Broken Bat - Help: Gradations of competence?

Forum >> Help >> Gradations of competence?

Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date	Function

#28963	01/14/2016 7:55:02 pm
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9601 Haverhill Halflings III.1	Crazy - I think you missed my point in the earlier post (I'm pretty convinced afreespirit never reads any of my posts anyhow). Most batters are RHB, so balls going to 2B are generally hit with less zip then balls going to SS. This is why 2B is easier to field for a lot of players. I've played both positions extensively. Really the hardest part about 2B is trying to stay awake during the game between the occasional LHB. Updated Thursday, January 14 2016 @ 7:57:44 pm PST

#28964	01/14/2016 8:51:29 pm
MukilteoMike Joined: 08/09/2014 Posts: 3294 Inactive	Amateur ball isn't anything like MLB. Trying to compare the two is a futile exercise. One example is the left-handed at bat. The last info I saw showed batters were on the left side 42% of the time. I'd be surprised if it was half that for amateurs. What I don't like about BB errors is that they all seem to be fielding errors (catchers' throwing errors being the exception). That's a significant reason 2B fpct is lower in MLB; they make fewer throwing errors than SS and 3B. Errors here appear to all be fielding rating driven without considering arm, which makes things out of whack. Regarding fielding in general, as someone else said each position is just different. A person's specific skills determines which is the easiest and most difficult for them. 3B is largely reactionary and they don't have to deal with turning double plays the same way middle infielders do. Updated Thursday, January 14 2016 @ 9:09:52 pm PST

#28976	01/15/2016 6:10:29 am
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9601 Haverhill Halflings III.1	The ball being hit to the left side 42% has very little to do with how sharply the ball is being hit...? Updated Friday, January 15 2016 @ 6:24:56 am PST

#28978	01/15/2016 6:24:19 am
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9601 Haverhill Halflings III.1	Amateur ball isn't anything like MLB So College ball is nothing like Rookie ball. Rookie ball is nothing like A. A ball is nothing like AA. AA ball is nothing like AAA. AAA ball is nothing like MLB. Right? So why do we have minors if the game experience is totally different than MLB. Minds well be drafting random players off the street. I always find it laughable when I hear sports casters make that statement. Of course amateur sports are like Majors. Its the same game. That's like saying Little League is nothing like College ball. Its EXACTLY the same game. The difference in opposition skill doesn't really change it that much.

#28986	01/15/2016 7:45:29 am
newtman Joined: 11/02/2013 Posts: 3343 Inactive	No Rock, 42% of plate appearances in the MLB are from the left side, he did not say that 42% of balls were hit to the left side.

#29001	01/15/2016 10:31:37 am
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9601 Haverhill Halflings III.1	Which still doesn't have any relation to amateur ball, which I why I don't see why he would state that. Plus that mean 58% are from the right side (58 > 42). Add to that the fact that 2/3 of the batters hitting from the left side are righties hitting switch, it still comes straight back to the statement that 2B see fewer hard hit grounders and more hits coming off the weak side. I don't disagree that they will make less throwing errors, but I do believe that Steve includes throwing errors in his error statistics.

#29004	01/15/2016 11:00:32 am
Crazy Li Joined: 01/25/2015 Posts: 879 Inactive	Rock, you claimed I missed your point while saying pretty much the same thing I said at the end of my post (just perhaps better phrased) :p But I still question if this is really that prominent of a factor or if you're underestimating the 2B position at high levels.

#29009	01/15/2016 11:20:42 am
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9601 Haverhill Halflings III.1	LOL. Now I'm convinced that I don't read Crazy's posts any better then afreespirit reads mine.

#29015	01/15/2016 1:46:21 pm
MukilteoMike Joined: 08/09/2014 Posts: 3294 Inactive	Rock, of course baseball is the same game no matter who plays it. That doesn't mean the experience is the same. You said second base was boring for you because there were few hard hit balls. That's not the same experience for MLB. There are significantly more batters from the left side and many guys can take pitches the opposite way much more effectively. That's why they're the best players in the world. Think about other games. Do you think the average person playing chess is playing the same game the best players in the world are? Technically they are, but experientially they're not in the same universe.

#29016	01/15/2016 2:09:08 pm
Rock777 Joined: 09/21/2014 Posts: 9601 Haverhill Halflings III.1	That was supposed to be hyperbole. But instead it served as just one more example of the total failure of the written language as a communication mechanism. You don't actually have a hard time staying awake at 2B at the college level...