OBP and Mr. Hendry

[sunnydoo]

Jim took office right around July 4th of 2002.

 

I have put together a list of the players he has signed from then to now. See if you can spot a trend. I will reward the winner with a cookie. And i apologize if i forgot anyone, i almost didnt get Neifi.

 

Troy O'Leary .274/.332
Ramon Martinez .269/.329
Tom Goodwin .268/.332
Lenny Harris .269/.318
Trinidad Hubbard .257/.333
Mark Grudz .287/.330
THolla .275/.332
TWalk .290/.348
Calvin Murray .231/.315
Henry Blanco .219/.288
Jeremy Burnitz .255/.348
DJackson .245/.325
Neifury .270/.301
John Mabry .268/.324
Jacque Jones .279/.326

 

Now just adding those up and dividing those avgs i get .264/.325. Sure i know that isnt the right way to calculate it, but it is a lot of work to make this simple point.

 

Sure FA shouldnt be used to make a team (unless you are the Yankees), but you have to fill any holes with people who can do the job. Given the fact that the League OBP % for the last 4 years have been 330, 333, 332, 331, i think Hendry is just trying to skate by with average to below average and hope he picks a diamond in the rough.

 

But the sad fact is our bench stinks. The injuries highlight this fact, and it is little wonder why we are at 3.53 on the RC27 which is even .40 behind the lowly Pirates. Winning needs to start at the top.

 

Why not go after someone like a Catalanatto for a change? .297/.359

Edited May 17, 2006 by sunnydoo

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Nomar

Murton

Pagan

Enrique Wilson

[sunnydoo]

Nomar (trade from Boston)

Murton (Nomar trade from Boston)

Pagan (Minor League FA selection)

Enrique Wilson .244/.288

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Why does it matter how they were acquired?

[sunnydoo]

Why does it matter how they were acquired?

 

i wanted to see who he was targeting to fill holes.

 

Hendry looks like he will trade for starters, but wants to use FA for bench people. The exceptions to that were Walker, Jones, and Burnitz.

 

And it is our bench that is really really killing us this year.

 

Lee trade from Marlins

Walker FA

Cedeno Minors

Ramirez trade from Pirates

Barrrett trade from Oakland

Murton trade from Red Sox

Pierre trade from Marlins

Jones FA

[snoodmonger]

I would argue it is a pretty medicore starting lineup that is hurting us.

[soccer10k]

I would argue it is a pretty medicore starting lineup that is hurting us.

 

Glendon Rusch

Jerome Williams

Angel Guzman

Rich Hill

Carlos Zambrano (only the beginning of the year)

[SouthSideRyan]

Grudz was acquired in a trade.

[NCCubFan]

Jim took office right around July 4th of 2002.

 

I have put together a list of the players he has signed from then to now. See if you can spot a trend. I will reward the winner with a cookie. And i apologize if i forgot anyone, i almost didnt get Neifi.

How can you leave off the immortal Rey-Rey rnez? :D

[sunnydoo]

Grudz was acquired in a trade.

 

yes in the infamous hermanson and hundley for grudz and karros deal. but he was re-signed as FA a year later.

Edited May 17, 2006 by sunnydoo

[sunnydoo]

How can you leave off the immortal Rey-Rey rnez? :D

 

i msut have missed the 2004 in season stuff. will have to go back and get that. But Rey Rey was .246/.289, but for the 2 months with the Cubs, .164/.190. Youch!

Edited May 17, 2006 by sunnydoo

[sunnydoo]

I would argue it is a pretty medicore starting lineup that is hurting us.

 

Glendon Rusch

Jerome Williams

Angel Guzman

Rich Hill

Carlos Zambrano (only the beginning of the year)

 

Cub Starters are 9-16 with a stellar 5.19 ERA this season. Good for 3rd worst in the NL and 24th in the MLB.

 

But in fairness to Hendry, he didnt think Prior was going to be gone for this long into the season. The whole Rusch thing was an unmitigated disaster though and he does deserve to be punished for that.

 

Cub bullpen is 15th in MLB and 8th in the NL with a 6-6 4.26 ERA.

[TB_11]

Given the fact that the League OBP % for the last 4 years have been 330, 333, 332, 331, i think Hendry is just trying to skate by with average to below average and hope he picks a diamond in the rough.

 

I'd actually argue that Hendry gives no thought to OBP in determining which FAs to target.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Grudz was acquired in a trade.

 

yes in the infamous hermanson and hundley for grudz and karros deal. but he was re-signed as FA a year later.

 

Then if you include Grudz because he was re-signed a year later, shouldn't you include Nomar who was re-signed the season after he was acquired as well?

[FergieJ31]

Given the fact that the League OBP % for the last 4 years have been 330, 333, 332, 331, i think Hendry is just trying to skate by with average to below average and hope he picks a diamond in the rough.

 

I'd actually argue that Hendry gives no thought to OBP in determining which FAs to target.[/quote]

 

Bingo. It just seems like OBP is simply not a significant part of the evaluation process.

 

I love some of Jim's trades but the player eval methodology sucks. That's why even if Dusty were fired tomorrow the Cubs will still have the same spotty offense the rest of this year, and next year ... as long as Hendry is GM.

[srbin84]

Yeah, Hendry is definitely one of those crusty old baseball scouts from Moneyball. I'd like to have a guy who is a combination of old school and new school for two reasons. I like a lineup to have guys who can get on base, but at the same time, I think there is a lot of value in super talented non-OBP players too, such as Willy Mo Pena. I also don't like completely disregarding defense and everything else for OBP. That means no Hattebergs.

[NCCubFan]

How can you leave off the immortal Rey-Rey rnez? :D

 

i msut have missed the 2004 in season stuff. will have to go back and get that. But Rey Rey was .246/.289, but for the 2 months with the Cubs, .164/.190. Youch!

In 2004 you were too busy bashing Corey and praising Alex Sanchez to notice what was actually going on. :D

[UMFan83]

Only God knows why, but its pretty clear and obvious that Hendry makes no attempt to look for OBP in his FAs. His blatent disregard for such a vital stat is killing the team. I don't mean to be the OBP-gustapo (sp?), but if you look at the best teams in baseball (and I didn't) last year, and compare their stats to the Cubs, one glaring deficiency will be OBP. Hendry refuses to addresses it and instead looks in other less important and less quantifiable areas like speed and team chemistry.

 

I don't know if its because he read Moneyball and assumed OBP was for small market teams, or maybe he is trying to find his own undervalued statistic to capitalize on, but one things for sure, he's not operating like the big market team that the Cubs are.

[NewUserName]

I also think that it is both sides of the street also. I would venture to guess that the Cubs have 1 of the lowest BA against in the NL the last couple of years. However they continually get themselves in short outings and tight jams because of giving up walks and deep counts. When you watch a Cubs game it seems like the other team is always batting. Its like they cant figure out a 2 pitch single is a lot better than a 7 pitch walk.

 

The whole team philosophy on this is just terrible. It also has been an ongoing problem for several years. Until they improve on this they will never be a 90 win team.

[CubinNY]

I really don't understand the stats vs. scouts debate. There is no debate. Stats are merely a tool used to scout a player. The time in the 40 or 60 are stats too. So is height, weight, body fat %, etc., etc.

 

I dont think the Cubs are anti-stat. I think they only pay attention to some stats and disregard others. The look at readings on a JUGS gun but disregard BB. They pay attention to 40 times but not OBP.

 

Its almost like they are buying horses, they look at all the wrong things and dont pay attention to what matters most.