Comments on: Has Orlando Cabrera Lost a Step?

By: Alireza

Alireza — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:54:13 +0000

Beane’s disdain for the stolen base is well documented. Ray Durham had an 80% steal rate (20/25), well above what is needed for a positive contribution, yet Beane forced him to cut his attempt rate in half after acquiring Durham by trade.

As for Cabrera’s CS, the numbers are highly misleading. Here are the times he was caught:

1 – PO by Jon Lester

2 – CS by Downs/Barajas

3 – CS by Loux/Napoli

4 – PO by Randy Wolf

Half his CS were pick offs by lefties, the second was a legit gun down and the third as a strike em out/throw em out.

He has actually only attempted a steal 4 time this year, which is significantly lower than in previous years, despite the fact that Cabrera has always been a high percentage thief.

By: Jacob Jackson

Jacob Jackson — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:48:08 +0000

Cabrera showed up to spring training fat this year. A good 10-15 pounds overweight. I’m not one to talk, because I show up to my teaching job 10-15 pounds overweight every year, but…

it suggests to me that he did not have a productive off season. That might also help explain his poor stolen base rates this year. His athleticism is in a natural decline, and he didn’t work out hard enough in the offseason to offset that whatsoever.

By: Eno Sarris

Eno Sarris — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:12:10 +0000

For sure, the Athletics are just about stealing efficiently. But with two successful attempts out of six, OC is no longer that.

I know sample size is an issue, but the speed score and caught stealings seem a little extreme, and then throw in his age, and you have a pretty unappealing package.

I’m not looking to pick him up even in my 20-teamer with an MI spot…

By: Kev

Kev — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:29:15 +0000

Not true. Why would anyone hate the stolen base? That’s like saying you hate base hits.

Matt Holliday has stolen eight bags this year, Rajai Davis seven, Adam Kennedy six. Davis stole 25 last year with the A’s, and Mark Ellis stole 14. Guys who can steal with a high success rate will get the green light in Oakland. The thing is, there aren’t many of these guys around.

By: Alireza

Alireza — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:24:39 +0000

I see a couple things here. 1) Cabrera does seem to have lost a step, and has been unusually sloppy with his hands as well, which has hurt his defense even more. 2) Cabrera has actually hit for decent power on the extra base end in the past, with 4 seasons in double digit homers (17 career high) and 4 seasons over 40 doubles. His SLG numbers were depressed by lower AVG rates, while he played in bigger parks and hit for better average later on.

As for his stolen base numbers, I think that is pretty easily explained. He plays for the A’s and Billy Beane who hate the stolen base, even when done by a guy like Cabrera who has historically been a high percentage thief. Much like with Matt Holliday, Oakland was pretty much the worst place for Cabrera to play because of the tough power hitting conditions and the team’s aversion to the stolen base.