Alex: You can pick this linup out of a hat!

[bosoxmal]

2019 may be heralded as 'the year of the romp." Let's make it interesting.

 

Every once in awhile, randomly, toss 9 names thenine names in a hat and draw; one by one. We'll still be more likely to win than lose.

 

And give the game a little more sparkle and INTEREST.

[dgalehouse]

2019 may be heralded as 'the year of the romp." Let's make it interesting.

 

Every once in awhile, randomly, toss 9 names thenine names in a hat and draw; one by one. We'll still be more likely to win than lose.

 

And give the game a little more sparkle and INTEREST.

 

Actually, it is not easy to lose to some of the trash populating the lower level of the A.L.

[notin]

Actually, it is not easy to lose to some of the trash populating the lower level of the A.L.

 

True.

 

The “trash” is still going to win an average of about twice in every five games and will still have 25 MLB-caliber players on the roster, all of whom are better at baseball than any of us are at anything...

[bosoxmal]

Jimmie Foxx was in the lineup when I saw my first RS game, And this is the most complete team pitching, hitting, an defense, that I have ever seen start the season.

[notin]

Jimmie Foxx was in the lineup when I saw my first RS game, And this is the most complete team pitching, hitting, an defense, that I have ever seen start the season.

 

1978?

[dgalehouse]

True.

 

The “trash” is still going to win an average of about twice in every five games and will still have 25 MLB-caliber players on the roster, all of whom are better at baseball than any of us are at anything...

 

It does help the winning percentage when the " trash " plays the other " trash ." As for them being " better at baseball than any of us are at anything " ; I'm not sure about that . That covers a lot of territory. Anyway , in the words of baseball's resident Nutty Professor, Bill ( The Dork ) James , they are all replaceable.

[Bellhorn04]

It does help the winning percentage when the " trash " plays the other " trash ."

 

We were 3-4 against the 62-100 White Sox last year. But that's about the only example of inexplicable randomness from 2018. Usually there are more, but for the Sox 2018 was an unusual season where just about everything went like you draw it up in your dreams.

[notin]

It does help the winning percentage when the " trash " plays the other " trash ." As for them being " better at baseball than any of us are at anything " ; I'm not sure about that . That covers a lot of territory. Anyway , in the words of baseball's resident Nutty Professor, Bill ( The Dork ) James , they are all replaceable.

 

 

Sure it covers a lot of territory, but it’s still true in nearly every case.

 

To make the majors, you have to be one of the best 750 baseball players in the world or very close to it. I don’t think I’m among the best 750 in the world at anything. Are you?

 

Even the worst players in MLB are amazingly talented at baseball. Trayce Thompson was among, if not the worst player in MLB last season. But he is still an amazing baseball player to the point where he belongs among the top 750 in the world. And yes, that fact alone very likely does make him better at baseball than you or I are at anything...

[dgalehouse]

Sure it covers a lot of territory, but it’s still true in nearly every case.

 

To make the majors, you have to be one of the best 750 baseball players in the world or very close to it. I don’t think I’m among the best 750 in the world at anything. Are you?

 

Even the worst players in MLB are amazingly talented at baseball. Trayce Thompson was among, if not the worst player in MLB last season. But he is still an amazing baseball player to the point where he belongs among the top 750 in the world. And yes, that fact alone very likely does make him better at baseball than you or I are at anything...

 

Everything is relative. A lot of these guys are on the fringes . In and out of MLB . Not really good enough to stick and make a career out of their profession.

[Bellhorn04]

And yes, that fact alone very likely does make him better at baseball than you or I are at anything...

 

Mind you there are jobs and professions where there is no discernible difference among the best. Competency is competency. I don't think I'm the best public accountant in the world, but I'm probably tied with a zillion others.

[notin]

Mind you there are jobs and professions where there is no discernible difference among the best. Competency is competency. I don't think I'm the best public accountant in the world, but I'm probably tied with a zillion others.

 

 

First of all, “tied with a zillion others” won’t get you out of A-ball in baseball.

 

But more important, don’t confuse a lack of assessments and measurements with equality. Baseball makes it easier, with stat upon stat upon stat. There are factors that differentiate us all at what we do. They’re just not on Fangraphs...

