SB Nation - Jeff Mathis

Angels Yankees ALCS Game 6 Lineups Remain the Same?

Rev Halofan — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:04:36 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

about 1 month ago: Los Angeles Angels' Joe Saunders, scheduled starter for Game 6 of the American League Championship baseball series against the New York Yankees, walks back to the dugout after the game was postponed because of rain Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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These lineups for the Angels and Yankees were posted before Saturday's postponement and there is no reason to think they will change for Sunday... What do you think of them? There was talk that Figgins would be demoted to batting 9th, but lo and behold, he remains atop the lineup and the hot bat of Banjo Mathis stays in the mix as well.

Angels
Chone Figgins, 3B
Bobby Abreu, RF
Torii Hunter, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Kendry Morales, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Juan Rivera, LF
Jeff Mathis, C
Erick Aybar, SS

Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Johnny Damon, LF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Jorge Posada, C
Hideki Matsui, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Melky Cabrera, CF

Joe Saunders (LHP) @ Andy Pettitte (LHP)

What do you think of these batting orders?

Hit Balls and Spitballs: Tuesday Halolinks

WiHaloFan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:16:35 -0000

"Dammit, this ball is dirty."

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Jeff Mathis helps resurrect the Angels -- latimes.com
"That was a heck of a ballgame this afternoon," said Scioscia, master strategist and king of the understatement.

Angels win in the 11th inning to get back in the series - OCRegister.com
After losing the first two games of the best-of-seven series in demoralizing fashion, the Angels now have a chance to even the series with another win in Game 4 Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.

Scioscia, Mathis propel warmer Angels to critical Game 3 win - CBSSports.com Baseball
Three games, 33 total innings, 11 home runs, just the fourth ALCS ever in which two of the games have gone extra innings, each pitch more tension-filled than the last. "You feel like throwing up," Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said. "Then you feel like eating. Then you feel like throwing up. Then you feel like eating."

Kazmir gets chance to prove worth - angelsbaseball.com
"I'm excited," Kazmir said. "Very excited. I'm up for the challenge. I don't put any extra pressure on myself. I just go out there and pitch my game. With this team, the Yankees, they're a very high-powered offense, so you just have to attack the strike zone. I'm not going to try to do anything extra, just pitch my game."

Team Reports - CBSSports.com
The Angels and Yankees combined to hit six home runs in Game 3, tying the ALCS record for home runs in a game (one short of the major league record). The Yankees had not given up a home run in their first five postseason games this season until Kendrick went deep in the fifth inning Monday.

Video highlights from yesterday's game:

Jeter leads off the game with a homer - MLB.com
Derek Jeter sends the third pitch of the game over the left-field wall to give the Yankees a quick lead in the first inning

A-Rod leads off the fourth with a homer - MLB.com
Alex Rodriguez crushes a solo homer to left field to make the score 2-0

Vlad's homer in the sixth ties the game - MLB.com
Vladimir Guerrero smacks a two-run homer to left field, tying the game in the sixth inning

TV, radio call Abreu's baserunning gaffe - MLB.com
Television and radio broadcasters call Bobby Abreu's baserunning blunder and Derek Jeter's quick reaction in the eighth inning

Ump punches Posada out on second strike - MLB.com
Home-plate umpire mistakenly punches out Jorge Posada on the second strike

TV, radio call Mathis' walk-off double - MLB.com
TV and radio broadcasters make the call on Jeff Mathis' walk-off double in the 11th inning that delivered the Halos the Game 3 win

Redemption Day - Angels Unplugged - Los Angeles Times
But most of all, this 5-4, 11-inning mini-classic was redemption for an Angels team that was so much better than it appeared in the first two games of this series. In Game 3, you saw many of the reasons Mike Scioscia's guys won 97 games in the regular season and why some of their strengths figured to eventually show up against the Yankees.

