Markakis: Done in by Aubrey Huff's departure?

by zknower on Oct 14, 2009 12:49 PM EDT Comment 59 comments

Just a quick musing on my part:

How much did the Aubrey Huff trade affect Nick Markakis' stats?

Before you flame me, consider this: Yes, Huff had a down year, but he still had 73 RBIs at the time of his trade. Opposing pitchers started the season knowing that the 2008 edition of Huff had had 32 dingers and was fifth in the league in OPS.

And yeah, Huff was off the pace for much of 2009, but players go through ups and downs all the time, and he had enough good stretches early in the year that pitchers had to respect him somewhat. So there's little doubt that in the typical Orioles' 2009 lineup of 3-Markakis, 4-Huff, they were throwing better stuff Nicky's way.

When Aubrey was traded in August, who were these pitchers to fear? Melvin Mora? How long did it take Trembley to move Nolan Reimold up?

No, I don't think this accounts for all of Nicky's lowered numbers (AJ's declining average and time on the DL hurt Nicky's RBI chances) but I think it's a contributing factor.

Part of getting Nicky back to form next year will involve Andy finding someone with a big bat to protect him in the lineup.

Stats, for those of you who are so inclined.....

Aubrey Huff was traded on August 17th. Nick's stats before and after that date, courtesy B-R.com:

Date	Tm	G	GS	Rslt	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	ROE	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Apr 6, 2009 to Aug 17, 2009	BAL	118	117	48-70	527	480	70	146	39	1	15	84	39	0	77	3	0	5	9	9	3	2	.304	.357	.483	.840
per 162 games		163	161		724	660	97	201	54	2	21	116	54	0	106	5	0	7	13	13	5	3

Link

Date	Tm	G	GS	Rslt	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	ROE	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Aug 18, 2009 to Oct 4, 2009	BAL	43	43	16-27	184	164	24	42	6	1	3	17	17	0	21	0	0	3	0	3	3	0	.256	.321	.360	.680
per 162 games		162	162		694	618	91	159	23	4	12	65	65	0	80	0	0	12	0	12	12	0

Link
Note that the only statistically significant offensive category that's higher in the second stretch is BB/162 games. It's 20% higher. Nicky's numbers all went down except this walk rate. It's not like he was getting a bunch of IBBs, but pitchers weren't afraid of losing him to pitch to the next guy either.

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I don't know

Maybe. I do know that if you look at Nick’s overall stats from 2008 to 2009, the major thing missing is his OBP and that’s pretty much solely based on his walks. That’s it, but it’s a big thing because it’s a huge part of his game.

Year Age G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+
2008 24 157 697 595 106 182 48 1 20 87 10 7 99 113 .306 .406 .491 .897 134
2009 25 161 711 642 94 188 45 2 18 101 6 2 56 98 .293 .347 .453 .801 106

The hypothesis is that Nick walked less in ‘09 because he batted in front of Huff who the pitchers didn’t want to pitch to with a runner on base. I looked at the lineups from 2008 and Nick batted sometimes in front of Huff, but more often in front of Mora and Millar. That would support your theory. But what I just can’t get behind is that teams would rather face Markakis than Huff. Yes, Huff had a huge 2008 but how long would teams rely on that? Because Aubrey Huff was straight up terrible in 2008. He had a negative WAR. At some point wouldn’t the other teams catch on?

FanGraphs actually just had an article on Nick’s down year, here it is: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/nick-markakiss-down-season/

It includes some more advanced stats, but the bottom line is he was swinging at balls out of the zone. He was chasing. I’m not sure how that jives with the Huff theory. I noticed it a lot this year since I’m so used to Nick having such a great eye.

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 14, 2009 1:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

if memory serves...

Didn’t BP or FanGraphs do a study of how line-up “protection” is largely a myth? I thought there was something out there that tended to show that it didn’t really matter who was batting behind or in front of a hitter, or, if anything, the difference was insignificant, certainly not enough to explain Markakis’ slide. I could be wrong, though, since I can’t find the link.

by salvotion on Oct 14, 2009 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you're right

I’d have to do some digging to find the article. I think it was FanGraphs.

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 14, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Free swinging

What I thought it was interesting reading that article was that Nick Markakis was swinging at more pitches out of the strike zone and fewer pitches in the strike zone.

