Mailing it in - DJ & Scoot, No Lionhearts

by arch on May 31, 2006 2:39 PM PDT

I did a review of all the A's losses (29) to this day. Checked the old box scores and play-by-play.

Wanted to find out who in a last-out situation when the team was trailing made the last out (sort of rolled over like a puppy) instead of fighting it out, getting a hit and prolonging an inning.

So w/ one remaining out in a game, I gave a player a score of +1 if he gets thru w/ a hit or walk, and -1 for the player (batter/hitter) who provides the last strikeout, groundout or flyout.

Result?

Dan Johnson and Scutaro. Worst performers. Score of -4. Four times they've stood at the plate and just let the game end and the team lose.

Lionhearts, Kendall and Kotsay who've provided a couple of hits to prolong a losing game, but negate that w/ a couple of equal outs they've made. So consider that a wash.

The only A's player w/ a positive score: JayPay. The player on the team, who refuses to lose. At least according to the boxscore.

Tweet Comment 11 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

sample size

by chri5 on May 31, 2006 3:07 PM PDT reply actions

All 29 loses considered

here's how they played out:

batter / # of times it happened / score

swish / 3 (-1 -1 -1) -3
kendall / 4 / (+1 -1 +1 -1) 0
scoot / 4 / (-1 -1 -1 -1) -4
kotsay / 4 / (+1 +1 -1 -1) 0
crosby / 2 / (-1 -1) -2
dj / 4 / (-1 -1 -1 -1) -4
melhuse / 3 / (+1 -1 -1) -1
kielty / 2 / (-1 +1) 0
big hurt / 4 / (+1 -1 -1 +1) 0
jaypay / 1 / (+1) 1
chavvy / 1 / (-1) -1
ellis / 1 / (-1) -1

about 24 -1s indicated above.....disparity w actual loses, attributed to our walk-off loses, where opposing team was the last to bat.

by arch on May 31, 2006 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions

So your conclusion is Jay Payton is the best

player on the team.

Good job.

"DeJesus walks among us now...What's next...an Esteban Deutschland three homerun game?" - franks a lot

by McFood on May 31, 2006 4:01 PM PDT reply actions

ah er

i actually didn't conclude that. just stating the fact that payton has provided a game-prolonging hit in the one instance he's supposed to be the last out.

you are very smart.

by arch on May 31, 2006 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Ok, I deserved that.

One smart-ass comment deserves another.

So here's my point. You took a small sample of a very specific situation in order to show what? What's the practical application? That we should pinch-hit Payton in the last out situation of every game that he's available? What's the point, or is it just an exercise in showing the non-meaningful result of a non-meaningful premise?

"DeJesus walks among us now...What's next...an Esteban Deutschland three homerun game?" - franks a lot

by McFood on Jun 1, 2006 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions

hey that's fine

i didnt want to make an across the board conclusion w/ the diary, just wanted to see in this year's loses how the team or specific players battle it out. as fans we have to admit, until the final out is recorded in a losing game, we are wishing the team can catch up. we hate to see players almost running to the showers even before they take their final at-bat.

but it looks like even a bad analysis like this, has in fact a correlation to actual numbers that johnson and scutaro has put up so far.

go A's!

by arch on Jun 2, 2006 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions

You just wasted a ton of time, and, best of all...

Moneyball, the set of evolving premises upon which the A's are continually built, preaches the exact opposites of your "experiment:" stress on sample size and the clutch hitting does not exist.

Also note: What's your "study" make Swisher and his minus-3? Our best hitter is what we all kow he is.

by RyanFromBonas on May 31, 2006 4:14 PM PDT reply actions

it's just a non-scientific musing

of who on the team fights at least in a situation of being possibly the last out. you always get annoyed when a player just rolls over and gets a lousy final out.

by arch on May 31, 2006 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Team Hitting w/ RISP

Payton 3rd on A's .275

Scutaro & DJ .158 tied for 2nd worst on team (Perez)

Swisher bottom half at .190

makes sense.

by richharden40 on May 31, 2006 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions

uh

Why is everyone getting their panties all upin a bunch? It's just an excersize that gave some interesting information. Just so you all know, Swisher is a horrible clutch hitter according to THT. His "clutch" rating is -5.5 (BA with RISP under 200 i think)

Larry Davis couldn't treat a cold-Tony

by ohad on May 31, 2006 5:08 PM PDT reply actions

Consider this a unique look

of how players handle a losing situation. Do they keep battling or do they give up. Writer's point about DJ and Scoot being lousy is backed up by the 2 players' bad year-to-date numbers (BA .196 & .141 OPS .557 & .511, respectively).

by richharden40 on May 31, 2006 5:09 PM PDT reply actions