Other Chicago & General Sports Thread LX: Wild Card

[Crow]

With the humidor, it's not as much easier as it is different. You're seeing a lot of fastballs and breaking balls don't break as much. I don't think there's as much aid to elite hitters as there is to middling guys who just pound fastballs. The elite guys, like Arenado, would be elite anywhere.

I wish there were more data on it, but it's seemed like in the past elite hitters have evened out when they left Coors as their home park. They're able to adjust more to breaking stuff because they see it more often.

Supposedly the humidor has made a huge difference in numbers. I haven’t personally pored over numbers.

However, with the guys I mentioned, their splits every year still indicate a competitive advantage.

That said I haven’t looked at javy’s splits each year. Wrigley field is at least thought of as a nice hitters park.

 

[piteus]

Supposedly the humidor has made a huge difference in numbers. I haven’t personally pored over numbers.

However, with the guys I mentioned, their splits every year still indicate a competitive advantage.

That said I haven’t looked at javy’s splits each year. Wrigley field is at least thought of as a nice hitters park.

Wrigley is a great hitters park when the wind is blowing out. It's really dependent on the weather ... moreso than most stadiums. Some of the newer stadiums like Baltimore, Cincy, or Houston are far more hitter friendly.

 

[Crow]

Nolan Arenado is a .980 OPS hitter at home. .789 away.

Trevor Story this year is .805 OPS at home vs .723 away.

Charlie Blackmon last year 1.239 home OPS vs .784 away.

 

[Illinihockey]

Players tend to hit better at home than on the road but the Blackmon split is ridiculous.

 

[Crow]

Players tend to hit better at home than on the road but the Blackmon split is ridiculous.

Arenado’s is fairly ridiculous too. He goes from a little above average to among the best hitters in baseball. That’s over 850 games too so it’s not some fluke.

Actually story’s are even more of a disparity. Over 200 OPS difference in his short career

 

[MurrayBannerman]

Matt Holiday's 5 years in Coors vs his subsequent 5 years out of Coors

Home - .450 wOBA/158 wRC+
Away - .348 wOBA/108 wRC+

Home - .403 wOBA/157 wRC+
Away - .375 wOBA/134 wRC+

This isn't a perfect theory and it's hard to test, but I don't think it's fair to apply that thinking to elite hitters. They're conditioned to see more fastballs and flat breaking balls. When they go away from home, that adjustment becomes more pronounced. So, yea, you get a bit of beef at home, but you also have to see things differently on the road. The problem is identifying who the elite hitter is and who's the guy just feasting on the fastballs.

At the end of the day, there are a bunch of park adjusted stats that still have Arenado as a top 25 hitter. So, even if you reject this hypothesis, he's still fantastic at the plate and fantastic in the field.

 

[BK]

I have no idea how, but I've yet to break a bat this year.

I was just making shit contact.

 

[Easy E]

Nolan Arenado is a .980 OPS hitter at home. .789 away.

Trevor Story this year is .805 OPS at home vs .723 away.

Charlie Blackmon last year 1.239 home OPS vs .784 away.

Great stats. Never looked these up. Pretty crazy.

 

[RayP]

Charlie Blackmon last year 1.239 home OPS vs .784 away.

That is just incredible.

 

[RayP]

Morrow was just ruled out for the remainder of 2018.


f***.

 

[Easy E]

Morrow was just ruled out for the remainder of 2018.


****.

Not ideal at all .

 

[RayP]

Not ideal at all .

I was really banking on him being back for the post season. This is tough news.

At least the Brewers are losing....

 

[Easy E]

Are the bats back in town?


Oooooooooooooo weeeee

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

I can’t believe Rizzo has 95 RBIs this year.

 

[Easy E]

I can’t believe Rizzo has 95 RBIs this year.

.277 avg .840 ops after almost nothing for first 20 games

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

.277 avg .840 ops after almost nothing for first 20 games

I remember seeing that he turned around his hitting stats, but didn’t realize the RBIs were up there as well. Great recovery from him after that turrrible start.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

Feel like the Cubs have been hitting really poorly against poor pitching lately (while hitting well against aces, which makes total sense lol), so nice to see them tee off on a scrub for once.

 

[Easy E]

Feel like the Cubs have been hitting really poorly against poor pitching lately (while hitting well against aces, which makes total sense lol), so nice to see them tee off on a scrub for once.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while lol

Nah, it was just a really long, painful slump and the no days off really didn't help .

 

[HeisenBaez]

Not ideal at all .

Just got to get Strop healthy.

 

[piteus]

This has been one of Maddon's better managing jobs. So many injuries this year including Darvish, Chatwood, Morrow, Bryant, Russell, Heyward, Strop, Edwards, Schwarber, etc. The Cubs are still leading the NL.

Justin Wilson and Strop's health will be the key to the Cubs post season run. Edwards has to get his head straightened out.

 

[RayP]

Cubs-Brewers-Cards top 3 in the entire NL.


Wasn’t someone saying recently the Cubs were in a weak division this year?

 

[ObeyPerry]

Just got to get Strop healthy.

How come Maddon did not have Strop just go into the batters box and take 3 strikes? Cubs already had a 1 run lead. There was only one out when Strop went in there so they still would have had one more chance to get the runners in.

 

[piteus]

How come Maddon did not have Strop just go into the batters box and take 3 strikes? Cubs already had a 1 run lead. There was only one out when Strop went in there so they still would have had one more chance to get the runners in.

These are professional athletes. It was only a 1 run lead and Strop is not a China doll. The ability to run 90 feet shouldn't be hard for any professional athlete.

 

[Easy E]

These are professional athletes. It was only a 1 run lead and Strop is not a China doll. The ability to run 90 feet shouldn't be hard for any professional athlete.

This is exactly what I was thinking about this morning .

He has been playing almost all of his life. Things happen

 

[Illinihockey]

These are professional athletes. It was only a 1 run lead and Strop is not a China doll. The ability to run 90 feet shouldn't be hard for any professional athlete.

Right, no one plays and no one manages anticipating an injury