Five random thoughts & tidbits
By Jake • Jul 14th, 2008 • Category: Jake's Take
1. Give me two starters and three relievers with postive accumulating RSAA (Runs Saved Above Average) numbers year-to-year along with the current position players, and I’ll show you a potential .500 team. Give me three starters and four relievers and I’ll show you a division winning club.
(From Lee Sinins: “RSAA is the amount of runs that a pitcher saved vs. what an average pitcher would have allowed and are park adjusted.” Position rankings in each left column are between 2004 - 2008 with some players excluded who are no longer with the club.)
2. If I can’t have the three RSAA starters with the four relievers to contend with, give me one double digit RSAA starter, three positive RSAA relievers, and five position players with an OWP (Offensive Winning Percentage) higher than .550.
(From Lee Sinins: “OWP is a Bill James stat that projects what a team’s winning percentage would be if each offensive player was cloned to that player and the team had an average pitching staff.” The chart below shows OWP for a few players over their at bats with the Pirates between 2006 - 2008.)
For the record, the Pirates have four players above .700 in 2008… Doumit at .755 which is 7th best in MLB (more than 150 AB), Bay is 9th at .746, McLouth 17th with .708, and Nady 18th at .706. As you have heard, by far and away the best offensive outfield in the game. None of the remaining Pirates are above .550.
3. My mid-season report using Dejan’s layout for ease of comparison. While he looked at performance, I tried to look at the reality that is each player.
4. Things I’d like to see this year:
Adam LaRoche pitch an inning. Would he dare throw the LaLob?
One game where we play Bay in center, Nady at first, Doumit in right, McLouth in left, Minty at third, Gomez at short, Rivas at second, and Chavez catch. Could we score 15 runs?
Bob and Ogden Nutting sit in row 1 behind home plate like they really care.
All the rookie hazing pictures the org has held too close to their vest over the years. Aren’t the fans part of the family too?
Chuck Tanner coach third a game, Bob Walk hug Lanny, and Frank Coonelly with a crew cut.
Pete Peterson hired as the team/coach/coordinator pitching advisor. Hey, everybody else has one.
Pedro Alvarez to step up as a man and tell Boras to get the job done in the next week.
5. Is anyone else extremely concerned that the Pirates are about ready to deal for their future and we have about the same pro scouts we had under Littlefield and Huntington doesn’t have an Assistant General Manager?
Throw in there are so many federal investigations ongoing right now that many are concerned about and general chit-chat around the game seems to be changing. For instance, if you are a scout working for one club and a scout friend from another club called asking your opinion on XYZ player, you might help your friend out and later he’d help you. Some say a little of that talk has dried up because nobody wants to be caught in the middle right now.
Lots of questions, few answers.
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Shelby Ford was put on the DL last Saturday with a high ankle sprain. This kid can’t catch a break for anything in the world.
I saw a media report that suggested Ford could not be turned around to play short as if it was an absolute fact, but that’s just nuts. Ford doesn’t have the range you would like to see but he can absolutely glove what he can get to and he has a cannon arm.
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Just look what we have to look forward to sometime in the next decade. The Rays badly need some power still Maddon is doing one heck of a job all things considered.
Jake is no longer contributing at Bucco Blog, a fan blog covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Shelby Ford can’t play shortstop in the major leagues and you know that Jake. His range is so poor he could barely cover ground playing second. His arm is solid, not spectacular as you suggest, but I agree he does have a good glove.
With that being said, I wouldn’t mind giving him a shot there but ONLY BECAUSE of how little depth we have there.
Also, stop being so hard on McLouth. While he isn’t a Gold Glover he is far from horrid
I saw the BoSox had Lowrie at third. Would Ford’s bat play at third? Boston seems to believe that Lowrie won’t stick at short. Baseball America says his bat plays at second and third. Not saying that Ford could be a Lowrie or Lowrie could be a Ford, but third could possibly be a spot for him. Super utility seems like the floor for him if his health turns around.
paul - I hadn’t even considered Shelby at third, to be quite honest. I’m sure his glove would play there, his arm seems to be good enough, but his bat??? And now with all the health problems you have to wonder if he’s just prone to being ill?
#2 Where do people come up with these stats? That OWP is total crap because it puts LaRoche at above .500, which in reality we all know if we have an entire offense full of LaRoches for a year, that team would go 0-81 before it even sniffed a win.
#5 Has me extremely worried.
Jake I knew he was hurt and would soon be on the DL when all of sudden Dorta was getting the start at seconde a few games in a row. I really dont see why Ford couldnt play short they say his range isnt that good but the kid is 6\’3\
Most of your grades make sense based on the parameters you set. However there are 3 rather odd grades.
Michaels - If the reality is that this guy is only spare parts 4th outfielder, how can he get a C+? Can you really expect any more out of a 4th outfielder than what he has given in the first half?
McLouth - Horrid is a bit extreme when describing his defense especially when looking at some of the other outfielders in the division. If you want to see horrid defense, go watch Soriano or Carlos Lee. They make McLouth look like Willie Mays.
Paulino - I don\’t understand your fascination with Paulino. That aside, your grade for Paulino does not make sense given that you think Paulino is a solid catcher and potential star. If C+ is an average grade then you are saying what we saw in Paulino is what we should expect. Either he is an extreme dissappointment or he is just not very good.
Bill James and his sabermetrics\’ groupies produce some worthwhile information as food for thought in analyzing performance.
But sabermetricians are worthless when it comes to watching and evaluating performance unless they really understand what it takes to play the game and understand the requirements of every position.
Yes, I am very worried that the Pirates\’ scouting department is virtually the same as it was under Littlefield. The majority of the scouts in the field are the same as are the special assistants to Huntington who supposedly provide top-level input.
The only way to infuse top talent into the organization through drafting and trading is to have knowledgeable evaluators who understand the game. The Pirates are obviously lacking in this area.
As for \
As for “cloning players”, George W. Bush has indicated that this will not happen on his watch. Depending upon the outcome of the election, this might change in January 2009.