Chop-
I love having good conversations about sports, baseball especially. I am not offended in anyway shape or form. This is the beauty of this forum. Ask Spreadbeater. Me and him had some great posts that we didn't agree on in basketball. It's always good to hear conflicting opinions. On to my responses. :homer:
Hampton doesn't belong in the same sentence. He's a very, very average pitcher
Very commical. You better do your research my friend. Since the allstar break last season, I believe Hampton is 15-2 with a sub 3.00. Is that what you call a very very average pitcher? Hamptons pure # are better than any pitcher on the Marlins roster, including The D-Train. So I think you can go ahead and keep him in the same sentence.:lolBIG:
I'm talking about STUFF. His STUFF isn't very good at all. He's a very very average pitcher. He doesn't strike many people out. He's just a lefty who throws strikes and takes his chances that he won't get hit. I've seen him give up some of the hardest hit balls I've ever seen in person, and sometimes balls are hit right at people and sometimes they get out. He's hot right now, but he's a percentages pitcher and the thing with guy's like him is the percentages even out eventually. He relies on balls being hit at people and that doesn't win out over the long haul.
It has been proven recently that things such as batting average don't measure a hitter's performance as well as walks/AB, SO/AB, and HR/Balls in Play, etc. Batting average doesn't take walks into account and measures each hit whether it be a HR or a bleeder basehit as the same. The fact is it takes more skill to get the bat on the ball and make contact or to hit the ball out of the yard, than it does to hit the ball and hope it falls for a base hit. It's the luck factor thats involved with hitting.
What this means for guys like Mike Hampton (Percentage pitchers), is that they don't strike out many hitters because their STUFF is very very average. As a result, they have to just hope that their ball doesn't find holes. Mike Hampton's balls are being hit at people right now and he's getting outs, and that will even out. Maybe last night's game is the start of that. You will rarely see a guy like Randy Johnson, Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, AJ Burnett, Josh Beckett bla bla, give up 5 or 6 hits in a row with 2 outs. Because their stuff is just so good it's almost impossible. But with Hampton he gives up hit after hit because he isn't that good. Once again, he's just a lefty that throws strikes, he's got some season under his belt now, he's a veteran and he's learned how to be crafty in some spots and get out of jams, but once again he is very very average. He will have his streaks where he pitches well. He will also have his streaks where he pitches poorly. These are percentages evening out on a guy who's stuff is not that good. Overall, he is very very average.
You obviously don't go much by how good a pitcher's actual PITCHES are. You are more of a "what have you done for me lately", "what you see is what you get" kind of guy. You want results.
I would say you pretty much nailed that on the head. Yes I do want results. If sports was about talent,and talent alone, there would not be any bust. How many cant miss pitchers have you seen in your life that Missed. I can think of many. Billy Koch. 100 MPH fastball, cant get anyone out, but he will always find a job, because he can hit 100 on the radar gun.
Never said I disagreed with that statement. All I was doing was setting up the fact that the Marlins have BY FAR the best team ERA in baseball right now and that can not be debated. So, if you are all about results, than here are your results.
Marlins Team ERA 1st in MLB - 2.64 Team ERA
214.2 IP 162 K's (More K's in less IP) Teams batting .222 against them (1st).
Braves Team ERA 3rd in MLB - 3.24 ERA
236 IP 154 Ks (Less K's in More IP) Teams batting .259 against them (15th)
So, judging by that, I would think you have to agree as well since you go by performance.
The Braves run of championships is comming to a close in the next 2 to 3 years. Both the Braves and Marlins have issues that they need to deal with for sure. But for year 2005 The braves are the favorite. I have been hearing people for about the last 5 seasons saying this is the year the Braves lose the division.
Yeah, but they never win anything. They can't seal the deal. They don't get it done when it counts. I'd rather keep winning the wild card in the pointless regular season, have the Braves keep winning their NL East pennants, and we'll take the WS Rings.
I absolutly promise you. With next year not being in issue. If you asked 30 GM in MLB witch 3 would you prefer for this year, and this year only with no regard to the future. At least 25 GMs if not more would take the Braves combination.
If you asked 30 GM in MLB which 3 you want with regards to now and future 30 out of 30 pick Marlins.
If you ask 30 GM who you want for this year's title run, 28 out of 30 pick Marlins.
1) Performance. They lead the entire league in every major pitching stat practically. How can you fight that logic? #2 they are going complete games, Braves have Zero. Managers love nothing more than to have rested bullpens since they are watered down anyway.
2) Future - Lets cancel this out
3) Sealing the Deal - Marlins won the World Series with these guys in 1 postseason try. Braves still trying.
4) Without being made fun of like Tulsa was trying to do (JK) I do know people in baseball organizations, and although Marlins and Braves have never been compared in the conversation, Marlins and Yankees have, and they all say they'd take the Marlins staff. No GM wants a John Smoltz who is returning to the rotation from Tommy John (even though hes doing surprisingly well), a very good and solid Tim Hudson and an overachiever, average lefty like Hampton over the Marlins starting three. It's just not logical. If you have any friends in baseball, scouts, friends of GMs anything give them a call. I still talk to friends on a daily basis. What I'm saying isn't very far-fetched if you put yourself in a GM's shoes.
Anyways, I gotta roll. I'll check your response out later, buddy.
Later.