Mediocrity and the Base On Balls

[DOUGHBOYS]

My grandson is a lot of things. A lot of good things.
Athleticism is NOT one of those things. He tries. He wanted a baseball glove so he could play catch with a friend.
He's still shaking off the bruises to his face.
Catching a football is a less than 50/50 proposition.
In eighth grade and wanting to participate in a sport before leaving school, he decided to try track.
His Mom (our daughter) was somewhat of a track star and the track coach at his school.
She encouraged him to give track a try.

Painfully slow, I asked him what he was going to do in track.
"Throw the heavy ball and disc", he replied.
I was relieved he didn't call it the 'metal frisbee'.
As track meets loomed, I asked him about his progress.
He said that things were going great. I didn't press.
The first track meet came and went.
I called to ask him how he did.
Here's the conversation....

"How'd it go, Bud?"

"Awesome! There were six different schools there. I got to meet a lot of new kids today. Some will be going to high school with me next year. I already tried to recruit some other kids for student council."

"That's nice. How'd the actual track meet go?"

"It went ok. I was third in both the discus and shot put (by now, he knew what he was throwing).

"Out of seven schools, you got third? That IS awesome, Bud! Good job!"

"Oh, I wasn't third if you include the other schools"

"Ok Bud, here's your Nana"....

I handed the phone to my wife and laughed harder than I had laughed in a long time.


In a way, Sabrs are treating baseball players in the same fashion.
Look at this rotoblurb....
'Jung Ho Kang (knee) is 1-for-15 through five rehab games with Triple-A Indianapolis.
HE DOES HAVE FOUR WALKS.'

Eddie Goeddel can walk.
My grandson can walk.
The walk has become a consolation for batters who are not hitting.
Going 1 for 15 with four walks is like finishing third in a track meet....within your own school.

I imagine that Kang is rehabbing and trying to refine his timing. Minor League pitchers are looking for a way to the Majors and giving Kang real good pitches to hit, does not fit that recipe.
Hence, walks.
Sabrs and now writers treat walks as if a hitter earns every one of them.
They do not.

Ted Williams was one of the greatest hitters baseball has ever had.
And I thank fate that sabrs did not exist during his time.
Williams played in an era where striking out was a slap to a batters face. In 1941, the last year a player would ever hit .400, only three men struck out 100 times.
Last year, 116 players struck out 100 times

Williams walked more than five times to every strike out in 1941.
145/27.
Imagine a player doing that today!
Sabrs drooling.
Williams walked a lot because he...
1. Had a great eye.
2. Was a slugger to be avoided.
3. Had few fearsome hitters around him.
Joe DiMaggio, Williams comp of the era, walked half as much that year.
Same good eye, same kind of slugger, but Joltin' Joe had a good lineup around him.
And with that, DiMaggio would enjoy winning several World Series, a feeling Williams would never experience.

Ballyhooed by sabrs, the walk is getting more and more attention as a major plus for batters.
Sabrs do this, without adding a worthwhile stat to accompany the walk.
And that would be the bb/r ratio.
If a batter walks and does not score, where is the accomplishment?
As with Williams, the walk is used as a weapon by a pitcher to AVOID runs.
A bb/r ratio would tell us that.
So far though, sabrs do not want to go that far.
Preferring to hand out ribbons for finishing third among their own school.

[Edwards Kings]

Dan, one question respectfully submitted...does your grandson like to fish?

[DOUGHBOYS]

Just a public reply to a couple of private e-mails....

I don't hate on players taking walks, unless it interfere's with their purpose on the team.
That leaves Votto and Santana.
The rest get more credit than deserved from the sabr community.
Believe me, I know that a batter's purpose is to reach base.
At the same time, sluggers are GIVEN first base by some pitchers. The pitcher would rather face another hitter.
In the box score, a writer or sabr seems to assume that these walks are 'worked'.

I know it's a two headed coin.
But do me a favor, next time you see Dee Gordon single and advance to second on a stolen base or ground ball, you tell me if Stanton 'worked' a walk with two outs and Gordon in scoring position.
AND, if Gordon does NOT score, the only fall out that remains is that Stanton improved his OBP, getting accolades.
Also, the pitcher's WHIP increases, sacrificed so that his team will have a better chance of winning.
Where is the pitcher's sacrifice stat?
Sabr's think they have every stat covered and bask in them.
They're just wrong.