hammerhead johnson

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Jul 13, 2006 -> 04:34 AM) Podsednik's base-running this year probably hasn't hurt us this year, as he's right around 70%, and his quickness will usually allow him to go from first-to-third rather easily. I hear you on the first-to-third, but IMO 70% is a crappy rate. 29 out of 41 just ain't getting it done. If that rate holds up in the second half, it could mean the difference between him scoring 120 runs and 135 runs. This might sound silly, but with our absolutely ridiculous 2-7, he can't be getting thrown out 30% of the time. While I am in favor of forcing the issue on the basepaths, I hate it when a guy sucks hard. Maybe I have ridiculous expectations in terms of SBs, though. Nothing less than 80% is acceptable, in my opinion.

QUOTE(Felix @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 07:49 PM) Yep, thats very true. When it comes down to it, which is more important for a leadoff man to do, get on base for the middle of the order, or move runners along on the bases? If you had a choice between someone who hit .250 with a .400 OBP and someone who hit .300 with a .330 OBP, who would you take to leadoff? The guy with the .650 combined percentage. It looks like a prototypical leadoff hitter gets on base at a .350 clip. Player A: .275 AVG, .350 OBP Player B: .250 AVG, .350 OBP The slightly retarded list that I came up with should have player A at a higher ranking. If it was just a straight up OBP list, player A and player B would be pretty much the same dude. That's why my list kinda/sorta makes sense to me, even though there are some major flaws with it, as have been pointed out.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 07:32 PM) No, not necessarily. If he was hitting .275 with 4 extra homers, his slugging would be almost identical to what it is now. Again, in the case of leadoff hitters, we're almost always talking about singles and doubles. I'm strictly talking leadoff hitters here. Realistically, if Eckstein is hitting .275, his slugging percentage is much worse, as he is a slap/line-drive hitter, as most leadoff hitters are.

In the end, I want my leadoff hitter to get on base consistently and hit for a high average. What is the best measure of this? If it's not OBP + AVG, then hit me up with an alternate method. Again, we're strictly talking leadoff hitters, and we're not taking about a method that takes steals into account.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 06:44 PM) AVG + OBP Rankings 1. Reed Johnson .816 2. Ichiro Suzuki .741 3. Jamey Carroll .719 4. David DeJesus .714 5. Kevin Youkilis .704 6. Gary Matthews Jr .702 7. David Eckstein .683 8. Ryan Freel .681 9. Julio Lugo .669 10. Johnny Damon .658 11. Jose Reyes .657 12. Brian Roberts .657 13. Dave Roberts .656 14. Shannon Stewart .654 15. Grady Sizemore .654 16. Curtis Granderson .644 17. Richie Weeks .631 18. Scott Podsednik .629 19. Jose Bautista .628 20. Craig Biggio .625 21. Randy Winn .613 22. Rafael Furcal .612 23. Alphonso Soriano .610 24. Hanley Ramirez .608 25. Craig Counsell .608 26. Chone Figgins .600 27. Juan Pierre .596 28. Marcus Giles .591 29. Jimmy Rollins .582 30. Mark Kotsay .547 Well, anyway, this list can't tell us anything about anybody, correct? Average is incorporated into OBP, but they are not one and the same. And you can't use straight up slugging numbers to evaluate a leadoff hitter, so batting average plus OBP (even though the former is incorporated into the latter) doesn't necessarily mean that these numbers don't mean anything. It's a list of guys who can both get on base consistently and hit for a high average. One and the same? Not necessarily. QUOTE(Felix @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 07:08 PM) Since batting average is just how many hits you get, of course SLG is influenced by it, but SLG doesn't focus on just hits, as BA does. SLG focuses on how many bases you get. Not necessarily. For example, Derek Jeter is hitting .345 and has a slugging percentage of .462, while Manny Ramirez is hitting .306 while slugging .615. David Eckstein is hitting .311 with a SLG of .363, while Jose Lopez is hitting .280 with a SLG of .454. If you look at it, BA and SLG aren't really as related as you paint them to be. If Eckstein was hitting .275, then his slugging would be much worse than .363. That's the obvious point that I was trying to make.

