Hits or walks Dusty?

[goonys evil twin]

would i make a better GM than hendry? how couldn't i? if all i did was issue a mandate to all of my farm teams that they must lead their respective leagues in walks or the manager gets fired--i'd be doing the major league team a huge service just in that. however, hendry insists on finding increasingly more archaic ways to win--which makes him a terrible GM.

 

The solution is obviously not as simple as you would make it seem.

 

It would not be solved in a day, but it's been a problem for several years and the front office needs to start emphasizing the value of walks. It would help if they realized the value of walks and didn't carry themselves with a "a run scored with the help of a free pass is less manly than a run scored solely due to swinging the bat" attitude.

[EricG]

The front office seems to like hits more than walks. Probably because a hit is more entertaining than a walk. They are all about putting fans in the seats.

[Danny82]

Again, it's not really a zero sum game, either/or proposition because I don't think anyone is going to argue that a hit isn't more valuable than a walk.

[jjgman21]

I don't buy for a second that the Cubs low walk totals is due to umpires screwing them over.

 

It's not a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. The Cubs aren't patient, and that damns them to bad offensive numbers. It's not the jersey, the logo, a curse or the umps. It's an oft-stated organizational philosophy that completely disregards the value of the walk. It's no accident.

 

do you buy what I said about the calls on CPatt and Murton?

[sethuel1]

The front office seems to like hits more than walks. Probably because a hit is more entertaining than a walk. They are all about putting fans in the seats.

 

It's the Cubs. The seats will be full no matter what.

[goonys evil twin]

I don't buy for a second that the Cubs low walk totals is due to umpires screwing them over.

 

It's not a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. The Cubs aren't patient, and that damns them to bad offensive numbers. It's not the jersey, the logo, a curse or the umps. It's an oft-stated organizational philosophy that completely disregards the value of the walk. It's no accident.

 

do you buy what I said about the calls on CPatt and Murton?

 

no

[jjgman21]

I don't buy for a second that the Cubs low walk totals is due to umpires screwing them over.

 

It's not a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. The Cubs aren't patient, and that damns them to bad offensive numbers. It's not the jersey, the logo, a curse or the umps. It's an oft-stated organizational philosophy that completely disregards the value of the walk. It's no accident.

 

do you buy what I said about the calls on CPatt and Murton?

 

no

 

have you been to an eye doctor lately?

seriously, Murton has gotten hosed on several calls as of late. I admire your desire to be a stand up guy about officiating, but how you can deny that some of the pitches Murton was called out on in LA and St. Louis were clearly balls is beyond me.

[goonys evil twin]

I don't buy for a second that the Cubs low walk totals is due to umpires screwing them over.

 

It's not a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. The Cubs aren't patient, and that damns them to bad offensive numbers. It's not the jersey, the logo, a curse or the umps. It's an oft-stated organizational philosophy that completely disregards the value of the walk. It's no accident.

 

do you buy what I said about the calls on CPatt and Murton?

 

no

 

have you been to an eye doctor lately?

seriously, Murton has gotten hosed on several calls as of late. I admire your desire to be a stand up guy about officiating, but how you can deny that some of the pitches Murton was called out on in LA and St. Louis were clearly balls is beyond me.

 

I think this is just another case of perception not equalling reality. Murton isn't getting called out on pitches that should be balls because he's replacing Corey Patterson who swung at everything.

[Magnetic Curses]

Again, it's not really a zero sum game, either/or proposition because I don't think anyone is going to argue that a hit isn't more valuable than a walk.

 

who's oversimplifying now?

 

i doubt anyone would argue that making an out in any situation is more valuable than not making one.

[Magnetic Curses]

would i make a better GM than hendry? how couldn't i? if all i did was issue a mandate to all of my farm teams that they must lead their respective leagues in walks or the manager gets fired--i'd be doing the major league team a huge service just in that. however, hendry insists on finding increasingly more archaic ways to win--which makes him a terrible GM.

 

The solution is obviously not as simple as you would make it seem.

 

i don't think the solution is that simple at all, nor is it unnecessarily complicated.

 

the cubs have been the worst team in the league at drawing walks, plate discipline has not been taught at the fundamental levels of the farm system, obviously.

 

if i wanted to oversimplify, i'd say make the major leaguers immediately lead the league in walks, which would probably have disastrous consequences for the cubs. no, what i propose isn't a simple solution to a complicated question at all. the answer to the question as to how to make the team better has been in front of hendry's face the entire time--and he's either staring through it like some sort of computer-generated art, or he's chosen to ignore the schooner, er sailboat, altogether, for the sake of proving the relic of an argument that tools trump baseball smarts.

[MPrior]

What gets me is that it's not just about walks - walks are great, and I'm in total agreement with Goony that our organization needs to emphasize their importance rather than totally ignore them. But I wonder if it wouldn't be better to emphasize patience rather than walks - for two reasons: one, antiquarian baseball know-it-alls might not object to it as much; and two, because being patient at the plate leads to a lot more good things than just walks. Getting good pitches to hit, for example, which should not only lead to more hits for some, but perhaps also better hits (i.e., extra bases). Or making the pitcher work harder. Exposing the bullpen. Obviously, walks are the biggie, because, as Sulley keeps saying, it's not making an out, but all that other stuff is important too. It's so frustrating when players continually ground out or pop up on first pitches - pitches that aren't even good to hit.