Angels Revive Bats and Thunderstix - NYTimes.com
"Obviously, it’s the biggest hit in my life," said Mathis, who hit .211 this season but earned the trust of Manager Mike Scioscia for his outstanding defensive work and handling of the pitching staff. "To come through, and for Howie to have the at-bat he did right there and get on base and put one in the game and score to win the game, it’s a pretty good feeling."

Video Central - FOX Sports on MSN
Rosenthal analyzes Angels win

Joe Girardi's 'manic managing' costs New York Yankees in Game 3 - Ben Reiter - SI.com
Girardi made so many questionable and unconventional decisions during Game 3 of this ALCS, and meddled with his talented club so much, that he had to know that if his Yankees somehow lost the game that he'd be lambasted by New York media and fans who don't exactly react well when unconventionality leads to failure. The Yankees lost the game, 5-4, on an RBI double by Angels catcher Jeff Mathis with two outs in the bottom of the 11th. Let the lambasting start.

ALCS Coverage: Scioscia’s Blunder - FanGraphs Baseball
Saturday night, 8th inning, 2-2, runners at 1st and 2nd, 1 out. The LI for this situation was 3.72. This was a critical juncture of the game, as the Angels needed to simply get a base hit to take the lead, and could give themselves a good chance of winning with an extra base hit that scored both runners. Staring at that opportunity, Mike Scioscia sent Gary Matthews Jr to the plate to hit for Mike Napoli. Matthews, owner of a .315 wOBA in his three seasons as an Angel, pinch-hit for Napoli, who has a career .364 wOBA. With the game on the line.

Angels prove Joe Buck wrong despite Jeter's early strike -- latimes.com
Tim McCarver, while praising the job Angels General Manager Tony Reagins has done, first called him Tom. Having heard from more than a few Angels viewers who think Fox is being too New York-centric, it doesn't help when the analyst seems to not know the name of the Angels' GM.

As a TV Market, Los Angeles Is Staggering in the Baseball Playoffs - NYTimes.com
But the story is that the Los Angeles market is being drubbed by New York and Philadelphia. Maybe it’s the old time-zone thing that limits viewership in the West Coast because what starts at 8 o’clock in New York begins at 5 in Santa Monica. Perhaps Angelenos have more amusing diversions. Maybe it’s the cold and the rain in the East keeping fans inside. Or maybe old baseball cities like New York, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia tend to support their teams in greater numbers.

Citing Adenhart case, police promise to swarm Angels Stadium in drunk driving crackdown - Los Angeles Times
Orange County authorities are warning baseball fans against drinking and driving after the Angels' playoff game today and said law enforcement officers will be swarming the area around Angel Stadium looking for violators.

Was Mariano Rivera Throwing a Spitball? - nbcsports.com
Call me crazy, but it appears to me like Rivera looks up to see if anyone is watching, then looks down and spits right on the ball. Is that the secret to his cutter? Anyone have an alternate explanation as to what is going on?

October 20 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 20.
2002 - Twenty-year old Venezuelan righthander Francisco Rodriguez becomes the youngest pitcher ever to win a World Series game. With just 15 days of major league experience, "K-Rod" throws 37 pitches retiring nine consecutive batters in three innings to pick up the victory as the Anaheim Angels outslug the Giants in Game Two, 11 - 10. Tim Salmon goes 4 - 4 with two home runs and four RBI, while Reggie Sanders, David Bell, Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds homered for San Francisco.
1931 - Mickey Mantle, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1995) "The Mick" would have been 78 years-old today.

Poll

Which manager has made more mistakes in the ALCS?