QUOTE(Felix @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 06:55 PM) No. SLG involves total bases, something that OBP has nothing to do with. SLG is influenced by batting average though, correct? Theoretically, the higher the average, the higher the slugging percentage. Your total bases are bound to go up if you're hitting at a higher average, correct? At least in the vast majority of cases, excluding all-or-nothing sluggers.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 06:33 PM) This isn't a bad idea. But you can't add two stats together in which one of them has the other already incorporated within it. Slugging is incorporated into OBP, correct? Every time you get a hit (whether an HR or a single), your OBP increases. It ain't as cut and dry as OPS, but it's better than just straight up OBP. And I'm strictly talking about leadoff hitters. Of course David Ortiz is going to rank highly as well, but we're only taking leadoff hitters into account.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 06:08 PM) Jeter is at .772 (.345 AVG, .427 OBP), which has to be tops for leadoff hitters. So yeah, that is your hall of famer, right there. I mean, people go on and on about how overrated he is, but the numbers don't lie. Unlike OPS, a 50 point difference would be enormous. So, while a .650 combined percentage (.290 AVG, .360 OBP) would be damn good, a .600 combined percentage (.275 AVG, .325 OBP) would kind of suck. Pods is currently at .629 (.276 AVG, .353 OBP), which is actually pretty good. Like I said, he's a designated leadoff hitter. I compiled some numbers. Jeter doesn't qualify for this, but he would rank #2 in the MLB if he was leading off. AVG + OBP Rankings 1. Reed Johnson .816 2. Ichiro Suzuki .741 3. Jamey Carroll .719 4. David DeJesus .714 5. Kevin Youkilis .704 6. Gary Matthews Jr .702 7. David Eckstein .683 8. Ryan Freel .681 9. Julio Lugo .669 10. Johnny Damon .658 11. Jose Reyes .657 12. Brian Roberts .657 13. Dave Roberts .656 14. Shannon Stewart .654 15. Grady Sizemore .654 16. Curtis Granderson .644 17. Richie Weeks .631 18. Scott Podsednik .629 19. Jose Bautista .628 20. Craig Biggio .625 21. Randy Winn .613 22. Rafael Furcal .612 23. Alphonso Soriano .610 24. Hanley Ramirez .608 25. Craig Counsell .608 26. Chone Figgins .600 27. Juan Pierre .596 28. Marcus Giles .591 29. Jimmy Rollins .582 30. Mark Kotsay .547

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 06:09 PM) Excuse me? At what point did I make the claim that OF defense revolved around hustle? That is the only way that his D could have improved, theoretically. It was a direct response to this statement: "I'll bet that his defense has improved markedly over the last 15 games". This ain't the NBA where you can start to hustle your ass off in a contract year & therefore fool people into thinking that you've become a competent defender. OF defense revolves around instincts & recognition. Those qualities don't just magically appear after your manager calls you out in the papers. Pods can't "try harder". He is what he is.

QUOTE(chitownsportsfan @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 05:56 PM) Good post and I agree with mostly everything. I do think OPS is relevant when discussing "leadoff" hitters. I believe the ideal leadoff hitter is Derek Jeter. He gets on base at a great clip, works the pitcher, hits for a fair amount of power, and runs the bases well--not necessarily a base stealer, but a very good baserunner with a fair amount of speed. I feel PODS fits the profile for a number 8 or 9 hitter very well. If he could play a league average CF, he would have great worth to this team. However, we all know he can barely play LF. Replace him next year. Jeter is at .772 (.345 AVG, .427 OBP), which has to be tops for leadoff hitters. So yeah, that is your hall of famer, right there. I mean, people go on and on about how overrated he is, but the numbers don't lie. Unlike OPS, a 50 point difference would be enormous. So, while a .650 combined percentage (.290 AVG, .360 OBP) would be damn good, a .600 combined percentage (.275 AVG, .325 OBP) would kind of suck. Pods is currently at .629 (.276 AVG, .353 OBP), which is actually pretty good. Like I said, he's a designated leadoff hitter.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jul 12, 2006 -> 02:18 PM) Finally, for the people with access to updated advanced defensive metrics, could someone please look up Scottie's performance over the last 15 games or so (about the time Ozzie called him out about his defense). I would be willing to bet that his defense has improved markedly since about that time. I wish it was that simple, but unfortunately, OF defense does not revolve around hustle. A 30 year old player who has had tens of thousands of fly balls hit to him in his life doesn't just suddenly become a competent defensive outfielder at the age of 30. It must have been fly ball #150,000 that set him straight and provided him with the proper recognition & instincts to play his position at a competent level. Again, he was in the minor leagues for 10 years because he is fundamentally retarded. He is a designated leadoff hitter, which would work out on a select few teams (mostly AL West) who have enough power spread out over various corner positions to get away with having a DH who strictly provides OBP. It's been the same deal throughout his MLB tenure. When people say that his D was better last year, they probably just forgot to think critically? I don't know what to make of it, quite frankly. I think it was because Ned Yost trusted him enough to let him patrol CF. I'm not getting the OPS discussion either (didn't even bother to read it, actually), as it is not relevant when discussing leadoff hitters. How about we combine OBP and batting average, with .700 being the elite level (.300 AVG, .400 OBP). Ichiro is at .750 (.343 AVG, .404 OBP). I don't know, maybe it's a stupid idea, but it's better than OPS in this particular case.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 06:58 PM) Was it that one page about Jorge Posada having a small package, and all of a sudden some dude says, "Maybe he should borrow Thome's monster" or something like that? Holy hell, I hope there aren't two references to Thome's penis at that site.... Actually, it was in the comments section under the Doug Waechtler article. So yeah, there are two different references to Thome's member. They also talked about how puny Richie Sexson is, despite the fact that he is 6'8 or whatever.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 07:07 PM) But I'll say this: I like Pods. That is all. f*** you, Greg.

