shysocks

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 09:45 AM) That's pretty much my point . You've got all these supposedly "right" new ways to measure things yet there are huge discrepancies thereby rendering defensive metrics fairly unreliable unless an OF is so good or so bad they all pretty much end up with the same conclusion. But most OF's fall somewhere in between so how reliable is any measuring stick of the majority of OF'ers ? I would rather have the defensive metrics than what we used before them, which was a combination of fielding percentage (which actually penalizes players with better range and is generally just too simplistic) and eye test/reputation (Derek Jeter is a great defensive shortstop because he just is). Given that everybody can't scout every player for 100 games, we need defensive metrics to give us an idea of where they stand. There are error ranges that the creators of these systems have acknowledged, but disagreements like what happened with Eaton in 2014 do not happen most of the time. QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 09:59 AM) That's why advanced metrics make me crazy. As a fan you knew exactly mathematically how to do batting average , OBP , slugging percentage because its all simple math that reveals part of a picture but not all of it. Some of these new metrics you have no idea what went into devising them and just how full of flaws they might be. And on the offensive side what gets rated higher ? Does a walk with the bases loaded contribute as much to WAR and other offensive advanced metrics as a single that drives in 2 runs with the bases loaded ? The bases being loaded doesn't matter, but a single contributes marginally more than a walk because throughout baseball history, it has been proven to lead to marginally more runs than a walk. QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 09:39 AM) But the OF gaps are considered small are they not ? I can't back it up but maybe those good OF's get good ratings because they play in more spacious outfields covering more ground . Just something to think about . It would be interesting to see Trayce be a full time player next year just to see what that Fangraphs defensive WAR might be. UZR is park-adjusted, and you are right - guys who play in parks with big outfields would get more credit for catching a ball in the gap than a guy at the Cell. But they also deserve that credit. They still have to get to those balls, or their UZR would go down. Theoretically, if you moved Lagares or Cain to our park, they'd get less UZR credit per catch, but they would be able to track down absolutely everything and would probably have fewer missed plays docking their score. Looking at the highest UZR's for outfielders of the last 15 years, I see all kinds of ballparks. I see Busch Stadium, which has nearly identical dimensions to the Cell. I see Safeco, which is cited as having an "easy" catch rate, as I imagine the Cell does. I don't think there's a systematic reason why a guy playing for the Sox couldn't reach these levels. If you don't wanna read that whole thing on UZR that's fine. The basics are that every batted ball's physics are assessed; it calculates how often that type of batted ball is converted into an out and the damage the batted ball typically does when not converted into an out; and assigns a positive or negative value to the fielder for that play. UZR has flaws, the biggest in my mind being that plays where a shift is used (which are extremely common now) are dropped from the data set; I am sure people are trying to rectify that. I would still rather have UZR than not. We're close to having a much better system but we aren't there yet.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 09:26 AM) Sorry Adam Eaton was a -8.8 in 2o14 according to the listed Fangraphs WAR. Different defensive systems measured him differently last year; he had one of the widest gaps between his UZR and DRS of any player, maybe the widest IIRC. Up to you which one you want to believe. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 09:17 AM) Yes he was terrible, awful, a huge disappointment but I often wonder if the elite OF's this year Kevin Pillar, Kevin Keiermaier, Jason Heyward, Lorenzo Cain put up the same defensive WAR in US Cellular ? Seems like Sox OF's somehow get punished for playing there. Who was the last Sox OF who even had a decent defensive rating like say a 5 on the positive side ? The OF's I mentioned are all 15+ so I'm not asking for much with a 5. Everyone harps on Avi's D (well his offense too) but his defensive WAR was a -13.8 while Adam Eaton's was a -21.2 . Someone show me a good defensive OF who played for the Sox in the last ,say, 15 years. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=...0&sort=24,d Not that many, but I don't think it's because of the ballpark. That's a fairly bold claim and the Cell's outfield is about as standard as they come. I know somebody before (I think it was you) has pointed out that the shape of the fences makes it difficult to rob homers, and while that may be true, it wouldn't swing the numbers that much. And the difference between Avi and Eaton is that Eaton has put up a successful defensive season in the past. Avi has only ever massacred the outfield.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 5, 2015 -> 12:35 PM) haha this is too funny, at least while i am writing this. this phrase was used the other day on me. compare and contrast. what i took from your statement was you are comparing to the 2005 roster and may be using that as the platform to gage everything. i am inferring that a modern platform or don't use a plat form but to create a new standard to get new players in the system. strive to get and do better... the old ideas of how to look at FA's needs to be thrown out the window. None of that has anything to do with what I wrote. I made no mention of the 2005 roster. I was explaining one way that the standard for offense in baseball has gone down in the last ten years. I referred to 2006 because that was the year Brian Anderson got his shot, so it was relevant. Don't attack me without first understanding what I'm saying.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 5, 2015 -> 12:09 PM) i really don't know how to put this, so here is my attempt to being nice.... you would rather deal in mediocre instead of striving to becoming better. i can't see why. That's not really what I said at all, but okay.

