2003 ML Baseball Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Ashley Seymour]

Even though I'm a Braves fan, Popular Science has a very interesting article on the Boston Red Sox hiring Bill James to bring his Sabermetric analysis to guide their team this year.

From the article: His job is to advise the team management on whom to trade, sign or cut. "I believe in making decision based on fact," James says, "and the facts are often states in numbers."

The Red Sox traded for second baseman Todd Walker and let pricey All-Star Cliff Floyd flee for the New York Mets. Walker's sabermetrics outplay Floyd's, but his power number don't. So the picks have drawn criticism. "Floyd's a home run hitter," laments Howard Bryant, sportswriter for the Boston Herald, "Walker's a very nice player, but he won't fill that gap."

TODD WALKER
TRADITIONAL STATS (2002)
BA .299
HR 11
RBI 64
SABERMETRICS
2002 WIN SHARES 24
CAREER AVG. 18

CLIFF FLOYD
TRADITIONAL STATS (2002)
BA .288
HR 28
RBI 79
SABERMETRICS
2002 WIN SHARES 26
CAREER AVG. 13

 

[Jason Seaver]

Then again, for what the Mets are paying Floyd, the Sox are getting Giambi, Millar, and Ortiz to fill the OF/1B/DH power-hitter role. 2B needed an offensive upgrade (and, heck, was vacant after Sanchez left). James is also one of the main instigators behind Boston's new bullpen philosophy.

Of course, the implementation is flawed: James's theory says that you do want to have a Mariano Rivera/Dennis Eckersley lights-out type, but you use him when the game is on the line. Instead of push-button management where the closer pitches the 9th even if it's the 7-8-9 hitters with a three-run lead, that guy might pitch the 7th if that's when the 3-4-5 guys are due up. Unfortunately, Boston doesn't have one of those guys right now.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

If you guys need a team for contraction, how about the Tigers? They have been a minor league franchise for the last decade anyway, so they could just be demoted to AAA ball.

 

[Phil L]

Terrible game between the Yankees and Blue Jays last night. Combined for 19 runs, 20 walks, nearly every batter was 3-2, and time of game 4:08.

Saw this site and thought it was funny: Epstein Proposes Orgasm-by-Committee, Girlfriend Reports

http://www.thesportsrag.com/009_Orgasm.html

 

[Ashley Seymour]

Jason,

I'll follow the Red Sox a bit more this season to see how the James plan works. Was James brought in by that college intern that the Sox hired as a GM?

 

[Jason Seaver]

Actually, I think James was the owner's idea - John W. Henry made his money as a fund investor, so he was already pretty statistics-savvy and had been reading Baseball Abstracts for a long time. He brought in Epstein, James, and Voros McCracken (though the DiPS guy has made fewer new reports) because they had a similar outlook. Heck, last year (before any of them were hired), the scoreboard was actually telling folks how to find a hitter's OPS!

that college intern that the Sox hired as a GM?

Tell me about it. I'm the same age as Theo Epstein and he's running the Red Sox. What the hell have I been doing with my life?

 

[Phil L]

Jason,

I take it back. You were right to worry about Mendoza. Is he hurt?

 

[Jason Seaver]

Man, I don't know. Folks are joking about him still being on Steinbrenner's payroll between cursing his name.

Folks who understand such things are saying his mechanics are all screwed up. It should be fixable, but unfortunately the pitching coach has a pretty aggressive form of cancer, meaning Mendoza hasn't had a consistent person to work with to get straightened out.

 

[Marvin]

Man, I don't know. Folks are joking about him still being on Steinbrenner's payroll

Hey, it worked with Mike Torrez (for those too young to remember, think Bucky Dent.)

 

[Matt Taylor]

I'm sure I'll look back on this thread in June/July and laugh...okay now that I've said that...

How about my Royals!!!

11-1 and came back in the top of the 9th from 1 run down at Comisky err, U.S. Cellular on Mike Sweeney's home run and then blew it open. MacDougal came in for his league leading 7th save.

These guys are playing like someone forgot to tell them they suck!

MT

 

[Phil L]

Jason,

The only thing that I can think of about Mendoza is a very similar pitcher to what Stottlemeyer (I'm not going to look up if I've spelled that right) was. Maybe he was keeping Mendoza on track.

 

[Steve_Tk]

Everyone is talking about KC. The Giants are 13-1.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Yeah, but the Giants have enough talent (and enough recent success) for that record to be just "unusually high", not "requiring some sort of explanation".

 

[Lew Crippen]

For a change, the Rangers starting and relief pitching has actually not folded for two games in a row. True, it was a close thing last night, as they came from behind (and then held on) to beat the World Champs 5–4, and I’d still not predict anything other than a last place finish.

But they never won these games last year.

Can’t wait to get to the park a few times.

 

[Shane Martin]

I think the Rangers' attitude is changing which is good. The Royals are this years' surprise team so let's hope they don't fade down the stretch.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

Jason, the Red Sox were 9-5 until Pedro got back. Didn't take long to go 10-5.

If Bill James proves their salvation and the Sox can beat out the Yanks, then the Tigers can bid for his services next year.

This will be a race to watch. The Yanks are already being obnoxious with their winning percentage.

 

[Jason Seaver]

It'll take more than Bill James to help the Tigers, although I hope something can - I've got an uncle out there who doesn't deserve to be put through this, and the pictures of Alan Trammell... He looks like this losing is sapping out his life-force (a post on www.baseballprimer.com did say they liked the old-time tubercular look).

 

[Steve_Tk]

I love how Sportscenter rags on the Tigers and shows how many terrible plays they have made this year.

One of my favorites part of that show is watching the bottom ten of MLB. Things like that guy underhanding a pitch, the guy that threw the pitch 4 feet, and Piazza throwing 4 bad throws to 2nd in one game.

 

[Vincent Matis]

As a Dodger fan, the first series gave me hope, but the club has gone downhill since... :frowning:
They have very good pitching, but the offense has been awful. They seldom get on base and when they have somebody aboard, nobody has been able to drive him home (Roberts has reached base in 20 of his last 32 plate appearances (.625), but has scored only four runs)
Either the offense picks up or it's going to be a looooooong season... :frowning:

Vincent

 

[Brian Lawrence]

It's still too early to tell, but so far I am very pleased with the way Shane Reynolds has pitched.