Mike Scioscia

231 votes

Joe Girardi

571 votes

802 votes | Poll has closed

Jeff Mathis Walk Off Double Beats Yankees in Extra Innings

Rev Halofan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:36:57 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Howie Kendrick (47) celebrates with Erick Aybar (2) after scoring the game-winning run on a double by Jeff Mathis during the 11th inning of Game 3 of the American League Championship baseball series against the New York Yankees Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, in Anaheim, Calif. The Angels won 5-4. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Final Score in 11 Innings in Los Angeles of Anaheim: Angels 5, Yankees 4

A four hour plus game of extended action and intrigue ended on a booming hit and an even quicker exit from the national broadcasters terrified of interviewing players they know nothing about. Despite being the most dramatic postseason moment yet, FOX coverage of the game quickly split because Derek Jeter's jock did not need washing.

A grueling battle of men left on base, baserunning miscues, and lost opportunities, solo power shots and clutch hits was not wasted this time. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim got a 2-out walk-off double in extra innings by their late-inning substitute catcher to drive in their platooning 2Bman who was sent to the minors mid-season.

In postgame comments, Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said he could not stretch out über-closer Mariano Rivera more than one inning and than stupidly replaced a no-name reliever (Hummerson? Roberta Smith? Fox broadcasters were so excited to go to a commercial for more money to send Rupert Murdoch's way that they barely discussed anything but the genius of the Yankee manager) in the 11th with 2 outs for Alfredo Aceves. He gave up a base hit to Howie Kendrick. that left Howie a double shy of the cycle and Jeff Mathis complied with booming walk-off double to the base of Left Field wall.

There were many moments in the game where the Angels tried to hand the Yankees the game. Call it a tightrope, call it fate, the Mathis double saved many many goats in red from being forever remembered a braying in the hay field. Kevin Jepsen let the Yankees tie the game with a solo HR to Jorge Posada on a pitch that the average little leaguer would have hit over the centerfield wall. Bobby Abreu turned a leadoff double turn into a leadoff out as he was picked off trying ot get back to 2nd after deciding not to stretch it into a triple. Even worse than the out it caused, it allowed Fox to slobber love drool over Jeter for a routine pick-off - in fact Melky Cabrera's great fielding was ignored in order for Fox to lovingly chew Jeter's sack once again.

All of the Yankee runs were solo homers. But no way this overpaid lineup invests in better living thru chemistry. No way, you can bet the Brooklyn bridge you just bought from Tooth Fairy Realty on it.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Jeff Mathis

618 votes

Howie Kendrick

227 votes

Daren Oliver

19 votes

864 votes | Poll has closed

Sloppy Angels Drop One to Yankees: Saturday Halolinks

WiHaloFan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:55:06 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

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Angels get off to a sloppy start -- latimes.com
Mike Scioscia is constantly stressing the importance of "bringing our game onto the field." The Angels brought something onto the Yankee Stadium field Friday night . . . and whatever it was, they had to call in a Hazmat team to clean it up.

Mistake-riddled Los Angeles Angels fall flat in ALCS opener - ESPN
Fresh off sweeping the Red Sox in the Division Series, the Angels opened the ALCS as if they were fresh off a long winter of golf and scuba diving. Los Angeles had nearly as many errors (three) as hits (four), walked five batters, hit another, threw a wild pitch and trailed almost the entire nine innings of a 4-1 loss to the Yankees.

Yankees 4, Angels 1 - Small Ball and a Big Lefty Lift Yankees - NYTimes.com
There were no base-running high jinks by the Angels, no first-to-third dashes, no daring leads, no stolen bases. Sabathia kept the Angels stuck in their tracks for eight innings of a 4-1 Yankees victory, allowing four hits and striking out seven with a walk. He was an island of cool that had nothing to do with the 45-degree weather.

Boxscore - Angels/Yankees - Sporting News

Hour by Hour Weather Forecast for Yankee Stadium - weather.com
Hour by Hour Weather Forecast for Yankee Stadium, New York, including weather conditions, precipitation, dew point, humidity, wind sunrise and sunset.

Team Reports - CBSSports.com
There is a 90-percent chance of rain on Saturday, raising the possibility that Game 2 will have to be postponed. One possibility would be to play on Sunday in New York, turn Monday into a travel day (rather than Game 3 in Anaheim) and play the next three days at Angel Stadium. Wednesday is currently scheduled as an off day between Games 4 and 5.

