.
It didn't really serve a purpose other than to fortify a know-it-all mentality.
He didn't call me a jerk for the Austin Jackson comment. He didn't have to. I already know.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Marrying a Player
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This is a follow up to my being a jerk post.
I'm old enough to have gone through all the phases and emotions of a draft. In the beginning, I was married to my players.
After all, I had just one fantasy team and I'll be damned if anybody was going to say something not nice about the player I just drafted, and in effect, married.
A full off season of study goes into question when a draft pick is put down or worse, laughed at. These picks become instant family. Our temptation is to lash out at anybody who dares say any negative words towards our player.
Since then, I've come to know that these players are not part of a family. Really, each represents an inanimate object. They are poker chips. The first pick representing the biggest bet, then, bets get smaller as the draft progresses.
Even in an auction, we are not buying players. We are buying their skills. Miguel Cabrera was the subject of debate last March when he had a loud drunk driving charge before the draft. Drafters who took him in the first round could care less about the drinking, only the numbers.
At the same time, Manny Ramirez looked to be in great shape and was a sleeper (yuck) on many drafters list. When caught taking steroids again, Manny was given a mental flip of the middle finger by most owners because his offense did effect numbers.
If we were married to Manny, we would show compassion, but we're not and the middle finger is the weapon of choice.
I took Curtis Granderson in the first round of an early draft. Will he repeat his numbers?
No.
At least I don't think so. Still, his numbers were top five in baseball last year, and I drafted 12.
His skill set matches that ball park perfectly. He can strike out a lot, while still putting up fantasy numbers that make players of equal talent, envious. The lineup around him affords him cheap runs and cheap rbi. I compare him a little to Roger Maris in that he is the perfect player in the perfect park for his skill set.
If I'm wrong, it's ok.
It's not like I'm married to the guy.
[ November 06, 2011, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
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.
.
.
.
This is a follow up to my being a jerk post.
I'm old enough to have gone through all the phases and emotions of a draft. In the beginning, I was married to my players.
After all, I had just one fantasy team and I'll be damned if anybody was going to say something not nice about the player I just drafted, and in effect, married.
A full off season of study goes into question when a draft pick is put down or worse, laughed at. These picks become instant family. Our temptation is to lash out at anybody who dares say any negative words towards our player.
Since then, I've come to know that these players are not part of a family. Really, each represents an inanimate object. They are poker chips. The first pick representing the biggest bet, then, bets get smaller as the draft progresses.
Even in an auction, we are not buying players. We are buying their skills. Miguel Cabrera was the subject of debate last March when he had a loud drunk driving charge before the draft. Drafters who took him in the first round could care less about the drinking, only the numbers.
At the same time, Manny Ramirez looked to be in great shape and was a sleeper (yuck) on many drafters list. When caught taking steroids again, Manny was given a mental flip of the middle finger by most owners because his offense did effect numbers.
If we were married to Manny, we would show compassion, but we're not and the middle finger is the weapon of choice.
I took Curtis Granderson in the first round of an early draft. Will he repeat his numbers?
No.
At least I don't think so. Still, his numbers were top five in baseball last year, and I drafted 12.
His skill set matches that ball park perfectly. He can strike out a lot, while still putting up fantasy numbers that make players of equal talent, envious. The lineup around him affords him cheap runs and cheap rbi. I compare him a little to Roger Maris in that he is the perfect player in the perfect park for his skill set.
If I'm wrong, it's ok.
It's not like I'm married to the guy.
[ November 06, 2011, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Questions....
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Every time we see Deion Sanders with his little wings in that commercial, are you like me in wishing you had a big flyswatter?
Howie Kendrick will be 29 next year....29!
He is still taken for what he could do, not for what he has done. At what age does that stop?
Lost in the Penn State controversy is the act itself and the judicial system.
Sandusky and his like, alter lives forever. The charges for these acts should be a minimum 50 years behind bars.
Current laws do not deter these 'men'.
Sorry, I don't have a question in this paragraph, just answers for pedophiles who dare do this to one of our kids.
