Comments on: Too much baseball for a Thursday afternoon. (Ask the chaperones) http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/ An expert fan's perspective on what's happening on and off the field Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:41:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Fire Gardy » The Demise of Fundamentals http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11346 Fire Gardy » The Demise of Fundamentals Mon, 19 May 2008 19:06:30 +0000 http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11346 [...] Sinker said it extremely well: The former manager, Tom Kelly, imbued his teams with the fundamentals and Gardy’s [...] […] Sinker said it extremely well: The former manager, Tom Kelly, imbued his teams with the fundamentals and Gardy’s […]

]]> By: Minneapolis Boiler http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11249 Minneapolis Boiler Fri, 16 May 2008 22:30:52 +0000 http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11249 Greetings from Denver. It's a beautiful day/night for a ball game. Should be a good series. Tons of Twins fans out here. Greetings from Denver. It’s a beautiful day/night for a ball game. Should be a good series. Tons of Twins fans out here.

]]> By: thrylos98 http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11248 thrylos98 Fri, 16 May 2008 22:02:39 +0000 http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11248 T, <I>The problem you and Jason have is your comparing the Twins to some mythical team that hits homers in every AB and “clicks” 100% of the time.</I> Not really... But let's have a methodology instead of using terms like "clicking". You made me do some work :) Let's substitute "clicking" by games that the team scored 5 or more runs <b>and</b> allowed 3 runs or less (which means that the pitching staff had ERA less than the league average, while the hitting staff created opponents ERA higher than the league average - league average arbitrarily = 4), here are the MLB rankings: St. Louis: 13/43 Dodgers: 12/40 Mets: 11/39 Tampa Bay: 11/41 Houston: 11/42 Boston: 11/43 Atlanta: 10/40 White Sox: 10/41 Yankees: 10/42 Cubs: 9/41 Toronto: 9/43 Marlins: 8/40 Cincinnati: 8/41 Cleveland: 8/41 Milwaukee: 8/41 Oakland: 8/42 Seattle: 8/42 Detroit: 6/41 Pitsburgh: 6/41 Washington: 6/42 Philadelphia: 5/42 <B>Twins: 4/40</b> Texas: 4/42 Angels: 4/43 Kansas City: 3/40 Baltimore: 3/41 Arizona: 3/42 San Fransisco: 3/42 San Diego: 3/42 Colorado: 2/41 No one is asking for a team to "click" at all times, but "clicking" at rates closer to Everett's batting average would have been more acceptable... And this stat is not really a measure of performance <I>per se</i>(look where the Angels and Diamondbacks are, for example) but a measure of preparedness and overall coaching and managing of a team... T,

The problem you and Jason have is your comparing the Twins to some mythical team that hits homers in every AB and “clicks” 100% of the time.

Not really…
But let’s have a methodology instead of using terms like “clicking”. You made me do some work :)
Let’s substitute “clicking” by games that the team scored 5 or more runs and allowed 3 runs or less (which means that the pitching staff had ERA less than the league average, while the hitting staff created opponents ERA higher than the league average - league average arbitrarily = 4), here are the MLB rankings:

St. Louis: 13/43
Dodgers: 12/40
Mets: 11/39
Tampa Bay: 11/41
Houston: 11/42
Boston: 11/43
Atlanta: 10/40
White Sox: 10/41
Yankees: 10/42
Cubs: 9/41
Toronto: 9/43
Marlins: 8/40
Cincinnati: 8/41
Cleveland: 8/41
Milwaukee: 8/41
Oakland: 8/42
Seattle: 8/42
Detroit: 6/41
Pitsburgh: 6/41
Washington: 6/42
Philadelphia: 5/42
Twins: 4/40
Texas: 4/42
Angels: 4/43
Kansas City: 3/40
Baltimore: 3/41
Arizona: 3/42
San Fransisco: 3/42
San Diego: 3/42
Colorado: 2/41

No one is asking for a team to “click” at all times, but “clicking” at rates closer to Everett’s batting average would have been more acceptable… And this stat is not really a measure of performance per se(look where the Angels and Diamondbacks are, for example) but a measure of preparedness and overall coaching and managing of a team…