Although I have no hard facts to prove it one way or another, I have the general impression that Trembley and Crowley are the kind of guys who encourage that kind of behavior. If that is indeed the case, Markakis’ regression would be proof in my mind that Trembley is precisely NOT the person I want managing a bunch of young players.

by yurizanow on Oct 14, 2009 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But

then how do you explain the ridiculous patience of a young guy like Reimold? Is he just doing it despite them?

by O'sFan21 on Oct 15, 2009 9:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And

how do you explain Nick’s patience in 2006, 2007, and 2008?

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 15, 2009 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess my paranoid theory would be along the lines of this – Reimold and Markakis either had an innate plate discipline or cultivated it in the minors in order to advance, but had it discouraged when they reached the Majors under the Trembley/Crowley influence. Obviously, I don’t know what goes on in the Orioles clubhouse, but something weird happened to Nick Markakis’ habits this season. I’ll be curious to see what Reimold does next year.

Along the same lines, one of the things I find striking is Adam Jones’ 2009 splits. He seemed to be improving at the plate in first part of the season, but really dropped off in the second part of the season. Granted were talking about a 350 plate appearances against 169, but he still went from an .357 on-base percentage, which was well above his career on-base percentage, to .290, which was below it.

With Jones he might’ve dropped off because of his injuries or because he got excited by early success and reverted to bad habits. If the latter is the case, it’s the job of the manager and the hitting coach to keep on eye on that and try to correct it.

by yurizanow on Oct 15, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Understated

Is how finicky Markakis seemed at the plate. He seemed uncomfortable most of the time. He also changed his batting stance to a standing one, and then began crouching again.

The stock market will never recover, our armies will never again be #1, and our children will drink filthy water for the rest of their lives - HST

by the fix is in on Oct 15, 2009 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think any of this has to do with the manager.

Just young hitters still developing. I don’t even think Trembley does any hitting instruction. If you want to blame Crowely I’d be more receptive of that, but I think blaming trembley is just as you describe it – paranoid.

by O'sFan21 on Oct 15, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Responding to both you and Bird, you’re right in that Trembley probably doesn’t do any hitting instruction, but he’s still Crowley’s boss and I think bears some responsibility for his actions.

I doubt that Earl Weaver did much hitting instruction either, but I’ll bet dollars for doughnuts that he made damn sure his hitting coaches were teaching his players to hit the way he wanted.

by yurizanow on Oct 15, 2009 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah…I’m sorry if this sounds snarky, but you can coach a guy as much as you want and have the coaches tell them to hit however you want, but it’s on the player to go out and do it. You think Markakis doesn’t know that he should swing at less pitches out of the strike zone and more in the strike zone? You think he needs a manager to tell him that? I don’t buy it.

by O'sFan21 on Oct 15, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know if you’re read Moneyball, but there is a story in it about when Scott Hatteberg was on the Red Sox and Jim Rice, his hitting coach, encouraged him to swing at more first pitches.

I imagine something like that where Markakis is encouraged to be more aggressive or take his game to the next level or something like that. It’s just weird that the guy is so fastidious about the strike zone and then suddenly gets careless about it.

by yurizanow on Oct 15, 2009 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Crow tried to get Jack Cust to be less selective at the plate and swing more. He’s a terrible hitting coach. I don’t think that’s the case with Nick simply because he’s had success in the past and he’s the “leader” of the team. Those factors have given Nick enough leverage from being told what to do. I’m sure the Crow will give swing tips to Nick but I think he leaves him alone for the most part given his track record. I would have no problem if the Crow was fired. But I’m sure Dave likes him so that’s unfortunate. Of course, I’m not crazy about Dave either but I’m fine with him coming back next reason for reasons that I’ve stated before.

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."

by birdman on Oct 15, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Mr. Cust needed much help in that dept.

Don't let the sunshine fool ya. - Townes Van Zandt

by BPinOK on Oct 15, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Blaming most or all of the offense's problems on the Crow

is lazy and tired and scapegoating.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"

by Andrew @ TLC on Oct 15, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not laying all of the blame on the Crow. Obviously, he need talent to work with. But he’s still an awful coach. I’m not trying to scapegoat him.

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."

by birdman on Oct 15, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't want to get into a thing

because hating the Crow is fine. I’ve got no problem with it.

But – prove that he’s a bad coach. Heck, prove that he has an influence in anything, either way.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"

by Andrew @ TLC on Oct 15, 2009 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But – prove that he’s a bad coach. Heck, prove that he has an influence in anything, either way.

