June 13, 200322 yr rex, i thought it did a good job in the first few chapters of establishing the origins of, i guess you could call it "sabermetrics". it doesn't really say they (the A's or billy beane)invented the system but were really the first team to really utilize it. have you read it? i do think that they over-emphasize some things but reading it really makes me wonder on whether or not they want to resign tajada or to a lesser extent chavez because of thier lack of plate discipline/#of pitches they see per at bat. I have not read it completely, just excerpts and reviews. I was not trying to say that there was not good information in the book, just that most believe there was a lot of sensationalism in how it was portrayed. I believe there is definite credence to those principles, but there is so much more that goes into evaluating a player. There will never be a time when you can effectively evaluate players without watching them play or worrying about their tools. If you go strictly by a players baseball skills and don't worry about projecting how much they can improve, you will have a team full of Mark Ellis' and Frank Menechino's. You can't win with ALL role players.
June 13, 200322 yr cool, i look forward to discussing it more. i think you will enjoy the book. i'm a little more than halfway through it now. whatever the A's are trying to do, the results are certainly there. you make a good point about player projections/watching a guy play and a team of role players not being able to win, but it seems that is what the A's are attempting to do. look forward to your review.
June 15, 200322 yr Author Jo. Mauer has been promoted to Twinckie AA affiliate. Perhaps Rex was right afterall in that he is better than Reed at this point. Who knows.
June 15, 200322 yr They say Mauer could end up better than Morneau, I hope not, cause Morneau looks like a 15 year .300 30+ homer and 120+ RBI guy at 1B for the Twins. Me, I doubt Mauer is better hitter than Morneau, but I have been amazed how well they say Mauer is doing on D. I thought that would be his weaker side. Reed has done very well, better than most predicted, many people thought we went for him way too early, someone did a good job for us there.
June 15, 200322 yr Another things that scouts have to look into. Is the kid going to have trouble when he starts making money, is he going to get into drugs, is he going to drink like a fish, is he going to chase women all night long. Not saying those things are bad :-) but you hae to have priorities. Like the NBA, there are guys walking city streets with more talent than most in NBA, but could not handle the pressure/bureaucracy or whatever of college/pros and went back to the street.
June 15, 200322 yr Author Like the NBA, there are guys walking city streets with more talent than most in NBA, but could not handle the pressure/bureaucracy or whatever of college/pros and went back to the street. One of the smartest statements I have EVER read, transcends the world of sports.
June 15, 200322 yr is he going to drink like a fish, is he going to chase women all night long What the hell is wrong with that??
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