Rob Neyer: What Do You Believe About Baseball That You Can Not Prove

[weams]

Yeah I just did not figure that. Thanks

http://www.spotrac.com/rankings/mlb/total/1st-base/limit-50/

When I add in 10 for Chris Davis and 9 others at league minimum, I come up with 11.54 as a quick and dirty calculation .

[BarclaySouthway]

That the players from the present day are better than the players from 50 years ago. And way better than the players from 70 years ago

[Nevermore]

I believe in the old OH punching bag, team chemistry.

I know when it comes to groups of people working together towards one goal in life, chemistry matters.

Can't prove it though.

I also believe in work ethic. Trying hard to improve on any weaknesses. Dealing with adversity. I doubt that this can be proven, but I believe in it anyway.

[weams]

I'm sure there are some things I think I know, that I don't ... but that's because I've trusted the evidence too much, or haven't considered enough evidence. I think that most good starting pitchers could be excellent relief pitchers; Hall of Fame-quality relief pitchers, assuming they could stay healthy long enough to pile up the requisite saves. I guess maybe we don't have great evidence for that, since good starters don't become relievers. But at least we do have a biomechanical foundation, right? Relievers don't need to pace themselves like most starters do?

Speaking of relievers, here's something else I believe without much evidence: Teams use too many relief pitchers, both within games and over the course of the season. Using so many during games means there's less room on the roster for non-pitchers, which limits a manager's options on that side of the equation. And management's impatience with relief pitchers leads to massive numbers of different relief pitchers being used during the season, which seems like a great way of finding pitchers who don't actually belong in the majors. This year the Orioles used 14 relief pitchers; in 1984 they used eight. But the Orioles are pikers in this regard. In 1984, the third-place Yankees also used just eight relief pitchers; this year they used 22.

My belief is that relief pitchers are not quite as fungible as most teams now believe; that there really weren't 22 relievers in the Yankee organization this season who were good enough to pitch against the best hitters in the world. But I can't prove it.

No empirical data.

[wildcard]

Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the (censored), the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days. - Crash Davis

[Guest rochester]

I believe.

[brianod]

I get a kick out of all those that think they could hit a major league curve easier than a major league fastball. You guys are completely clueless. Unless you are and advanced high school player or a college player, you couldn't catch up to a straight fastball going as fast as a major league curveball. Add to that, the ball breaks a foot or two. LOL. You would have a better chance hitting a fastball if you closed your eyes and swung before it was delivered.

[El Gordo]

Not for $12 mm, though.

Teixeira had I think a .711 OPS and got decidedly more than 12 M. In that ballpark were the likes of Brandon Moss, Matt Adams, James Looney. Garret Jones Billy Butler, Alan Craig, Ryan Howard , and Eric Hosmer, all put up less WAR than CD and got paid at least 12 M for the most part.

[InsideCoroner]

I believe it's the greatest game ever invented.

[waroriole]

Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the (censored), the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days. - Crash Davis

I thought about that too.

It's funny that you censored one, but not the other.

[weams]

I get a kick out of all those that think they could hit a major league curve easier than a major league fastball. You guys are completely clueless. Unless you are and advanced high school player or a college player, you couldn't catch up to a straight fastball going as fast as a major league curveball. Add to that, the ball breaks a foot or two. LOL. You would have a better chance hitting a fastball if you closed your eyes and swung before it was delivered.

I'd hit neither. Brooks was 61. And he is not a pitcher.

[StottyByNature]

I believe hitting, and not hitting, is contagious.

[brianod]

I believe there are clutch hitters.

[gmelson26]

I believe hitting and pitching coaches matter (though maybe not to the degree of some others).

[Roll Tide]

I believe the game still needs a hard salary cap. That's what's best for the game!