OT: Mike Scioscia Isn't Sold On Sabermetrics

I like Scioscia's take on it.

over 1 year ago BeerCub 16 comments 0 recs |

Comments

And this surprises anyone?

Not exactly news that the Angels are one of the least-sabermetrically teams around. And the sabermetric community spends a lot of time examining the Angels to see what they can learn from them.

by Josh Timmers on Feb 25, 2011 12:25 PM CST reply actions

It sounds like they use both.

Which is perfectly reasonable.

Check out Chicago sports coverage at SB Nation Chicago

by Al Yellon on Feb 25, 2011 12:38 PM CST reply actions

As they say on Baseball Prospectus

“Why not beer AND tacos?”

by Josh Timmers on Feb 25, 2011 12:52 PM CST up reply actions

it’s when the stats freaks want to spout off about how this or that stat trumps what is plainly obvious to the eye that it gets ridiculous. And don’t bother to try to refute that statement, it happens all the time, especially amongst casual fans like you get here on BCB.

“What you like is when the stats match up with what scouts see with their eyes. That’s when the best decisions are made.”

that is the key quote from the article. And the quotes from Scoscia show a healthy skepticism in how some of the stats are derived, which I have been saying for years.

by azjazzman on Feb 25, 2011 9:08 PM CST up reply actions

Yawn

I’ll be sure to check with your eyes next time I say something.

by Josh Timmers on Feb 25, 2011 11:30 PM CST up reply actions

That's quite the 180 you just did

"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer

by BoVandy on Feb 26, 2011 12:09 AM CST up reply actions

"It's like baking a cake. It's an ingredient, something you can use to evaluate your team and your opposition."

Love the quote from the GM, Saber#s are not the end all to evaluate everything about the team.

"I'll tell you what's helped me my entire life. I look at baseball as a game. It's something where people can go out, enjoy and have fun. Nothing more."

by KaliCub on Feb 25, 2011 12:38 PM CST reply actions

In the hands of a player agent, sabremetrics must be a godsend...

…especially when trying to talk up a .260-hitting outfielder with less than 60 RBI’s, but decent OBP and fielding metrics.

"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62

"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64

by ernaga on Feb 25, 2011 2:56 PM CST reply actions

Except they're death

to a guy like Juan Pierre, because the teams spit them right back at the agents in those cases.

by Josh Timmers on Feb 25, 2011 3:37 PM CST up reply actions

Apparently Hendry didn't value that advanced data much prior to '06...

Or, maybe Jim’s largesse in the Pierre deal was either a thank you for D. Lee, or a bid for future considerations when dealing with the Marlins.

"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62

"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64

by ernaga on Feb 25, 2011 4:14 PM CST up reply actions

I believe Hendry has pretty much gone on the record as not being a big Sabre guy

I could be wrong, but I’m fairly certain I read something where he’s not real into them, or he was pretty late coming to the Sabremetrics party

"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer

by BoVandy on Feb 25, 2011 5:52 PM CST up reply actions

your right...

…Hendry has a scouts mentality (a good ole boy) and those guys don’t trust anything except their eyes.

IMO, the best method is somewhere in the middle and I agree with scioscia, that some of these stats have a lot of flaws in them.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Feb 25, 2011 9:27 PM CST up reply actions

Yet

Juan Pierre has a WS ring, and was a major contributor to that happening.

by azjazzman on Feb 25, 2011 9:10 PM CST up reply actions

Yet

Juan Pierre in 2003 was a much better player than Juan Pierre in 2010.

Yet he wasn’t a free agent back then either.

by Josh Timmers on Feb 25, 2011 11:31 PM CST up reply actions

I think Pierre did fairly well for himself on his last contract.

So well that two teams are now paying him.

"I'd rather hit home runs you don't have to run as hard." -- Dave Kingman

by BucknerKongCardenal on Feb 25, 2011 10:55 PM CST up reply actions

Numbers are fun...

but I’d say currently a little overrated…I get the feeling most of the smarter teams in the league have started looking into and making more gains in the physical and mental aspects of the game and player development.

I was part of that “stats tell the story” group of the early and mid 2000’s but I stepped back from baseball for a while and now have only a slight lean that way.

by SenorGato on Feb 26, 2011 5:16 PM CST reply actions