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29 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

You do realize I like poking the bear because I like reading your responses, right?

Noted on the Federal League, but now I know what gets under your skin.  :) 

Yes.  And you know I love playing professor Drungo. There are so few things in the world where someone can say "you're the guy for this thing." It's hyper-nerdy in an unbelievably small niche, but this is mine.  And I'm glad you guys indulge me on it.

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15 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

BA has become a stat that is too undervalued.

OBP and OPS are more important but that doesn’t mean BA isn’t. 
 

Im wondering if good bat to ball skills is going to be something that becomes undervalued in the FA market?  Might be a way of adding some value to the team without spending a ton to do it.

I agree with this 100%. The Moneyball concept was never about OBP being the be all, end all. It was about walks (and consequently OBP) being an undervalued stat and thus teams like Oakland could land high OBP guys when they were priced out of the market for the .300 hitters. Now that things have swung the other way, there may be some contact hitters who swing at too many pitches for the current conventional wisdom that may be undervalued and with the shift going away, those guys may see more balls get through the infield next year and could be guys to target at undervalue prices this offseason. 

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1 minute ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Yes.  And you know I love playing professor Drungo. There are so few things in the world where someone can say "you're the guy for this thing." It's hyper-nerdy in an unbelievably small niche, but this is mine.  And I'm glad you guys indulge me on it.

Here here!  🍹

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The whole stat analysis stuff is an overall positive thing.  Those “new school” stats are just better and tell a better story. 

But what it has done is make it seem like the old school stats are irrelevant and that’s wrong too. 

There needs to be that happy median that says yes these stats are better and more important but that doesn’t mean the other stats lack value.  It doesn’t mean you just pretend they don’t exist. Getting hits, scoring runs, stealing bases, etc…that’s all important too.  

It just feels like the baseball community goes about things to the extreme.  There needs to be more balance to how the game is played and how it’s analyzed.

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I also think BA is potentially undervalued.  But again, I am older school.  I remember the 1993 Blue Jays had the top 3 BA guys in the league in their lineup (Olerud .363, Molitor .332, Alomar .326).  Who the hell could you even pitch to in that lineup? Devon White had a career WAR of 47.  And he was like the 6th guy you worried about.  How they only won 95 with the talent all over that roster is baffling.

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6 minutes ago, Natty said:

Why is MLB so archaic that they give out the batting champion trophy to the leader in batting average. 

Nobody gets recognition for leading the league in OBP or OPS.

AVG used to be much more powerful as a run production indicator before Babe Ruth started messing stuff up.    Ty Cobb had much of his lifetime .367 amassed before the game went to pot.

Cobb's lifetime BA before 1920 was up to .371 before the decline phase.

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16 minutes ago, Natty said:

Why is MLB so archaic that they give out the batting champion trophy to the leader in batting average. 

Nobody gets recognition for leading the league in OBP or OPS.

This is a sport where there are still people who adamantly think that most of the best players played 100 years ago, that complete games are the mark of a real man, that Nellie Fox choking up 6" and poking the ball to second base to move the runner up is what all real hitters should be doing, that both the 1927 and the 1961 Yankees would beat the 2022 Dodgers 4-0 in a World Series. 

I think it's more surprising that the batting average champion doesn't get a 1911 Chalmers automobile for winning.

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10 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

AVG used to be much more powerful as a run production indicator before Babe Ruth started messing stuff up.    Ty Cobb had much of his lifetime .367 amassed before the game went to pot.

Cobb's lifetime BA before 1920 was up to .371 before the decline phase.

I think being able to hit a ball where 8 guys in front of you either can't get to it or can't get it to the base before you get there is a very cool skill....especially doing it approximately 37% of the time you show up at the plate for your entire career.  

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11 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

AVG used to be much more powerful as a run production indicator before Babe Ruth started messing stuff up.    Ty Cobb had much of his lifetime .367 amassed before the game went to pot.

Cobb's lifetime BA before 1920 was up to .371 before the decline phase.

Everyone knows that scientific base ball is the way to go.  Place hitting, bunting, hitting and running, never striking out.  Any 6' tall, 200 lb moose can hit a ball 400' once in a while.  Yep, it's been all downhill since 1920, boys.  The peak of the sport was the 1906 White Sox, who hit .230 and slugged .286 and won the Series.

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