Outshined_One

And in the majors as a whole, all of the Top 40 BA guys have averages at or over .305. I mean, cripes, these guys have all made the major leagues, it only figures that they've managed to post walk rates higher than .045. The major league average is about .060 (I believe), so it pretty much figures those guys can post >.350 OBPs.

Currently hitting .260, too. Told ya a hot streak would get his AVG back up. :D

Quick, call him up to be Glendon's replacement!

You are right; there is no such thing as a perfect statistic. There is no single stat out there which can tell us how good a guy is or how good a guy will be. Every one of them has flaws; OBP measures all stats as equal, SLG doesn't count walks, AVG can be heavily dependent on cheapies, RBIs are team-dependent, and so on. However, stats are incredibly important because we can't be there. I've never seen a Chiefs game in person, despite my best efforts. I can't tell you what I think about Ryan Norwood's footwork around the bag or Yusuf Carter's stance. The vast majority of Cubs fans only know about these guys and their potential based on their stats. We also try our best to use as many stats as possible to evaluate a guy because we want to get the best possible read on a guy and would hate to make a misstep because we didn't realize his HR/9 was abnormally low. Secondly, stats are helpful because they can tell us about a guy beyond what we see with our eyes. Just looking at him and watching him, maybe some people think a guy is a good ballplayer who should be starting for the Cubs every day. He has good ABs, seems smooth in the field, and is well-respected and a leader in the clubhouse. However, upon looking at the stats, we find out that the guy is hitting .250/.270 with 2 HRs in 100 ABs. Furthermore, his backup, who seems like less of a ballplayer in the field, is actually hitting .280/.370 with 4HRs in 50 ABs. Team wins are all that matter in the end, but the guys with the best stats are most likely to get a team the most wins.

The problem is, he was specifically talking about in the minors. Averages are really hard to predict year-in, year-out with minor league guys. One of the best ways to determine how well a guy will do as he advances through the minor leagues is not his average or K/BB (both of which are common threads for a lot of guys this team targets), but his IsoD, which IS a measure of how many walks (and HBPs) a guy takes. People point to strikeouts being the problem with Ryan Harvey and Brian Dopirak as they have advanced. However, what people tend not to realize was that their walk rates were absolutely putrid, especially when you factor out IBBs. These guys had reasonable averages and everything, but they were focused more on making contact than on taking pitches. Averages are incredibly hard to predict, year in, year out. So many things go into them: luck, defense, selectiveness, and so on. Those of us who follow BABIP see this; there are elements that can inflate or deflate a guy's average in any given year. The point of my post regarding Pierre was to show that high averages DO NOT correlate to high OBPs all the time. Look at guys like Robinson Cano, Gary Matthews Jr, Miguel Tejada, and a number of the other guys who are hitting over .300 this year. Even though they have good averages, their on base percentages are not much higher. That element of their game is a weakness. However, with guys like Travis Hafner, Bobby Abreu, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, and so on, they have that ability not to make outs. They hit well, but they also take walks and have OBPs in the .400s. I maintain that the reason why they are such good hitters is not because they know how to hit, but also because they have a really good approach at the plate that allows them to not make outs. The Cubs can't get that through their heads. They'd rather have a guy who hits .300/.350 than a guy who hits .270/.380 because they value hits over walks. That kind of approach in the minor leagues is simply begging for trouble, especially considering guys will continue to face more advanced pitching as they ascend the minors. The truth is, if they're at the same levels, same ages, and so on, the .270/.380 guy is more likely to reach the majors and succeed than the .300/.350 guy.

I was speaking from their perspective rather than my own. Also, there are plenty of guys out there with high averages and OBPs that are not much higher. The guy batting leadoff for the Cubs, for example.

I think he's still holding out hope the team goes on a run and gets into some semblance of contention by the end of the month. However, I also think he understands the odds of that happening are pretty bad.

The AVG/OBP thing should come as no surprise. This team prefers the traditional five tools to everything else. Walks are a decent bonus, but not a necessity nor are they an indicator of anything. Guys who have high OBPs have high averages. The reason why they are such good hitters is because they get hits, not because they know how to work counts and draw walks. Face it, Hendry said nothing new.

This whole athletes talk shows you what this organization thinks is most important with players. They want the toolsy guys, performances be damned.

Oh cripes. "You just hit your way on, you don't walk your way on." You have to be kidding me.

Last caller wants to know about OBP in the minors! Wow.

OH DEAR LORD, HE THINKS THEY MIGHT STILL GO ON A RUN. Thereby justifying not trading guys.

"Not excuses, but circumstances" *Groan*

Wow, Mike actually asks a question about Hendry's waffling on the Dusty issue.

Jim talking up Tom Kelly. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Jim gave a heck of a non-answer about that.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go, phone calls. Duncan wants to know about Rammy's lack of hustle, joy.

GLENDON RUSCH IS NOT SERVICEABLE.

If you're playing the drinking game, you're already wasted.

He and Scott Olsen got into an argument after Cabrera loafed it on a play and Olsen called him out for it on the field.

From Rotoworld.

Really? Most of the posts I've read are in the camp of, "I do not like this deal, but we're going to have to wait and see." Neither Bray nor Majewski is spectacular, but they should improve the Reds bullpen, which has been their downfall this season. However, the Reds lost a lot offensively. Lopez and Wagner have been struggling, but Kearns has terrific value. Denorfia sounds like a decent young player, but he's not as good as Kearns. The Reds overpaid for decent relievers. The Nationals made out really well in this deal. Should be fun to see what they get for Soriano and/or Guillen.

It matters in the first two rounds, which is where all of the best talent is always concentrated. You still have to scout guys, but the odds of finding a future All Star are the greatest in those two rounds. The higher you are, the larger the pool you have to pick from. After that, matters become much more reliant on the scouting department.

I'm hoping some one asks him why the heck Hill hasn't been called up for an extended look. The man is shredding the highest level of the minors and has nothing left to prove.

Caller: "I have in my possession a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts which have been sliced in half. Burger patties, bacon, scrambled eggs, ketchup, lettuce, pickle, fried onions, and a slice of cheese have been placed between them. Furthermore, I coated each in a flour/sugar/lard batter and submerged each in a deep frier. You can have them if you fire Dusty." Jimbo: "...what kind of cheese?" Caller: "Cheez-Whiz." Jimbo: "SOLD!"