Are Stats for Dorks?

[Hooded Viper]

I am an intelligent person who makes a decent living and basically wonder why baseball fans have become dorks? I mean, I played in college and I read this site and I read all of the theories that are spewed and I respect the passion. What cracks me up are the guys who have never played a sport in their lives but because a certain stat drives a player that they refuse to trust their own eyes? Are we so stat driven that we just forget about instincts? I mean I can basically watch a player and know if they are good. Case in point, Bill Ripkin. Nothing about the man says he could play at the pro level but he did. Not at an allstar level but better than 90% of people in the world. My point is we get way to caught up in stats that we forget, sometimes, to watch the freakin player. Sometimes a guy is just good regardless of the stats. Pete Rose is anothter freak of nature. All I am saying is the stats tell us a lot but they never replace instincts or humanity. Just my 2 Cents.

[Mackus]

Yeah this is gonna go over great.

[ejf1025]

...drink some water...

[Icterus galbula]

I am an intelligent person who makes a decent living and basically wonder why baseball fans have become dorks? I mean, I played in college and I read this site and I read all of the theories that are spewed and I respect the passion. What cracks me up are the guys who have never played a sport in their lives but because a certain stat drives a player that they refuse to trust their own eyes? Are we so stat driven that we just forget about instinces? I mean I can basically watch a player and know if they are good. Case in point, Bill Ripkin. Nothing about the man says he could play at the pro level but he did. Not at an allstar level but better than 90% of people in the world. My point is we get way to caught up in stats that we forget, sometimes, to watch the freakin player. Sometimes a guy is just good regardless of the stats. Pete Rose is anothter freak of nature. All I am saying is the stats tell us a lot but they never replace instincts or humanity. Just my 2 Cents.

Question 1) Who are the posters who "have never played a sport in their lives?"

Question 2) Does not playing the sport mean you are automatically disqualified from intelligent analysis?

Question 3) Why are biased eyes more reliable than objective statistics?

Question 4) Should we really trust the opinion of someone who can't spell Ripken?

[Hooded Viper]

Yeah this is gonna go over great.

I am really not trying to offend anyone! Just curious.

[crawdad]

Grammaar is for dorks, to.

[Big Mac]

There's some decent points in the OP, but they kind of get lost in the BS.

[Hooded Viper]

Question 1) Who are the posters who "have never played a sport in their lives?"

Question 2) Does not playing the sport mean you are automatically disqualified from intelligent analysis?

Question 3) Why are biased eyes more reliable than objective statistics?

Question 4) Should we really trust the opinion of someone who can't spell Ripken?

My basic question is, and again this is a freudian type of question, do we just stop worrying about stats? I mean I can't stand Pedroia and his minor league stats do not show that he is a decent 2nd baseman but he is damn good player. Again, this is not to offend but question when Stats go too far. I reallllllly should change the title but I don't know how to.

[The Wedge]

Stats are a way of justifying what we see with our own eyes on the field. They are a tool, and like any tool, in the wrong hands can cause more harm than good. If things don't match, that's why we have the expression "statistical anamoly."

So, no. Stats are not for dorks. Stats have been kept in baseball for nearly the entire length of its existence as a professional sport. Simply because people with analytical brains have found ways to delineate aspects of the game down to minutue, well...don't get aggro about it.

And how is this a Freudian type of question?

[Stotle]

My basic question is, and again this is a freudian type of question, do we just stop worrying about stats? I mean I can't stand Pedroia and his minor league stats do not show that he is a decent 2nd baseman but he is damn good player. Again, this is not to offend but question when Stats go too far. I reallllllly should change the title but I don't know how to.

I'm far from any sort of expert on stats, and tend to rely on my eyes much moreso with regards to MiL, but I'm trying very hard to learn the stat side.

With regards to Pedroia, stats showed he had a very good chance to be an effective offensive player -- particularly his league leading SO-rate. He was impressive at ASU and his offensive game transferred well. That transition was reflected in the stats. Maybe stats don't say "All-star", but I don't think anyone argues that the predictive power of stats are perfect -- just helpful.

[Hooded Viper]

Stats are a way of justifying what we see with our own eyes on the field. They are a tool, and like any tool, in the wrong hands can cause more harm than good. If things don't match, that's why we have the expression "statistical anamoly."

So, no. Stats are not for dorks. Stats have been kept in baseball for nearly the entire length of its existence as a professional sport. Simply because people with analytical brains have found ways to delineate aspects of the game down to minutue, well...don't get aggro about it.

And how is this a Freudian type of question?

Damn I knew somebody was going to throw Freud in my face. That was a poor statetment, I am a DORK, but found it hard to come up with a baseball related psyschologist. Lol. Wedge, you called me out, snap!

[theobird]

My basic question is, and again this is a freudian type of question, do we just stop worrying about stats? I mean I can't stand Pedroia and his minor league stats do not show that he is a decent 2nd baseman but he is damn good player. Again, this is not to offend but question when Stats go too far. I reallllllly should change the title but I don't know how to.

I think it largely comes down to a persons background. Everybody who posts here ios a Baltimore Orioles fan, or most are. Some have probably never played the game, some might have played a little as a kid, and others played through high school and college and may have even played professionally. If you really know the game and have played it at a high level, I suspect your eyes have earned some respect. If you hardly ever played the game, you may fell more comfortable leaning more heavily on the stats.

Before I get flamed, let me add this. There certainly are many former players who like the statistical analysis as well. I don't think there is any hard and fast rules here. But, I agree with the OP that if you have played the game at a high level your eyes should be capable of making good judgements on player abilities.

[Big Mac]

Really?

I must have missed them.

The part about how stats don't always tell the whole story is a valid point. It's a horrible post and terribly worded, but it's not all BS, just mostly.

[LookinUp]

I actually think it's easier to get a good read on basketball players who have "it" than it is baseball players.

For baseball, I've learned to dig stats, but in my gut I agree with you. Nolan Reimold is a guy that I saw at Bowie and could just tell that he has "it." I was always skeptical about the prognisticators who took so much away from him based, IMO, on the fact that he didn't get on the field enough more than what he did when he was on the field. He always had tools and he centered the ball a lot.

On the other hand, I've learned that stats can tell me most about guys that I might think have "it" but who won't really match up as they progress against better competition. J. Stephens is perhaps the best example that I can think of.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Between this thread and this thread, I'm guessing someone is using some performance-de-enhancing substances while posting.

I also don't recall anything that suggests these kinds of posts are in character.

So I'll wait and see before I write him off. Though if this is his real view, that will be the outcome.

In the meantime, I recommend further posts go in this thread until things return to their normal levels.