Brock Beauchamp

Well done.

1. No one is claiming that a single stat is the be-all, end-all of statistics. 2. Just because all stats have their weaknesses does not excuse relying on the stats with the most weaknesses as a solitary measure of performance.

To break it down to a basic example, yes. But basically, it's the same thing... Only your example shows just how silly it can be to directly compare the two statistics.

This is the key. You can't predict aberrant behavior. You can only take the information you have on hand and make the best decisions using that information. And really, that's all sabermetrics are... I've never seen anyone claim them to be infallible. All they are is a tool to improve the mean and maximize the talent you have available as a team.

Honestly, I view terms like "old school" as a person admitting that they don't care enough to learn anything new and will stick to an opinion, even in the face of overwhelming evidence stating the contrary. It's not a badge I'd wear with pride.

These aren't new age stats. These stats have been available since the dawn of baseball, it's only that people now understand the game better and that context-based stats such as RBI are far too influenced by surrounding players to be useful as a solitary measurement of ability.

They're not the same. But remember that Slugging goes to 4.000 while OBP goes to 1.000. They are not judged on the same scale and without getting into complex math, I think it's pretty easy to understand that when you're dealing with 4,000 possible points of slugging and 1,000 points of OBP, that .001 OBP does not equal .001 SLG.

Well, John can be technically right here and he can also be technically wrong. Regression is nothing more than the return to a former state. In the case of Willingham, he is likely to regress toward his mean, meaning his stats will go into decline. On the other hand, 2011 Mauer was also likely to regress to the mean and improve his stats based on previous season performances. Whereas it could be considering that Dozier, having never posted good Major League stats but performing under his supposed capabilities, could progress to his mean (ie. his expected performance level that he has yet to achieve).

Agreed. I don't know why it has to be the second game... Give people two games and then a day off.

I was given a harsh reminder of this over the weekend during the Wild game I attended. Hockey is fantastic live but damn, there's no time for talking at all.

Complete agreement here. I know why they leave an off-day in the opening series, but it sucks.

Pretty much everyone that isn't a mouth-breathing ChiSox fan absolutely despises Hawk Harrelson. He's one of the worst announcers in the game and IMO, is only rivaled by Rex Hudler, who I had the pleasure (agony) of listening to for years as the Angels color guy.

I'd agree on the player bit. I value catching a lot (particularly when compared to the average catcher) but Joe's ability to stay behind the dish is suspect. Still, he's a top 30 player. I don't think there is any real doubt to that (and to say he's not is making the argument that every MLB team, on average, has a better player than Joe... I just can't see that argument made with a straight face). Catchers that OPS above .800 are extremely valuable and rare. Catchers that OPS over .800 in Target Field are even more so. To elaborate a bit, Mauer was 11th or 12th in OPS+ last season. Once you adjust for ballpark, his ranking jumps a lot. And that still doesn't take into account how OBP-heavy Mauer's stat line is compared to most players, which jumps his ranking even more. Then factor in his catching and it jumps even more... Anyway, I think we mostly agree here, I'm just a little higher on Mauer than you are. I think this season will be very telling. If he catches 100+ times and OPSes between 850 and 900, his value is a top 20 player. If he DHes 50 or more games, then his value drops considerably. As for salary, I tend to ignore it. Mauer is paid a lot and is a very good player, probably a first-ballot HoFer if he does this for 3-4 more years before tailing off. It'd be nice if Mauer "put the team on his back" but I'm not even really sure what that means. To me, putting a team on your back is going out there and performing at a level unrivaled by the rest of the team. And Joe already does that, so I don't put a ton of stock into it. He's not a ra-ra guy. I'm not a ra-ra guy either so I probably skew toward not caring about that as much as some people. And FTR, BBTN is mind-numbingly dumb. I tend to put zero stock in almost anything they say.

Until his OBP drops well below .400 on a regular basis, I'd have a hard time not putting him in the top ten hitters in the game. People weigh slugging percentage far too heavily compared to OBP when it should be the inverse. Getting on base is the most important thing a hitter can do, period. And it's not as if Mauer is completely devoid of power, either. If the Twins were still in the Metrodome, he'd almost surely hit 5-7 more homers a year. If Mauer was playing 81 games in Fenway, he'd be hitting 50 doubles a year and people wouldn't be questioning his ability in the slightest. On the other hand, it's getting harder to ignore his growing defensive deficiencies. He's just not the catcher he was 3-5 years ago. Yesterday was just sloppy. Hopefully it was a fluke because of the cold weather and rust from Spring Training but it was a pretty miserable performance.

Because it's a game of nuance. It's a game based on offensive failure far more often than success. More than any other game, it truly is a "game of inches". It's a game that is not won through momentary heroics, but instead by showing up to play six days a week for six months of the year. The more you learn about baseball, the more you realize you don't know jack about baseball. That's why I watch it.

Chief used that at-bat as reasoning for why Mauer isn't one of the top hitters in baseball. It was more than just that at-bat... It was an indictment of Mauer as a player.

And my point is that baseball is a game of failure. Outside of Barry Bonds, how many guys have actually had seasons where they were more successful in avoiding outs than getting on base? It was one at-bat in a game that was, overall, very solid offensively for Joe. He walked, hit a single and a double. Instead of complaining about Joe, we need to look squarely at the rest of the lineup, which was basically a miserable failure the entire game (particularly Parmelee's absolutely atrocious at-bat with one out). And even Chris had a decent game compared to the rest of the team, taking two walks without a hit. Also, two people complained about that AB by Mauer.

To reiterate Mauer's game for those who think he should have "tried harder" or whatever in that last AB... The only out Mauer made all game was that horrible, awful AB where he flied out to left. That's it. That was the only out recorded on Mauer all day. Meanwhile, Willingham, Plouffe, and Parmlee all left four guys on base in that game. Mauer? He left one. From that AB that was so horrible. Eight guys combine for 26 outs, Joe Mauer hits into a single out, and somehow Joe is still at fault for what happened in that game. Honestly, people. What the hell do you expect from this guy? I'm so sick and bloody tired of hearing people whine about Mauer when it's so blatantly obvious that he is far and away the best hitter on the team and one of the top hitters in all of baseball. Cut the guy some slack once in awhile. He's not going to post an .800 OBP all season. With that said, his defense was absolutely suspect in that game and a complete disappointment. We should all expect better from Joe than that botched "wild pitch" and that throw to second. He's a better player than that.

That was just an awful AB. He didn't swing at the only pitch in the zone (it can be argued if it was in the zone or not) and flailed away at two pitches in the dirt.

This... Is... Awful. Comcast SportsNet's White Sox Intro Video Is One Of The Worst Things Ever Put On Television And Possibly Harmful To Your Health

Boggs is a decent Mauer comp but it can't be ignored that Boggs played a ton of games in Fenway while Mauer is stuck in Target Field.

I "downplayed" OPS (which I really didn't do) and Mauer's OPS is still .920 with men on base. If you weight it properly, he looks even better as a hitter. Joe went 2-4 and walked once. You need to reevaluate what you expect from the man. Jesus. How about we lay some blame on the other eight guys in the lineup who combined for a fearsome five hits over nine innings?

And are we really going to start bitching at Mauer for only getting on base 60% of the time in a game? Come on.

Agreed. That was a much worse play than the opposite field fly out.

Softly? If he hits that just a bit harder or a bit softer, it's a hit. Sometimes (most of the time), a ball hit in the air is caught. Unless you really want to argue Joe's .920 career OPS with men on base. How much would you be bitching if he rolled it over to second? He put the ball in the air and didn't get great wood on it. Even 1941 Ted Williams failed 59.4% of the time.