Angels need to play their game -- latimes.com
The Angels have played four postseason games. Figgins has gone 0-for-4 in every one. "We've got to get Figgy on," Hunter said. "If we don't, we're in trouble."

Angels need Figgins to find his stroke - angelsbaseball.com
"It doesn't help," Figgins said of his slump. "I personally love trying to get on base and create havoc. Like I said, I'm staying positive. Having good at-bats is what I can do, but I'd like to see some results before this ends."

Video highlights from last night's game:

TV, radio calls for Angels' dropped popup - MLB.com
Television and radio broadcasters make the call for Hideki Matsui's dropped popup in the first inning

Vlad hits a double that misses by inches - MLB.com
Vladimir Guerrero hits a double that just misses being a home run

A-Rod out at home - MLB.com
After running through the third-base coach's stop sign, Alex Rodriguez is called out at the plate as he collides with Jeff Mathis

What We Learned: Halos give Yankees some help - Bill Eichenberger - Sporting News
Three things we learned from Friday's 4-1 victory by the New York Yankees over the Los Angeles Angels in Game 1 of the ALCS:

A-Rod takes blame for blowing through stop sign, being called out at home
Rodriguez admitted he blundered, saying, "Once I saw the 'go,' I put my head down. It's my mistake." He added that he was "OK," after the collision and said he did not purposely try to lead with his less-vulnerable left side. "No, once I screwed up, I figured my only shot to be safe was to run him over," Rodriguez said.

Angels face cold hard facts - Yahoo! Sports
The Angels had no objections to A-Rod’s conduct. "It’s October, man," Lackey said. "I mean, I’d run over my mom in October." Now that’s cold.

Yankees rise above pressure, conquer Angels in Game 1 - Ben Reiter - SI.com
Why, Hunter was asked, did the Angels' uncharacteristic breakdown happen, on this stage, against these Yankees? "I have no idea at all," he said. "The cold has nothing to do with it. Maybe it was loud. Fig was saying, 'Aybar, Aybar, you got it,' and Aybar heard something else. For me, it was just a bad hop. That's baseball."

The Top 10 Reasons Why the Angels Will Bomb the Yankees - Bleacher Report
1. The Angels are the better team. Yes, the Yankees probably have the better talent. They certainly have the most expensive talent. But the Angels play as well as a unit as any team in baseball.

Bungling Halos don't respond well to New York's big chill - CBSSports.com
Some baseball players are so soft they make golfers look like Marines. The Angels though took the cake on softness. Jeez, tighten up those sports bras, fellas. It was 45 degrees at first pitch, not minus 45. The ALCS isn't being played on Soldier Field in January. This isn't the Iditarod.

Angels defense better in perception than reality - FOX Sports on MSN
The Angels carry the big "fundamentally sound" rep, but the perception of their defense, at least this season, does not match the reality.

Those guys look familiar - Angels blog - OCRegister.com
Escobar said his shoulder feels healthy now "it’s just the endurance" that is a problem. "When I throw hard, I still feel a little pinch in there and it gets irritated and it takes longer to recover," he said. Escobar’s contract expires after this season and he is eligible for free agency. He said he "definitely" believes he will be able to pitch somewhere next season and he hopes it is with the Angels.

Fans Find Ways to Show Loyalties and Battle Elements - NYTimes.com
For the handful of Angels fans sprinkled throughout the stands, keeping warm was just one challenge. Yankees fans serenaded Hiraiwa and his friend Ross Roshandel, another Californian, from the moment they arrived at the Stadium. Some of the comments were good-natured, but plenty included four-letter embellishments. At their seats in Section 414, they were on their own, cold and lonely. "I knew that coming in this would happen, but I have to cheer for my team," said Hiraiwa, who said he bought his ticket on StubHub for $200, about twice what he would have paid for an equivalent seat in Anaheim.

