43 replies to this topic

[russsnyder]

Dont completely move past BA though. I think it would be wise if the Os put a bit more emphasis on contact and BA.

I agree.

Batting average is still is & always will be a good measure of how someone handles major league pitching. Better contact is going to be more valuable as time marches on. It is going to be the only way that hitters are going to be able to keep up with the ridiculous velocity and plus stuff that these guys see every night. Also, with the banning of shifts, there is an even greater reason for hitters to use the entire field.

[russsnyder]

Gut feeling: Rogers picks up where he left off and is one of the best pitchers in the AL.

Surprise: Jackson Holliday has a great year and becomes the OBP machine that we all have been waiting to see

[Mackus]

Dont completely move past BA though. I think it would be wise if the Os put a bit more emphasis on contact and BA.

 

I think contact skills are an important part of the scouting picture for prospects, but that batting average should be close to ignored at the MLB level in favor of overall production.  Its not that there is no correlation between batting average and overall quality, but just that there are way better quick snapshots that are easily understandable.  Everyone knows what OPS is now, just use that as a quick description for conversations.  Far higher correlation between OPS and runs scored than between batting average and runs scored.  There are even better stats, but they aren't as mainstream yet with as well-understood thresholds.  Once those become better shorthand, we'll move from OPS to those.

[JoyinMudville]

Gut: The pitching is going to be a strength

 

Surprise: I'll be surprised if Mayo is a good major league 3rd baseman