Thread: AVG v OBP
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Old 05-23-2006, 01:48 PM   #17
Ruthian23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by attackemu
Most do, I think. Even Coors Field (and, I assume, other parks) is including OBP on the scoreboard now. Which is a start.

To your earlier point, I'd guess the 9 Giambi's lineup would score you more runs, despite the worse baserunning, because they'd be on base a lot more and they'd always have Jason Giambi hitting behind them to drive them in. But I wouldn't really want a lineup of Jason Giambi's for defensive reasons. Defense, I think, is the most underrated thing by statheads(including myself) because it hasn't been accurately quantified yet.

I have a small issue with SLG, too, I should say, because it supposes perfect increases in value for each base. Is a triple really three times as valuable as a single? A home run is twice as valuable as a double? I doubt it.
I think he was talking about TV coverage, though, not the scoreboards at games. I could be mistaken.

I think that baserunning is a bit overrated by some. It can win you a few more games, but I've seen some studies on the Hardball Times and elsewhere that found that the difference between the best baserunners and the worst baserunners is only a few games a year. The difference between the best and worst hitters is much larger. As for defense, yeah. I obviously wasn't saying nine 1B Jason Giambis-more like 9 players who are mediocre to poor defensively like Giambi but are at their natural position. I tend to think that even with the poor defense, the offensive abilities would make up for it, though.

As for your point about SLG%, I agree as well. I especially don't like that triples are counted as times 3 while doubles are times 2, since triples are less of a measure of slugging than of speed.
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