MLB Off-Topic

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Wouldn't that be the perfect match? They'd be Even Steven

Or they'd be not as good anymore in even years to make the playoffs, and slightly better in odd years but still miss the playoffs and have a worse draft choice.

[BigOscar]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Am I the only one just isn't that high on Bryce Harper? At least not for a long term, huge money contract? He's got all the talent in the world but I don't think he has the mental side to go with it so I really can't see him being the sort of player to play well once the physical stuff stats to deteriorate.

If I'm going to be handing out $500m, 10 year deals then I don't want someone who has the ability to follow up a monster season with a terrible one, I want someone who's bottom level is still pretty high.

Possibly controversial, but I'd rather have someone like Nolan Arenado locked down for a long time than Harper, as you know what you're going to get, every year. Harper strikes me as a huge risk

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Am I the only one just isn't that high on Bryce Harper? At least not for a long term, huge money contract?

If you read the link posted that started this conversation, you're definitely not the only one


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[Rocky2018]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Am I the only one just isn't that high on Bryce Harper? At least not for a long term, huge money contract? He's got all the talent in the world but I don't think he has the mental side to go with it so I really can't see him being the sort of player to play well once the physical stuff stats to deteriorate.



If I'm going to be handing out $500m, 10 year deals then I don't want someone who has the ability to follow up a monster season with a terrible one, I want someone who's bottom level is still pretty high.



Possibly controversial, but I'd rather have someone like Nolan Arenado locked down for a long time than Harper, as you know what you're going to get, every year. Harper strikes me as a huge risk

I’m not that high on him either, as a Yankees fan I hope we stay away from him this offseason and let someone else deal with all that money


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[DrJones]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Possibly controversial, but I'd rather have someone like Nolan Arenado locked down for a long time than Harper, as you know what you're going to get, every year. Harper strikes me as a huge risk

Harper, career home splits: .283/.390/.515
Harper, career road splits: .278/.380/.514

Arenado, career splits away from Coors: .266/.322/.472

[BigOscar]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Harper, career home splits: .283/.390/.515
Harper, career road splits: .278/.380/.514

Arenado, career splits away from Coors: .266/.322/.472

First, I think people massively underestimate how hard it is batting away when Coors is your home stadium. It's not just that hitting at Coors is easier, it's that you have to make a huge adjustment away from home, far larger than any other team has to, so you would expect anyone's road numbers to improve if they moved to a home stadium with "regular" atmosphere(and their home numbers to regress as well obviously).

Second, career numbers aren't exactly a whole lot of use when projecting forwards when signing someone up. Arenado started pretty badly at home, hitting something like .252/.287/.375 in his first 2 seasons. Am I genuinely going to let those numbers worry me when signing him 4 years later? of course not, I'd be far more interested in the fact that he's improved both home and away every single year of his career with never having a down year. He's had the pretty much perfect trajectory, never getting hurt, constantly improving. Throw in stellar defence and you've got a player you can build your club around and rely on him to perform.

Then you have Harper, who is frankly all over the place, from year to year. He's got far more upside, but he's also a far bigger gamble as he's been so inconsistent.

Maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather the safer bet to build a team around, considering the financial commitment we're talking about (Arenado would almost certainly be cheaper, but either way you're looking at a giant investment)

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

First, I think people massively underestimate how hard it is batting away when Coors is your home stadium. It's not just that hitting at Coors is easier, it's that you have to make a huge adjustment away from home, far larger than any other team has to, so you would expect anyone's road numbers to improve if they moved to a home stadium with "regular" atmosphere(and their home numbers to regress as well obviously).

What major adjustment needs to be made hitting on the road that players for others teams don't have to make?


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[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

What major adjustment needs to be made hitting on the road that players for others teams don't have to make?

I'm not meaning to answer for him, but in terms of pure speculation you probably get to take a lot of swing off at Coors Field. You can still knock the ball into next week, or you are favored with a lot of space in that outfield (even in front of the outfielders since they have to play back farther). Combined with a relatively lower mound, less tilt on breaking pitches, a fast infield and a good hitter's eye, you're just bound to be more successful in that park in general. Then there is a confidence factor as well.

I don't know if players adjust more so than the stats happen to do for them, but I can see why or how a player might look to do certain things in some parks to overcompensate for the fact that they are not at Coors, specifically Rockies players.

[BigOscar]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

What major adjustment needs to be made hitting on the road that players for others teams don't have to make?


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Pitches move through the air differently. It's not just once you've hit it that the thin air impacts the flight of the ball.

[dubcity]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Those poor Rockies hitters have it rough. They should be able to use aluminum bats on the road to make it fair for them.

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Pitches move through the air differently. It's not just once you've hit it that the thin air impacts the flight of the ball.

I understand that, but you didn't say what the adjustment is. Is it just "the ball is going to move differently, now it's going to be harder to hit"?

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[BigOscar]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I understand that, but you didn't say what the adjustment is. Is it just "the ball is going to move differently, now it's going to be harder to hit"?

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If you read a slider, but the ball instead breaks twice as far as what you are used to, that's going to take a hell of an adjustment to consistently hit well in the two completely different conditions. obviously it would also be the same for players visiting Coors, but you'd imagine it's a lot easier to adjust to the ball breaking less rather than more?

I guess it would be interesting to see how well Rockies players do in the first few days of road trips compared to how they hit during the later parts of long road trips, as you'd imagine they would adjust

[DamnYanks2]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Poor Alex Reyes man. His kid is battling cancer.


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[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

If you read a slider, but the ball instead breaks twice as far as what you are used to, that's going to take a hell of an adjustment to consistently hit well in the two completely different conditions. obviously it would also be the same for players visiting Coors, but you'd imagine it's a lot easier to adjust to the ball breaking less rather than more?

I guess it would be interesting to see how well Rockies players do in the first few days of road trips compared to how they hit during the later parts of long road trips, as you'd imagine they would adjust

You're assuming that every slider breaks the dame amount for every pitcher. Every pitch moves differently depending on who is throwing it.

So, no, I don't think it's much of an adjustment. I think players' offensive numbers drop because of how much space there is in the outfield at Coors compared to everywhere else but Arizona. Less room in the outfield means less room for outfielders to cover which equates to fewer hits.

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[BigOscar]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

You're assuming that every slider breaks the dame amount for every pitcher. Every pitch moves differently depending on who is throwing it.

So, no, I don't think it's much of an adjustment. I think players' offensive numbers drop because of how much space there is in the outfield at Coors compared to everywhere else but Arizona. Less room in the outfield means less room for outfielders to cover which equates to fewer hits.

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That second part is obviously true, but there is more to it that just that. If the second part was the only factor, then Rockies players would be hitting the ball solidly just as often away from home as at home, just the ball wouldn't travel as far and their BABIP would be lower due to the smaller outfield. But that isn't the case, players find it much easier to square up balls at Coors than anywhere else due to the altitudes effect on pitches (look at the statistics and most Rockies players have a hard hit ball percentage at least 5% higher at home).