notin
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Everything posted by notin
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Correct. 2001-02. You see them a lot now. Frankly, I find it appalling that the NBA disallowed zone defense but somehow permitted the appallingly boring Triangle Offense. I'm typically not one for outlawing a strategy, but if there is anything in any sport that just needs to be banned and all infractions hit with severe penalties anywhere from being locked in a room full of hungry crocodiles to removing body parts with carpentry tools, it's f***ing Triangle Offense...
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I heard of Jagger Rusconi, but only because of Bellhorn's "Fun with Baseball Names" thread...
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I know. We don't have to change everything. And the only things we all agree on are 1) Josh Taylor needs to go to Worcester very quickly, 2) Hunter Renfroe need not face RHP, and 3) any beer purchased at the ballpark tastes like a melted candle. Other than that...
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At some point, defending the status quo is part of the conversation...
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Hey, it’s possible. I agree, not likely. But possible...
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2021 MLB draft
notin replied to jacksonianmarch's topic in MLB Draft, International Signings, Amateur Baseball
As long as it's not my alma mater. Those Worcester Polytechnic Institute players rarely live up to their pre-draft hype... -
Ah yes. Well, Hoyer then. The idea is the same regardless of who is in charge...
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Unless you think he is like Liquid Plumber and he keeps those bases free for Verdugo, Bogaerts, etc, to flow freely around them and bypass that nasty hair clog...
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It messes us up at home? I think we can agree a lot of people don't like seeing baseball get messed with. We've all seen plenty of people who decry sabermetrics, and those don't even take place on the field. So now what I have noticed with all these shifts is balls I see fly jump off bats that I assume are going for hits are becoming routine ground outs and line drives caught easily by the second baseman playing out in right field. It creates an emotional swing where I go from being exited (or upset, if someone else is up) to see the ball jump off the bat, to suddenty watching a routine out that makes me feel the opposite emotion. I think maybe a lot of people get frustrated watching baseball this way...
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I didn't think so. Bloom bought a prospect that he was enamored with. And in order to get him all he had to do was pay Adam Ottavino to pitch for a year...
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The Red Sox made a trade with the Yankees this past off-season and helped them achieve their goal of getting under the tax limits. If the Cubs get offered 2 or 3 good prospects for Rizzo that overwhelm them, they will take it. Theo's primary goal is the success of the Cubs, not the demolition of the Yankees...
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Or why shifts is some sort of big deal...
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In that scenario, the Yankees would be the team making the ridiculous offer, assuming any interest in getting Rizzo prior to the deadline. And the Cubs are less interested n stomping the Yankees than the Sox are. They feel that way about the Cardinals...
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OK, but he first hs to actually hit those gappers and get on base befoe any of that matters. Like I said, he is very likely to be on this team this year f he can stay healthy. But that doesn't make him the leadoff hitter right away. Right now, his MiLB career number have his offensive skillset somewhere between Jackie Bradley and Ryan Kalish...
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Yes, the data analysis has gotten out of hand in MLB, although it has lead to some positive developments as well, such as teams finally valuing the walk. the NBA has seen a similar infux of massive amounts of data to position players on defense. The difference is in the NBA, teams were quick to hire anyone who developed any new defensive metric before his techniques became more widespread. In MLB, th data analysis has become a lot more available to everyone and most teams are playing on a more level field with regards to datta analysis. And while it feels dehumanizing, at the end of the day, the players still have to perform. If I have one issue with it, to far too many players and coaches, the logic on how to beat the shift has turned into "hit it over the shift", typically by maximizing launch angle and exit velocity. Some irony in that logic that all the data analaysis and advancements in the game have suddenly caused it to revert to a 1970-80's style of just flat out overslugging the opposition...
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And I am sure they will wait as long as possible to make any deals. Unless someone absolutely blows them away with a ridiculous offer, which is very unlikely...
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Well, it's not like the Sox have Bonds-Griffey-Vlad out there in the OF. Or any better OF prospects in the minors. I thin he comes up at some point this year. THAT is inevitable (barring injury). Whether or not he bats leadoff is another question entirely. Right now, the best leadoff option on paper is probably Verdugo. Do you think Duran makes more sense than Verdugo? My thought - putting a guy with a sporadic minor league career at the plate into a role that will give him the most PA on the team is probably not a good idea...
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Apparently he can be down there for up to 30 days on rehab. But I think he gets a chance to straighten himself out against MLB hitters. And probably a longer one than many like...
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Yeah it gets complicated when you look at the metrics. I get the logic in devaluing the #3 slot, but I also think that it goes too far, since that player still comes up more often than the #5 or #6 hitter. If the Sox tried a lineup of Verdugo RF Bogaerts SS Devers 3B Martinez DH Vazquez C Hernandez CF Arroyo 2B Cordero/Renfroe LF Dalbec 1B ... is that any better? I think the traditionalists would probably recommend moving Arroyo to second and sliding everyone else down a notch. And that is not a bad option either, while Arroyo is hot. I just prefer maximizing the PA of the top 4...
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The bottom line is it's just silly to say "that defense is unfair because it makes it harder to get hits." That's the whole point of defense. There was a time when the slider was introduced into baseball, and it was also harder to get hits. But some players evolved and just learned to hit them. And there are some stories out there that say the sudden increase in pitchers throwing hard-breaking sliders lead to a rise in players learning to switch hit. But no one ever banned the slider...
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I can't make that call yet. It's been a long time since we've had actual regular season action with Duran, but he did last leave us with a .309 OBP in AA ball...
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I prefer Verdugo in RF over CF, and he is probably my top choice on this team for a leadoff hitter, but is he the best option on this team. He did have success last year in 150 plate appearances. I'm hoping that when the team grows tired of Kike and when the offense does need that eventual shake up, Verdugo becomes the new leadoff hitter. I'm just not one to force the change during a stretch of winning...
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The shift has been around since the 1920's. The famous "Williams Shift" actually predates the career of Ted Williams and is not named after him. "The infield shift strategy is often associated with Ted Williams, but it was actually first employed against Cy Williams during the 1920s.[1][2] Cy Williams, a left-handed outfielder with the Chicago Cubs (1912–1917) and Philadelphia Phillies (1918–1930), was second only to Babe Ruth in major league career home runs from 1923 to 1928. Opposing defenses would shift 'practically to the entire right side' when he batted.[3]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infield_shift
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Yeah but I would expect Verducci to come up with a better argument than it cut short the career of a 14 year MLB veteran...
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I think the anticipation is they will be out of it even in the very weak NL Central, and as they have too many very key players in option years (Rizzo, Bryant, Baez), they figure to not retain them all. Rizzo seems like the one most likely to sign back with the team, but that's nothing more than a semi-educated guess on my part...
