Trib says Figgins could come to Chi-town

[CubinNY]

First and foremost, rarely is a sac bunt "the right move." I think you and I can both agree on that.

 

Secondly, you do have to trust your players to execute. If you put the best team out there and they don't execute, what the hell can you do?

 

The best defender does not make the best team.

 

You defended a move by saying you have to trust the players. Making a change already indicates you don't trust your players, and simply trusting them is not justification enough for making the move. You have to make the best move for the team, and often times in baseball, that is no move at all. A defensive upgrade is not necessarily the best move just becasue it's a defensive upgrade. There are other factors to consider, and you can't dismiss them simply by saying you trust your players to make those other factors moot.

 

For most of the game I agree with you. But if I have a lead in the ninth, I'd certainly be more inclined to put the better defender to help keep that lead.

 

i think that the benefits of doing that are negligible at best.

 

the chances that the player at said position will make an error to cost the team the game are far less than the chances that the opposing team will tie the score through hitting a home run or driving the ball into a gap, thus making it likely that the player in question will have to come to bat.

 

OK, but why take the risk?

 

Because the costs of doing it are much worse than the costs of not doing it. And the benefits or doing it are so insignificant as to make the move foolish.

 

I haven't heard a good reason to keep a guy on a team soley for defensive purposes in all this debate. If people agree that it shouldn't be done (keeping a guy on the team) then putting him in is a bad idea too.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I haven't heard a good reason to keep a guy on a team soley for defensive purposes in all this debate. If people agree that it shouldn't be done (keeping a guy on the team) then putting him in is a bad idea too.

 

That's some interesting logic.

[CubinNY]

I haven't heard a good reason to keep a guy on a team soley for defensive purposes in all this debate. If people agree that it shouldn't be done (keeping a guy on the team) then putting him in is a bad idea too.

 

That's some interesting logic.

 

Again, because the costs of doing it are much worse than the costs of not doing it, given the fact that if the team scores a run the odds of the player playing a part in that run are pretty slim.

 

So, putting a defensive upgrade in is a bad move. It's a coaching move that is made based on conventional wisdom that more often than not results in no benefit, and could ultimately result in a bad outcome should the inferior hitter ever come to the plate later in the game.

[Magnetic Curses]

First and foremost, rarely is a sac bunt "the right move." I think you and I can both agree on that.

 

Secondly, you do have to trust your players to execute. If you put the best team out there and they don't execute, what the hell can you do?

 

The best defender does not make the best team.

 

You defended a move by saying you have to trust the players. Making a change already indicates you don't trust your players, and simply trusting them is not justification enough for making the move. You have to make the best move for the team, and often times in baseball, that is no move at all. A defensive upgrade is not necessarily the best move just becasue it's a defensive upgrade. There are other factors to consider, and you can't dismiss them simply by saying you trust your players to make those other factors moot.

 

For most of the game I agree with you. But if I have a lead in the ninth, I'd certainly be more inclined to put the better defender to help keep that lead.

 

i think that the benefits of doing that are negligible at best.

 

the chances that the player at said position will make an error to cost the team the game are far less than the chances that the opposing team will tie the score through hitting a home run or driving the ball into a gap, thus making it likely that the player in question will have to come to bat.

 

OK, but why take the risk?

 

did you read what i wrote? i don't have any numbers in front of me, but it's my opinion that it's probably an even bigger risk to take a good hitter out of a one-run game than to put a slightly better defensive player in the game.

 

the odds that an average major league ballplayer will make an error is about 50-1. i like those odds.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

did you read what i wrote? i don't have any numbers in front of me, but it's my opinion that it's probably an even bigger risk to take a good hitter out of a one-run game than to put a slightly better defensive player in the game.

 

the odds that an average major league ballplayer will make an error is about 50-1. i like those odds.

 

That's why everyone was saying you have to look at the situation. Obviously if the player that's in is a much better hitter and is due up in the bottom half(if necessary), it's a much different decision. But if he's due up 7th and is pretty bad defensively, then it makes sense to replace him.

 

And you know that those error odds are a bit deceiving. Being a better defensive player(better range, arm) is more than just duffing fewer routine plays.

[Magnetic Curses]

did you read what i wrote? i don't have any numbers in front of me, but it's my opinion that it's probably an even bigger risk to take a good hitter out of a one-run game than to put a slightly better defensive player in the game.

 

the odds that an average major league ballplayer will make an error is about 50-1. i like those odds.

 

That's why everyone was saying you have to look at the situation. Obviously if the player that's in is a much better hitter and is due up in the bottom half(if necessary), it's a much different decision. But if he's due up 7th and is pretty bad defensively, then it makes sense to replace him.

 

And you know that those error odds are a bit deceiving. Being a better defensive player(better range, arm) is more than just duffing fewer routine plays.

 

there's a fine line between looking closely at a situation and micromanaging your way out of a few victories every year.

 

and any reserve you're going to bring in isn't going to have much better range than the starter.