But I've seen him take bad routes so maybe it can't account for balls you don't get to.

 

I'm not trying to s*** all over anyone's parade , but Scotty Pods couldn't play defense to save his life. Some people may think that he's capable because of his speed, but really, he is bottom of the barrel when it comes to fielding.

 

But yes, as noted by OttawaSox in the post right above mine, he puts a lot of pressure on the opposing defense, and that ain't showing up in any box scores.

 

Also, as noted by the Cheat, that is his one and only tool. A very, very important tool, nonetheless.

As much as baseball is statistics oriented, statistics alone cannot translate the value of Podsednik and his relentless pressure on the opposition's pitching and defense.  He is a huge part of our teams's remarkable success.  When statistics were examined the last 3 year's, did it make any sense that we came up so short against the Twins?  If the American league is in a one run game, look no further than Scotty Po to be the difference maker.  As with our team, he will be a huge bullet in the American league's holster.

 

 

Like I said in an earlier post. Not every contribution a player makes to a team can be quantified in statistics. The intangible contributions that Pods makes to this team are HUGE and its that more than being a bunch of homers that caused Sox fans to come from out of the woodwork and stuff the box for him. If he wasn't such a huge reason why we're winning then people would not have busted their ass to get him in there.

I'm not trying to s*** all over anyone's parade  , but Scotty Pods couldn't play defense to save his life.  Some people may think that he's capable because of his speed, but really, he is bottom of the barrel when it comes to fielding.

 

Perfectly stated

Not sure how the stat is calculated but Podsednik leads all AL left fielders and is second to only Brady Clark in defensive win shares for left fielders. 

 

But I've seen him take bad routes so maybe it can't account for balls you don't get to.

Win shares are based on Pythagorean record, so players on winning teams have more win shares. Brady Clark is ahead of him because he plays Center field, and CFers accumulate more chances. Pods might also be higher on the list because he occasionally play CF

 

There's no freely available defensive metric that I trust completely. UZR has been taken underground (or should I say purchased by the Cardinals.) The sabr-centric(boston, LA, OAK) baseball teams all have their own systems, that seem to be similar. (gammons mentioned Payton going to LA or OAK. I assume that's because they value his defense more than the other teams).

 

Defensive Win Shares would probably be one of the last things I would use. ZR is the best freely available defensive metric, but it's far from perfect. I like to use an amalgam of ZR, RF, FRAA, and my own personal observation.

FWIW Pods is 3rd in the AL in RF and 4th in ZR.

Podsednik is passable in LF, and a large part of that is due to his speed. He's no gold glover out there, but he's better defensively than Carlos Lee was for us.

FWIW Pods is 3rd in the AL in RF and 4th in ZR.

I know. Like I said, I rely on my eyes too. And my eyes say he has played a bunch of singles into doubles, outs into hits, and has an absolute noodle arm. I'm most disappointed in how he plays balls that are sure hits. I thought coming into the season that he would get to those qiuckly, and hold runners to less bases, but that's just not the case. Runners are always thinking extra bases when the ball is on the ground near pods.

 

So average at best defensively.

I know. Like I said, I rely on my eyes too. And my eyes say he has played a bunch of singles into doubles, outs into hits, and has an absolute noodle arm. I'm most disappointed in how he plays balls that are sure hits. I thought coming into the season that he would get to those qiuckly, and hold runners to less bases, but that's just not the case. Runners are always thinking extra bases when the ball is on the ground near pods.

 

So average at best defensively.

 

I know that Rowand, on more than one occasion, has commented on the fact that both corner outfielders cover more than ground than those who previously played the positions. Yet, both guys have been criticized for their defense much more than Lee and Ordonez were last year.

I know that Rowand, on more than one occasion, has commented on the fact that both corner outfielders cover more than ground than those who previously played the positions.  Yet, both guys have been criticized for their defense much more than Lee and Ordonez were last year.

 

I never understood that as dye cannot get to anything that's not within 15 feet of him either way. He is the outfield version fo royce clayton. Rare that you make errors when you don't have to move for them. Dye also cannot off any thing do to his lack of speed. Dye's overall defense has been less than average and that is probally being nice.

 

Cheat's assesment was 100% on about podsednik in my opinion.

I know. Like I said, I rely on my eyes too. And my eyes say he has played a bunch of singles into doubles, outs into hits, and has an absolute noodle arm. I'm most disappointed in how he plays balls that are sure hits. I thought coming into the season that he would get to those qiuckly, and hold runners to less bases, but that's just not the case. Runners are always thinking extra bases when the ball is on the ground near pods.

 

So average at best defensively.

I know I wasn't disagreeing that Pods was average defensively. I just found his ZR and RF intereting myself.

 

Agree 100% with you

I never understood that as dye cannot get to anything that's not within 15 feet of him either way. He is the outfield version fo royce clayton. Rare that you make errors when you don't have to move for them. Dye also cannot off any thing do to his lack of speed. Dye's overall defense has been less than average and that is probally being nice.

 

Cheat's assesment was 100% on about podsednik in my opinion.

 

I think I'll take Rowand's word for it.

Did Quick and Jim just agree on something?

 

That is not true, I think my explanation was far more elequent than his.

It doesn't bother me, just caught off guard. I was thinking maybe one was copying the other.

 

 

Just for the record Jim and I sit and have a few beers, I come up with all this great stuff then Jim goes home, jumps on the board and steals my material. This really has to stop!