Well, of course, I can’t “prove” that he’s a bad coach. Or least “prove” it in a way that I think you’re using the term (i.e., in a rigorous empirical sense). For example, I could point to the team runs scored to show the offense’s futility, but I can’t statistically isolate the effect of Crowley’s input on this outcome. So the question we’re debating itself (is the Crow a “good” or “bad” hitting coach) is a completely unscientific question to begin with since it’s can’t be “proven” false or true. What I can point is the Crow’s approach to hitting. As illustrated with Jack Cust, he doesn’t preach or value plate discipline. I imagine he’s not against it either, but it’s not something he emphasizes either. Instead of letting Jack Cust do his thing (lots of walk w/ lots of strikeouts but very good power), he tried to change him in ways that was detrimental. That to me is a bad hitting coach. Not because of hard empirical proof, but because of his hitting philosophy.

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."

by birdman on Oct 15, 2009 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So then is he is trying to change Reimold, Roberts, and Markakis

or has he in the past? All three of those dudes are pretty relaxed and non-aggressive (well, they know how to work a count). Did he convince Adam Jones to stop swinging at that breaking junk, or was that just Jonesy?

My point is that maybe a hitting coach has an effect, but if he does, I’m betting the final product is still 95% player and 5% coach at the very limit. And I just can’t get worked up about 5% or less.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"

by Andrew @ TLC on Oct 15, 2009 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So then is he is trying to change Reimold, Roberts, and Markakis or has he in the past?

It’s possible. It may vary from player to player (e.g., he’s trying to Reimold but not Roberts because he’s the lead off hitter). I imagine the Crow doesn’t have much to say about any of these hitters since they’re doing well on their own. He give them a tip or two or help them look over tape but he probably lets them do their own thing.

Did he convince Adam Jones to stop swinging at that breaking junk, or was that just Jonesy?

Jones’ plate discipline isn’t all great. That may or may not be partially a result of the Crow.

My point is that maybe a hitting coach has an effect, but if he does, I’m betting the final product is still 95% player and 5% coach at the very limit. And I just can’t get worked up about 5% or less.

Sure, I don’t have a problem with that. But I still think the Crow is terrible. And even if a hitting coach has little impact in terms of hitting statistics, that doesn’t mean you should accept someone with a crappy hitting philosophy.

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."

by birdman on Oct 15, 2009 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll agree with you on all points

but I will say that the only real change replacing Crowley would bring is we would all find someone else to bitch about. My guess: Juan Samuel. Now there’s a coach with a real impact on the games.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"

by Andrew @ TLC on Oct 15, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m going to bitch about someone if they preach plate discipline to his players.

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."

by birdman on Oct 15, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m NOT going to bitch about someone

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."

by birdman on Oct 15, 2009 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wasn't there something in Moneyball

about how once Billy Beane started telling his coaches in the minors to reward taking more walks that the walk rate of the A’s farm system went up a significant amount? I’m sure there was.

At any rate, if this is a problem for the Orioles, then it isn’t just a problem with the King of Swing, it’s a problem with Andy MacPhail. And in this day and age, with as smart as he seems to be, well…I just have a really hard time telling myself that Andy MacPhail doesn’t understand the true value of plate discipline.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"

by Andrew @ TLC on Oct 15, 2009 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wasn’t there something in Moneyball about how once Billy Beane started telling his coaches in the minors to reward taking more walks that the walk rate of the A’s farm system went up a significant amount? I’m sure there was.

I think so.

I just have a really hard time telling myself that Andy MacPhail doesn’t understand the true value of plate discipline.

Well, I doubt Andy treats it as a litmus test. In other words, I doubt he says, “My hitting coach must preach this or that or he’s fired.” I’m sure Andy believes that the Crow has many strong qualities even if the Crow doesn’t preach plate discipline.

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."

by birdman on Oct 15, 2009 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know the story.

But in this day and age you’d have to be a total and complete moron to encourage Markakis to do that and I just CAN’T see the O’s coaching staff doing it.

by O'sFan21 on Oct 15, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're probably right, but . . .

if you recall in Moneyball, LaRussa undermined everything Alderson was trying to accomplish once the players got to the big club, so having that kind of disconnect is not unprecidented.

At this point, I guess I’m talking about a larger point that has nothing to do with Nick Markakis or Dave Trembley or Terry Crowley. I think one way that baseball has improved in the last 20 years or so is that the Dallas Green-types who know nothing except what was told to them by some guy who chews tobacco and knows a guy who knew a guy who once talked to John McGraw are getting fewer and far between and being replaced slowly but surely by Earl Weaver-types who do things for a reason that they can be articulated to show it will help them win a game. That means that you’re right and only a total and complete moron encourages Nick Markakis to swing at more pitches and the O’s coaching staff probably aren’t doing that.

