tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post3048140150635504448..comments2023-06-26T09:25:54.337-05:00Comments on My Baseball Fantasy: Happy days here again with the Fons?Greg McConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-19782702780064072512008-05-04T16:50:00.000-05:002008-05-04T16:50:00.000-05:00For what it's worth, I've sent Steve Stone an emai...For what it's worth, I've sent Steve Stone an email question regarding the whole "more fastballs with runners on or not" dilemma. Maybe he'll answer it on his blog?Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-34972290621373528842008-04-28T22:56:00.000-05:002008-04-28T22:56:00.000-05:00I'm still not sure about the more fastballs w/ no ...I'm still not sure about the more fastballs w/ no one on. Part of it may be that you don't want to walk fast, low OBP guys, since you're often giving them a gift double, and getting someone in scoring position. <BR/><BR/>But you also want to throw more fastballs when you have SB threats on base. Conversely, if you have slow runners on and want to induce grounders, then you go with sinkers. <BR/><BR/>I don't know. I have a suspicion that we're trying to mash up too much conventional wisdom into one place :-)Chairmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042114331279771820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-623002500963145342008-04-28T21:23:00.000-05:002008-04-28T21:23:00.000-05:00Chairman,You're right... if you go year to year so...Chairman,<BR/><BR/>You're right... if you go year to year sometimes Soriano does better with runners on, sometimes not. I did not realize that and it goes against what I constantly read and hear. Now I just need to get to the bottom of the whole "leadoff hitters get more fastballs" mystery... or myth... <BR/><BR/>Paul,<BR/><BR/>Well, I'm glad the Cubs traded Hee Seop Choi to the Marlins for Derrek Lee, so we don't have to worry about Soriano batting third. ;-)Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-24006174505749270752008-04-28T16:02:00.000-05:002008-04-28T16:02:00.000-05:00This reminds me of Hanley Ramirez, who I think is ...This reminds me of Hanley Ramirez, who I think is batting out of position in the leadoff spot. <BR/><BR/>The Marlins have asked Hanley not to steal as much this year, he leads the team in HRs and RBIs, and they won't move him to the No. 3 spot in the lineup. That just bothers me, because Hanley has become too good for the leadoff position. <BR/><BR/>I think it is the same situation for Soriano -- he isn't nearly as good of a player, but he should be hitting 3 or 5 in the lineup.Paulyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13277287057711585857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-36578446873948664282008-04-27T23:20:00.000-05:002008-04-27T23:20:00.000-05:00He had played a year (technically only a handful o...He had played a year (technically only a handful of games) w/ a Japanese team, and therefore wasn't subject to the MLB draft. He was a free agent, and teams who wanted him had to give him a major league contract (and the Yanks had the deep pockets, per usual).<BR/><BR/>No idea about the speculation that you get more fastballs with no one on base. Conventional wisdom suggests that you get more fastballs when you have runners on base, since it's easier to throw out a runner off of a fastball, than a breaking ball. <BR/><BR/>I don't know if the stats are exactly conclusive. If you go year to year, some years, he does better with runners on. Other years, he does better with no runners. You have to tease out team effects, as well as batting order effects.Chairmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042114331279771820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-7732980462799412082008-04-27T22:11:00.000-05:002008-04-27T22:11:00.000-05:00Soriano was actually a SS when the Yankees signed ...<I>Soriano was actually a SS when the Yankees signed him (out of Japan, actually). </I><BR/><BR/>I'm not particularly surprised that he was originally signed as a SS, but Japan? I had no idea.<BR/><BR/><I>Do you really think that he's significantly better w/ no one on? Or do you think that's just a function of him batting leadoff?</I><BR/><BR/>Well, this gets to a part of baseball that I'm still learning about... The numbers indicate that yes, Soriano's stats are best when he's leading off an inning (and I assume when no one is on, even if there are two outs). The explanation that I've always heard for this is that in those situations (when nobody is on base), he gets more fastballs. So that's what I'm not 100% sure about... why does a pitcher throw more fastballs when nobody is on base?Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-55688404477521081062008-04-27T21:38:00.000-05:002008-04-27T21:38:00.000-05:00Soriano was actually a SS when the Yankees signed ...Soriano was actually a SS when the Yankees signed him (out of Japan, actually). He didn't project at SS (some dude named at Jeter), so they moved him to 2B, since they were OK at 3B, and Chuck Knoblauch had gotten the yips at 2B. He was improving there when they moved him to Texas for A-Rod, who probably didn't help his development, and then the move to Washington, which was just terrible, since he was just playing for his own stats. By that time, he was calling the shots, and sort of demanded to bat leadoff (and really, the Nats didn't really care - the were going to suck, regardless)<BR/><BR/>Had he stayed on the Yankees, do you think that Joe Torre would have hesitated to move him down to the 6 hole? Or if he'd have much of an argument to take, say, Jeter out of the leadoff spot? Of course, in the Yanks' lineup, he'd still have plenty of protection there. <BR/><BR/>Do you really think that he's significantly better w/ no one on? Or do you think that's just a function of him batting leadoff? I'm not particularly convinced either way.Chairmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042114331279771820noreply@blogger.com