tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post1856007704500832660..comments2023-09-22T02:55:15.848-07:00Comments on Victoria HarbourCats Baseball Blog: Sunny Saturday loss leaves questions unansweredUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-45313859790612637292014-07-15T12:45:42.223-07:002014-07-15T12:45:42.223-07:00Thanks very much for your follow-up comments, Anon...Thanks very much for your follow-up comments, Anonymous. Those are very well thought out points. I agree that speed can help you in ways that are not always measurable (or at least easily measured) with statistics. We don't mean to pick on Wyler because we think he's a very good player. We're lucky to have so many great offensive players -- otherwise we wouldn't even be having this discussion!Gushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15961930177781793610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-50823288516420877422014-07-15T11:49:53.870-07:002014-07-15T11:49:53.870-07:00Thanks Gus. To clarify, I'm not advocating tha...Thanks Gus. To clarify, I'm not advocating that Smith should be lead-off, but rather I can see the rationale for utilizing him as such on occasion. I respect the power of numbers, but I think they have shortcomings. I fully agree that on-base percentage is key to an effective lead-off hitter, but there are ways you can get on base as a speedy and smart base runner without statistically being “on base" (ie. fielder’s choice or errors resulting from the pressure a fast player puts on the infield by running well). A fast lead-off hitter can wreak havoc on their opponent which can also add to their effectiveness. A base-stealing threat, for example, can cause pitchers to rush, or make catchers a little jumpy, or force middle infielders to rely on their peripheral vision—all of which can lead to mistakes. Different philosophies I suppose and maybe we will just have to agree to disagree on this one :)<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-10639437281206200392014-07-15T10:13:40.443-07:002014-07-15T10:13:40.443-07:00Thanks for commenting, Anonymous. I'll let Bub...Thanks for commenting, Anonymous. I'll let Bubba respond to your initial query, but I'd like to respond to your comment that Smith should be lead off because he leads the team in stolen bases. The only job requirement for a leadoff hitter is that he needs to get on base -- using any means necessary. Back in the 1980's, we use to think that the leadoff hitter needed to be speedy, but that belief was debunked by sabremetrics decades ago. Smith is a singles hitter with speed and a low OBP. Where should he bat when he is in the starting lineup (in a DH league)? Ninth -- exactly where he batted last night.Gushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15961930177781793610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-58907575314224708322014-07-15T10:00:36.552-07:002014-07-15T10:00:36.552-07:00I'm curious about your comment that Wyler Smit...I'm curious about your comment that Wyler Smith "seems to have inherited the lead-off spot..." Over the last 10 games Smith has been lead-off batter only 4 times while Andreychuk has been lead-off 6 times. Of those 4 starts as lead-off, only two have been while Andreychuk is also in the lineup. Seems to me that Andreychuk is the go to guy as lead-off, and rightfully so with his OBP. That said, Smith also leads the team with 12 stolen bases, so why wouldn't you want to utilize a player like that as lead-off?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-55894685185754503672014-07-14T19:44:37.887-07:002014-07-14T19:44:37.887-07:00I concur with all your thoughts. I, for one, hope...I concur with all your thoughts. I, for one, hope to see a shake up on the bench ASAP. There is so much talent in the dugout and these amazing D1 players are not only riding the pine, they are also getting absolutely no coaching and no practice. Why on earth would any coach send a player up yo Victoria for that??? The coaches at home will have a harder job when these excellent players return to school having wasted their summer away. Shameful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-91543639369025205782014-07-14T16:45:45.345-07:002014-07-14T16:45:45.345-07:00Yikes, I didn't realize that Ryan is starting ...Yikes, I didn't realize that Ryan is starting on Tuesday. Perhaps Watkins, Stowell and Delgado will be shouldering the bullpen load. We shouldn't be seeing Peabody in key late-inning situation until he sorts out his control issues (25 BB in 24 IP)... but then again, anything is possible with the HarbourCats. The second half of the season could be bleak -- we only have three games remaining against Kitsap and none against Kelowna. Sigh.Gushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15961930177781793610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-78971522420423845002014-07-14T15:58:13.700-07:002014-07-14T15:58:13.700-07:00All also add a concern here that with the loss of ...All also add a concern here that with the loss of Sullivan (probably not coming back), McAdams, Feldman and now Garcia, the bullpen might get spread a bit thin as it did last season near the end of the year. Keller still does not look 100%, as you noted Torres-Costa won't likley be asked to shoulder a heavy load, so it should be interesting to see how Jackson and Miller use whose left, especially since they are giving Ryan a start Tuesday...maybe more reliance on Marinch and Peabody out of pen....plus Delgado?Christian J. Stewart - ISNhttp://christianjstewart.zenfolio.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-56460098718459862572014-07-14T12:44:19.546-07:002014-07-14T12:44:19.546-07:00Thanks for your comments, Annie and Christian.
N...Thanks for your comments, Annie and Christian. <br /><br />Nelson is an interesting case... for some reason he has struggled to find the plate with the HarbourCats. While he only walked 2.4 batters per nine innings for the University of Kentucky this spring, that figure has ballooned to a shocking 6.8 walks per nine innings. Hey, I thought guys from the SEC were supposed to walk on water. ;-)Gushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15961930177781793610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-34137697043696109932014-07-13T12:32:07.309-07:002014-07-13T12:32:07.309-07:00All good points, but in minor defence of a couple,...All good points, but in minor defence of a couple, Andreychuk was observed with an ice pack on his thumb when he sat in Game 1 of the Rogues series and perhaps aggravated something when he played in Game 2 that forced his sitting in Game 3. Smith, after going 0-7 in that game in Yakima, has had 5 hits in the past 4 games, albeit not all that productive....but at least he is getting on. Norris-Jones was visibly upset Sunday once being told he was out, literally as he was beginning to warm up down in the bullpen, so it will be interesting to see what happens there. Preston Ryan did mention to me prior to game Sunday he was now available to pitch an inning. Agree that Collier needs to be used more, or at least given a regular chance to see what he can do day to day. I will also ask another question...what's up with Andrew Nelson? I thought he was supposed to be our number one guy, but his outings seem worse each time out. Not a good sign.Christian J. Stewart - ISNhttp://www.christianjstewart.zenfolio.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-54055093881369523472014-07-13T12:21:07.865-07:002014-07-13T12:21:07.865-07:00Having 7 outfielders is a little excessive in my o...Having 7 outfielders is a little excessive in my opinion, and when winning is the name of the game, you have to play your best players. But I agree, Wyler Smith does not deserve to be the everyday left fielder. Annienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5323076786048234374.post-82970235314737553302014-07-13T10:20:10.047-07:002014-07-13T10:20:10.047-07:00This is the second consecutive disappointing seaso...This is the second consecutive disappointing season for the HarbourCats. The 2013 version of the team went 22-32 in spite of having more talent than the 2013 Medford Rogues -- a team that was also in their inaugural season but managed to make the playoffs anyway. The buck has to stop at the top -- Miller and Jackson are the only constants between this year and last.<br /><br />I’m going to acknowledge the elephant in the room and ask the hard question that needs to be asked: Have Miller and Jackson lost the room? If the answer is yes then changes need to be made. Unfortunately, only 24 games remain in the season and it appears that we are already out of the playoff race. My guess is that the organization looks the other way and makes excuses for two bad seasons in a row. But Victoria is a fickle town that will not support perennial losers (see Cougars, Victoria), so the future financial success of this franchise is not assured. Will they have the intestinal fortitude to act? We’ll see...Gushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15961930177781793610noreply@blogger.com