Unfortunately, one of the places where that went in the other direction was the Baltimore Orioles and because of that I still have an innate suspicion of the organization. It’s really amazing when you think about how forward-thinking the organization was from (you can make a case) the Paul Richards era until Hank Peters was fired in 1987 and depressing how regressive they were once Roland Hemond replaced Hank Peters. A few years ago I read something by Eddie Epstein about Hemond’s arrival. Hemond had no idea what Epstein and his colleagues were doing and because of that assumed it was worthless. Isn’t that galling? Some jerk who spent his career working for the White Sox and is best remembered for trading Curt Schilling, Steve Finley, and Pete Harnish dismissed decades of methodology that resulted in three World Series and the highest winning percentage of any team during that time. Ugh.

by yurizanow on Oct 15, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Eh I guess I sort of think that people give too much credit to guys like Earl Weaver (I’ve really never heard that he was a particularly statistically oriented manager or anything like that) and then assign to much blame to guys like Trembley. I just don’t think they matter that much.

by O'sFan21 on Oct 15, 2009 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Read his book

Seriously. Stop reading these posts and whatever else, drive to the bookstore, buy the book, read it, then come back.

It is not just required reading.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"

by Andrew @ TLC on Oct 15, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Andrew is totally right about this

by yurizanow on Oct 15, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

YES

It must be read.

All of the stuff that the stats guys talk about these days, Earl Weaver knew all of that.

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 15, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Earl loved statistics

He used to have note cards with his players splits on them. When I get back home, I’ll quote some stuff from the Bill James book of managers that presents a better picture.

by yurizanow on Oct 15, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Players splits are completely different than understanding that OBP is important.

by O'sFan21 on Oct 15, 2009 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

really dude

read the book. I swear you’ll love it and you’ll love Earl Weaver even more than you might already.

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 15, 2009 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess I have to check it out.

by O'sFan21 on Oct 15, 2009 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

At this point,

it’s pretty much mandatory homework.

"I would approve signing a pitcher that ate kitten tacos if he won 20 games a year." -BPinOK

by duck on Oct 16, 2009 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, he understood OBP was important

He was the first manager to preach the value of OBP and devalue “small ball” vocally.

by yurizanow on Oct 16, 2009 12:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I guess I need to read his book.

by O'sFan21 on Oct 16, 2009 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, dude READ HIS BOOK already

Haven’t you gotten the message yet?

READ IT.

N O W !

"I think my motivation is to see the other guys in the clubhouse. They’re contending for the playoffs, and when I see that it gets into my body. I play like it’s the playoffs too" —Memlo

by zknower on Oct 17, 2009 2:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the only message i got was

PLAY EVONY NOW. DISCREETLY AT YOUR BROWSER

by twistedlogic on Oct 17, 2009 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Along with this

Hitting coaches don’t seem to do much at the MLB level, unless a player is struggling. Most MLB players have the skills to adjust by themselves.
Even the really good hitting coaches can’t fix things immediately. I remember a story about Aaron Rowand when he was in Philly talking about how he had a really good hitting coach in Chicago, but with the Phillies he had to learn how to adjust himself and that had helped him become a better hitter
It seems like hitting coaches are only really important when hitters are really struggling. Crow worked with Pie and the results didn’t show up immediately but took a lot of time.
The Ranger’s renowned hitting coach did good work with Andruw Jones, but otherwise it’s mainly up to the players. There’s a reason why a fair number of MLB teams don’t have hitting coaches

by OsandRoyals on Oct 16, 2009 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What team doesn't have a hitting coach?

I’ve never heard of that before.

by yurizanow on Oct 17, 2009 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

teams that cant hit i guess

by twistedlogic on Oct 17, 2009 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Me neither. No way it's true.

by O'sFan21 on Oct 17, 2009 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Although

I’d bet that some team eventually decides to fire theirs and doesn’t name an immediate replacement and then decides to just do without, and then everyone realizes that hitting coaches don’t do anything.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"

by Andrew @ TLC on Oct 17, 2009 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Obviously, I don’t know what goes on in the Orioles clubhouse, but something weird happened to Nick Markakis’ habits this season.

My guess is that he’s pressing. He feels that the weight of the offense rests upon him. Thus he’s trying to manufacture hits leading him to swing at balls outside of the strike zone. As far as Crowley goes, I imagine he leaves Nick alone for the most part but he’s certainly not a person who preaches plate discipline as I’ve heard say before. I think the Crow blows and I’ve wanted him gone for awhile. As far as Dave goes, I don’t think he pushes Nick to be less patient. He probably defers to Crowley when it comes to hitting.