[dgalehouse]

Mind you there are jobs and professions where there is no discernible difference among the best. Competency is competency. I don't think I'm the best public accountant in the world, but I'm probably tied with a zillion others.

 

It is too hard to say . We all think we are very good at what we do , but we are not egotists either . Just to pick a profession, let's say you are a cop . You know you are a darn good cop , probably the best cop on the force . But you have no idea how you would rank with the other cops on the planet . ( Whose official ratings would you go by ? The W.P.A. , The World Police Association? ) But you know you are good . As good or better than any you have come across . Baseball is a tough sport to master . I'm not taking anything away from any of these guys . But some of these teams are " trash " , filled with too many marginal players . It is not good for the fans or the game .

[notin]

But a “marginal major leaguer” is still among the best in the world. Think about the best teammate you ever had. How far did he get?

[cp176]

1978?

 

pitching not so hot in '78.

[harmony]

Actually, it is not easy to lose to some of the trash populating the lower level of the A.L.

After two winters of discontent, Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez expressed his frustration: "You can go right now through everyone's lineup and you already know who's going to be in the playoffs."

 

https://weei.radio.com/blogs/rob-bradford/jd-martinez-new-world-free-agency-its-embarrassing-baseball

 

Nevertheless, I would never call any club "trash." A surprise team emerges almost every year, whether it be the 2014 Kansas City Royals, the 2017 Minnesota Twins or the 2018 Oakland Athletics. That's what makes the baseball season interesting.

[notin]

pitching not so hot in '78.

 

Fourth in the AL with a 3.54 team ERA. What's wrong there?

 

Arguably a better bullpen in 1978, but then the pen was not used the same as it is today...

[cp176]

Fourth in the AL with a 3.54 team ERA. What's wrong there?

 

Arguably a better bullpen in 1978, but then the pen was not used the same as it is today...

 

I'm not looking it up but how does that number compare to the rest of the league and especially the Yankees?

[notin]

I'm not looking it up but how does that number compare to the rest of the league and especially the Yankees?

 

It's still FOURTH when compared to the rest of the League. The Yankees lead the AL that year with a 3.18.

 

The 1978 Red Sox were certainly a very complete team. Four Hall of Famers, three of whom were still in their prime. Excellent defense up the middle and of course in RF as well. Great starting pitching. They just had the misfortune that the Yankees had an equally good team at the same time...

[cp176]

It's still FOURTH when compared to the rest of the League. The Yankees lead the AL that year with a 3.18.

 

The 1978 Red Sox were certainly a very complete team. Four Hall of Famers, three of whom were still in their prime. Excellent defense up the middle and of course in RF as well. Great starting pitching. They just had the misfortune that the Yankees had an equally good team at the same time...

 

The '78 team was one of my favorite Red Sox teams of all by far. They were absolutely complete but when Louisianna Lightening was on the mound it just didn't seem fair at times. ERA is an interesting stat. It might be that I don't remember so well but it just seems that back in the day a pitcher whose ERA was greater than oh let's say 3.80 just was kind of run of the mill. One of my favorite Red Sox pitchers was Mombo. i'm not sure that many people even remember him as being a decent pitcher and he was very good. Maybe it had to do with the teams he played on. oh well - so much for memory lane.

[harmony]

It's still FOURTH when compared to the rest of the League. The Yankees lead the AL that year with a 3.18.

 

The 1978 Red Sox were certainly a very complete team. Four Hall of Famers, three of whom were still in their prime. Excellent defense up the middle and of course in RF as well. Great starting pitching. They just had the misfortune that the Yankees had an equally good team at the same time...

The 1998 Seattle Mariners lost 85 games despite a lineup that featured Alex Rodriguez and Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Edgar Martinez. Johnson missed part of the 1998 with injuries but the previous season the Mariners lost in the division series after winning 90 games with all four stars generally healthy.

 

Many teams have a curse to break.

[bosoxmal]

We'll have 2 o3 guys on the bench that will play a lotof innings. Cora did a pretty good job of giving guys good rest. He'll shuffle a lot, just like last year. I just think it would be funto scrable the hitting orfer. I don't think it will make much different.

