A Walk is as Good as a Hit.....Just Not Here
Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 9:34 am
You know what I like about batting average?
It cannot be cheated.
Sure, at the end of the year, there are guys like Goose Goslin, or Jose Reyes or even Dexter Fowler who might cheat the fans or even themselves in wanting to keep a batting average title or even just a .300 average, but the average, itself, maintains its integrity.
In football, a passer's percentage is a failing in that one quarterback may be a dink and dunker and complete 80 per cent of his passes to running backs. Meanwhile, the mad bomber is only completing 45 percent of his passes, but doubling the yards of the dinker.
In golf, the 'fairways hit' stat can be fortified by using irons off the tee instead of Big Bertha.
In basketball, a seven footer can basket hang, and have a shot percentage much greater than that of a three point shooter.
In baseball, each of these guys are facing the same pitcher. Standing in the same batters box, armed with a piece of wood.
Some would rather have batting average done....or Dunn away with, to be replaced by on base percentage.
It's happened in some leagues. Thankfully, not the NFBC.
On base percentage is more important to a team, not fantasy.
A player like Adam Dunn would become more optionable in an OBP league. Dunn is a finicky hitter. Combine that with pitchers who do not want to groove a ball to Dunn, and Dunn gets more walks than most hitters.
There are other hitters like Dunn.
Carlos Santana, Prince Fielder, Joey Votto.
The difference with Dunn and these other fellas is that when Dunn DOES get a pitch to his liking, he'll probably foul it off or miss it altogether.
For fantasy purposes, Dunn, Santana, Fielder, and Votto are doing their owners a disservice by being so picky. And maybe their teams as well. With runners on, we want these guys hacking. Instead, they seem perfectly happy in filling the bases and leaving the work up to a lesser hitter such as Viciedo, or Brantley, or VMart, or Phillips.
I know this drives me crazy when owning one of these OBP kings.
Nothing has changed in statisticians eyes or a sabr mind over the last 50 years than the base on balls.
Back in the day, the walk was something done by the pitcher. It could have been wildness, brief or long. It could have been an umpire's poor eye sight. But, it wasn't the batter.
We all knew that players like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, or Hank Aaron got a lot of walks because pitchers did not like throwing strikes to good hitters.
Those hitters were not lauded for their base on balls. In fact, they were just as disappointed as the fans, that they were not able to hit the ball.
What the Hell happened?
Now, it's a batters stat. What?
A walk is still controlled by the pitcher. He's the one that has decided he wants to be careful with a batter. He's the one that would rather face Viciedo than Dunn. He's the one that may have lost control in walking a hitter.
Nowadays, that disappointment of Williams or Ruth, has turned into a 'good at bat'. There is nothing more overrated in baseball right now, than a so-called 'good at bat'. It seems any at bat with a length of at least six pitches is called a good at bat.
Past baseball players are rolling over in their graves.
Even when the hitter strikes out on the eighth pitch, it is called a good at bat.
BAH!
The pitcher wins the war and the batter is lauded for fighting the battle.
We've all fouled off consecutive pitches in lesser leagues. I never felt like it was a good at bat till I got a hit. Everything leading up to that hit was nothing.
Not a good at bat, not a bad at bat. Nothing. Now.... it's a good at bat.
A good at bat!
Again....BAH!!!
And these folks want to reward these finicky hitters with a category of their own. Batting average is a true test of a baseball players ability. A player can hit rockets like Prince Fielder or a player can hit dying doves like Ben Revere.
Batting average captures it all.
Adam Dunn can only pick out the pitches he likes and still hit below Mendoza. Pedro Guerrero can swing at balls in the dirt and hit .300
Batting average captures it all.
A player can be lucky and have three infield hits or hit three bullets at infielders.
Batting average captures it all.
Do you know what Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, Andrew McCutchen, Matt Holliday, Ryan Howard and Darwin Barney and Cliff Pennington have in common?
Although no pitcher looks forward to pitching to the likes of Fielder, Gonzalez, McCutchen, Holliday, or Howard, it seems pitchers would also rather avoid Barney and Pennington too.
These players have all been intentionally walked four times.
Barney and Pennington get a 'pass go, collect $200', because they bat in front of a pitcher. Like Fielder, Gonzalez, McCutchen, Holliday, or Howard, they are not neccesarily helping their team by drawing a walk. But like that quintet, pitchers would rather face a lesser hitter.
They are a gazelle, while the pitcher goes after the wounded gazelle. Allowed to go forward, while the pitcher goes after easier prey.
For us fantasy folks, the reality is that we'd be trading one category for another. We could all adjust if needed.
At the same time. Why?
The walk has seemingly changed from a pitchers mistake to a batters grit. From something in a pitchers control to something that a hitter turns into a 'good at bat.'
But, go to a ball game. Or watch a game on tv.
Listen to the fan reaction when the home team gets a hit. Any hit.
Most in the ball park will clap or yell.
The base on balls is received with a mutual shrug of the shoulders.
And that is the way I feel in having batting average replaced by OBP.
It wouldn't make our game better.
It's not even a better representation of our game today.
The mere thought of cheering one of my fantasy players for walking down to first base makes my teeth grit.
In baseball, a walk is as good as a hit.....Unless your name is Ruth, or Williams, or Aaron
Or now, Pennington or Barney.
