East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper?
At the All Star break:
Bryce Harper's 2012 MLB stats:
.282/.354/.472 for an OPS of .826, with 8 HRs, and 10 SBs. Bryce has 277 PAs is 63 games.
Todd Frazier' 2012 MLB stats:
.278/.345/.556 for an OPS of .901 with 9 HRs and 1 SB. Todd has 200 PAs in 60 games.
Yet not only is Harper an all star, Frazier was never even mentioned. Heck, Frazier hasn't convinced Dusty that he should be starting at third over Scott Rolen.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mbgrayson
At the All Star break:
Bryce Harper's 2012 MLB stats:
.282/.354/.472 for an OPS of .826, with 8 HRs, and 10 SBs. Bryce has 277 PAs is 63 games.
Todd Frazier' 2012 MLB stats:
.278/.345/.556 for an OPS of .901 with 9 HRs and 1 SB. Todd has 200 PAs in 60 games.
Yet not only is Harper an all star, Frazier was never even mentioned. Heck, Frazier hasn't convinced Dusty that he should be starting at third over Scott Rolen.
Stuff like this used to irk me, but then you realize it's about money and marketing. Nobody has heard of Todd Frazier. Frazier wasn't drafted recently, he wasn't a #1 pick, and he's a lot older than Harper. A lot of people have heard of Harper. Plus, he had that hot streak early on that was setting the world on fire. Of course, he plays in DC too.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Quote:
Originally Posted by
westofyou
No
As far as bias... Really?
He is 19!!!
A wonderful age, and he is owning the game.
I sort of agree with you, but age should not be a consideration as to who the best players are. For his age, no question he's far ahead of most others. But he shouldn't be compared to players his own age, he should be compared to people in his league and at his position.
Right now, there are a lot of other players in the league having better seasons whether they're 19 or 35. I do think there is something to be said for the bias. After all, Mike Trout is only a year older and he's got 130 OPS points on Harper, but still most of the media attention goes to Bryce.
What Harper is doing at 19 is certainly impressive. Nonetheless, he's not the greatest thing since sliced bread (at least yet).
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Harper was voted in by the fans. Is the argument that fans would have voted in Frazier?
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Thanks for pointing this out, mb. I have given up on worrying about fairness in all-star selections. It just really isn't about fairness.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jojo
Harper was voted in by the fans. Is the argument that fans would have voted in Frazier?
But LaGenius decided who the five to be voted on would be.
Don't get me wrong, I am intrigued by Harper. He may someday be a huge superstar. But I also think all star selection should be based on performance, and in Harper's case, this year, his selection was based on media hype.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jojo
Harper was voted in by the fans. Is the argument that fans would have voted in Frazier?
Harper finished third in the fan vote. That is how much fans care about him.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Quote:
Originally Posted by
fearofpopvol1
Stuff like this used to irk me, but then you realize it's about money and marketing. Nobody has heard of Todd Frazier. Frazier wasn't drafted recently, he wasn't a #1 pick, and he's a lot older than Harper. A lot of people have heard of Harper. Plus, he had that hot streak early on that was setting the world on fire. Of course, he plays in DC too.
I think you're nailing on the head here, although I think WOY is adding an additional factor. But no one short of Reds fans is clamoring to see Todd Frazier, if they've even heard of him. In this case, I think, it has nothing to do with East Coast bias, IMO, although playing where there's a major market newspaper obviously doesn't hurt.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Quote:
Originally Posted by
powersackers
No he wasn't. Freese was voted in by the fans. Harper was named as a replacement.
This is true. Glad you caught that.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
First off let me say that given the numbers straight up, Frazier wins over Harper. Hell, Cozart probably comes close too. However...
The game is the "All-Star Game". Stars aren't necessarily the best performing players at the time, although they often tend to be. For instance Frazier v. Harper.
However, Harper, with all the hype, and being just 19, IS becoming a star. Frazier may or may not become one, but right now he doesn't have the star power that Harper does.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Quote:
Originally Posted by
redsmetz
I think you're nailing on the head here, although I think WOY is adding an additional factor. But no one short of Reds fans is clamoring to see Todd Frazier, if they've even heard of him. In this case, I think, it has nothing to do with East Coast bias, IMO, although playing where there's a major market newspaper obviously doesn't hurt.
I'm not even sure Reds fans are clamoring to see Frazier in an All-Star game. They couldn't even get Brandon Phillips voted in as a starter. I would bet that if you gave a ballot to Reds fans - online and at the stadium - over a homestand and gave them either Frazier or Harper to vote for to see in the All Star game, Harper would win. I don't even think it would be close. This not to discount anything Frazier has done but Harper's popularity is tough to beat.
On the other hand, the Nats have a reliever that throws as hard as Chapman does and he doesn't get anywhere near the publicity Chapman does. So maybe it evens out.
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chip R
On the other hand, the Nats have a reliever that throws as hard as Chapman does and he doesn't get anywhere near the publicity Chapman does. So maybe it evens out.
Nats have a reliever that's hit 105 mph?
Re: East coast media bias; should Todd Frazier be an all star instead of Bryce Harper
It would be nice if baseball could prop up more players from smaller markets. Not sure how much more the Yankees/Red Sox/Mets, et al, players can be built up more. Frazier has an interesting story to go along with his rookie season success, but I rarely hear anything about it.