[Bellhorn04]

But more important, don’t confuse a lack of assessments and measurements with equality. Baseball makes it easier, with stat upon stat upon stat. There are factors that differentiate us all at what we do. They’re just not on Fangraphs...

 

They're not anywhere.

 

You just can't compare athletics with regular jobs.

 

In my job, competency is competency. A lot of accountants can do a tax return 100% correctly. You can't do it better than 100%. So there's no differentiation.

[notin]

They're not anywhere.

 

You just can't compare athletics with regular jobs.

 

In my job, competency is competency. A lot of accountants can do a tax return 100% correctly. You can't do it better than 100%. So there's no differentiation.

 

Even if I accept that argument, it doesn’t refute my point. “Competency” doesn’t get you to be among the best 750 or so in the world if, in your own words you’re “tied with a zillion other guys.”

 

MLB players do have a skill at baseball relative to their competition that none of us can really understand and certainly most if not all of us cannot even relate to...

[dgalehouse]

It is all how you choose to look at it . You could say that the marginal players are still among the best 750 in the world . Or you could just look at MLB as an industry . A specialized industry . And the marginal players are at the bottom rung of their profession . Many of them barely hanging on and in danger of being let go at any time .

[Bellhorn04]

Even if I accept that argument, it doesn’t refute my point. “Competency” doesn’t get you to be among the best 750 or so in the world if, in your own words you’re “tied with a zillion other guys.”

 

MLB players do have a skill at baseball relative to their competition that none of us can really understand and certainly most if not all of us cannot even relate to...

 

I agree with your point about MLB players. I just saw an opening to quibble about something else.

[notin]

I agree with your point about MLB players. I just saw an opening to quibble about something else.

 

 

And that quibbling is why all those other accountants are so much better than you

[bosoxmal]

WWell, I gave it a sample try, and here's what came out: (you can plug in the names)

 

2nd base, 3rd base, DH, RF, SS, LF, CF, LF and C.

 

That'll work!

[Bellhorn04]

It is all how you choose to look at it . You could say that the marginal players are still among the best 750 in the world . Or you could just look at MLB as an industry . A specialized industry . And the marginal players are at the bottom rung of their profession . Many of them barely hanging on and in danger of being let go at any time .

 

There's truth in this too.

 

It's actually a bit of a curse to be really really good at something but not quite good enough to make a serious living at it.

 

You see it a lot with golfers. There are guys who crush their competition right up to the point that they're trying to make it on the PGA tour, and that's when cold reality strikes, and they end up being insurance salesmen or something.

[dgalehouse]

There's truth in this too.

 

It's actually a bit of a curse to be really really good at something but not quite good enough to make a serious living at it.

 

You see it a lot with golfers. There are guys who crush their competition right up to the point that they're trying to make it on the PGA tour, and that's when cold reality strikes, and they end up being insurance salesmen or something.

 

Yeah . And the worst doctor in the world knows a lot more about medicine than I do . But I still don't want to go to him / her when I am sick .

[notin]

There's truth in this too.

 

It's actually a bit of a curse to be really really good at something but not quite good enough to make a serious living at it.

 

You see it a lot with golfers. There are guys who crush their competition right up to the point that they're trying to make it on the PGA tour, and that's when cold reality strikes, and they end up being insurance salesmen or something.

 

 

Except that the players we’re viewing as “marginal” is done so in a very limited context. Back to Trayce Thompson, who had a horrible 2018. He’s still a better player than most minor leaguers, and in many cases it isn’t close. And those guys are professionals too. Dan Butler, for example, should be the guy we look at as the true “marginal” player as opposed to, say, the Orioles’ roster.

 

And most of us played baseball at some point. And we probably all had that teammate who just flat out dominated and we thought should make the majors one day. But how many of those teammates did? And if he did, was he any good?

 

I had one teammate who made the majors. It felt like an obvious conclusion at the time. He was just soooooo much better than the rest of us, including the competition. And he did make it, and played for 14 seasons. As a bench player and pinch hitter, never once in 14 years of MLB did he have 300 plate appearances in a single season...