Will Jason Kendall be missed? The Cubs used many catchers last year, and at the end of the season, our starteter was the former Piarate and A Jason Kendall. Kendall provided good OBP, though when you actually watched the games, he didn’t seem to contribute much on offense.
In this era of homer-happy baseball, where baserunning is largely station-to-station, OBP has supplanted AVG as the standard. But it is only in getting to first base that a walk is as good as a hit; you cannot score from second on a walk; you cannot go from first to third on a walk; outfielders cannot bobble, misplay, or overthrow on a walk.
When I was growing up, many games were played on Astroturf. This placed a premium on speed. No cub fan can forget the terrors of the mid-80s Cardinals. Speedy players also tend to play defense well. That shows up most of all in improved range, whether infield or outfield.
Attendance-challenged teams should try this approach; get some speedsters, and go with the old pitching-speed-and-defense combo that ruled until the steroid era began. Fans do love homers, but they will come out to the game to see steals, especially by the home team.
And you know what? A stolen base is as good as a double, and a caught stealing isn’t a strategic blunder in all cases. The threat of the stolen base reduces a pitcher’s arsenal, adds to his tiring if not his technical pitch count, and opens up the infield.
And one more thing; an aggressive baserunning team will force a high-OBP guy like Kendall to the bench if it means the opposition will run wild!
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2 comments:
Dear Three-Finger,
I'm worried about the Catcher spot for the Cubs. I realize that Jason Kendall was no great shakes, but I thought he was a great acquisition last year. His contribution to the team won't show up in statistics (although, as you point out, his OBP is good.) The Cubs had a great second half last year, but, lest we forget, the Cubbies weren't really all that good; we were just a little less anemic than the rest of the NL Central.
I've got high hopes that the Cubs can really use 2007 as a springboard for 2008 -- if you manage to erase those 3 games with the Diamondbacks from your memory, it was a wonderful fall -- but I think we have some real needs to fill. I'd like to see us get someone at Catcher who can help us make the next step. We can't afford a catcher who gets into fights with his pitcher in the dugout.
The Cubs will go with Geovany Soto next year. They felt he made big strides and so he gets the chance.
The backup will be Henry Blanco, who may just have been here longer than any Cub except Kerry Wood.
I'm not sure if Koyie Hill is still with Iowa; I'd like to see him come back. I never felt such love for a .160 hitter!
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