Game Thread "Get Away" Twins vs Rangers 12:10pm cdt 5/6/2021 ad

[Aggies7]

Using wRC+, the best single number offensive metric readily available, here are Sano’s numbers by season (100 is average):

 

149, 107, 125, 83, 137, 99, 80

 

Sano has definitely been good for more than one year, though he’s frustratingly inconsistent.

Averages out to about average (110). Wasn’t more expected of him?

[Brock Beauchamp]

for the unwashed masses like me....what is wRC+ and why do we need it?

Weighted Runs Created. To keep it as simple as possible, it takes the value of doing Thing X (strikeout, single, walk, double, etc) and uses historical context to weight the value of Thing X in runs. Then it compares your total output to the rest of the league using a single number.

 

It’s better than other metrics like slugging or OPS because they weight all bases equally (and overvalues OBP with a binary 0/1.000 result), which is not the case in reality. In OPS, a double is worth 60% of a home run because it uses straight bases gained plus OBP (2.000 SLG + 1.000 OBP for a double, 4.000 SLG + 1.000 OBP for a homer). That is flawed for obvious reasons. A home run is guaranteed a run. A double is not.

 

wRC+ (and its base, wOBA) tries to award value of doing Thing X within the context of baseball history and run scoring.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Averages out to about average (110). Wasn’t more expected of him?

More was definitely expected of him but that’s not what you said. Those two things are rather different conversations.

[Otto von Ballpark]

for the unwashed masses like me....what is wRC+ and why do we need it?

It is like OPS+, if you know what that is.

 

Or to break it down a bit further, it’s like OPS as a summary of a player’s hitting performance, with the advantages that

 

1. It is calculated relative to league and park

 

2. It weighs the relative importance of getting on base vs slugging toward scoring runs

[Aggies7]

More was definitely expected of him but that’s not what you said. Those two things are rather different conversations.

Well if you draft a guy expecting him to be a stud, and he’s merely very slightly above average, strikes out an insane amount, and doesn’t seem to be showing much progress after 7 years in the league, it might be time to move on. I mean, I’m pretty sure the twins could find another merely slightly above average guy who strikes out almost half of his at bats

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Well if you draft a guy expecting him to be a stud, and he’s merely very slightly above average, strikes out an insane amount, and doesn’t seem to be showing much progress after 7 years in the league, it might be time to move on. I mean, I’m pretty sure the twins could find another merely slightly above average guy who strikes out almost half of his at bats

 

So if a player fails to meet expectations the team should get rid of him, even if he's owed a bunch of money?

 

Your goalposts keep shifting. Now he's a "slightly above average" guy and you're still ignoring the fact he's under contract for a few more years.

 

Exactly what should the Twins do with Sano and what is your suggestion for a replacement, if it's so easy to find?

 

This is the kind of conversation that kinda drives me nuts on forums: it suggests a problem (often exaggerated), declares a solution (often half-baked), and calls it a day.

[Aggies7]

So if a player fails to meet expectations the team should get rid of him, even if he's owed a bunch of money?

 

Your goalposts keep shifting. Now he's a "slightly above average" guy and you're still ignoring the fact he's under contract for a few more years.

 

Exactly what should the Twins do with Sano and what is your suggestion for a replacement, if it's so easy to find?

 

This is the kind of conversation that kinda drives me nuts on forums: it suggests a problem (often exaggerated), declares a solution (often half-baked), and calls it a day.

I’m not moving goalposts, I’m adamant in thinking he’s not a particularly good player and when you strike out almost half the time, you’re not even having productive outs. Someone called him an albatross on another thread and that’s a perfect description. I guess we can just keep trotting him out there (because he’s under contract) waiting for the once every two weeks majestic home run. Hoping he figures it out magically. The only thing worse than giving out a bad contract is keeping a guy around because you gave him a bad contract. Even pujols got the boot today. Maybe another club will be smitten with sano’s 110 wRC and be willing to take him off our hands