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Around SBN: Bracketology 2012: Duke Finally Steps Up To The No. 1 Line

BP's Woolner joins Tribe

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6187

Like the title says, Keith Woolner of Baseball Prospectus is joining the Indians front office.

I don't expect this hiring to have a seismic effect on the way the team does things. The Indians are already a pretty savvy organization. Still, every little bit helps.

[editor's note, by Ryan] cheech99 adds:

It's the lead story on BP's unfiltered post. This is some kind of industry-changing hiring, huh? Although, I guess Keith Law was the first to go to a MLB team. I'm less familiar with Woolner's work (did he do the in-depth catcher analysis that one year; we'll see what he thinks of Victor behind the plate); but wow; talk about finding good use for the money we were... for example, going to pay Keith Foulke.

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Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
That's pretty cool. I've been reading BPro for a long time, glad to see him moving on to bigger & better things, and I couldn't think of a better front office to do it with.

by zempf on May 4, 2007 12:47 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
Damn, you beat me by a nano-second.  

by cheech99 on May 4, 2007 12:47 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
cheech,

I hid your entry. I can add your thoughts to the diary if you wish.

by Ryan on May 4, 2007 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
And you did that within seconds from what I could tell; you talk about being on top of your site!  

I guess if you wouldn't mind; that is, if I'm correct if it was Woolner who did the in-depth catcher study.  Thanks Ryan.

by cheech99 on May 4, 2007 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
No problem. There's no need for duplicate diaries, but I didn't want to get rid of your take.

by Ryan on May 4, 2007 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
Deep benches count off the field too!

by MTF on May 4, 2007 1:14 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
My thoughts exactly.
Railing against the sacrifice bunt since 2000.

by jdudas on May 4, 2007 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
It seemed to me that Woolner was the behind the scenes guy that pulled everything together, and that is what he will do for the tribe. Is my reading correct?

by oxforddave on May 4, 2007 2:18 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
Don't get me wrong with this post.  I like this a lot although I honestly am unfamiliar with Woolner's work - I'll trust ya'll that it's a good thing.  It's just I think we crossed some kinda of line in fandom when we post and get excited for what basically amounts to a stats guy getting a job with the team.  I wouldn't be surprised if we could name  6 people not named Shapiro/Antonetti from the FO off the top of our collective heads.  

Oh, Woolner doesn't count.

Currently 1st place in both LGT Fantasy Baseball Leagues.

by mjmarble on May 4, 2007 2:28 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
I'll say Ross Adkins
Wait a minute, I have a fan club? COOL!

by drerikbrady on May 4, 2007 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
I've read that three times and I still don't know what it says. No offense meant.

by Thommy on May 4, 2007 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
A good line from a reader of Baseball Think Factory:

"This is terrible news for Baseball Prospectus, its readers, the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, the Minnesota Twins, and the Kansas City Royals."

Apparently Keith "invented" VORP?  News to me.  That's awesome.

... Trot Nixon can't be too happy, though.

by nickjs21 on May 4, 2007 2:37 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
As for Keith Law, he's an ex-BPro writer who had a stint with the Blue Jays front office from 2002-2006.

by zempf on May 4, 2007 2:48 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
This article was jogged in my memory when I read the diary.  This move makes a lot of sense when backdropped by that article.

by JK in CBus on May 4, 2007 2:48 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
Value of a player, measured against VORP, make sense.  The value of wins not measured against some other standard bothers me a bit.  I could understand the value of wins against expectations, for example, and maybe even against the average team in the league.  Good article to read, though; thanks!

by MTF on May 4, 2007 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
I meant "measured against Replacement" makes sense- sorry.

by MTF on May 4, 2007 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
Makes the WSJ article from a while ago about how an ex-Pepsi exec, who has also been hired by the Indians, who devised a way to quantify VORP in regards to contracts even more fascinating.

The gist of the WSJ article can be seen here.

Could Shapiro and Antonetti be attempting to build a better mousetrap?

by The DiaTriber on May 4, 2007 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
The issue is both a lot more simple and a lot more complicated than he makes it sound.  And, in the right mood, a lot less boring than he makes it sound.

by Jay on May 4, 2007 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
They'd have done better to just hire Jay.

by portlandtribefan on May 4, 2007 2:50 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
What makes you think they didn't try?  He'd have to give up scenic Philly and move back to Cleveland to do it.
Currently 1st place in both LGT Fantasy Baseball Leagues.

by mjmarble on May 4, 2007 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
Met Woolner at a pizza feed in Oakland.  Very nice guy, and the other BP guys deferred to him like he was the smartest guy in the room.  He had a stack of papers with him, while the other guys were just shooting from the hip.  Very mild mannered.  In my opinion, great move.

by dgcambridge on May 4, 2007 2:59 PM EDT reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
do you mind if I borrow the term, "pizza feed".

by hans on May 4, 2007 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
I wish I could take credit for it.  Actually, wait, no I don't.  It's a BP thing, at the very least.

by dgcambridge on May 4, 2007 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions  

Re: BP's Woolner joins Tribe
Good to hear.  He's been one of the core guys at BP for a long time, and he's a stellar talent/value analyst.  For a smaller market team like Cleveland, with a very limited budget, I'm also not sure that we have a greater stathead need.

Good for us, and good for him.

by Thommy on May 4, 2007 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions  

Anything from mushrooms, olives, peppers,
and sausage to more non-traditional toppings like anchovies, sardines, ham, and bacon.  :-)
Go Tribe! :-)

by indiansfan on May 4, 2007 5:48 PM EDT reply actions  

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