]]> By: thrylos98 http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11247 thrylos98 Fri, 16 May 2008 21:22:46 +0000 http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11247 Speaking of Young: Metrodome Dimensions: Left field: 343 ; left-center: 385; center field: 408 ; right-center: 367; right field: 327; Tropicana Field Dimensions: Left field: 315 ft.; left-center: 370 ft.; center field: 404 ft.; right-center: 370 ft.; right field: 322 ft. New Twins' Stadium Dimensions: Left field: 328 feet; left-center: 371 feet; center field: 402 feet; right-center: 371 feet; right field: 331 feet. Speaking of Young:

Metrodome Dimensions: Left field: 343 ; left-center: 385; center field: 408 ; right-center: 367; right field: 327;

Tropicana Field Dimensions: Left field: 315 ft.; left-center: 370 ft.; center field: 404 ft.; right-center: 370 ft.; right field: 322 ft.

New Twins’ Stadium Dimensions: Left field: 328 feet; left-center: 371 feet; center field: 402 feet; right-center: 371 feet; right field: 331 feet.

]]> By: Carlos G http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11246 Carlos G Fri, 16 May 2008 21:03:35 +0000 http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11246 jimmycrickett, I actually am one of the guys giving DY a lot of slack offensively as well. It's the mental mistakes that are starting to annoy me. He has a great arm, but he needs to hit the cutoff man once in a while. I am just saying I would like to see more evidence that he is a) being told to improve these things (throws/baserunning/plate discipline) and b) putting these things into practice. We saw it with Gomez' benching and his obviously improved patience at the plate. So far, not seeing any evidence on the DY front. Having said all this, I still see a lot of upside for DY. But, 22 is a good age to teach him some things. I hope they have a plan to do that. jimmycrickett, I actually am one of the guys giving DY a lot of slack offensively as well. It’s the mental mistakes that are starting to annoy me. He has a great arm, but he needs to hit the cutoff man once in a while. I am just saying I would like to see more evidence that he is a) being told to improve these things (throws/baserunning/plate discipline) and b) putting these things into practice.

We saw it with Gomez’ benching and his obviously improved patience at the plate. So far, not seeing any evidence on the DY front.

Having said all this, I still see a lot of upside for DY. But, 22 is a good age to teach him some things. I hope they have a plan to do that.

]]> By: JimCrikket http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11245 JimCrikket Fri, 16 May 2008 20:51:48 +0000 http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2008/05/16/too-much-baseball-for-a-thursday-afternoon-ask-the-chaperones/#comment-11245 Yeah, Carlos, I'm all about keeping stress levels at reasonable levels. As for Young, I'm just not going to get too shook yet. You know how Twins fans have reacted to some early Mets' fans hand-wringing concerning Johan's propensity to give up HRs and generally appear human early in the season? "Yeah, we coulda told you that." Well, guess what... Young hit .257 in April last year and .247 in May... followed by .304 the rest of the year. Sure, he had a few HR in those months last year, but I just think it's way too early to fret yet. By the way, an interesting statistic... he hit .343 for the Rays in July last year, without a single HR that month, yet still maintaining an .806 OPS for the month (his highest in any month last year). Remember, the guy only hit 13 HR all last year so we're clearly looking at a guy who's still developing at the age of 22, not someone I expected to come in and rip 25 a year his first season as a Twin. This was an investment in the future. Let's keep expectations in perspective. The bit about getting caught off 1B from behind by a throw from RF to the Catcher covering? Yeah... bonehead move deserving of criticism, which I'm sure he's heard plenty about. Yeah, Carlos, I’m all about keeping stress levels at reasonable levels.

As for Young, I’m just not going to get too shook yet.

You know how Twins fans have reacted to some early Mets’ fans hand-wringing concerning Johan’s propensity to give up HRs and generally appear human early in the season? “Yeah, we coulda told you that.”

Well, guess what… Young hit .257 in April last year and .247 in May… followed by .304 the rest of the year. Sure, he had a few HR in those months last year, but I just think it’s way too early to fret yet.

By the way, an interesting statistic… he hit .343 for the Rays in July last year, without a single HR that month, yet still maintaining an .806 OPS for the month (his highest in any month last year).

Remember, the guy only hit 13 HR all last year so we’re clearly looking at a guy who’s still developing at the age of 22, not someone I expected to come in and rip 25 a year his first season as a Twin. This was an investment in the future. Let’s keep expectations in perspective.

The bit about getting caught off 1B from behind by a throw from RF to the Catcher covering? Yeah… bonehead move deserving of criticism, which I’m sure he’s heard plenty about.

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