Odd, but whatever. The sooner he's phased out the better.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 5, 2015 -> 11:43 AM) I think if Trayce hit .230 over the course of a full season, his slugging pct. and OBP would be a little lower than it was in September. Probably, because in theory he'd be struggling. But his 2014 Birmingham season looks a lot like this hypothetical 2016 MLB season. Another thing you mentioned that I'd dispute is that once you get down in the .230 range, there's not much difference between today's offensive game and 2006's, but that's really not the case. In 2006 there was one qualifying hitter in MLB who hit less than .230 and four under .240. In 2015 there were nine and fourteen. That's what you get when the league OPS has dropped almost 50 points.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 5, 2015 -> 11:26 AM) Anderson did not hit for power that year. I think people are assuming Trayce would be closer to 18-20 HR power, and with more than the 1 triple Anderson accomplished. That's the key point. Obviously not all .230 seasons are created equal. There's Adam Dunn .230 and there's Brian Anderson .230. Trayce's .732 OPS people are citing is basically league average. Most would be just fine with that.

This has me all emotional. Mark is hands down my favorite player ever. The game will miss him.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 05:50 PM) Seriously. Our three biggest contracts ever add up to a good over/under for Heyward. 194.5 what you guys got? I'll take the under.

What a ridiculous catch by JB.

It's official. Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 3m3 minutes ago Rick Hahn announces Robin Ventura will return to #WhiteSox in 2016. Confirms that bench coach Mark Parent has been dismissed.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 02:39 PM) Knee surgery again? Didn't he have this a couple offseasons ago? A couple seasons ago he had shoulder surgery. I'm not aware of a previous knee issue.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 02:14 PM) Good try but this is nothing like the Ozzie situation

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/appreciating-jose-quintana/ Awesome stuff about Q here. Most interesting part: It lists guys who pitched like him from ages 23-26, followed by what they did for the next five years. The takeaway is that if he stays healthy, he should continue to be really good. If you're in favor of trading him to because of the team needs on offense, that's understandable. But if part of the calculus is that we'd be "selling high," this article disputes your math.

Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 2m2 minutes ago #WhiteSox bench coach Mark Parent has been fired. Won't be on the bench for the team's final three games.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 07:38 AM) What a bad message to send the fanbase QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 07:47 AM) Meh. They need better players before I worry about the manager. I agree with both of these.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Oct 1, 2015 -> 11:36 PM) I laughed a lot at this video. http://kotaku.com/brave-man-plays-every-gt...-app-1734070490 Activision immediately hired the developers of all those games.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 1, 2015 -> 04:15 PM) Doing something for the sake of doing something is stupid. So in other words, you have no suggestions other than 'guns, bad'. It's not doing something for the sake of doing something, it's doing something for the sake of reducing gun violence. In other words, I don't care to get into a prolonged argument about this because we've both heard all the beats before and it'll just be a dance around in circles.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 1, 2015 -> 03:37 PM) Well do you have a suggestion? That would work? And isn't 'ban all guns', because that doesn't work? My suggestions is "literally anything different than what we're doing now."

http://www.theonion.com/article/no-way-to-...here-this-36131

Wife makes fun of me for coming to deliberate, complete stops at every sign. I'll have the last laugh eventually. Somewhat related - I've never gotten a ticket.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 came out and is an abject disaster. I've watched some reviews and glitch videos, and I'm astounded Activision even decided to release this game, let alone charge the full $60 for it. Not that it would be good at any price.

QUOTE (flavum @ Oct 1, 2015 -> 09:10 AM) Also, the Mariners starting a pitcher against the Astros who never started a professional game was a bad look for Baseball. Not that it's specifically related, but not enough people complain that the roster rules change in the final month of the season when the games are the most consequential.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Oct 1, 2015 -> 09:08 AM) This sounds absolutely amazing. Incredible size. Really surprised by this out of nowhere As someone who will end up going to 20 games, probably the best move of the offseason already. Echoed. Bought the 14 game package this year and probably would have just done it again next year, but honestly, this makes it a no-brainer. Should be great.