2 minutes ago, bmags said:

Well what if instead of marketing the players who play the game we just put a bunch of weird restrictions in the game to make it harder to understand what's happening.

Baseball has always been a "market the name on the front of the jersey not the back" philosophy.

1 minute ago, bmags said:

https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214484/ref=asc_df_0735214484/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=344057888328&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10864068482040066665&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021569&hvtargid=pla-750234669981&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=69543898472&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=344057888328&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10864068482040066665&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021569&hvtargid=pla-750234669981

Good book on that idea.

That is a big discussion these days. Multi sports athletes often have advantages in coordination and athleticism over early specialization but there are also many early specialization guys who become great. 

Roger federer was a multi sport athlete but tiger woods specialized at age 4 or so:)

Just now, Dominikk85 said:

That is a big discussion these days. Multi sports athletes often have advantages in coordination and athleticism over early specialization but there are also many early specialization guys who become great. 

Roger federer was a multi sport athlete but tiger woods specialized at age 4 or so:)

The book would argue that specialization works in chess and golf but more chaotic sports like tennis, baseball, basketball, football benefit from general athleticism.

37 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Nothing was as powerful as watching him work publicly through the murder of his best friend, and putting himself out in public while trying to heal and cope.

 

I really think his experience losing a friend to violence, while dragging him down for a bit on the field immediately after it happened, gave TA an entirely new outlook on life and focus.  

1 minute ago, ptatc said:

Baseball has always been a "market the name on the front of the jersey not the back" philosophy.

I think this is more that baseball benefitted from the Yankees doing the job for them and thought they had a philosophy because of it. 

Now even Judge can't break through and baseball doesn't know how to build that engine from scratch.

It blows my mind that he's in Frank Thomas territory right now offensively - higher average to get that OBP above .400 but still. He's also got 9 walks in 38 games vs. 15 in 123 last year, so he's getting better there too.

Tim Anderson is of one of a generation player, there is no doubt about that. If he keeps his concentration on routine plays, he will turn into a true superstar. He is reflective of this team right now. If you are speaking just about raw talent, this team has it. In fact, in all my many years as a Sox fan, I have never seen a team as talented as this one. Maybe it will finally happen. The White Sox will become a real elite team, and all American League teams will have to realize that, if they want to got to the World Series, they will have to go through Chicago. 

Edited September 16, 20205 yr by NWINFan

4 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

That is a big discussion these days. Multi sports athletes often have advantages in coordination and athleticism over early specialization but there are also many early specialization guys who become great. 

Roger federer was a multi sport athlete but tiger woods specialized at age 4 or so:)

Not to derail the thread but as a parent with kids who do travel baseball, it’s almost impossible to have them play additional sports.

2 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

That is a big discussion these days. Multi sports athletes often have advantages in coordination and athleticism over early specialization but there are also many early specialization guys who become great. 

Roger federer was a multi sport athlete but tiger woods specialized at age 4 or so:)

Scouts don't want baseball robots or drill dummies.  They want well rounded athletes.  Competeing and using different muscle groups make better baseball players. 

Just now, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Scouts don't want baseball robots or drill dummies.  They want well rounded athletes.  Competeing and using different muscle groups make better baseball players. 

Every player goes to the same hitting coach or pitching coach now. Every kid has the same swing and focus on exit velocity and pitchers try to max out their velocity.

Just now, fathom said:

Not to derail the thread but as a parent with kids who do travel baseball, it’s almost impossible to have them play additional sports.

That's kinda the point in the book, and the US system that has emerged for Soccer, Baseball and Basketball isn't helping but it feels intuitive to people so it won't stop.

Just now, fathom said:

Every player goes to the same hitting coach or pitching coach now. Every kid has the same swing and focus on exit velocity and pitchers try to max out their velocity.

Which is funny to me just because the tools available now scream to me that you should be able to refine faster, especially if you have high and general athleticism. Learning how to use your body would be way more helpful especially with the wearables only getting better.

4 minutes ago, fathom said:

Every player goes to the same hitting coach or pitching coach now. Every kid has the same swing and focus on exit velocity and pitchers try to max out their velocity.

