How can he believe this? OBP is everything.I don't believe in that on-base percentage (stuff). That's overrated to me.
- Brandon Phillips
How can he believe this? OBP is everything.I don't believe in that on-base percentage (stuff). That's overrated to me.
- Brandon Phillips
If he can hit in the neighborhood of .280 with 20-25 HR, 25-30 SB, 90-100 R & RBI, all while playing Gold Glove caliber defense at second, then I don't care what he thinks about one stat category. Let the GMs worry about guys with good OBP, regardless of what the player thinks about it.
And what is the context of the quote? Maybe he thinks W and L are more important stats.
Also, I wonder if the pre-SABR era players even knew what their OBP was? I want a player to try to get on base however he can, preferably with a hit, but not to worry about how many times he reached, if that makes sense.
Well, there are plenty of people who wanted Dunn back because of his Slug% even though he would love to go from 2nd to home.
That's why DUHsty the Toothpick loves him, because he doesn't believe in it either.
Unfortunately, not believing in it, doesn't make it unreal.
And for that, we will continue to be the suck on offense.
PEACE
-BLEEDS
I think that in a year or two, one of these guys - Frazier, Dorn, Valaika, Cumberland, Stubbs - will be ready to replace Dunn. They won't hit as many home runs as Dunn, but they should have similar OPS. - 757690, July 22, 2008
Alonso will be playing 1B for the REDS and batting 4th one year from today. - Kingspoint, July 9, 2009
he isn't even close to the only player, or coach, who feels that way. I got to sit next to one of the USA coaches last summer during a game when he was charting pitches, and we had great baseball conversation going, until I mentioned OBP or some sort of baseball stat, and he looked at me, rolled his eyes, and said "oh, your one of those people". I think a lot of people actually playing the game dont care about it at all to be honest-its for the stat heads that cant play, and the gm to make decisons on who to get for their team, as well as coaches to decide who to play, but I really dont think many actual players use or care about them. To be honest, I dont care about em either, takes the fun out of the game IMO, but I am not undervaluing them either.
Sweet Jesus Brandon! OBP is the difference between you and Joe Morgan (career .392 OBP)! OBP might be the decider of you getting into the Hall someday, MAYBE, okay DOUBTEDLY. In the 1975 banner year, Joe had a .466 OBP. That makes things just a tad easier for a team to win.
Do you know where he was quoted saying that? I'd like to use it for my blog. Pretty unfortunate quote if in the assumed context.
To say that OBP is for the stathead and doesn't reflect the skill/talent of a player is jawdropping.
http://www.jeromesredscare.blogspot.com
Last edited by Jerome; 03-05-2009 at 11:36 AM.
OBP is not a modern statistic for stat heads, though. It isn't about taking walks, either. It is the main thing in baseball which is how many times a batter gets on base and, on the other hand, how many times he is making outs. This strikes me as what the game is all about.
I could care less about the contrived stats. Stats can be deceiving and those who overvalue stats are more fans of math than baseball. Wins - important. How you win - not so important. Just look at the Steelers this year - nothing flashy, but they won. Limited running game and a passing attack that was hit and miss, but solid defense and much determination. There were better statistical teams, but the guys in black and gold won the big game again.
This is a stat that has been around forever. It is not about walks, it's about walks and hits... its a measure of the amount of outs a player makes. The thing is to score runs you must get on base, it doesn't matter if the OBP is heavily weighted towards batting average or walks, you just have to get on base.
There was a quote in the ORG, Johnny Footstool I believe
"Brandon doesn't have to believe in OBP, he just has to achieve it."
He needs to be more selective and less aggressive. He needs to hit strikes and then he can raise his batting average and collect more hits. He is too easily pitched to.
I think this is the crux of it all. Phillips will never be a .370 obp player. He just is never going to be patient enough at the plate. But like you said, if he gets his average up and keeps his power, he has value, especially with his defense.
If you think about it, his defense is the differense between him and Edwin.
...the 2-2 to Woodsen and here it comes...and it is swung on and missed! And Tom Browning has pitched a perfect game! Twenty-seven outs in a row, and he is being mobbed by his teammates, just to the thirdbase side of the mound.
I only checked back for the last 5 NL years, but the team with the highest on base average finished either 1 or 2 in runs scored, which is a fairly good way to win, you know, scoring runs. The list probably goes back forever. I can't speak for the pitching staffs of these teams (the other half of winning), but OBP and runs per game are essentially cause and effect. There is nothing contrived about it, if that's what you're saying. I think that's what you're saying.
And I'm not sure why you related your point to football, and the team we do not speak of. Can you relate it to baseball?
http://www.jeromesredscare.blogspot.com
Last edited by Jerome; 03-05-2009 at 01:47 PM.
The problem is that the focus on stats usually skew toward stats on offense. I think it is easy to forget a great defensive play, diving in the hole to snag a line drive that saves a run for example, is the same as a solo HR or knocking in a run with a basehit.
I'd rather have a 2B that plays great defense with a .335 OBP, than a slug in the field with a .380 OBP. Runs are runs, whether you are scoring them or preventing them.
Would a higher OBP from Phillips be good? Sure. But I'm not willing to crucify the man just because he isn't primarily focused on one stat.
I agree that Brandon has other positives that make him a valuable asset (that's not my argument), but his quote that he doesn't believe in "that OBP stuff" is slightly assonine. Sounds like something a good player with a low OBP would say. I know OBP isn't a sexy stat. Players don't brag about it in the clubhouse after the game, "yeah dude, I walked twice and singled, I'm amazing," but the best hitters have an understanding of the strikezone and realize how important it is to master it. Brandon doesn't seem to care about this, which is unfortunate considering he has the hitting tools in place. If he could master the zone, the sky is the limit. Right now, we can see his ceiling. You can be aggressive at the plate and not be a hacker.
http://www.jeromesredscare.blogspot.com
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |