[quote]DBCooper wrote:
So raj, care to explain how the ballpark factored into Bell’s blown save last night? He was pitching in SD.[/quote]
Haha, it was the potent Padres lineup!!
In other news. Pads best young pitcher Luebke might be out the year and need Tommy John surgery. Also Huston Street hurt his shoulder and might be out awhile. We only have two starting pitchers out of five that were projected to start the season left.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
So raj, care to explain how the ballpark factored into Bell’s blown save last night? He was pitching in SD.[/quote]
I acknowledged the factors you presented as also being contributors, I just think ballpark and division will be significant ones… you don’t. Once again, lets see how things play out for the remainder of year and how his numbers pan out. If I’m wrong you can call me out on my stupidity as I did yours on the whole Rays finishing below .500 nonsense.
I remember last year you stated that sabermetrics are for “f*gs” but honestly I think you should consider furthering your knowledge in advanced baseball statistics. It would really compliment the player/pitcher perspective you have now. Part of what makes math and science so great is that it helps drastically minimize the bias that our minds are so susceptible to.
I mean how cool is this?
Really spells out how dramatic Tim Tim’s velocity issues have been this year
[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:
In other news. Pads best young pitcher Luebke might be out the year and need Tommy John surgery. Also Huston Street hurt his shoulder and might be out awhile. We only have two starting pitchers out of five that were projected to start the season left.[/quote]
It almost seems like every pitcher is having this surgery done nowadays. Better to get it out of the way early and come back with better stuff as many do.
“It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life.”
-Mickey Mantle
Or this you might like as well, it’s called a Heat Map.
basically it displays where the Pitcher has been throwing their pitches
The box is the strike zone from the catcher’s perspective, “R” and “L” are the handedness of the batter and “FA” is the pitch thrown -fastball.
the yellow indicates areas where many pitches have been thrown.
The charts I posted are obviously not as necessary for the team you watch on a daily basis, but it’s great for players you don’t get to see often. When I was looking into Heath Bell last year after he was linked to the Jays, it really helped me form an opinion on him. I only had a chance to see him pitch once last year.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
So raj, care to explain how the ballpark factored into Bell’s blown save last night? He was pitching in SD.[/quote]
I acknowledged the factors you presented as also being contributors, I just think ballpark and division will be significant ones… you don’t. Once again, lets see how things play out for the remainder of year and how his numbers pan out. If I’m wrong you can call me out on my stupidity as I did yours on the whole Rays finishing below .500 nonsense.
I remember last year you stated that sabermetrics are for “f*gs” but honestly I think you should consider furthering your knowledge in advanced baseball statistics. It would really compliment the player/pitcher perspective you have now. Part of what makes math and science so great is that it helps drastically minimize the bias that our minds are so susceptible to.
I mean how cool is this?
Really spells out how dramatic Tim Tim’s velocity issues have been this year[/quote]
I never said that Bell’s home ballpark won’t be a factor at all, only that it hasn’t been a factor in his struggles so far. Because it hasn’t.
You said that he would struggle because of the new ballpark he would be pitching in and the increased offense he would see in the NL East. So far, he’s blown three saves against the division you purport to be the weakest hitting one in the NL, and he’s blown a save in virtually every type of park there is this year, only one of those coming in a true hitter’s park (Cincy). Last night he blew a save against possibly the worst-hitting team in the majors, in the toughest park to hit in by any statistical measure.
You also claimed that he was a flyball pitcher, even though his ESPN player card shows that he records outs as often on the ground as he does in the air. But that’s immaterial, because the allegation that he’s a flyball pitcher would necessarily imply that he will struggle by giving up more homeruns. I don’t know whether he gave one up last night, but going into that game he’d allowed one home run and it wasn’t in a hitter’s park. If he gave one up last night it would further undermine your argument.
So despite all the links and stats you’ve provided, they have nothing to do with the ACTUAL reason Bell is struggling, which means that the reason you said he would struggle is not a reason AT ALL.
As far as Lincecum’s velocity goes, that fangraph doesn’t show me anything I don’t already know simply by watching Lincecum throw. That’s all sabermetrics does: it quantifies for people who don’t understand the game what knowledgeable baseball people can surmise with their own eyes. I know Lincecum’s velocity is down and that it’s a reason for his struggles without that graph, and I also know WHY he is struggling. Loss of velocity doesn’t imply a loss of effectiveness at all since there are dozens of pitchers in the majors right now who are throwing more effectively now than two or three mph ago. Your sabermetrics only tell me what is happening on the field, not WHY it is happening. And since I can see what is happening on the field just fine, sabermetrics aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know.
