Morgan Ensberg on Sabermetrics
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Interesting take from a player's perspective.
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...The term “Garbage in, Garbage out” is the most accurate description I can give. If the sample used is garbage, then the answers won’t be accurate. Sabermetrics requires accurate information or organizations may misinterpret the data.
...Grandpa hadn’t realized that I had never heard of that [runs produced] statistic. Nor did he know that there was no “Runs Produced” statistic on the back of my 1986 Topps Daryl Strawberry rookie card that my Grandma had bought for me.
..“We would like you to go to Junior College and get 200 AB’s. We think you walk too much.” I told him that I had never heard that before and that I don’t try and draw walks, I only know how to hit mistakes. I loved Rodney, he wasn’t against walking at all. He was saying that he needed a bigger sample to evaluate the type of player I was.
...“The pitcher’s name is Johnson. He has a fastball, curveball, and change (change up). He will throw 1st pitch off-speed. Now listen to me on this one… Now hear me on this one… He is 12 for 12 throwing a change up 2 and 1. You are to sit on that… You are to sell out and believe it is coming… If I see you swing at anything except a change up there, I will revoke your scholarship. You will go back home and live in your parents’ basement.”
...Sabermetrics doesn’t care if you sacrifice the runner over or not. But, it will tell you how effective you are at sacrifice bunting. However, Sabermetrics is calculating the outcomes instead of calculating the process possibilities.
...I need to know the probability of my opponent throwing a fastball away so that I can anticipate which middle infielder will cover second if I put the runner in motion for a hit and run in this sacrifice situation.
Sabermetrics verifies mathematically what it takes to win a baseball game. This analysis is correct. But baseball players have to help you identify nuances that can only be found by playing the game. Your genius will be perfected when you can show us the probability of bunting a ball in a location that baseball players know will move the runner 100% of the time. Your ability to prove if a batter should show a bunt early or late is the type of information we need.
Grandpa proved to me that I should evaluate my performances based on Sabermetric principles when I was 10. I just didn’t need a calculator to believe in it.
Link
...The term “Garbage in, Garbage out” is the most accurate description I can give. If the sample used is garbage, then the answers won’t be accurate. Sabermetrics requires accurate information or organizations may misinterpret the data.
...Grandpa hadn’t realized that I had never heard of that [runs produced] statistic. Nor did he know that there was no “Runs Produced” statistic on the back of my 1986 Topps Daryl Strawberry rookie card that my Grandma had bought for me.
..“We would like you to go to Junior College and get 200 AB’s. We think you walk too much.” I told him that I had never heard that before and that I don’t try and draw walks, I only know how to hit mistakes. I loved Rodney, he wasn’t against walking at all. He was saying that he needed a bigger sample to evaluate the type of player I was.
...“The pitcher’s name is Johnson. He has a fastball, curveball, and change (change up). He will throw 1st pitch off-speed. Now listen to me on this one… Now hear me on this one… He is 12 for 12 throwing a change up 2 and 1. You are to sit on that… You are to sell out and believe it is coming… If I see you swing at anything except a change up there, I will revoke your scholarship. You will go back home and live in your parents’ basement.”
...Sabermetrics doesn’t care if you sacrifice the runner over or not. But, it will tell you how effective you are at sacrifice bunting. However, Sabermetrics is calculating the outcomes instead of calculating the process possibilities.
...I need to know the probability of my opponent throwing a fastball away so that I can anticipate which middle infielder will cover second if I put the runner in motion for a hit and run in this sacrifice situation.
Sabermetrics verifies mathematically what it takes to win a baseball game. This analysis is correct. But baseball players have to help you identify nuances that can only be found by playing the game. Your genius will be perfected when you can show us the probability of bunting a ball in a location that baseball players know will move the runner 100% of the time. Your ability to prove if a batter should show a bunt early or late is the type of information we need.
Grandpa proved to me that I should evaluate my performances based on Sabermetric principles when I was 10. I just didn’t need a calculator to believe in it.
So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
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He isn't saying Sabermetrics are unimportant. In fact, this quote above shows the value they are in determining the worth of a player, and subsequently how many wins a player is worth to a team.
Sabermetrics does NOTHING in making a baseball player better. It doesn't show you how to hit a curve, or how to have the proper swing plane(which most people have no idea what is. They think elite hitters chop or swing level. When in fact, at the point of contact, the elite batter's bat is on an upward plane, and is not level at all. It is at an angle. The lower the pitch, the greater the angle).
A good coach at a young level will teach you the skills the article is talking about. Sometimes the best coach is one that doesn't mess with somebody's swing when they are young. Coaches often tell a kid with a perfect swing plane to start swinging down...and they just ruined this kids chances of ever making it anywhere(unless he is capable later down the road of getting the proper swing back that was ruined by an ignorant coach).
Sabermetrics will measure how good the player IS at playing professional baseball, not HOW to play baseball.
If you want to learn HOW to acquire the skills of being a professional player, then hope you are born with the natural ability...or hope that you are close enough naturally and you learn how to throw and hit properly(and not listen to the typical little league coach that may ruin your swing). Many high school and college coach's also teach sub optimal swings. You would be surprised.
The data the guy is referring to as to what a pitcher throws on what count, or where to put the ball on a bunt...those are sabermetric ideas. It is accurate record keeping. Some need to look at the charts for that info....some have a better internal calculator than others, and have a good idea already.
<< <i> Many high school and college coach's also teach sub optimal swings. You would be surprised.
. >>
Could you please list all the division one, two, and three coaches that teach sub optimal swinging ?
Being that you said "many", I would like to know all the ones you are aware of.
<< <i>
<< <i> Many high school and college coach's also teach sub optimal swings. You would be surprised.
. >>
Could you please list all the division one, two, and three coaches that teach sub optimal swinging ?
Being that you said "many", I would like to know all the ones you are aware of. >>
No.
If your son is going to play youth travel, High School, or college...find out what swing they teach, and what drills they practice. It does pertain more to high school, but college's too. If they teach true rotational hitting, proper swing path, and do drills that promote that type of hitting, then great. If they are doing something else, and you have no choice but to play at that school, then just tell your kid to go through the motions on those drills(so they don't get in the coach's dog house), and then hit like they normally do when they go live...and then drill at home.
Some guys will promote chopping and swinging down at the point of contact(and disconnecting the hand rotation from that of the shoulders, i.e throwing the hands), and do drills to promote that...and then when the player is hitting in the game they are pounding the ball in the ground or hitting it less hard, the coach tells them they need to see more power out of them....only they just sapped any chance of that happening with their drill work.
Heck, most high school baseball coaches aren't high level instructors of the game. If you want your kids to get good instruction, you really
have to do it yourself, or pay a specialist.