Did you know that only one Red Sox player has more walks than strikeouts? At the end of this article, I’ll tell you who it is.
We’ll start off positive because the more we get into September, the more we are going to hear from every Chicken Little looking for ratings or page views. Boston fans are too easy to exploit that way.
It’s human nature to listen for the negative. I get caught up in it all the time. As a Boston sports fan, I am both provincial (too bad, don’t bother changing my opinion) and protective (yes I will defend my favorite teams relentlessly). I love the Red Sox and I don’t like anyone else. People tend to not like that but I am OK with that. And when I meet a diehard fan from another team, I can respect their allegiance. I met a guy this weekend in Jackson, NH at a wedding who was a tried-and-true Cincinnati Bengals fan. He hated the Patriots, but it was great to talk to another homer of that caliber.
I behave at times like the stereotype of Irish brothers. They may fight with each other and seem to be at war, but if you start trouble with either brother directly and you will get them both full-force in response.
That is how I treat Boston sports.
There are so many people who call sports radio in Boston that I think they are the guy starting fights with the Irish brothers. I sit in my Nissan Maxima on I-93 swearing at the radio because I know that these people are only given credence by the station because it draws ratings. And who does it draw ratings from? People like me. In a sense, I too am an idiot for listening.
Who is worse? The guy on the radio dumping all over Carl Crawford (“Why don’t they just trade him to Seattle for Felix Hernandez!? We’ll throw in Jed Lowrie”) or the guy in his car taking the bait?
Did you know somebody proposed that trade on the radio? I need to stop taking the bait.
It carries over into writing as well. For example, take Chip Buck’s breakdown on Chris Gasper’s (whom I totally respect) thinly-veiled diatribe on advanced metrics. I fall for it every time and find myself charging the battlefield with face paint and sword in hand like I was William Wallace. Except my sword is really just Pitch/fx, Fangraphs, Baseball-Reference and First Inning.
I take the bait on this topic almost every time as well. I don’t want to get into again here, but let’s just say that you can go a long way with a basic understanding of value (WAR), plate discipline (CT%, BB%), mound command (BB/9,K/9) and park factors. Get those down and you can at least follow and participate in most discussions. After that, it’s taking things to a whole other level.
And if you want to get really good, follow Jason Collette, Mike Fast or Dave Cameron.
Or, just read Fire Brand. We’ll get you there. (Unless you want to stay on the porch and swear at the kids passing by).
So speaking of WAR (wins above replacement) — Did you know that as a team the Red Sox have the highest WAR in baseball at 35.1? Did you know that their baserunning (-10.6) is the second-worst in baseball, trailing only the Cubs? (Theo joke somewhere here).
And before you call Gasper to complain about the baserunning metric, just read how it’s calculated. Conversely, the Red Sox are rated the second-best fielding team in baseball, trailing on the Diamondbacks. Good with the gloves, but maybe not so much with the basepath decision making?
But it’s not all about the advanced metrics. The old school, standard, baseball player Topps card- statistics still matter. Runs Batted In, Home Runs, Batting Average, Stolen Bases, Runs Scored still remain the catalyst for opinion. It will stay this way until NESN starts including WAR or the like in the player graphics. Until then, JD Drew shall be crucified! (To be fair, he has had a pretty down year, but he’s never been as bad as people act)
When it comes to the obvious leader in offensive output, we can all look to Adrian Gonzalez. He leads the team in nearly everything offensively including batting average (.345), total hits (184), singles (119), doubles (39), RBI (103), intentional walks (14) and strikeouts (93).
Did you know Gonzo also leads the team in GIDP (grounded into double plays)? He’s hit into a team-high 25. I bet you didn’t know that.
As far as strikeouts are concerned, I have a feeling Gonzo will not hold that title for long. It will soon rightfully belong to Kevin Youkilis. Youk currently sits at 89 K’s while he rehabs on the disabled list.
Speaking of Youkilis, he still has some really weird home/road splits in 2011. Did you know he is hitting just .191 on the road with a paltry .356 slugging percentage? At home he is hitting a very Gonzo-like .338 with a .602 slugging percentage. I hope this is not an issue in the playoffs.
Oh, and the player on the Sox with more walks than strikeouts? Mr. Dustin Pedroia. He is one of just 12 Major Leaguers who can say they have more walks than punch outs. Pedroia is also #1 of that group.