In fantasy, a hit is better than walk. And always should be.
It cannot be cheated.
Sure, at the end of the year, there are guys like Goose Goslin, or Jose Reyes or even Dexter Fowler who might cheat the fans or even themselves in wanting to keep a batting average title or even just a .300 average, but the average, itself, maintains its integrity.
In football, a passer's percentage is a failing in that one quarterback may be a dink and dunker and complete 80 per cent of his passes to running backs. Meanwhile, the mad bomber is only completing 45 percent of his passes, but doubling the yards of the dinker.
In golf, the 'fairways hit' stat can be fortified by using irons off the tee instead of Big Bertha.
In basketball, a seven footer can basket hang, and have a shot percentage much greater than that of a three point shooter.
In baseball, each of these guys are facing the same pitcher. Standing in the same batters box, armed with a piece of wood.
Some would rather have batting average done....or Dunn away with, to be replaced by on base percentage.
It's happened in some leagues. Thankfully, not the NFBC.
On base percentage is more important to a team, not fantasy.
A player like Adam Dunn would become more optionable in an OBP league. Dunn is a finicky hitter. Combine that with pitchers who do not want to groove a ball to Dunn, and Dunn gets more walks than most hitters.
There are other hitters like Dunn.
Carlos Santana, Prince Fielder, Joey Votto.
The difference with Dunn and these other fellas is that when Dunn DOES get a pitch to his liking, he'll probably foul it off or miss it altogether.
For fantasy purposes, Dunn, Santana, Fielder, and Votto are doing their owners a disservice by being so picky. And maybe their teams as well. With runners on, we want these guys hacking. Instead, they seem perfectly happy in filling the bases and leaving the work up to a lesser hitter such as Viciedo, or Brantley, or VMart, or Phillips.
I know this drives me crazy when owning one of these OBP kings.
Nothing has changed in statisticians eyes or a sabr mind over the last 50 years than the base on balls.
Back in the day, the walk was something done by the pitcher. It could have been wildness, brief or long. It could have been an umpire's poor eye sight. But, it wasn't the batter.
We all knew that players like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, or Hank Aaron got a lot of walks because pitchers did not like throwing strikes to good hitters.
Those hitters were not lauded for their base on balls. In fact, they were just as disappointed as the fans, that they were not able to hit the ball.
What the Hell happened?
Now, it's a batters stat. What?
A walk is still controlled by the pitcher. He's the one that has decided he wants to be careful with a batter. He's the one that would rather face Viciedo than Dunn. He's the one that may have lost control in walking a hitter.
Nowadays, that disappointment of Williams or Ruth, has turned into a 'good at bat'. There is nothing more overrated in baseball right now, than a so-called 'good at bat'. It seems any at bat with a length of at least six pitches is called a good at bat.
Past baseball players are rolling over in their graves.
Even when the hitter strikes out on the eighth pitch, it is called a good at bat.
BAH!
The pitcher wins the war and the batter is lauded for fighting the battle.
We've all fouled off consecutive pitches in lesser leagues. I never felt like it was a good at bat till I got a hit. Everything leading up to that hit was nothing.
Not a good at bat, not a bad at bat. Nothing. Now.... it's a good at bat.
A good at bat!
Again....BAH!!!
And these folks want to reward these finicky hitters with a category of their own. Batting average is a true test of a baseball players ability. A player can hit rockets like Prince Fielder or a player can hit dying doves like Ben Revere.
Batting average captures it all.
Adam Dunn can only pick out the pitches he likes and still hit below Mendoza. Pedro Guerrero can swing at balls in the dirt and hit .300
Batting average captures it all.
A player can be lucky and have three infield hits or hit three bullets at infielders.
Batting average captures it all.
Do you know what Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, Andrew McCutchen, Matt Holliday, Ryan Howard and Darwin Barney and Cliff Pennington have in common?
Although no pitcher looks forward to pitching to the likes of Fielder, Gonzalez, McCutchen, Holliday, or Howard, it seems pitchers would also rather avoid Barney and Pennington too.
These players have all been intentionally walked four times.
Barney and Pennington get a 'pass go, collect $200', because they bat in front of a pitcher. Like Fielder, Gonzalez, McCutchen, Holliday, or Howard, they are not neccesarily helping their team by drawing a walk. But like that quintet, pitchers would rather face a lesser hitter.
They are a gazelle, while the pitcher goes after the wounded gazelle. Allowed to go forward, while the pitcher goes after easier prey.
For us fantasy folks, the reality is that we'd be trading one category for another. We could all adjust if needed.
At the same time. Why?
The walk has seemingly changed from a pitchers mistake to a batters grit. From something in a pitchers control to something that a hitter turns into a 'good at bat.'
But, go to a ball game. Or watch a game on tv.
Listen to the fan reaction when the home team gets a hit. Any hit.
Most in the ball park will clap or yell.
The base on balls is received with a mutual shrug of the shoulders.
And that is the way I feel in having batting average replaced by OBP.
It wouldn't make our game better.
It's not even a better representation of our game today.
The mere thought of cheering one of my fantasy players for walking down to first base makes my teeth grit.
In baseball, a walk is as good as a hit.....Unless your name is Ruth, or Williams, or Aaron
Or now, Pennington or Barney.
In fantasy, a hit is better than walk. And always should be.