The Great Hambino

Strategy based on run expectancy charts =/= strategy with strict adherance to run expectancy charts without any adjustment for the situation. Even the Twins have sent someone other than Buxton on a stolen base attempt, or attempted a sac bunt on occasion. I don't need a million articles, but you could start with one. And I'd be willing to bet that it's second-hand blogger commentary, not original research or a quote from someone in an actual decision-making position with an MLB team. Edited to add: I see you added the bit about questioning the Twins methods after I quoted you, you sly devil. I agree that the Twins likely don't apply sabermetrics as effectively as others do. To me, it's more that they lose the forest for the trees in applying concepts to specific matchups without a broader view of how it affects the rest of the game than it is applying concepts in a blanket fashion, but that's getting pretty deep into the weeds. Doesn't mean that they should throw the baby out with the bathwater in ditching sabermetrics entirely, which is the argument I'm ultimately pushing back against

If that's what you took away from what I wrote, then I don't know what to tell you. I even used the phrase "And since sabermetrics is a tool, some teams will use it better or worse than others" If you're going to respond to someone, try actually reading what you're responding to first.

Not that it's gospel, but ESPN is showing a 6 man roatation on their schedule page

You have got to be kidding me. This is not the argument of sabermetrics. This has never been the argument of sabermetrics. This is an extreme bastardization of the argument parroted around the internet by those that just have never even made an attempt to understand it because it goes against what their little league coach taught them in 1972. You will not find a single article from an actual sabermatrician that says you should try to hit home runs with every swing or never attempt to steal a base. Regarding stolen bases, the argument is there is an optimal success rate in any given situation to make the attempt worth the risk of making an out and removing the runner from the basepaths. It does not say to apply this evenly across all situations without considering the variables at hand. If a team did this, they would be using sabermetrics incorrectly. And since sabermetrics is a tool, some teams will use it better or worse than others. The idea that it has created some inflexible blanket strategy is pretty easily shot down by the fact that teams - all of which use sabermetrics (except maybe the Rockies) - still have fairly significant differences in things like stolen base rates and bunt attempts. This idea that our pure game of baseball went unchanged for 150 years until those dastardly nerds got their hands on it needs to die. Pick a statistic - home runs, stolen bases, whatever - their rates have ebbed and flowed throughout the game's history. Did the sabermatricians cause stolen base rates to crater in the 1930's? Yep. 100%. Not sure what any of this has to do with sabermetrics since they don't say to apply the average expected outcome at all times. Have you considered the possibility that perhaps you have a misunderstanding of sabermetrics?

Both the 2021 and 2022 versions were played on a Thursday with an off day Friday for travel. Both the Twins and Phillies are scheduled to be off the Thursday before the series. They've built it so they can adjust to what they've done in the past if they want They could also shift the series for it to be played on Saturday or Sunday as well (the vroom vroom racecar game was on a Saturday). Maybe with the TV contracts still getting settled, they're going to wait and let the networks bid for it (FOX for Thursday or Saturday, likely NBC for Sunday) before finalizing

Mickey Gasper: he's not the hero we deserve, he's the hero we need

I thought that was gone the way Topa reacted Gotta feel good for the Much-Maligned Mario

Hold on to your butts...

With 6 RBI in the last 2 games, no less

Did Outman just get blown away by an offspeed pitch?

Put the ball out of play?

I'm not sure Hoffman knows where these pitches are going

I guess that counts as putting the ball in play

Gonna test positive for a magic star

Super!

Oh my

Who's taking him in trade? Toledo?

Lewis missed the middle middle cookie

Deked by Outman's ghost bunt

Just tuned in with the sound off, is it loonie dog night or something?

I was wondering why the random off day in the middle of the Rangers series in the middle of June. Turns out it's the World Cup in Jerryworld moving the game off of Wednesday The More You Know

Not a good sign when over half your lineup has an OPS under .666

They must be on metric time

I don't put as much weight on that as others. Teams across all sport seem to avoid letting a coach's contract expire, and when they do it seems to be more related to a contract negotiation. For better or worse, they don't seem to like having a lame duck coach. I don't have data on this, just something I've noticed. I could see a scenario where they did that figuring it will be the new owner's decision to make, and their energies were best spent not trying to find a new manager for the team they were about to unload. But you could be 100% right on this

It took me a minute to figure out what was going on here ... well done. Maybe even a little profound