Opening Day Impressions

[DrungoHazewood]

4 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

You did just solve for X.

Was it really algebra, or did he just spend a while contemplating how many wins a team would have if they had zero losses all year?

[Frobby]

Just now, DrungoHazewood said:

Was it really algebra, or did he just spend a while contemplating how many wins a team would have if they had zero losses all year?

Are you asking how Moose’s mind works?   I’ve been trying to figure that out for more than a decade, without success.  

[Can_of_corn]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

 

 

Fangraphs has Adley at 0.4 fWAR today. Bb-ref hasn’t posted anything yet.  

Told you we would know today.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

Are you asking how Moose’s mind works?   I’ve been trying to figure that out for more than a decade, without success.  

I haven't reached how yet, I'm still stuck on if.

[AlbNYfan]

I'll give the poor D a break due to the COLD, windy weather, 30's (wind chill 20's???) is tough. It also was a bright sky. Still Santander should have been pulled in the 8th. Birds had a great approach at hitting...Adley did a great Wade Boggs imitation (despite the HR). 5 for 5?? A bit of a gift, IMO. I think he had just one baserunning error. The second was old school ..give up an out for a run. Mountcastle had a nice day at the plate, 2 walks, going off field. His hardest hit ball was the line drive caught by the first baseman playing way off the bag. I don't know if he was lucky, but was his hit an adjustment to where they played him? Mateo, Frazier looked comfortable at the plate. Hayes looked terrible..just like last year. Took too many strikes and looked like a guess hitter. If he keeps that up, he should be the 4th Ofer. Gibson did very well...his line should have looked a lot better. BoSox?? Third baseman is a butcher in the field. I liked the LF'er.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, AlbNYfan said:

I'll give the poor D a break due to the COLD, windy weather, 30's (wind chill 20's???) is tough. It also was a bright sky.

Did the Red Sox defense have similar issues?

[spleen1015]

Poor Moose

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Did the Red Sox defense have similar issues?

Different issues.  Couldn’t hold runners, a couple of wild pitches, an error when the SS tried to throw out the lead runner at 3B and Devers was late getting to the base so the throw went to the backstop.  Plus with 8 walks and a HBP, they did look like a Little League team out there.  No outfield miscues that I remember, but not really any difficult plays out there that I recall.  

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Different issues.  Couldn’t hold runners, a couple of wild pitches, an error when the SS tried to throw out the lead runner at 3B and Devers was late getting to the base so the throw went to the backstop.  Plus with 8 walks and a HBP, they did look like a Little League team out there.  No outfield miscues that I remember, but not really any difficult plays out there that I recall.  

I just have a hard time blaming the outfield defense on the weather when both teams had to play in it and both teams had just come up from Florida.

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I just have a hard time blaming the outfield defense on the weather when both teams had to play in it and both teams had just come up from Florida.

I’m going to assume you didn’t watch the game.  By my count, the O’s had five outfield plays that were arguably misplays.  But looking back at Baseball Savant:

- The Mullins play in the 1st inning had an .890 xBA.

- The Hays play in the 4th inning had a .580 xBA.

- The Santander play in the 6th inning had a .620 xBA

- The Santander play in the 8th inning had a .360 xBA.

(The fifth miscue was on a clean single that was misplayed on the hop due to poor communication between McKenna and Mullins.

Now, xBA doesn’t tell you everything about the specifics of a batted ball, it’s just based on exit velocity and launch angle but doesn’t tell you which direction the ball was hit on the 90 degree playing field or what the dimensions of a particular stadium are.   But, nobody’s saying these were routine plays, though I’d say the 6th inning Santander play was, despite the listed .620 xBA.

For whatever reason, the balls to the Sox outfielders just weren’t as challenging.  They either were very clear hits, or routine outs.   That’s how it can go in a one-game sample.

 

 

 

[deward]

1 hour ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Kind of a tangent here, but I wanted to see how Adley's day stacked up to other opening days in Orioles history and it's up there.  But I think the best was Don Baylor's 1973, where he went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, and a homer in a 10-0 win over the Brewers.

Interesting to note that on Opening Day 1973, a year removed from three straight WS appearances, including one championship, the O's drew 26k fans (their 4th largest crowd of the season, as it turned out). 

I realize it adds up to one less total base, but I'd give the nod to Sam Horn going 4-5 with 2 HR on opening day 1990, driving in 6 of the O's 7 runs in a 7-6 victory.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, deward said:

Interesting to note that on Opening Day 1973, a year removed from three straight WS appearances, including one championship, the O's drew 26k fans (their 4th largest crowd of the season, as it turned out). 

I realize it adds up to one less total base, but I'd give the nod to Sam Horn going 4-5 with 2 HR on opening day 1990, driving in 6 of the O's 7 runs in a 7-6 victory.

Oh yea, O's attendance was pretty sad during the 70's.  Baltimore is more of a football town.

[Moose Milligan]

49 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Are you asking how Moose’s mind works?   I’ve been trying to figure that out for more than a decade, without success.  

Just give up.  I have given up and I'm thankful for it.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Moose Milligan

[DrungoHazewood]

16 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Oh yea, O's attendance was pretty sad during the 70's.  Baltimore is more of a football town.

Here's a game that's representative (if a little cherry-picked) of that era.  September 1971, O's on their way to their third straight 100-win, World Series season.  They're playing the Senators, so a little local rivalry. It's Jim Palmer against Denny McLain. O's have Boog, Frank, Brooks, Davey, Blair, Belanger and Elrod in the lineup.

5,601 showed up to watch.

[Ripken]

28 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’m going to assume you didn’t watch the game.  By my count, the O’s had five outfield plays that were arguably misplays.  But looking back at Baseball Savant:

- The Mullins play in the 1st inning had an .890 xBA.

- The Hays play in the 4th inning had a .580 xBA.

- The Santander play in the 6th inning had a .620 xBA

- The Santander play in the 8th inning had a .360 xBA.

(The fifth miscue was on a clean single that was misplayed on the hop due to poor communication between McKenna and Mullins.

Now, xBA doesn’t tell you everything about the specifics of a batted ball, it’s just based on exit velocity and launch angle but doesn’t tell you which direction the ball was hit on the 90 degree playing field or what the dimensions of a particular stadium are.   But, nobody’s saying these were routine plays, though I’d say the 6th inning Santander play was, despite the listed .620 xBA.

For whatever reason, the balls to the Sox outfielders just weren’t as challenging.  They either were very clear hits, or routine outs.   That’s how it can go in a one-game sample.

Every one of those balls would have been caught if Mountcastle hit them.