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap."

by birdman on Oct 15, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

I think – I don’t know, but I think – that the players* (and most likely the coaches and probably the warehouse and Andy MacPhail) have all bought into this idea that “the three spot is an RBI spot” and “the four spot is a home run spot” and then try to change who they are to fit that pre-definition in their brains.

Made worse is that with a declining Mora and Huff, a still developing Wieters and Pie, and of course the no-hit Izturis in the lineup, it probably felt like the entire offense depended on Jones, Reimold, Roberts, Scott, and Markakis. Well, the entire offense did depend on them, but when one slumped the first time and the others tried to pick up the slack, they lost focus on why they were succeeding in the first place. So it compounds and compounds. It’s the problem of an unbalanced lineup.

That’s my theory anyhow. You could definitely see Jones pressing after that first month or so.

*Not Roberts or Reimold, though. Those guys knew exactly what they were doing all year round despite their place in the lineup: get on base, make solid contact. That’s it, baby.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"

by Andrew @ TLC on Oct 15, 2009 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's my thought

Nicky thought to himself…“Hell, if I don’t get a hit, no one else in this lineup is getting one until we get back to B-Rob. No use taking a walk…”

"I would approve signing a pitcher that ate kitten tacos if he won 20 games a year." -BPinOK

by duck on Oct 15, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can get behind that

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 15, 2009 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know about his WAR,

… because as you know, I don’t follow all the latest stats.

I do know that some of our impressions of Huff were molded by what a great year he had in 2008. There’s no question that his 2009 suffered by comparison, but even with him hitting .253 at the time of his trade, he was projected at that point to finish the year with 20 HR and 107 RBI. I’d hardly call that terrible.

If a guy is knocking in a lot of runs, despite a low average, I’m guessing opposing pictures take note of that more than his WAR, or whatever. I’d think the scouting report would be something like, “Huff can’t touch you unless someone’s on base in front of him. So don’t put guys on in front of him.”

To support my point with a stat, Huff with Runners on and RISP in 2009 (AVG/SLG/OPS)

Runners On .290/.482/.845
RISP .306/.500/.891

He’s quite a different hitter if Nicky is on base, as you can see.

"I think my motivation is to see the other guys in the clubhouse. They’re contending for the playoffs, and when I see that it gets into my body. I play like it’s the playoffs too" —Memlo

by zknower on Oct 15, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a very good point

But the fact is that the charts of Nick’s hits show that he was swinging at a lot of stuff outside the strike zone. He never did that before and I don’t know what an opposing team could do to make him start.

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 15, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Luckily the Aub is coming back to the Balt so ... we'll find out in 2010

you like money. he likes money.

by thewaywardO on Oct 14, 2009 1:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

And I shall make the best Aubrey Reloaded blingie you ever saw

you like money. he likes money.

by thewaywardO on Oct 14, 2009 1:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Your loyalty is admirable

and I do love blingees.

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 14, 2009 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously, what are the odds we bring him back?

"I would approve signing a pitcher that ate kitten tacos if he won 20 games a year." -BPinOK

by duck on Oct 14, 2009 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

10:1

by twistedlogic on Oct 14, 2009 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

More like 50:1

by imnotjudgin-imjustsayin on Oct 15, 2009 2:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Wasn’t there a lot of talk early in the season about how Nick was taking pitches he (correctly) thought were out of the strike zone, and the umpires were calling them strikes, and he started expanding his strike zone to try to compensate for that? I’m pretty sure I remember a few blog posts or articles on that somewhere, and it would explain why he was chasing stuff out of the zone. Of course, simply pressing and feeling like he had to do everything himself sounds pretty likely, too.

(Also, hi all. I’m newly registered and posting, but I’ve lurked for the past year or so.)

by Vuff on Oct 17, 2009 3:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

welcome!

I know that in the past Nick got called out on pitches that weren’t strikes, it was one of the things that endeared me to him but also was a little frustrating because if you know the umps been calling it there all night, swing. I don’t recall as much of that happening this year, but it could certainly factor in to why he was chasing pitches. It’s probably a little bit of all the factors that have been stated.

Some Day, Matt Wieters Will Make The Cooperstown Crowd Laugh By Talking About The Time He Batted Behind Melvin Mora And Luke Scott. -Keith Law via Matt Wieters Facts

by Stacey on Oct 17, 2009 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs