Thursday 4/22/10 Minor League Updates

[mace]

No, not simply on face value. Not simply by the same modern platitudes that people keep spewing over and over and over as gospel. Sure, it sounds obvious, doesn't it? One guy has a higher OBP and a higher OPS, so of course he's the better player. But you can't make those calls so definitively, so dismissively, so indisputably, without taking the circumstances into account.

We're talking about cleanup hitters, and here's what's indisputable about this scenario. My guy will absolutely, positively drive in more runs than your guy. Because in your guy's 40 walks, he hasn't driven in any. I don't know exactly how many my guy has driven in, but it's more than yours. Naturally, that's not the end of the story. Your guy has extended the inning. But now, it's the next hitter who has those same 40 opportunities to drive in runs. And he WILL NOT drive in as many as my guy, if the batting order has been properly constructed. Because my guy is the cleanup hitter, and presumably the best RBI man.

So, at that point, my guy has produced more runs for his team. The only way your guy can become more valuable is if somebody down the line actually drives in your guy (or perhaps a baserunner preceding him) enough times to overcome the deficit. Now, he may or may not do that. Like I said before, it depends on the hitters who follow in the lineup. If your lineup is filled with great, productive hitters, then, yeah, I'll take the OBP guy. But in a normal lineup--and the Reds' is not quite that--the hitters who follow the cleanup guy are increasingly unproductive.

So, see, it's just not so simple.

[dougdirt]

No, not simply on face value. Not simply by the same modern platitudes that people keep spewing over and over and over as gospel. Sure, it sounds obvious, doesn't it? One guy has a higher OBP and a higher OPS, so of course he's the better player. But you can't make those calls so definitively, so dismissively, so indisputably, without taking the circumstances into account.

We're talking about cleanup hitters, and here's what's indisputable about this scenario. My guy will absolutely, positively drive in more runs than your guy. Because in your guy's 40 walks, he hasn't driven in any. I don't know exactly how many my guy has driven in, but it's more than yours. Naturally, that's not the end of the story. Your guy has extended the inning. But now, it's the next hitter who has those same 40 opportunities to drive in runs. And he WILL NOT drive in as many as my guy, if the batting order has been properly constructed. Because my guy is the cleanup hitter, and presumably the best RBI man.

So, at that point, my guy has produced more runs for his team. The only way your guy can become more valuable is if somebody down the line actually drives in your guy (or perhaps a baserunner preceding him) enough times to overcome the deficit. Now, he may or may not do that. Like I said before, it depends on the hitters who follow in the lineup. If your lineup is filled with great, productive hitters, then, yeah, I'll take the OBP guy. But in a normal lineup--and the Reds' is not quite that--the hitters who follow the cleanup guy are increasingly unproductive.

So, see, it's just not so simple.

Sure, your guy will drive in more runs, but the guys behind my guy will drive in more runs than your guys, thus making the teams run scored better, thus making the team better. It really is that simple. I care much less about a specific players RBI's and much more about a teams total runs scored. My guy is going to make the team score a bunch more runs than yours.

[mace]

Rather than repeat my previous post, I'll just agree to disagree for the third time and call it a night.