That is not true, I think my explanation was far more elequent than his. 

 

Well, it was certainly was longer than his.

 

In the future, I will be paying more attention to see just how often this happens.

Just for the record Jim and I sit and have a few beers, I come up with all this great stuff then Jim goes home, jumps on the board and steals my material. This really has to stop!

 

If he pays for the beers, then I guess that would it ok.

 

If he's not paying for the beers, and he's stealing you're material...

 

And right after Piersall made his comments, he pissed his pants, ran the bases backwards and climbed a fence.

 

Question: when Derek Jeter needs to take a s***, does he have to pry Rob Dibble's lips off his ass with a crowbar? JESUS, what a love letter THAT was.

 

I'm glad Podsednik's going, but I wouldn't have cared either way if he didn't win the vote. I'm just glad the "Face Of Baseball" won't be there.

 

Maybe they can have Jeter throw out the first pitch, run towards the stands and bash his face against a box seat.

Just for the record Jim and I sit and have a few beers, I come up with all this great stuff then Jim goes home, jumps on the board and steals my material. This really has to stop!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Where do you come up with this insanity? I want some of what you're smoking.

 

Remember to mind your P's and Q's when you go to Bertucci's, Tacos Erendira, Pancho Pistoles, Stan's Drive In, looking up Ross Gload's age, the Blatz bar, Ricobene's for pizza, telling me Konerko would get traded, etc. etc., the list goes on and on and on.

 

You just stick with me, I promise you'll learn more and more. By the way we will not be at the Red Door tonite, go in there and get your hat ha ha.

when did he say this?

when did he say this?

While his nurse was wiping spilled baby food off his straightjacket...

Well, they B & B on the score this afternoon are agreeing with Piersall's opinion that Pods didn't deserve to make it and the voting was a farce. It made me take a second look at the whole issue as if I were not a Sox fan.

 

First, regarding whether he is "good enough", he was at least picked to be in the final vote, so someone thought he might be worth getting in. Second, regarding the "stuffing the ballot box format", it is odd, but think about it. If there were "one-vote-only" rules, people would be deleting cookies, borrowing computers, creating new email accounts, and God knows what else to vote multiple times. MLB recognized that and simply made it legal and easy to vote multiple times. With everyone able to do it, it becomes fair again. I think it is funny hearing fans brag and wink about they voted x number of times as if they beat the system somehow. No, MLB got the last laugh. Do you think it was accidental that for each new vote, the dialog box would re-check the "send me spam" box even if you unchecked it in your previous vote? How likely is it that someone would forget to turn it off at least once as they blow through vote after vote...

Edited July 8, 200520 yr by SpringfieldFan

Ask yourself this, Would Podsednik deserve to be in the ASG with his current .289/.363/.337 and 41 SB with the Sox 5 games under .500?

 

No F'n way. You guys are letting the Sox great record cloud your vision.

 

He's 20th out of the 21 qualified LFers in terms of OPS. He's in the middle of the pack in avg, and OBP. -- He's an average at best defensive OFer.

 

Essentially he's a one tool player. He has speed. That's it. That's not an All-Star.

 

 

 

Makes sense.

Baseball wants the All-Star game to have meaning? I don't get it.

 

That's all I need to read right there. If we had a real commishiner(sp) running things then maybe the ASG could go back to being an exibition game like it's supposed to be. Then Dibble wouldn't have to write his whiney little article.

 

Allowing the fans to pick the starters, having a rule that every team must be represented and making the game have meaing do not go together.

 

There's GOT to be a better way to ensure the game doesn't end in a tie again. I just wish I could think of one...

Edited July 8, 200520 yr by Iwritecode

You know, I could care less about rationalizing his placement on this All-Star squad.

 

I fully understand nearly every other option on the ballot deserved the 32nd spot more than Podsednik. I'll admit right here I voted for him not because of his perceived intangibles or stolen base total, but due to the jersey he's representing.

 

This All-Star selection process is far from perfect. We've proven that correct several days ago. In the past, especially on the final roster selection, deserving Sox players been snubbed on several occassions. I consider this justice. However, I've never heard more people whine about it than I have these last few days. Especially radio personalities and ESPN baseball analysts.

 

Give fans the power of choosing their final representative and noone should be surprised when the winners aren't who you expect. Or rather, less derserving.

Edited July 8, 200520 yr by Flash Tizzle

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 12:15 AM)

Win shares are based on Pythagorean record, so players on winning teams have more win shares. Brady Clark is ahead of him because he plays Center field, and CFers accumulate more chances.  Pods might also be higher on the list because he occasionally play CF

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Really?

 

I knew win shares were worthless and this seals its fate.

 

Run differentials are the key to baseball. Just look at the Nationals.

If it was underserved, then he should not have been one of the five guys in the vote. If that's the case, then so be it. However, of the five there were, Podsednik is the one guy I would most want to see in.

 

He doesn't have every tool, but what he can do well he does better then anyone else in baseball. I would like my all star team to have the best starter, the best closer, the best contact hitter, the best fielder, the best power hitter, and yes the best base stealer too.

 

For what its worth, if he winds up on first in the late innings of a very close game, the rest of that inning will probably be the most riveting and entertaining part of the game. Just imagine, everybody watching the game will just know he is going to be stealing, just a matter of what pitch. I would vote Pods in for that possibility alone.

 

But that's just me

 

SFF

Edited July 8, 200520 yr by SpringfieldFan