BBA Today #63 - A Shortage at Shortstop

[Ted]

Joe Lederer (subbing in for Ron Collins) and Ted Schmidt discuss the Cartwright Round, shortstop scarcity, the in progress end of season awards voting, and probably some other things.

GET IT HERE!

[crobillard]

Eat crow Ted!

Haha Edmonton doesn't even belong in the playoffs! This team definitely shouldn't be playing San Antonio in the Cartwright. Some HUGE injuries late in the season. Three infield starters in Donadoni, Espinosa and Scheffer. My designated spot starter playoff lefty in Akahori and two huge reliever losses in Renard and Akiyama. We're definitely not the favorite in this matchup.

I'm going with San Antonio, but Edmonton has a weird track record of somehow making it all work. There's no magic I'm working. I'm as mystified to Edmonton's success as anyone else. With that said, two series of great pitching from this staff against two top offenses in the league is probably too much to ask.

[aaronweiner]

Twelve runs in six games is absurd for a team that scored 5.5 runs a game and led the league by half a run per game.

We could run that series fifty times and I'd score 12 runs or below maybe 5 of them.

[crobillard]

Twelve runs in six games is absurd for a team that scored 5.5 runs a game and led the league by half a run per game.

We could run that series fifty times and I'd score 12 runs or below maybe 5 of them.

Totally agree. I'm not sure which loss is less believable Rockville losing to Edmonton or YS9 losing to Omaha. YS9 and Rockville are just so good.

[Jwalk100]

Thanks for the podcast guys.

You depressed me with the SS situation, thanks.

[aaronweiner]

It doesn't bother me that I lost. It's that I had maybe my best offense ever and lost by scoring no runs.

There's nothing I can reasonably do about that.

[bcslouck]

So to me, Legrand is the guy. I think there is something to be said for the innings he put up. 9 CG's tied for the league lead. And you can say what you want about W's, but as deep as he pitched into games, he earned most of the wins he has. When you look at his last 10 starts, he has 5 wins. 4 of them were 8+ inning starts.

[bcslouck]

@Ted @jleddy

Also, does WAR adjust for the lack of talent at a position? Unless I don't understand WAR, I don't think Andrade's number is so high because other SS's aren't good. Aren't the variances in WAR overall offensive environment and adjustment for defensive position? To me, Robert Menzies is the 2nd best SS (or player that plays SS since he'd be an elite player just about anywhere) in the league. He played half a season and had 2.9 WAR. Are you telling me if he players a full season and has a 5.8 WAR, Andrade's is going to be lower? Or am I not understanding what you were saying? I'm asking because honestly, I don't buy that his WAR is so good because SS isn't a strong position.

[Ted]

@Ted @jleddy

Also, does WAR adjust for the lack of talent at a position? Unless I don't understand WAR, I don't think Andrade's number is so high because other SS's aren't good. Aren't the variances in WAR overall offensive environment and adjustment for defensive position? To me, Robert Menzies is the 2nd best SS (or player that plays SS since he'd be an elite player just about anywhere) in the league. He played half a season and had 2.9 WAR. Are you telling me if he players a full season and has a 5.8 WAR, Andrade's is going to be lower? Or am I not understanding what you were saying? I'm asking because honestly, I don't buy that his WAR is so good because SS isn't a strong position.

You're right. This was a brain fart on my part. I was thinking about how the overpopulated top of the hitting ranks was potentially pushing down the wRC+ of everyone else, including short, and then got the relative nature of things mixed up in my head.

[aaronweiner]

WAR does adjust for the lack of talent a position; it adds some potential runs created at different defensive positions based on league output.

So, yes, Menzies being healthy for the other half a season would have changed the calculations slightly.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/abou ... tion.shtml

[Ted]

The way the lack of hitting SS could affect Andrade's WAR total is if people were playing sub par defensive SS to get a decent bat into the lineup. Then the defensive portion of WAR would skew up for Andrade. I don't know if this is happening enough to matter.

