Fangraphs (along with Hardball times that is linked through them) has more intelligent baseball info and articles than ESPN, MLB and FOX combined.  I'll continue to enjoy reading smart info from them for the foreseeable future as I fade farther and farther from the fluff pieces written/posted by ESPN, MLB and FOX and the Star Tribune. 

Edited March 27, 201511 yr by jimmer

 

The article mentions that Arcia swung at 48% of 3-0 pitches.

 

Nobody else has crossed the 40% mark since 2008. Yeah, it's only a couple of swings, but...

 

Does this explain everything about Oswaldo Arcia? No, absolutely not but it's a glimpse into the attitude of a player and how it might be hurting the team.

 

The dude is straight-up swinging out of his shoes and there's no strategy to his game. That's not going to lead to prolonged success in MLB no matter how talented he is.

 

What's maybe most important about this article is that I read and it and said "of course Arcia swings at more 3-0 pitches than anyone else in baseball". The fact that I wasn't even a little bit surprised by the article's contents is a pretty damning observation of Arcia's game. In the grand scheme of things, does the frequency of Arcia swinging at a 3-0 pitch really matter? No, not really. But it's quite telling about how he approaches an at-bat and why there are some serious flaws in his game right now.

I agree with the bolded, and it might eventually drive him from the big leagues.

 

But I don't think this article does anything to shed light on that.

well, not every article serves the same purpose, not every article is hard hitting journalism and 100% correct.....sometimes they are just entertainment, even on Fangraphs. 

 

well, not every article serves the same purpose, not every article is hard hitting journalism and 100% correct.....sometimes they are just entertainment, even on Fangraphs. 

Agreed.

 

If it was written purely for entertainment, I've overreacted.

 

If that's why it was posted here in this thread--purely for entertainment--great.

 

Is that the case, y'think?

 

Agreed.

 

If it was written purely for entertainment, I've overreacted.

 

If that's why it was posted here in this thread--purely for entertainment--great.

 

Is that the case, y'think?

 

I think everything on Frangraphs and on this site is for entertainment purposes, yes.

I agree that one shouldn't put too much stock in this article, though it's an interesting observation that says something about how the player approaches the plate. Does this tell us whether Arcia is a disciplined hitter? No, but when coupled with the eye test and other stats, it's an interesting side note that supports other observations made about the player.

Much Ado About Nothing.

 

I agree that one shouldn't put too much stock in this article, though it's an interesting observation that says something about how the player approaches the plate. Does this tell us whether Arcia is a disciplined hitter? No, but when coupled with the eye test and other stats, it's an interesting side note that supports other observations made about the player.

 

 

Perhaps.  

 

If so, then perhaps it also shows why some of us think Mauer is too passive.  He had a 1.000 OPS on 3-0 counts:   .000/1.000/.000

 

a 1.000 OPS is below league average, according to the article.

 

He should swing more 3-0, right?

 

 

 

 

Perhaps.  

 

If so, then perhaps it also shows why some of us think Mauer is too passive.  He had a 1.000 OPS on 3-0 counts:   .000/1.000/.000

 

a 1.000 OPS is below league average, according to the article.

 

He should swing more 3-0, right?

Probably. While I'm not entirely on board with the "Mauer is too passive" crowd (mainly because getting on base is so valuable), I think Joe could take a few more swings in favorable counts.

Baseball-reference has a stat called sOPS+, which is OPS+ for a specific split.

 

Arcia's -16 sOPS+ on the "after 3-0" split was only the 14th worst in the league last year ((min 10 PAs).

 

Steve Talleson lead the league with a -46 sOPS+. After 3-0 he managed just 4 walks against 3 K's, and no hits in 10 PAs.

 

Arcia still managed 13 walks against 1 K after reaching 21 3-0 counts (and no hits).

 

Mauer's sOPS+ of 64 was good for 179th. Josh Harrison lead baseball with a 562 sOPS+ (4 hits, 2 HR, 13 walks, no Ks in 17 PAs)

 

edit: Ed Escobar was 3rd with a 457 sOPS+. 1 double and 9 walks in 10 PAs.

Edited March 27, 201511 yr by Willihammer

Mauer was 179th? Wow.*

 

*look, we know it is SSS......we aren't debating how to build a plane or solve cancer

The Twins will regret it (but never admit it) if they don't stick with Arcia.