It's definitely a problem.  Kids are listening to the wrong people.

Edit:  I should say parents are listening to the wrong people.  

Edited September 16, 20205 yr by Harold's Leg Lift

6 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Scouts don't want baseball robots or drill dummies.  They want well rounded athletes.  Competeing and using different muscle groups make better baseball players. 

Unfortunately, the analytics has taken some of this analysis away. Numbers don't tell this story.

2 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

It's definitely a problem.  Kids are listening to the wrong people.

It's what gets them on the best area travel teams.

Tim has the skills, that's obvious.  But what makes him so good is his understanding of the game and his work ethic.  He also has a ton of attitude, and he uses it for good.  He's a leader on and off the field, picks his guys up, and is probably the biggest cheerleader on the team.

I don't know what I expected out of Tim when he was drafted, and even once he was brought up I didn't really know what the Sox had.  The jump he made from 2018 to 2019 was startling, and he's gotten even better in 2020.  He's not just the best SS in Chicago, he's one of the best PLAYERS in baseball.  He makes every game exciting.

4 minutes ago, ptatc said:

It's what gets them on the best area travel teams.

Sure so that travel team can collect year round fees and keep them from playing other sports.  Kids don't have to play for the best travel teams.  They just have to play.  

The tangibles (statistics) are obvious, Tim is one of the best all around shortstops in baseball. I love the intangibles just as much. He is energetic and displays strong leadership skills. He inspires his teammates. We have some of the best leadership examples on the South Side than I have seen in a long time- Anderson, Abreu and McCAnn. Hard to measure but you know it when you see it.

3 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Sure so that travel team can collect year round fees and keep them from playing other sports.  Kids don't have to play for the best travel teams.  They just have to play.  

I agree however that is not the culture in youth sports unfortunately. Especially in the Midwest where it is difficult to be seen.

3 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

Sure so that travel team can collect year round fees and keep them from playing other sports.  Kids don't have to play for the best travel teams.  They just have to play.  

You know that's easier said than done for smaller town kids though; for the big city kids who play in large conferences they can play other sports and they'll still get recognized. For some smaller town and high school kids, travel ball is their chance to get noticed in their eyes. 

Northern kids are already docked too much for the lack of "competition" in regular high school ball and travel ball; if you play somewhere small you take an even bigger hit.

3 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

You know that's easier said than done for smaller town kids though; for the big city kids who play in large conferences they can play other sports and they'll still get recognized. For some smaller town and high school kids, travel ball is their chance to get noticed in their eyes. 

Northern kids are already docked too much for the lack of "competition" in regular high school ball and travel ball; if you play somewhere small you take an even bigger hit.

56 minutes ago, ptatc said:

That used to be much more common. Players would stand as far back in the box as they could to see a fastball pitcher and would move up to the front against a breaking ball pitcher. But you're right you don't see it much anymore.

Right Ptatc ,Hawk is the only guy I've heard talk about it on a constant basis. That's why I loved Hawk. Some find baseball history boring especially after you hear the same stories over and over again. But if you only hear something once you forget it. You hear it a few times you might not forget it.

I wonder if Hawk had any influence on Tim in that regard.

It should also be pointed out that finding Right handed hitters who hit for a very high average is much harder than finding LH ones. Baseball was built for Left handers . It wasn't specifically designed to give lefties an advantage but that's how it worked out.

In recent history batting champ who consistently hit for high average are lefty Boggs, Gwynn, Carew , Brett . There are some RH exceptions Molitor, Trout, Thomas, Vlad Sr. If you look at the hitters with the highest BA in baseball history its littered with lefties. Most of them born in the 1800's .

43 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

Wasn't tim a basketball player and picked up baseball as a teenager? Lorenzo cain was like that too, those guys are not traditional prospects and almost impossible to predict.

Correct.  He didn't play organized ball until his Jr year of HS.

4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Correct.  He didn't play organized ball until his Jr year of HS.

Honestly that is one of the more incredible things about his rise

yet another example of Rick Hahn paying the guy early and winning.