[Ted]

WAR does adjust for the lack of talent a position; it adds some potential runs created at different defensive positions based on league output.

So, yes, Menzies being healthy for the other half a season would have changed the calculations slightly.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/abou ... tion.shtml

I thought OOTP offensive WAR was FWAR, which only has a "depth of position" adjustment baked into the defensive side of things sense it uses UZR (UZR compares defenders to a yearly "average defender" at a specific position)

[bcslouck]

So it's a little of both? News to me but good to know.

[shoeless.db]

Good stuff, guys. Regarding the discussion on the GM of the Year Award, this award is one I likely spend more time on than all the player awards. I tend to view the award as a team/organizational trend award -- what kind of work is the GM putting in to make his franchise more competitive? I agree with both of you that the GM Award should be lauded more (although, I did win the award last season, and I definitely felt and continue to feel unworthy of that distinction ... so maybe it should not be lauded more...).

[Ted]

Good stuff, guys. Regarding the discussion on the GM of the Year Award, this award is one I likely spend more time on than all the player awards. I tend to view the award as a team/organizational trend award -- what kind of work is the GM putting in to make his franchise more competitive? I agree with both of you that the GM Award should be lauded more (although, I did win the award last season, and I definitely felt and continue to feel unworthy of that distinction ... so maybe it should not be lauded more...).

Don't worry, someone is on their way to take it from you after your 2044 campaign.

[bcslouck]

Good stuff, guys. Regarding the discussion on the GM of the Year Award, this award is one I likely spend more time on than all the player awards. I tend to view the award as a team/organizational trend award -- what kind of work is the GM putting in to make his franchise more competitive? I agree with both of you that the GM Award should be lauded more (although, I did win the award last season, and I definitely felt and continue to feel unworthy of that distinction ... so maybe it should not be lauded more...).

Top award is clearly Worst GM, which is something I just so happen to have. I cherish it more than my two GM of the Years. Be jealous.

[shoeless.db]

Good stuff, guys. Regarding the discussion on the GM of the Year Award, this award is one I likely spend more time on than all the player awards. I tend to view the award as a team/organizational trend award -- what kind of work is the GM putting in to make his franchise more competitive? I agree with both of you that the GM Award should be lauded more (although, I did win the award last season, and I definitely felt and continue to feel unworthy of that distinction ... so maybe it should not be lauded more...).

Don't worry, someone is on their way to take it from you after your 2044 campaign.

Haha... that's just the thing -- I felt I did so much more GM-ing this season than I did last season. As most of the league knows from my constant trade inquiries, I put in a stupid amount of (company) time attempting to to carry out a rebuild/retool. Will all my moves make me better in a several years? Only time will tell. But, I'd feel much more worthy of the award if they do.

[7teen]

Good stuff, guys. Regarding the discussion on the GM of the Year Award, this award is one I likely spend more time on than all the player awards. I tend to view the award as a team/organizational trend award -- what kind of work is the GM putting in to make his franchise more competitive? I agree with both of you that the GM Award should be lauded more (although, I did win the award last season, and I definitely felt and continue to feel unworthy of that distinction ... so maybe it should not be lauded more...).

I always look at 3 things in my GM voting...

1. Team standing
2. Team improvement
3. Participation in general

And those aren't necessarily in order. I'm hard pressed not to give Ron and Vic a vote just for writing to shit ton of Team News articles. And Recte always gets a vote from me just for running the league and a team and putting up with everyone!

[bcslouck]

I'd like to know who left Andrade off of their ballot. That's why the vote is so close. If my count is right, 6(!!!!!!!!!!) people didn't even give him a 5th place vote. Absolutely absurd.

[usnspecialist]

I'd like to know who left Andrade off of their ballot. That's why the vote is so close. If my count is right, 6(!!!!!!!!!!) people didn't even give him a 5th place vote. Absolutely absurd.

well he doesnt play for phoenix so he was never going to be on all the ballots.