An Extension For Abreu? - FanGraphs Baseball
According to Jon Heyman, the Angels have offered a two year contract extension for Bobby Abreu worth $8 million a season. Adding Abreu has been one of the things that has pushed the Angels offense forward this year, and they’d understandably like to keep his bat around for the next couple of years. Is a 2 year, $16 million offer fair for both sides?

Blogging the Series - USATODAY.com
Angels: Chuck Richter, Angels win (http://AngelsWin.com)
Age: 39
Hails from: Southern California (Born in Redondo Beach, CA, lived in Riverside for years growing up & purchased our first house in Mission Viejo, CA. Currently living in the Northwest on a river, working in Seattle)

I thought the correct phrase was "Living in a van, down by the river". Anyway, Chuck continues his blogging on USA Today.

Dodgers rally to beat Phillies in NLCS Game 2 - nbcsports.msnbc.com
Andre Ethier drew a bases-loaded, two-out walk from rookie J.A. Happ, capping the Dodgers’ third comeback win of this postseason.

The other L.A. team evened their series at a game apiece.

October 17 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 17.

Poll

What surprised you the most about the Angels performance in Game One?

Their sloppy defense

396 votes

Their lack of hitting

70 votes

Nothing

57 votes

523 votes | Poll has closed

CC Sabathia: Good Deal! Yanks win ALCS opener 4-1, work cold to their favor

CrazyYankeeChick — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:29:19 -0000

Man, it's cold out. When I started this whole watching-the-Yankees-bat-from-outside ritual, it was a 65 degree situation. But right now, my digits are creamsicles as I'm typing this. So when I think of the fact CC Sabathia went 8 innings and let up 1 run, I'm more in awe of him, his fat, and this team than ever.

The Yankees beat the Angels 4-1 tonight, thanks to Porky's 7K gem, unrelenting bats against John Lackey, and 3 errors--THREE--from a team that hasn't logged an error since the Cowboys dynasty.

I don't why it feels like Maine in January when it's not even freezing temperature. But it is. Maybe Jorge Posada's right. Maybe it IS "Yankee weather."

Ghosts and unseasonably chilly temperature. Yankee Stadium's answers to all things inexplicable. You can't discount the 10 hits and flat-out absurd defensive that came from a determined New York squad. But on the other hand...there's Torii Hunter letting a single get by him which allowed Derek Jeter to score in the 6th, a throwing error from Lackey, a do-you-have-ir-ok-got-it-wait-what? pop-up blooper between Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar...and that was just on defense.

CC held the slugging monsters from LA to only 4 hits and 1 walk...and zero stolen bases. For all the rampant concern about how in the world the Yankees were ever going to manage the team who's speed can break the sound barrier...there wasn't even so much as an attempt.

The Yanks took an early 2-0 lead with Alex Rodriguez's (who else) sac fly that scored Jeter, and an infield single from Hideki that plated Johnny Damon.

Hideki can thank the 400 pounds of sweatshirt coating Aybar's ears, who couldn't make heads or tails of the whole calling the pop-up thing. Bundled up in so much insulation that I wouldn't be surprised if they all had Pink Panther padding in there, the Angels played like an old school Nintendo baseball game where no player can run in a straight line, and no matter how angrily you bang on the control pad, the player won't move beneath the ball to catch a routine pop up.

This same play engendered ridiculous blown call #3,801 of the playoffs, when A-Rod darted home only to find Jeff Mathis patiently waiting for him with the ball. HOWEVAH, no tag was ever successfully made as A-Rod barrelled over him and touched home. I've been saying for the past week that all these bad calls work both ways, and that it all evens out in the end.

(But there's no reasoning with someone people, as my Mets fan buddy argued that not only does this not come close to making up for the Mauer call--yup, he's still on that--but he also insinuated that the errors weren't entirely accidental. This is what I'm up against.)

Vladimir Guerrero, who ranks 3rd in my Favorite Players Who Aren't Yankees list,' doubled in the 4th, and after Juan Rivera's groundout advanced him to third, Kendry Morales brought him home with a single to left center. Such would be the first and last time an Angel got to see homeplate.

CC never faltered, only going to 3 balls only twice. Thanks to this lights-out dominance when they absolutely needed it the most, the Yankees bullpen is as fresh as ever, with Mariano Rivera serving as the only reliever to enter the game. Anaheim's bullpen, on the other hand, threw a combined 52 pitches over 2 IP of work....35 more than Mo did in a little less than the same amount of time.

Overall another paragon of an outing from the New York Yankees. The ONLY drawbacks of the night:

Someone tried to launch a Joba-as-starter symposium while I was outside. Last thing I heard was "he has 4 pitches!" before he deemed it too cold to argue and retreated indoors.
11 runners left on base.
3-for-12 with RISP. I'm okay with this, though, since I don't think everyone needs to play 100 percent every game. Just enough percent to win.

I can't say enough about the defense that backed Tubbo up. After Nick Swisher met quota for the requisite "where-is-your-head?!" move in the outfield, it was nothing but remarkably fluid efforts that saved more than a few runs. "Ok, CC. You scratch our back, we'll ~~scratch yours~~ buy you a cheesesteak."

And no one is happier about this win than Brian Cashman, who tonight saw his off-season Christmas shopping for the Big Boss excel in spades. Mark Teixeira's defense on 1st was mind-blowing, to say the least. When his old pal (and #2 on the aforementioned list) tried to run out a single in the 6th, Tex lunged for the toss to 1st and ended up in a move that looked like he belonged at the top of a pyramid in the National Cheerleading Championships.

The Yanks played smart tonight. They kept it simple, and deserve to win for how patiently and evenly they played this one out. You don't need to look any further than their opponents to see what a frantic, jumpy, uncomfortable, and overanxious team looks like.

And the Angels don't need to look any further than their opponents to see what greatness looks like.

-CYC

2009 Catcher Defense: Filling in the Holes (yet again)

devil_fingers — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:17:43 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

That Minnesota pretty boy might be in the playoffs, but he's go nuthin on One Man, Five Tools.

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Even if you aren't a FanGraphs junkie like myself and so many others, if you spend any time there looking at the WAR rankings in order to, say, evaluate who should be the 2009 MVP candidates, you've undoubtedly noticed (due to Joe Mauer's incredible season) that currently, they do not have a system in place to evaluate catcher fielding. Hey, no one's perfect, and knowing Mr. Appleman and his crew, they're probably waiting until they get a system they're happy with before they implement something.

I don't make any great claim to originality here, as you will see if you read on, but for those of you who want a rough idea of how different catchers "measure up" behind the plate for your MVP arguments or to settle the eternal "I wonder just how bad a guy can be at blocking pitches," question, here is a rough attempt to evaluate every catcher's defensive 2009.

Choosing a Methodology (With Qualifications)

Before I go any further, I should make clear that for the purposes of this post that I assume that it is well-established that the differences between catchers with regard to gamecalling (as expressed in, e.g., "catcher's ERA") are negligible, and thus such issues will not be discussed in this post. When I discuss catcher defense, like most others, I will be discussing preventing stolen bases, blocking pitches, etc.

One of the difficulties with evaluating catcher defense with regard to even these issues is that, much more than with other fielding positions, the catcher's performance is dependent on another player -- namely, the pitcher. No matter now strong or weak the catcher's arm is, he can't escape the reality that he depends on the pitcher's skill with regard to holding runners, quickness to the plate, etc. While the catcher's skill with regard to blocking pitches that are off the mark is clearly important, catching Tim Wakefield poses a unique challenge (just ask Josh Bard). And so on.

