Red Sox’ new metrics system doesn’t compute By Ron Borges . Lol

[NateGrey]

http://multimedia.heraldinteractive.com/images/20100129/beb463_Theo_01292010.jpg

 

 

With the opening of spring training less than three weeks away it would appear the retooling of the Red Sox [team stats] is complete, at least for now. So what has general manager Theo Epstein wrought?

 

Beats me, which is unimportant. Beats the Yankees? I don’t think so.

 

If an array of new fielding metrics you need a Ph.D. to understand are to be believed, the Red Sox will have to travel with two planes this year. The first for the players, the second for their Gold Gloves.

 

According to Epstein, the Red Sox will be competitive through the use of kung fu baseball, the art of winning without scoring. They will be so flawless in the field that opponents will simply forfeit, their inability to penetrate the Steel Curtain Defense so frustrating that the other side simply resigns. Sort of like playing Bobby Fischer in chess.

 

While teams created by Ruben Amaro Jr. of the Phillies or Brian Cashman of the Yankees cling hopelessly to National League and American League pennants and a misplaced faith in the old order represented by stats like batting average, fielding average and RBI, teams of the new millennium like the Red Sox believe those are insignificant relics of a bygone era, the buggy whips of baseball.

 

They have been replaced by faith in OBP, OPS, UZR (I thought those were the initials of a former Russian state only to learn it means Ultimate Zone Rating), DRS (defensive runs saved) and PMR (probabilistic model of range). Based on crunching numbers into these new formulas, one expert in baseball metrics, John Dewan, has written that the addition of Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro and Mike Cameron in the field will add nine more victories to the Sox’ bottom line. Lo and behold, we just won the pennant! Who knew?

 

A year ago, the Sox won 95 games despite apparently stumbling around in the field like a half-drunken softball team in a Wednesday night league. Somehow they miraculously finished only eight games behind the Yankees without being able to catch a cold standing naked in the Alaskan wilderness. Fortunately, those Sox have been replaced by guys whose gloves are more valuable than Michael Jackson’s.

 

Together, Cameron, Scutaro and Beltre hit eight home runs more than Jason Bay but, as we now know, home runs are meaningless. Fortunately Sox fans, so are RBI because Bay had 119, which was 49 more than Cameron, 59 more than Scutaro and please don’t ask how many more than Beltre (all right, 75 if you must know but compare his DVD to Bay’s CD and divide by BVD and see what you get - a pennant, of course).

 

Some might argue that pitching in Fenway Park [map] is not exactly like pitching in Yosemite Park, but Sox’ management has discovered that despite mistaken evidence to the contrary, scoring runs is no longer essential to winning games. Interesting concept.

 

Throw the ball, catch it and trade a walk for a homer and just like that you’ve got nine more wins and a pennant. Or so they want you to believe over on Yawkey Way.

 

Owner John Henry recently reminded his paying customers that the Sox won 95 games a year ago. Only problem is the Yankees won 103 and the World Series, to which John Henry would reply, “Yeah, but what’s their ATM?”

 

Moneyball, which became defined as the love of sabermetrics over old-school stats like HR and RBI, has led Billy Beane, the godfather of this con job, to build an economic Oakland A’s team that hasn’t won a pennant in 20 years or a World Series in 21, but did manage to have a best-selling book written about the concept. The A’s did win division titles in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2006, but what they have actually won during the Moneyball era is nothing. No sequel is planned.

 

Now it seems the Sox have headed down the same road of quantum baseball over your grandad’s version, which was mistakenly centered on foolishness like hitting and scoring runs.

 

This has gone so far that Dewan has come up with a new type of struck ball. While he factors ground balls, fly balls and line drives in his fielding metrics, he also has created “fliners.”

 

If mastery of fliners beats the Yankees, I’m all for it, but my lying eyes have told me it takes live arms and live bats. Gloves only beat the Yankees when Jason Varitek [stats] is stuffing one up the nose of Alex Rodriguez.

 

As the days dwindle toward the start of another spring of hope, let’s pray that’s no longer the case, because if all this talk of OBP, OPS, UZR, DRS and PMR was really only about ATM that’s going to end up BAD for US.