I have a micro-managing fantasy buddy who tries to find out if a players significant other is pregnant and then downgrades him if she is.
Do you think he's downgrading players living in Venezuela as we speak?
Has anybody made more money off a beard than Brian Wilson?
Why do I get the feeling that JD Drew, Stephen Drew, and Drew Carey all have the same fantasy relevance in 2012?
Werd up. (Drew backwards).
Josh Hamilton has played over 121 games once.
How can he be taken in the first round of some drafts?
Before this year, who would you have picked to go out on top and who in disgrace.
Tony LaRussa or Joe Paterno?
Crazy world, isn't it?
By the end of the year, why do I think attendance for Marlin games will be under 18,000?
Speaking of the Marlins, along with Ozzie Guillen, players like Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Zambrano rumored to be coming, along with already having Leo Nunez or Juan Oveido, or whatever his name is, with these Latin bad boys, shouldn't they change their team name too?
How about Miami Vice?
If Major League Baseball made every Manager a free agent, who would be the most coveted Manager?
I would think that Joe Girardi and Kirk Gibson would be courted by many.
Mike Stanton looks like a bull and hits the ball hard. Very hard. But ask folks who have seen them both play, who hits the ball harder and farther between Stanton and Bryce Harper. The answer will be Harper most every time.
Is that scary or what?
[ November 10, 2011, 05:30 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
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.
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.
.
Every time we see Deion Sanders with his little wings in that commercial, are you like me in wishing you had a big flyswatter?
Howie Kendrick will be 29 next year....29!
He is still taken for what he could do, not for what he has done. At what age does that stop?
Lost in the Penn State controversy is the act itself and the judicial system.
Sandusky and his like, alter lives forever. The charges for these acts should be a minimum 50 years behind bars.
Current laws do not deter these 'men'.
Sorry, I don't have a question in this paragraph, just answers for pedophiles who dare do this to one of our kids.
I have a micro-managing fantasy buddy who tries to find out if a players significant other is pregnant and then downgrades him if she is.
Do you think he's downgrading players living in Venezuela as we speak?
Has anybody made more money off a beard than Brian Wilson?
Why do I get the feeling that JD Drew, Stephen Drew, and Drew Carey all have the same fantasy relevance in 2012?
Werd up. (Drew backwards).
Josh Hamilton has played over 121 games once.
How can he be taken in the first round of some drafts?
Before this year, who would you have picked to go out on top and who in disgrace.
Tony LaRussa or Joe Paterno?
Crazy world, isn't it?
By the end of the year, why do I think attendance for Marlin games will be under 18,000?
Speaking of the Marlins, along with Ozzie Guillen, players like Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Zambrano rumored to be coming, along with already having Leo Nunez or Juan Oveido, or whatever his name is, with these Latin bad boys, shouldn't they change their team name too?
How about Miami Vice?
If Major League Baseball made every Manager a free agent, who would be the most coveted Manager?
I would think that Joe Girardi and Kirk Gibson would be courted by many.
Mike Stanton looks like a bull and hits the ball hard. Very hard. But ask folks who have seen them both play, who hits the ball harder and farther between Stanton and Bryce Harper. The answer will be Harper most every time.
Is that scary or what?
[ November 10, 2011, 05:30 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
Crap
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Every year it happens. Once the baseball season ends, crap starts. Crap because there is no baseball season. Crap because football is a one day fix. Worse, crap from baseball GM's, Managers, and players.
These people cannot tell us what is going to happen five months from now, but they give it an effort.
Crap came from ARod today as he says he'll start training three weeks earlier(Oooooh!) and that age is just a number. ARod should have turned that around and said that age has his number.
Unfortunately, ARod's most enticing features for fantasy drafters are that he hits in the middle of a loaded lineup and plays a short-stocked position. Neither of which have anything to do with his fading hitting ability.
But, thanks for the heads up, ARod. We'll remember that as you're being fed popcorn at the Super Bowl this year.
More crap came from the St Louis General Manager, John Mozeliak. He says that Daniel Descalso will be the starting 2b, Skip Schumaker a super sub, and John Jay will be the starting center fielder, not a platoon player.
