The Media Dumbification Reaches New Heights / Depths!

"The Tigers are hitting .264 as a team but .251 with RISP... When you combine the two numbers just like combining slugging average and on-base percentage gives you a better perspective about production, you get a total average that provides a more complete view of a team's offense."

Okay, this is from last month, but WTF?

Is there anyone who uses this kind of combined statistic? I googled it and came up with nothing. Did the writer invent it? Does he think he pioneered some important and relevant metric?

I might be late on this one, but really. Wow. Makes Hoynes look like a genius.

almost 4 years ago tabler84 28 comments 0 recs |

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I’ve never heard of this, but I would guess that it correlates pretty well to runs scored — it would have to. What it would lack completely is any predictive quality, as you’re basically doubling the BIP factor while magnifying a very small sample.

by Jay on Jun 30, 2008 8:44 AM EDT reply actions

I’m actually feeling a bit ambivalent about this. On the one hand, it’s encouraging to see more mainstream writers paying attention to things like OPS and incorporating some statistical analysis. On the other hand, it’s hilariously awful when they think they can invent their own or when they assume they understand the significance when they clearly do not.

by tabler84 on Jun 30, 2008 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions

I wish the Plain Dealer had forced someone who covers baseball to go to the SABR convention in Cleveland this past weekend. I’m sure they could have gotten a better grasp on things just from talking to people. Missed opportunity.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Jun 30, 2008 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions

There is nothing encouraging about seeing mainstream writers get hip to OPS. It only proves they still have a pulse.

by Jay on Jun 30, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

...I want to be a mainstream writer….I’m hip…

by mjschaefer on Jun 30, 2008 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions

In Fluid Mechanics there’s a lot of what’s referred to as “dimensionless parameters”. Originally pioneered by this guy Reynolds the technique e(de)volved into the growth of combination numbers. For instance you smash the Reynolds Number together with the Prandtl Number and you get the Nusselt Number. Pretty mindless, but some grad student got his PhD for coming up with the concept. This led to an explosion in these parameters. This is kinda like what’s happening with the "advanced" baseball statistics. My guess is you’re gonna see this continue and be just as mindless and inane.

A little more informative but probably just as unimaginative would be the difference between team BA and BA with RISP. Call it the Choke Average or maybe the Blake Number. Wouldn’t tell you much but it would at least give Hoynes an idea for his next column.

"the most vehement Yankee-hating guy I know" - Jay

by mauichuck on Jun 30, 2008 10:17 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs

Word. “Turbulent Flow RE >2300” WTF? Nerd rec.

by joeee on Jun 30, 2008 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is cutting edge sabrmetric analysis.

by Voltaire on Jun 30, 2008 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Ze Googles, they do nothin!

by Toxicadam on Jun 30, 2008 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

Wow, wow, wow. Best reference I’ve heard in a long time. Bravo. Bravissimo.

by tabler84 on Jun 30, 2008 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I think that’s Groenings favorite joke. Along with the “I call this one bitey” (monorail episode)

by joeee on Jun 30, 2008 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions

The ring came off my pudding can…

by Stinky McDingus on Jul 1, 2008 3:26 AM EDT up reply actions

I rec’d the shizzat out of that.

I did a Google image search for "Andy Marte." It turned up zero results.

by emd2k3 on Jul 1, 2008 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Ugh. That would be insane if baseball stats were so complicated that we had to come up with dimensionless equations just to manipulate them. Fluid mechanics take the fun out of everything.

by Pronk33 on Jun 30, 2008 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions

It may take the fun outta everything, but it buts shekels in the ol’ bank account.

"the most vehement Yankee-hating guy I know" - Jay

by mauichuck on Jul 1, 2008 6:47 AM EDT up reply actions

Over the years, I developed my own mindless numbers. For hitters, I sum RBI’s and HR’s and divide by at bats. Fot pitchers, I sum ERA and batting avg against. Anyone care to weigh in on these combinations?

by elsandito on Jun 30, 2008 11:01 AM EDT reply actions

To expand, hitters that score a ratio of 6 or less are studs, 7 or 8 is avg and anyone with a 9 or higher better be know for defense. Pitchers need to earn a sum below 6 to gain COT.

by elsandito on Jun 30, 2008 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions

My bad, I divide at bats by the sum of HR’s and RBI’s.

by elsandito on Jun 30, 2008 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Didn’t E5 have some sort of weird stats he created for a while…ahhh good times, good times.

by hans on Jun 30, 2008 9:16 PM EDT reply actions

He had a whole thing about player value and why trading for Miguel Cabrera was great.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Jun 30, 2008 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Still waiting for Chuck to weigh in on that FatCab contract.

by Jay on Jun 30, 2008 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Forget the contract. Look at the trade. I think the Tigers might actually be a better team this year with Andrew Miller. And Cameron Maybin’s OPSing 870 in AA as a 21 year old.

by fleerdon on Jul 2, 2008 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions

They’d have been better solely by virtue of not being obligated to pitch Dontrelle Willis.

by danvail on Jul 2, 2008 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions

Willis has pitched fewer than 12 innings this season.

by Jeffrey R on Jul 2, 2008 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, sure there’s that. But here’s the contract situation:

1. Since the extension, he’s already shifted from 3B to 1B — “old player skills” at 25.
2. Previously untested int he AL, he’s putting up numbers that are sub-Hafner-2007.
3. Since May 1, his line reads .280 / .338 / .425 — despite a slightly lucky .333 BABIP, the OPS is .763.
4. After this season, they owe him another $141 million.
5. So while we’re paying Hafner $42 million through 2012, they’re paying FatCab $76 million.
6. And then they owe him another $65 million after that.

One can only assume that the contract will never look worse than it does right now, but right now, it’s making a run at the Hampton deal for worst of all time, and blowing the Hafner deal out of the water.

by Jay on Jul 2, 2008 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions

and they resigned dontrelle, when he hasn’t pitched well for three years – in the NL.

by Gradyforpresident on Jul 2, 2008 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions

For $29M ($7M this year, $10M in 09 and $12M in 2010).

So in that trade, the Tigers sent 6 cheap players to the Marlins for two players who are going to cost them a total of $181M in salary. Now that’s a bargain!!

by talonk on Jul 2, 2008 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions