"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
This is a Buster Olney column? Yeah, you lost me there. Who cares whether or not the AL evaluator attaches his name.
Is anyone else tired of the "drinking the Kool-Aid" expression? I actually find it kind of weird when EVERYTHING becomes a comparison to something like Jonestown. Just wondering.
“Every level he goes to, he is going to compete. They will know who he is at every level he goes to.” -- ED on EDLC
Losing the Astros might implicate that we won't get 97 wins. In no way does that have any effect on who wins the NL Central. This guy is an idiot.
OTOH, the Cards did have a better run differential than the Reds in 2012. If that holds and a little luck goes the other way (not to mention the much superior help that the cards could be getting from their system in 2013), the Cards could take the central and push the Reds into the wildcard race. At that point the loss of all those games against the astros could become very important.
I think the changes the Reds have made makes them the favorite in the central, but lambasting the article seems off to me.
Last edited by mth123; 01-06-2013 at 06:20 PM.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
There is always concern for not taking the division again (see 2011), but for the reasons the author listed, it just seems like poor judgement.
The entire division doesn't play the Astros now, and we have addressed our run differential issue by getting a high OBP leadoff hitter who will hit in front of a .270 hitter and two spots in front of the .300+ BA doubles machine.
This exemplifies why using run differential from season to season is very problematic. Teams change their rosters in the off-season, players get older, rookies and young players break through, and some players fall off in terms of production. And that doesn't even take in account injuries.
I really think we will discover that the Pythag will become less and less useful as we move forward with understanding the game.
Hoping to change my username to 75769024
The only thing I will give the Reds on luck last year is that no starting pitcher was injured. Otherwise to attribute the Reds success on the Astros or contribute future success based on not playing the Astros is silly. I think what will affect the Reds more than not playing the Astros this year is regressing to the means on the injury front to starters in their rotation.
The Reds had the 3rd best winning percentage vs teams at or over .500, but also had 7 more wins than anyone else vs teams under .500.
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