 

 

 

 

> http://bostonherald.com/sports/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1229098&format=comments#CommentsArea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[a700hitter]

"Fliners" That is very funny.

[Dojji]

More malcontented rumblings from an old-timey curmudgeon.

 

It's like some of the old scientists looking at the newfangled atomic theory thing and scoffing, preferring their industructible bits of Earth, Air, Water and Fire.

 

Old timey thinking: The batter hits the ball.... and runs happen.

 

Sabermetric thinking: the batter hits the ball, and based on a number of relatively predictable factors, a specific number of runs happen.

[Spudboy]

I find it amusing how people that don't live anywhere near Boston, don't actually hear or see the media often, consistently bash the reporters and pretend they know more about what's happening.

 

I thought the article was funny. But then I have been listening to and reading his stuff for many years.

[mvp 78]

Boston desperately needs good baseball writers. Ugh.

[rhet]

I find it amusing how people that don't live anywhere near Boston, don't actually hear or see the media often, consistently bash the reporters and pretend they know more about what's happening.

 

I thought the article was funny. But then I have been listening to and reading his stuff for many years.

 

Borges has always been pretty good at sniffing out the ******** and writing about it in amusing ways.

[Dipre]

Borges has always been pretty good at sniffing out the ******** and writing about it in amusing ways.

 

Ok.

[Spudboy]

Boston desperately needs good baseball writers. Ugh.

 

Interesting comment. Do you live in the Boston area? Just a clue for you. Boston is one of the most competitive media markets in the U.S.. It's not so easy to get a job as a journalist here and certainly not easy to remain in the market for as long as he has.

 

Ok.

 

OK.

 

 

Borges has always been pretty good at sniffing out the ******** and writing about it in amusing ways.

 

He may be viewed as a pain in the ass, but his football and boxing knowledge are rivaled by few, if any, in the Boston market.

[jacksonianmarch]

The writers in Boston have always been quick to slam someone and long to thank them or congratulate them. This is just how it is. If Theo's model fails, then they'll all say I told you so. If it works, they'll be very slow to come around to his POV.

[Plumpamania]

Theo's new model. His old model won two world series championships.

 

BTW Dave Roberts and Bill Mueller say hi .

[rhet]

Theo's new model. His old model won two world series championships.

 

BTW Dave Roberts and Bill Mueller say hi .

 

His old model was OBP.

His new model is UZR.

[Plumpamania]

Either way the man has brought two Titles to Boston.

[Dipre]

His old model was OBP.

His new model is UZR.

 

The only "Non-OBP" hitter that was brought this offseason was Adrian Beltre to replace a "Non-OBP" hitter named Mike Lowell.

[rhet]

The only "Non-OBP" hitter that was brought this offseason was Adrian Beltre to replace a "Non-OBP" hitter named Mike Lowell.

 

 

 

OBP

Beltre

Cameron

 

(But their UZRs... oo la la!)

[Dipre]

OBP

Beltre

Cameron

 

(But their UZRs... oo la la!)

 

I bet you'll be one of the first ones saying "See, i knew we shouldn't have kept Bay!!!!" if/when his knees crap out. Calling it now.

[Plumpamania]

Jason Bay will die for one in Citifield, and his knees won't hold up on the amount of area he'll need to cover. I'm calling 1B by 2011.

[rhet]

I bet you'll be one of the first ones saying "See' date=' i knew we shouldn't have kept Bay!!!!" if/when his knees crap out. Calling it now.[/quote']

 

Gotta stop believing the propaganda this front office puts out. There's nothing wrong with Bay that a couple of advil won't cure.

 

Plus, he's a great fielder.:harhar:

[Dipre]

Gotta stop believing the propaganda this front office puts out. There's nothing wrong with Bay that a couple of advil won't cure.

 

Plus, he's a great fielder.:harhar:

 

Dude, i love that Kool-Aid.

[Spudboy]

Gotta stop believing the propaganda this front office puts out. There's nothing wrong with Bay that a couple of advil won't cure.

 

Plus, he's a great fielder.:harhar:

 

:lol: