You should have really put down that hammer years ago.Originally Posted by notin
Every time you type that, I picture you as the cranky, grizzled, flannel-wearing greybeard forcibly squeezing monosyllabic grunts to express your frustration with those gosh darn changes in the world. It’s very Neanderthal.
It brings a smile to my face every time
I too am chagrinned at the intrusion of software programs that have or can reshape the game. The Rays claim their system relies on extensive computer analysis and that, for example, they were the first MLB team to use bold shifts for every hitter they faced.
On the other hand, I like the mention of Ted Williams, who was born too soon to benefit from computer analysis but who was definitely smart (he was a pilot instructor in WW II and later a successful MLB manager) and a real student of hitting. Consequently, I think he's the one who coined "hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely," which is the essence of hitting and difficult to achieve.
He also endured what was called the "Williams shift," which I think Lou Boudreau dreamt up because Williams was a great pull hitter. Last year MLB banned those bold shifts, but Williams simply ignored them because to him the first principle of hitting was to hit that round ball with a round bat squarely. In 1957 at age 38 he hit .388 with 38 dingers even though Fenway Park in fact favors hitting to left field and the Green Monster.
In the movie Moneyball Billy Beane preaches not bunting--a waste of an out--and getting walks. Williams did both: avoided bunts and embraced walks.
Here's a question for all you Sox stats experts. The Sox won the WS four times under John Henry, and in all four seasons led MLB in one batting stat. I think the answer to that explains why Williams was right that the key to hitting success is, very simply, hitting that round ball squarely. This year the Sox are ranked 6th in that stat. In 2021, the last time the Sox made a good run in the postseason, they were ranked first.
Actually the “Williams Shift” predates Ted Williams’ career. It was first employed against Cubs/Phillies left-handed slugger Frederick “Cy” Williams, whose career went from 1912-1930…
No doubt true, but irrelevant to the point that players succeed when they hit the ball squarely. That should be their focus and not the angle at which they hit it or the direction in which they hit it.
Sox hitting succeeds when they lead in doubles, not dingers, which I believe is also tied to banging the ball off the green monster. Not enough good righty bats, which is probably also why the Sox have a losing record at the Fens.
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