Mozeliak seemingly wants to play Manager before the Cardinals hire a real one. Or maybe he is sending a message to top agents. 'Don't even come to me with your infielders like Reyes or Rollins! Can't you see we have Descalso and Schumaker?'
Either way, it's crap.
Writers also stuff the colon (no pun intended)
My favorite is the 'A deal could be made within a few days'. A throwaway line, which will be true, but signifying nothing.
It's a qualified guess. One that you or I can make. Crap.
I am near the end of a second draft. No players were taken based on where they COULD go. Free agents were taken based on their skills, and in some cases a better chance at getting more playing time or save opportunities.
I don't hold it against writers for dreaming up scenarios and places where players would fit though.
It's the time of year. Real baseball is five months away. We and the writers have to live with that.
CRAP!
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.
.
Every year it happens. Once the baseball season ends, crap starts. Crap because there is no baseball season. Crap because football is a one day fix. Worse, crap from baseball GM's, Managers, and players.
These people cannot tell us what is going to happen five months from now, but they give it an effort.
Crap came from ARod today as he says he'll start training three weeks earlier(Oooooh!) and that age is just a number. ARod should have turned that around and said that age has his number.
Unfortunately, ARod's most enticing features for fantasy drafters are that he hits in the middle of a loaded lineup and plays a short-stocked position. Neither of which have anything to do with his fading hitting ability.
But, thanks for the heads up, ARod. We'll remember that as you're being fed popcorn at the Super Bowl this year.
More crap came from the St Louis General Manager, John Mozeliak. He says that Daniel Descalso will be the starting 2b, Skip Schumaker a super sub, and John Jay will be the starting center fielder, not a platoon player.
Mozeliak seemingly wants to play Manager before the Cardinals hire a real one. Or maybe he is sending a message to top agents. 'Don't even come to me with your infielders like Reyes or Rollins! Can't you see we have Descalso and Schumaker?'
Either way, it's crap.
Writers also stuff the colon (no pun intended)
My favorite is the 'A deal could be made within a few days'. A throwaway line, which will be true, but signifying nothing.
It's a qualified guess. One that you or I can make. Crap.
I am near the end of a second draft. No players were taken based on where they COULD go. Free agents were taken based on their skills, and in some cases a better chance at getting more playing time or save opportunities.
I don't hold it against writers for dreaming up scenarios and places where players would fit though.
It's the time of year. Real baseball is five months away. We and the writers have to live with that.
CRAP!
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
RBI
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.First, I really appreciate the e-mails and pm's letting me know that you enjoy this forum.
I like it too.
Age has a way of stripping away one's ego( well, unless one is a business magnate or politician) and I'm more comfortable on the back page rather than the front.
Anyways, thanks.
Bill James came up with a formula to feature rbi for a hitter. Total bases divided by four + Home runs. This formula works incredibly well and when it doesn't work, there is usually an explainable reason.
Let's put it to the test on last years 100 rbi hitters-
Real rbi to the left, formulated rbi to the right-
Kemp 126 - 127
Fielder 120 - 118
Granderson 119 - 121
Cano 118 - 111
AdGonzalez 117 - 113
Howard 116 - 101
Teixeira 111 - 112
Braun 111 - 117
MYoung 106 - 86
Konerko 105 - 102
Beltre 105 - 100
MiCabrera 105 - 114
Ellsbury 105 - 123
Tulowitzki 105 - 103
VMartinez 103 - 76
Bautista 103 - 121
Votto 103 - 108
As you can see, most of these are amazingly close.
And the larger discrepancies can be accounted for.
Cano had more rbi opportunities than most hitters.
Although Howard hit only .253 for the season, and just 219 with nobody on, his rbi were buoyed by the .288 average with runners on and .298 average with runners in scoring position.
VMartinez picked up the rbi that were meant for Cabrera. Pitchers would pitch around Cabrera, intentionally walk Cabrera, or Cabrera pushed runners along creating more opportunity for VMartinez.
