Fangraphs: The Right Handed Power Problem

[weams]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-right-handed-power-problem/

Ten years ago, everyone wanted young pitching. It was the considered the currency of baseball, the thing you could always trade if you needed to acquire something else. But these days, random kids on the street can throw 100 mph, the strike zone is gigantic, and preventing runs is now the easy part of the game. What everyone wants now is offense, and seemingly, offense in the form of good right-handed hitters.

[brianod]

This really sounds stupid. Any kid off the street can throw 100? Everyone wants to find an easy answer to team needs and articles like this encourage everyone to think there is an easy answer, guess what, there isn't.

[Tryptamine]

This really sounds stupid. Any kid off the street can throw 100? Everyone wants to find an easy answer to team needs and articles like this encourage everyone to think there is an easy answer, guess what, there isn't.

What he said and what you said are not at all the same thing. Regardless, the point of the article is that it's becoming exceedingly difficult to find RHed power, and power in general, in an era where dominating pitchers are everywhere. For example, in all of baseball there were only 35 players with .800OPS or higher that were qualified for the batting title. There were only 8 players who had an OPS above .900. There were zero players who exceeded 1.000 OPS this year. As far as pitchers go, there were 39 who had a sub 3.50ERA with enough innings to qualify,22 with sub 3.00ERA,9 with sub 2.5ERA and 1 with a sub 2.00ERA.

Compare those numbers to 2007, only 8 years ago.

Hitters

OPS >.800 82

OPS >.900 25

OPS>1.000 7

Pitchers

ERA<3.50 17

ERA<3.00 1

ERA<2.50 0

The conclusion is simple, power bats, particularly RHed power bats are the single most valuable commodity in game right now. There's no longer a need to build a farm around arms as they've become more numerous and easier to attain than any time in the last decade or two.

[Brooks The Great]

What he said and what you said are not at all the same thing. Regardless, the point of the article is that it's becoming exceedingly difficult to find RHed power, and power in general, in an era where dominating pitchers are everywhere. For example, in all of baseball there were only 35 players with .800OPS or higher that were qualified for the batting title. There were only 8 players who had an OPS above .900. There were zero players who exceeded 1.000 OPS this year. As far as pitchers go, there were 39 who had a sub 3.50ERA with enough innings to qualify,22 with sub 3.00ERA,9 with sub 2.5ERA and 1 with a sub 2.00ERA.

Compare those numbers to 2007, only 8 years ago.

Hitters

OPS >.800 82

OPS >.900 25

OPS>1.000 7

Pitchers

ERA<3.50 17

ERA<3.00 1

ERA<2.50 0

The conclusion is simple, power bats, particularly RHed power bats are the single most valuable commodity in game right now. There's no longer a need to build a farm around arms as they've become more numerous and easier to attain than any time in the last decade or two.

This is why I am fascinated by the Chicago Cubs.

If this Fangraphs article is onto something, the Cubs have the largest supply of baseball's most valuable and rare commodity. They have by far the most impressive collection of young potential impact power hitters in the game, both at the major league level (Rizzo, Soler, Baez, perhaps Alcantara if you include a plus power middle infielder) and in the minors (Bryant, Russell, Schwarber, Vogelbach). They could be a force within the next 2-3 years if they manage to add enough starting pitching to go along with Arrieta and Hendricks. I expect them to be a playoff team in the near future.

Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have done an awesome job turning that franchise around in just a few years.

[weams]

This is why I am fascinated by the Chicago Cubs.

If this Fangraphs article is onto something, the Cubs have the largest supply of baseball's most valuable and rare commodity. They have by far the most impressive collection of young potential impact power hitters in the game, both at the major league level (Rizzo, Soler, Baez, perhaps Alcantara if you include a plus power middle infielder) and in the minors (Bryant, Russell, Schwarber, Vogelbach). They could be a force within the next 2-3 years if they manage to add enough starting pitching to go along with Arrieta and Hendricks. I expect them to be a playoff team in the near future.

Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have done an awesome job turning that franchise around in just a few years.

Major league power is a bigger deal right now. Sometimes that Milb power does not pan out. I think the Cubs will be good though.

[Frobby]

What he said and what you said are not at all the same thing. Regardless, the point of the article is that it's becoming exceedingly difficult to find RHed power, and power in general, in an era where dominating pitchers are everywhere. For example, in all of baseball there were only 35 players with .800OPS or higher that were qualified for the batting title. There were only 8 players who had an OPS above .900. There were zero players who exceeded 1.000 OPS this year. As far as pitchers go, there were 39 who had a sub 3.50ERA with enough innings to qualify,22 with sub 3.00ERA,9 with sub 2.5ERA and 1 with a sub 2.00ERA.

Compare those numbers to 2007, only 8 years ago.

Hitters

OPS >.800 82

OPS >.900 25

OPS>1.000 7

Pitchers

ERA<3.50 17

ERA<3.00 1

ERA<2.50 0

The conclusion is simple, power bats, particularly RHed power bats are the single most valuable commodity in game right now. There's no longer a need to build a farm around arms as they've become more numerous and easier to attain than any time in the last decade or two.

I think there is a logical fallacy here. The fact that the stats have shifted has nothing to do with the relative talent level of today's hitters and pitchers. It has to do with the conditions under which the game is being played. In other words, a good RH hitter is just as easy to find today as it was 10 years ago, but that hitter won't produce the same stats as 10 years ago because the conditions of play have changed.

[Tryptamine]

I think there is a logical fallacy here. The fact that the stats have shifted has nothing to do with the relative talent level of today's hitters and pitchers. It has to do with the conditions under which the game is being played. In other words, a good RH hitter is just as easy to find today as it was 10 years ago, but that hitter won't produce the same stats as 10 years ago because the conditions of play have changed.

The level of pitching is higher than it has ever been. Higher velocities, more specialized pitches and pitchers are using breaking balls at an all time high. Hell you have starting pitchers who throw 40+% breaking balls now. That did not happen 20 years ago.

[sportsfan8703]

This is why I am fascinated by the Chicago Cubs.

If this Fangraphs article is onto something, the Cubs have the largest supply of baseball's most valuable and rare commodity. They have by far the most impressive collection of young potential impact power hitters in the game, both at the major league level (Rizzo, Soler, Baez, perhaps Alcantara if you include a plus power middle infielder) and in the minors (Bryant, Russell, Schwarber, Vogelbach). They could be a force within the next 2-3 years if they manage to add enough starting pitching to go along with Arrieta and Hendricks. I expect them to be a playoff team in the near future.

Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have done an awesome job turning that franchise around in just a few years.

If they do good for them. They play in the NL central. We're comparing apples to gold bars when it comes to that division and the AL East.

[weams]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/explaining-mlb-right-handed-power-decline/

[weams]

"But in practice, as you probably know, chasing batting average is not an effective strategy ESPECIALLY when you are chasing empty batting averages filled with lots of singles. "

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