Quote:
Originally Posted by _Sir_Charles_
Sorry, I just disagree. When a hitter with a BA driven OBP slumps...he's not "just making outs". Odds are, a player with a higher BA is able to put the bat on the ball. Those kind of players are just hitting them where they ARE when they slump. That can still advance runners. A player with a high walk rate...I guess when they slump they still walk at the exact same pace....riiiiiiight. Players don't walk more often and less often during a season. Nah, walkers are consistant.  |
everything about this post is flat wrong. walks never slump. buys with a consistent OBP of say around .380 despite fluctuating BA's still help their team by being on base.
Taveras has no real repeatable ability to get to 1B,
BECAUSE he does not walk. In his non career year of 2007, his career OPS is
BELOW .650. I'd like to point out that in his career year, he only played in 97 games. His exposure was limited and he certainly surprised with a .100 point increase in his OPS vs his career norm.
Taveras couldn't take advantage of a park made for hitters of all kinds. His doubles output was not affected by the deadening of the ball, but the question is why not? With his speed and the expanse of that park, he should have been a 40+ doubles guy. Speed never slumps right? His best weapon is the SB, but his percentage as been decidedly average accept for last year. Did he suddenly get faster? Or did, in what was an arbitration year, he realize he needed a counting stat to boost his argument? I dunno, but that is a possibility. He never had that many SB attempts before.
Taveras is best used as a pinch runner/25th man on the roster. Instead he'll be a black hole of suck for 1200 PA's over two freaking years.