MYoung was in the right lineup and at the right spot in the lineup.
He hit an incredible .383 with runners on and .377 when in scoring position.
Ellsbury's variance is due to his place in the lineup. Had he the same year from a different spot, his rbi would be close to the formulated number.
Bautista hit .245 with runners on and never got a hit with the bases loaded. He was pitched around with little protection behind him. The 43/103 hr/rbi ratio says a lot.
James is not a fantasy writer. He speaks numerish with the best of them, but not for fantasy reasons. So, how can we use this information in a fantasy way.
We can make small bets with ourselves that Michael Young will not repeat a .383 average with runners on. Simply unsustainable.
VMart's rbi are dependent on two players remaining healthy. Himself and Cabrera.
It's tough depending on one players health, let alone two, especially a part time catcher.
A repeat seems unlikely.
Judging players aside, when we are trying to figure out how many rbi a player will give us for an upcoming season, this can be used as another indicator for that category.....
That is, as long as we're sure of total bases and home runs
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.
.
.
.
.First, I really appreciate the e-mails and pm's letting me know that you enjoy this forum.
I like it too.
Age has a way of stripping away one's ego( well, unless one is a business magnate or politician) and I'm more comfortable on the back page rather than the front.
Anyways, thanks.
Bill James came up with a formula to feature rbi for a hitter. Total bases divided by four + Home runs. This formula works incredibly well and when it doesn't work, there is usually an explainable reason.
Let's put it to the test on last years 100 rbi hitters-
Real rbi to the left, formulated rbi to the right-
Kemp 126 - 127
Fielder 120 - 118
Granderson 119 - 121
Cano 118 - 111
AdGonzalez 117 - 113
Howard 116 - 101
Teixeira 111 - 112
Braun 111 - 117
MYoung 106 - 86
Konerko 105 - 102
Beltre 105 - 100
MiCabrera 105 - 114
Ellsbury 105 - 123
Tulowitzki 105 - 103
VMartinez 103 - 76
Bautista 103 - 121
Votto 103 - 108
As you can see, most of these are amazingly close.
And the larger discrepancies can be accounted for.
Cano had more rbi opportunities than most hitters.
Although Howard hit only .253 for the season, and just 219 with nobody on, his rbi were buoyed by the .288 average with runners on and .298 average with runners in scoring position.
VMartinez picked up the rbi that were meant for Cabrera. Pitchers would pitch around Cabrera, intentionally walk Cabrera, or Cabrera pushed runners along creating more opportunity for VMartinez.
MYoung was in the right lineup and at the right spot in the lineup.
He hit an incredible .383 with runners on and .377 when in scoring position.
Ellsbury's variance is due to his place in the lineup. Had he the same year from a different spot, his rbi would be close to the formulated number.
Bautista hit .245 with runners on and never got a hit with the bases loaded. He was pitched around with little protection behind him. The 43/103 hr/rbi ratio says a lot.
James is not a fantasy writer. He speaks numerish with the best of them, but not for fantasy reasons. So, how can we use this information in a fantasy way.
We can make small bets with ourselves that Michael Young will not repeat a .383 average with runners on. Simply unsustainable.
VMart's rbi are dependent on two players remaining healthy. Himself and Cabrera.
It's tough depending on one players health, let alone two, especially a part time catcher.
A repeat seems unlikely.
Judging players aside, when we are trying to figure out how many rbi a player will give us for an upcoming season, this can be used as another indicator for that category.....
That is, as long as we're sure of total bases and home runs
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Stevie Williams
'All I saw was the Volvo hitting the Buick'
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.We all look at baseball differently. The aspects are endless. Really, not that much different than anything else. If two automobiles collide in the middle of an intersection, on four different corners, four people see it in diverse ways.
A cop would think who is at fault.
A nurse would think about injuries.
A insurance adjuster would think about the damage.
And a lawyer would think about the new clients.
Same in baseball.
When I say 'Unearned run', what is your first thought?
An error opened up the floodgates.
No penalty for our pitcher.
