Comments on The Al Central Blog: Interlude: That was quick...

@SBG: My apologies for not checking the byline. As...

2008-12-12T15:53:09.388-08:00

@SBG: My apologies for not checking the byline. As you note, it is on your site, though, so I presume you agree with the analysis.

@brianS: I don't claim not to be an internet guy, nor do I claim to be bigger than the occasional ad-hominem humor attempt. Still:

1. The difference between a replacement-level [i]player[/i] and an average [i]player[/i] better be a hell of a lot more than four runs, otherwise we're all in trouble. I also don't think it's worth trying to argue the difference between a replacement-level fielder and an average fielder, since numerous clearly above-average MLB players have virtually no value as fielders, so it's not as though you have to be above 'replacement level' in every facet of the game to have an MLB job.

2. I'm pointing out a metric that conflicts with ubelmann's. If you want to make the point that Young is a crappy defensive outfielder, so much so that he's 'below replacement level', you should at least be aware of the metrics that don't support your argument. In that light, I do point out the Dewan plus/minus that supports ubelmann's argument, while also observing that nearly all of that has been put on his record this season and that taking a longer view suggests that there are other, far worse defensive outfielders even by that metric.

3. Where did I say that ubelmann or SBG argued that Gomez's ceiling is higher than Young's? Reading into an argument works both ways.

It is true, by the way, that anybody who thinks Gomez has a higher ceiling than Young is an idiot. The question is whether or not Young will achieve anything close to that ceiling. My point is that, even if he doesn't, he's still likely to be more valuable than Gomez in their respective careers, and I think that's pretty plain from the essay.

4. If ubelmann's point was that Gross would have been better for the Twins than Young in 2008, then duh -- it's easy to make that point in hindsight. It's also pretty clearly the case that 'long term' in this comparison goes out about as far as next season.

5. Thanks for the traffic.

--
David W.

INteresting. I was unaware that SBG was a drunk an...

2008-12-12T11:11:19.576-08:00

INteresting.

I was unaware that SBG was a drunk analyst. Or ubelmann, for that matter.

I was also unaware of your status as not an internet guy. That surely raises your credentials in my eyes.

Now that the counter ad hominems are out of the way,

1. What, in your view, is the difference between an "average" fielder and a "replacement-level" fielder? How is this a meaningful criticism of ubelmann's analysis? Are teams in the habit of carrying bench players who can't field a lick for the purpose of using them as defensive replacements??

2. You are accusing ubelmann of cherry-picking metrics, then you go to comparing _elmon's defensive win shares to DSPAN2's win shares to demonstrate that _elmon's season was not worse than Carlos Gomez's? You confuse me. [and you ARE aware that Delmon played 1324 OF innings compared to 802 for Span last year, right??]

3. err, where did ubelmann talk about Gomez's ceiling? Not in this post.

4. Gabe Gross is ubelmann's long-term plan? Did you even read the article?

kisses

The article appears at my site, but I didn't write...

2008-12-12T09:49:45.097-08:00

The article appears at my site, but I didn't write it. Check the byline.