Replacing Nick's OBP

[fearthenoodle]

Yeah I think Dan is basically punting on OBP at the major league level and just trying to get it rolling in the minors.

I think it's all about value. "Moneyball" ushered in an era where high OBP guys are able to get paid. Shin-soo Choo is a very recent example of that. But low OBP/high power guys are almost overlooked at times now so Dan can acquire them cost effectively. And even though a lot of teams are starting to focus on trying to put better defenses on the field, for the most part defense is still not something guys are getting paid for.

[Babypowder]

Yeah I think Dan is basically punting on OBP at the major league level and just trying to get it rolling in the minors.

Lots of candidates to improve their OBP this year, too: Manny, Davis, Wieters mainly. Lough can basically roll out of bed and do better than he did last year. Pearce, if he's not a giant fluke.

Pearce, the guy who led the team in OBP, has room to improve upon it? I think that may be asking a lot.

[fearthenoodle]

Pearce, the guy who led the team in OBP, has room to improve upon it? I think that may be asking a lot.

The thing with Pearce is if he can maintain his OBP (or just come close) over 600 PAs, that is an improvement over last year where he had 383 PAs and someone else was getting those other 200+ chances.

[Frobby]

I think it's all about value. "Moneyball" ushered in an era where high OBP guys are able to get paid. Shin-soo Choo is a very recent example of that. But low OBP/high power guys are almost overlooked at times now so Dan can acquire them cost effectively. And even though a lot of teams are starting to focus on trying to put better defenses on the field, for the most part defense is still not something guys are getting paid for.

I think it is a fallacy that low OBP/high power guys are underpaid or that the decline in offense the last several years has fundamentally altered the tradeoff between OBP and power. Since 2000, OBP has declined by 9.5% and slugging has dropped by 12%. Fangraphs publishes a list of the relative weights of various outcomes that change every year. The relative value of a homer vs. a walk has gone up by 15% since 2000, and the value of a homer vs. a single has gone up by 11%. So yes, homers have become more valuable than they were before relative to walks and singles, but it's not really a sea change. Certainly the shift has worked in the Orioles' favor given the current construction of their team.

I do think teams haven't yet started paying adequately for defense. That's probably partially due to the difficulty in accurately measuring defensive performance.

[weams]

But Coolbaugh may be more oriented to OBP than Presley was. That will not effect the older established players but it may affect the younger or less established ones. i could see Coolbaugh affecting Davis, Schoop, Manny, Joseph and Arencibia if he is on the team.

No. He won't be.

[weams]

I think it's all about value. "Moneyball" ushered in an era where high OBP guys are able to get paid. Shin-soo Choo is a very recent example of that. But low OBP/high power guys are almost overlooked at times now so Dan can acquire them cost effectively. And even though a lot of teams are starting to focus on trying to put better defenses on the field, for the most part defense is still not something guys are getting paid for.

I agree with you. I know others don't.

[wildcard]

No. He won't be.

Really? Thanks, now I have a deeper understanding of the subject.

[weams]

Yeah I think Dan is basically punting on OBP at the major league level and just trying to get it rolling in the minors.

Lots of candidates to improve their OBP this year, too: Manny, Davis, Wieters mainly. Lough can basically roll out of bed and do better than he did last year. Pearce, if he's not a giant fluke.

There is no question you are correct.

[FanSince88]

Really? Thanks, now I have a deeper understanding of the subject.

ROFL, I love some of the exchanges on this message board. This one was a classic. :thumbsup1:

[bobmc]

Yeah I think Dan is basically punting on OBP at the major league level and just trying to get it rolling in the minors.

Lots of candidates to improve their OBP this year, too: Manny, Davis, Wieters mainly. Lough can basically roll out of bed and do better than he did last year. Pearce, if he's not a giant fluke.