'Lucky' in that an error was made, so hits afterwards didn't kill an ERA.
Unfortunate.
Any of these thoughts could be running through minds.
I ask because I am going to compare two pitchers. They both throw for the same team and are thought of as vastly different pitchers.
In a 50 round draft that is still ongoing, one pitcher was taken in the 10th round, the other in the 41st round.
The names are Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook.
Garcia had a 3.56 E.R.A. last season. A starting pitcher with over 180 innings pitched and an E.R.A. of 3.56 is worthy of a 10th round selection.
Westbrook had a 4.66 E.R.A. last season. A full run more than Garcia.
How much credence is put into a simple E.R.A. though?
Remember when I asked your thought on the unearned run?
Would it surprise you to learn that Westbrook only gave up three more runs than Garcia last year?
That's right.
Westbrook gave up 103 runs last year, 95 earned.
Garcia gave up 100 runs, only 77 were earned.
Garcia had 13 games in which at least one unearned run scored.
It's funny, but I think every announcer in history has said that an infield works well behind a pitcher who pitches at a good pace.
Maybe this is a BAD thing for fantasy players!
Garcia works at a slower pace and the bad fielding behind him, in effect, helps his owners.
Westbrook, the faster paced pitcher is not 'rewarded' with the unearned runs like Garcia.
The question becomes, does Garcia maintain this same kind of luck next year?
You may say no.
But, Garcia had 15 unearned runs in 30 less innings pitched during his rookie year.
It's a trend that has lasted two years.
Am I trying to compare these two pitchers?
Only unearned run wise. Garcia is young and may have his best years in front of him.
The opposite holds true for Westbrook.
But, if I'm the 'baseball cop' standing on the corner and just saw the collision of Garcia and Westbrook, Garcia may get more blame from me than most others would access.
.
.
.
.
.
.We all look at baseball differently. The aspects are endless. Really, not that much different than anything else. If two automobiles collide in the middle of an intersection, on four different corners, four people see it in diverse ways.
A cop would think who is at fault.
A nurse would think about injuries.
A insurance adjuster would think about the damage.
And a lawyer would think about the new clients.
Same in baseball.
When I say 'Unearned run', what is your first thought?
An error opened up the floodgates.
No penalty for our pitcher.
'Lucky' in that an error was made, so hits afterwards didn't kill an ERA.
Unfortunate.
Any of these thoughts could be running through minds.
I ask because I am going to compare two pitchers. They both throw for the same team and are thought of as vastly different pitchers.
In a 50 round draft that is still ongoing, one pitcher was taken in the 10th round, the other in the 41st round.
The names are Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook.
Garcia had a 3.56 E.R.A. last season. A starting pitcher with over 180 innings pitched and an E.R.A. of 3.56 is worthy of a 10th round selection.
Westbrook had a 4.66 E.R.A. last season. A full run more than Garcia.
How much credence is put into a simple E.R.A. though?
Remember when I asked your thought on the unearned run?
Would it surprise you to learn that Westbrook only gave up three more runs than Garcia last year?
That's right.
Westbrook gave up 103 runs last year, 95 earned.
Garcia gave up 100 runs, only 77 were earned.
Garcia had 13 games in which at least one unearned run scored.
It's funny, but I think every announcer in history has said that an infield works well behind a pitcher who pitches at a good pace.
Maybe this is a BAD thing for fantasy players!
Garcia works at a slower pace and the bad fielding behind him, in effect, helps his owners.
Westbrook, the faster paced pitcher is not 'rewarded' with the unearned runs like Garcia.
The question becomes, does Garcia maintain this same kind of luck next year?
You may say no.
But, Garcia had 15 unearned runs in 30 less innings pitched during his rookie year.
It's a trend that has lasted two years.
Am I trying to compare these two pitchers?
Only unearned run wise. Garcia is young and may have his best years in front of him.
The opposite holds true for Westbrook.
But, if I'm the 'baseball cop' standing on the corner and just saw the collision of Garcia and Westbrook, Garcia may get more blame from me than most others would access.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!