After getting wind of LaRussa's decision to leave the pitcher in the 9 hole instead of the 8 hole, a division rival saw an opportunity to swoop in and take advantage.According to the Brewers manager, their number crunching kept suggesting that Kendall at No. 9 wasn't a bad idea. It would give Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder a chance to knock in more runs.
What?
If having Kendall up in front of Braun and Fielder would give them more RBI chances, I have two questions, Ned.
1. Why is Kendall being considered for the 8 or 9 spot in the first place?
2. Why don't you just bat Kendall 2nd or leadoff if he provides your best hitters an opportunity to drive in more runs?
Better yet, Ned, wouldn't moving your #3 and #4 hitters, Braun and Fielder back on spot to the #4 and #5 spots make more sense than moving your pitcher up to the 8 spot?
Seriously man, I don't get it.
I have a suggestion, Ned: Bat the pitcher 7th, Braun 8th and Hart 9th. Then let Fielder leadoff. This way he has a greater chance of driving in runs. Anyone have Yost's cell #? Kevin? Sean?
I mean, who is doing this research and crunching these numbers? Bernie Brewer?
Wait... this just in.. I'm on the phone with the Brewers' third base coach and former scout... He says that after watching many people round third and come home over the last few seasons that Rickie Weeks isn't the fastest guy on the team nor the best option to leadoff. Believe it or not, El Chorizo and the Polish Sausage were clocked running the 40-yard dash at 4.2 seconds and could provide a spark at the top of the order.
The Brewers' Projected Lineup For 2008, after crunching numbers would look something like this:
1. Polish Sausage
2. Prince Fielder
3. Jason Kendall
4. JJ Hardy
5. Bill Hall
6. Mike Cameron
7. Ben Sheets
8. Ryan Bruan
9. Corey Hart
More here from MLB.com on this atrocious setup being defended by the Brewers.
13 comments:
Brett,
Your scorn is misplaced. For a site like this to place with its emphasis on mathematics, sabremetrics and the like, you're being very, very close-minded about this.
Go read Rob Neyer's blog on ESPN: he's had several entries on how many sabremetric minds have crunched the numbers and feel that this approach could/should bear fruit.
It's by no means an "atrocious setup." Again, go do your reading, check out what other minds have written/researched, and then consider your position.
Hate to say it, but I agree with gc. Some people have done the math recently and concluded that the best place for a pitcher to hit, statistically, is not the 9th spot. Then again, batting Jason Kendall anywhere in your lineup is sure to screw you over.
Please read this article, and follow the links interspaced throughout the article:
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/is-larussa-right-to-bat-his-pitcher-in-the-eight-slot/
You'll find that many, many hours of research have been done on this subject, by some very unbiased parties, and that there's an intelligent, numbers-based rationale for hitting the pitcher 8th.
I tend to agree with that research, particularly if you have a speedy leadoff hitter. Why put a roadblock in front of him on the basepaths?
GC - The purpose of the post was for humor. What Ned Yost does with his lineup is not one of my main priorities.
As an avid reader of our content, we encourage you to sit back and enjoy the show.
Be sure to put your cell phone on vibrate though.
According to tangotiger, it's only worth max a win and half, max. That'd be reason enough for many managers to ignore it, figuring its not worth there job given the extent to which fans and others are set in their ways.
Look: Why the hostility?
I've posted on two topics today, which makes two ever on this site. I hardly see how this makes my criticsim "constant"
All I ask is that you read the link I provided before saying I'm all negative energy and simply goading people.
For what it's worth, my name is Nick Christie. I'm a law student, 25, and I'm a very even-keeled guy.
I saw two posts today that don't make sense. The first was a posted draft... I don't think the results were an example of good drafting, so I posted my opinions. No hostile energy, just my opinions.
Secondly, this post of yours, belittling Yost of considering "an atrocious setup" is way, way too harsh. Any rational reading of all the evidence out there on the net shows that this theory is not crazy, and that it could make sense for a team.
As to why every team doesn't do it? I don't know, why do teams sign Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews for $45 Million? Teams do what they know and they follow tradition. They ignored OBP for a long time, some teams still do (I mean, read the blogs dedicated to skewering the Twins about Nick Punto).
Anyway, long story short, you will find me to be a very balanced, thoughtful individual. I'm not out to insult anyone... I simply responded to two posts I feel don't reflect the best reasoning.
That's it.
Nick
Well put.
I don't have any data on this, but for me the number one thing that would matter here is the number of at bats the pitcher would have to have each game.
The pitcher slot in the lineup (prior to a pitching change) is by far and away the least productive in the lineup, so ideally you would want a pitcher to hit as few times as possible.
Whatever benefit you think you are attaining may be negated by the pitcher hitting more frequently, even if the number of times is small.
Not to mention, it may force a manager's hand to pinch hit for his starter a batter sooner than he would have to if he were hitting 9th. Small things but over a course of a season can really add up.
Nick,
We'd love it if you kept coming back and continued your activity.
The read was interesting to say the least.
If you have any other links like that to contribute to content keep em coming.
Brett
Yovanni Gallardo is like the 5th best hitter on the team.
The other point to note is that by putting Kendall 9, you can move Braun to 2 and Fielder to 3 giving them more ABs over the course of the season while not necessarily losing RBI potential. I just don't think it's as absurd an idea as the blog post suggests.
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