Comments on: Rios in the Cell

By: Jeffrey Gross

Jeffrey Gross — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:33:39 +0000

100 PA later, Alex Rios does nothing to prove me wrong. The power outage continues

By: kris

kris — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:30:41 +0000

I live in the heart of hot and sticky Toronto and I’m loving every second.

As for the Wells thing, I definitely overstepped my bounds. There’s nowhere near enough information for me to make a claim like that.

I think every Blue Jays best month was May, no? They faced some pretty bad clubs.

By: Jeffrey Gross

Jeffrey Gross — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:30:38 +0000

Kris — BABIP is not just random fluctuation, persay. It is a very volatile stat that is based on several factors that have all been indicative of a skill decline. The poorer contact rates, the increase in IFFB, etc etc. a .300 BABIP from a guy who hits 18% of his balls for LDs and double digit IFFB rate is not unreasonable at all. He’s not hitting like a Matt Kemp kind of player who boasts +300 BABIP sustainability — at least not this season

Also, a 1 point difference in K% when the league avg rate is 18% is a 5.56% variation. That’s much more hefty than you make it seem

By: Jeffrey Gross

Jeffrey Gross — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:28:14 +0000

Kris — BABIP is not just random fluctuation, persay. It is a

By: AJS

AJS — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:06:14 +0000

Not Canada? What is that cheap shot supposed to mean? There are plenty of players who like it here.

Re Rios and Wells, that’s an argument not supported by any evidence. They only batted 3-4 for the first two months or so of the season. After that, Wells hit 5th and Rios 6th or 7th. And Rios’ best month of the season by OPS is far and away May, when he was still hitting in front of Wells.

By: kris

kris — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:01:01 +0000

Seriously, you’re calling a downtrend in BB and K%? Lets say Alex Rios has a true skill level where he walks 7% and Ks 17% of the time. It’s hardly fair to call a downturn when the statistics are less than a percent away from the mean.

Here’s my stand, and I’ll of course stand behind it:

Rios is essentially the same player. I’m willing to admit a slight skill decline, but if you think giving him away to get 6/10/12/12/13 off the books — you’re nuts.

There’s no doubting Rios’ BABIP has declined. A wise man would attribute that to a decreased level of Line Drives. Thankfully, we’re wiser than wise men, and we ask ourselves “Now, why would Alex Rios be hitting more line-drives?”

Well, i tend to think a Mr. Vernon Wells may have something to do with this. Why pitch to Alex Rios when you’ve got big-fat-Wells on Deck? So pitchers are throwing Rios far fewer strikes.. hrmm.. Maybe we’re onto something. Rios isn’t chasing any more than he normally does, and he’s actually cut back — which is a good sign.

I think i’m more angered with the use of the word trending to describe random fluctuation than I am with your idea that the White Sox overspent.

Furthermore, the immeasurables that’ll more than likely contribute to Rios improving in Chicago are off the charts. Playoff Race? Not Canada? Not Hated by All? New City?

By: don

don — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:20:07 +0000

To pick nits, a BRAA of -0.5 for the season makes him a slightly below average hitter, not a below replacement hitter.

By: Everett

Everett — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:01:36 +0000

Being able to pick up a player who might be worth a full win over the remainder of a season is a huge deal, and they didn’t give up anything more than the money to pay the contract, which is fairly reasonable.

By: Ed Nelson

Ed Nelson — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:33:49 +0000

It’s not like Rios is replacing Carlos Beltran out there, he’s replacing Wise. This is a wise gamble to make the playoffs, and I think it will work. If you need a CF with above average offensive production who are you going to go to? Who exactly is out there on the market?

If Rios adds a win or two down the stretch, which seems plausible relative to the production of Wise and the departed Anderson, and the Sox get to the postseason, then the revenue generated from not only ticket sales, but divergent streams of revenue like tshirts, posters, TV ect will probably pay Rios’ salary for the next few years. It also signals to free agents that the White Sox are in a “win now” mode which can make it considerably easier to attract players in the offseason.

I still think it’s a great move.

By: Brent

Brent — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:56:48 +0000

That’s a hefty contract the Sox are picking up. Dye’s is expiring but they added Peavy’s and won’t be able to keep Danks, Floyd, Quentin, Beckham, Ramirez all happy will they?