QUOTE(TitoMB345 @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 04:21 PM) Scott HAS heart, and the team loves that. How many hours of sleep has Ozzie lost this year thinking about botched pop-ups out in LF? Why do you think he has a picture of Pods on his dartboard with the words TRIPLE A BLEEP etched onto his forehead? My miniature pinscher has heart. He'll go heads up with the meanest pitbull in little Poland (NW side). That doesn't mean that he should be playing major league baseball.

QUOTE(watchtower41 @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 05:31 PM) No, I just don't treat the players on my beloved team as if I were a Cubs fan. Oh yeah? Well, your baseball thoughts are that of a prototypical Cub fan. Mackowiak is literally ten times the corner defender that Pods is. You are one of the select few who did not know that. Congratulations. Presumptuous and blindly loyal = a terribly sad combination. Good luck with that.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 05:16 PM) It's impossible to ignore his potential, but to even mention Liriano and the Hall of Fame in the same sentence after starting only fourteen games in his career, is absolutely disgusting. Get real. Haha. HOF caliber doesn't mean that he's gonna make it into the Hall Of Fame. He has that type of talent/upside.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 05:47 AM) No, it wouldn't be a different story. Liriano has started ten games. He's been impressive, but Bronson Arroyo is a prime example of what time can do to you, as it happened to him last year in Boston, and seems to be happening to him again in the National League. Best of luck to both of them, You on the otherhand need to read what is being asked of you, and stop being an argumentitive, name calling buffoon. How in the f*** does Bronson Arroyo enter into this discussion? Liriano is a HOF caliber pitcher. Arroyo has 3rd or 4th starter talent. Great example.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 04:42 AM) Is it possible for a guy with a 2.95 ERA, 138 K/24 BB and a 1.00 WHIP to be underrated? I say . . . yes. There's no question about it. That's why I stick to weed. Once you start smoking crack, you're pretty much f***ed for life.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 02:59 AM) Anyone who knew there baseball would know that Papelbon, Ryan, Jenks or any reliever for that matter don't qualify for this "triple crown" you speak of. Statistics: WHIP/BAA/ERA Papelbon: .72/.155 /.59 Liriano: .97/.201/1.83 So I don't have a clue as to what you are talking about and I don't think you do either. Perhaps you're of the opinion that relievers cannot win the Cy Young, but you've yet to say that. Who doesn't have a man crush on Halladay? Try to keep up with me here. Liriano is a STARTING PITCHER who damn near guarantees a victory for his team every time he takes the mound. Those triple corwn numbers are spread out over 90 innings pitched. Papelbon comes in to pitch for one freaking inning. If Liriano was on the Red Sox, it would be a completely different story, wouldn't it? The admins try their best to make this place a gimp-free zone, but people like you just keep slipping through the cracks.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 10, 2006 -> 10:14 PM) If the season ended today, He'd win one of the two, if not both. He's been the best reliever in baseball, period. Liriano is 10-1 with the AL triple crown (ERA/WHIP/BAA). He's blowing Papelbon right out of the motherf***ing water. It ain't even close. That is why I said he is not even in the discussion, and anyone who thinks otherwise just doesn't know their baseball too well, quite frankly. QUOTE(soxpride77 @ Jul 11, 2006 -> 12:40 AM) Liriano is not winning the AL Cy Young. Okay, then who will? Johan Santana? It's a two man race. I can't see where Halladay enters the discussion, either. If you really examine the numbers (BAA, WHIP, Strikeouts, etc), he can't even begin to f*** with Liriano or Santana.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jul 10, 2006 -> 09:18 PM) AL Cy Young Award Winner: Francisco Liriano/Jon Papelbon AL Rookie of the Year: Francisco Liriano/Jon Papelbon Mr. Brantley, is that you? There ain't no f***ing Papelbon in this discussion, chief.

The Yogi Berra question was pretty much a giveaway. Four of the Five answers had comedic value, and the other was something that Landry/Lombardi/Ditka or whoever else would say.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Jul 10, 2006 -> 07:03 AM) pfft 38 right here. God damn.

I got a 31.

QUOTE(wilmot825 @ Jul 8, 2006 -> 06:02 PM) credit to http://itsasecretsohush.blogspot.com/ who did their research to find out it's really his That site took me to some comments section where people were talking about Jim Thome's penis. The internet is f***ed up, man.