The 10 Commandments

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DOUGHBOYS
Posts: 13088
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:00 pm

The 10 Commandments

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:13 am

If you've been reading my Stuff, you'd know I'm not a big fan of analytics. Analytics focus on crap.
Crap like how hard a ball is hit. How fast a pitcher can throw a ball. How many walks a batter can draw.
Wise guys try and relate this to our fantasy game.
We either take in the information or choose to ignore it. It's up to us.

Analytics are almost taken in by us without even thinking. The other day, a friend of mine was bragging on David Fletcher saying he makes great contact.
Another friend of mine considers Fletcher as undraftable.
"What's he going to do, give me three homers and five stolen bases? I'll pass.", said this friend.
They're both right in their own way.
The first friend more impressed by the analytical content, the other, fantasy implications.

Players are even taken in by analytics.
Look at this....

'Perez has focused on being more patient at the plate and taking more pitches this spring, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
ANALYSIS
Perez has a career 3.4 percent walk rate and walked only 1.9 percent of the time across 156 plate appearances in 2020. He's already earned two free passes through 20 plate appearances in spring training games, as he has tried to scale back his aggressiveness.'

Why? Why would Perez change his philosophy? Because analytics says he'd be better?
It's stupid.
If Perez walks more, it takes the bat out of his hands.
It puts a chunky catcher on the bases.
Nobody likes seeing a chunky catcher on the bases.
Worse, it'd be up to the bottom of the KC batting order to drive in Mr. Chunky.
It's stupid.

A writer the other day said that Joc Pederson is hitting home runs left and right.
He went on to say that Pederson is 'rosterable' if we can put up with the strike outs.
Are you kidding me?
I would kiss my mother-in-law smack on the lips if guaranteed Pederson would hit five home runs in a week.
Those other at bats?
Strike out all you want. Joc!

Podcasters and analyst love to prove how smart they are with new stats and new developments with how to arrive at those stats.
It's ever-changing.
We have to remember what does not change.
For us, what doesn't change is more important than any new technology or statistic.
What hasn't changed?
Those 10 categories.
In a sense, they are our 10 Commandments.
The rest is just noise to be filtered in or out.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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