When sabermetricians come up with a formula that shows why there is indeed value in a stolen base, I’ll start to come around. As of now, according to sabermetricians the stolen base is an unnecessary risk that should never be taken. That is patently false no matter how many stats you throw at me. Why? Because sabermetrics cannot take into account the threat of the steal.
As a former pitcher, I know the impact that a fast runner in a steal situation can have on a pitcher’s focus, along with the pitches called by the catcher. But if a team never steals, Usain Bolt could be standing on first and I wouldn’t worry about it. But if there’s a chance he’ll steal it changes everything. That is compounded when it’s a guy who everyone in the ballpark knows is going to steal and he swipes the bag anyways. Now, the pitcher has to worry about a possible attempt at third, not to mention the way he goes after the hitter the next time up since if he reaches first base it’s as good as a double.
They also devalue closers in comparison to setup men, but that is an inaccurate valuation as well. I’ve closed a few games out and I’ve thrown in the 8th and 7th innings as well. I can tell you from personal experience, as can all sorts of people who’ve thrown in both situations, that for whatever reason the 9th inning is just a different animal than the other innings. There’s something that changes, for ALL the players, when it’s the last inning in a tight ballgame. Sabermetrics don’t quantify that feeling and they can’t, so they tell you that an effective closer isn’t any important than a setup man. And the fact is that they ARE different.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:
In other news. Pads best young pitcher Luebke might be out the year and need Tommy John surgery. Also Huston Street hurt his shoulder and might be out awhile. We only have two starting pitchers out of five that were projected to start the season left.[/quote]
It almost seems like every pitcher is having this surgery done nowadays. Better to get it out of the way early and come back with better stuff as many do.[/quote]
Yeah. Speaking of that, what happened to Josh Johnson? He has been bad this year. I know he had the surgery before.
Well it’s looking like we won’t find out about Bell. He’s been demoted from the closers role
SF Giants Guillermo Mota gets a 100 game suspension for testing positive for clenbutrol.
I guess he was on a cut.
Anyone see Bryce Harper steal home after Hamels threw at him?
Pretty awesome.
[quote]Maiden3.16 wrote:
[quote]pat wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
.[/quote]
Well I hate the Yankees, but I would rather Rivera go out blowing saves not his ACL. It’s hard to say I feel bad for a millionaire, but he was the absolute best closer the game has ever seen by a mile. So it’s sad to see him go in this way. He is a good guy and a good sportman. He definitely won’t be back this year and with out Rivera, I think the Yankees are screwed. Their pitching was tenuous to start with…[/quote]
Exactly how I was thinking too man. Not a Yankee fan but Mariano is a good guy by all counts and I just can’t celebrate such a great career possibly ending that way. Don’t be surprised if the Yankees don’t make the playoffs.
[/quote]
Oh I think the Yanks are loaded enough to make the post season, but losing MO just made their games 9 full innings every game instead of 8 most games. That will indeed hurt them.
However, the O’s and the Rays ain’t goofing around this year, so there is a chance they may not make it where most years it’s just a given. It’s a chance, however small, they could be home in Oct.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Anyone see Bryce Harper steal home after Hamels threw at him?
Pretty awesome.
Best way to get back at the pitcher. It was brilliant.
[quote]DixiesFinest wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Anyone see Bryce Harper steal home after Hamels threw at him?
Pretty awesome.
Best way to get back at the pitcher. It was brilliant. [/quote]
He will get hit again haha. Hamels wasn’t smart for admitting he did it on purpose, but a five game suspension puts him back one day in the rotation, big deal.
Hamilton staying hot this month, 3 hrs today absolutely tearing it up.
Four homers now and 18 total bases. That is second all time in a single game.
[quote]Maiden3.16 wrote:
[quote]DixiesFinest wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Anyone see Bryce Harper steal home after Hamels threw at him?
Pretty awesome.
Best way to get back at the pitcher. It was brilliant. [/quote]
He will get hit again haha. Hamels wasn’t smart for admitting he did it on purpose, but a five game suspension puts him back one day in the rotation, big deal.
Hamilton staying hot this month, 3 hrs today absolutely tearing it up.[/quote]
Love it.
[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:
Four homers now and 18 total bases. That is second all time in a single game.[/quote]
I thought I was safe making that post while the game was in the 8th haha. If he can somehow stay healthy all year he will pile up some crazy numbers.
Bryce Harper acting his age tonight throwing a tantrum in the dugout after going 0-5 and cutting his face. Making a great impression so far.
Beckett would rather golf than play baseball. Give the poor guy some time off!
[quote]Maiden3.16 wrote:
Bryce Harper acting his age tonight throwing a tantrum in the dugout after going 0-5 and cutting his face. Making a great impression so far.
[/quote]
Yeah, but did you really expect him to mature for that long? Still a teenager.