For these reasons, probably the best way of measuring catcher defense is Tom Tango's WOWY (With or Without You) method of defensive evaluation as detailed the 2008 Hardball Times Annual. You can read about the details in the links provided. Versions of WOWY for catchers have also been done by Brian Cartwright and Dan Turkenkopf. I would do it that way if I could. The main issue is that 1) it's pretty complicated, and beyond my present capabilities, and 2) it requires something like Retrosheet, which isn't available until after the World Series is over, so even if I could do it, I couldn't get the numbers during the season of even now...

In lieu of that, I'm going to be doing something much simpler, which, while not quite as good, is, I think, pretty decent. Just keep in mind the qualifications about not adjusting for particular pitchers made above.

The Method Used Here

For non-WOWY catcher defense, the basic idea is to 1) choose what events you're going to deal with, 2) determine each catchers performance with respect to league average, and 3) decide the run value of each event. Like I said, this post isn't that original: very similar methods are used/suggested by Rally and chuckb. I have most closely modeled my "catcher defense metric" on the method outlined by the Amazing Justin Inaz (now a regular at Beyond the Box Score). His weights for each event seem about right to me, and the general principles are sound. One modification I've made (I'll note the other as I go along) is in the denominator of some stats. when Justin did his version, he was using THT's catcher defense stats, which only recorded catcher innings. Since then, the new Baseball Reference has come out with more detailed individual catcher defense stats, including plate appearances. While the difference isn't huge, I feel that it's more accurate to use plate appearances (batters faced) as the denominator for things like pitch blocking and errors, since while every inning (other than some ninth [or later] innings) has 3 outs, the catcher has to be out there whether there are 3 or 10 batters during those three outs. Otherwise, I'm pretty close to Justin's method, and you can read there for more details.

Stolen Bases/Caught Stealing: First, we figure out the league rate for caught stealing. One cool thing about the new Baseball Reference is that it separates out the catcher caught stealings from the pitcher pickoffs, so we can exclude the pickoffs (not under the catcher's control) from the equation. So we total the CSctch +SB to get total stolen base attempts (SBA) and then to total CSctch/total SBA for the lgCS rate. We use the weight of .63 runs for each caught stealing, which represents the average linear weight of the caught stealing (.44 runs) plus the weight of the stolen base not achieved (.19 runs). The formula for runs above/below average for each catcher is thus (CS - (lgCSrate) * SBA) * 0.63.

Wild pitches/passed balls: The league rate is (WPlg + PBlg)/lgPA. The linear weight for each passed ball/wild pitch is 0.28 runs, which we make negative since the more WP/PBs a catcher has, the worse his defense is. The formula for each player is ((WP + PB) - (lgWPPBrate * PA)) * -0.28.

Errors: Justin accounts for two kinds of errors -- throwing errors and fielding errors. Baseball Reference also includes catching errors (on throws). I've assimilated catching errors to fielding errors. There are separate linear weights for throwing errors (-0.48) and fielding errors (-0.75). The method is the same as above. Get the league rate, then see how far over/under the player is. For throwing errors: (TE - (lgTErate * PA)) * -0.48. Fielding errors: (FE - (lgFErate * PA)) * -0.75.

Then you just add them all up to get the total runs above/below average. It's not perfect, and hopefully, there will be some improved options soon, but the results do seem to reflect reality. I thought about coming up with a "rate" version like UZR/150, but that isn't as simple as prorating for innings caught/PA -- one needs to normalize each sort of event separately, the chart is confusing enough as it is. For now, this is just a value measurement of what each player did this season. But before the big chart, let's take a look at some standout performances. I've rounded to one decimal place to tone down the illusion of great precision.

Standouts and "Standouts"

Caught Stealing: Gerald Laird of the Tigers dominates here at + 11 runs. The next closest player was Johjima at +6.5 runs, then Koyie Hill at +5.4. Now, Laird had a lot more time behind the plate to accomplish that, but one wonders why teams kept trying to run on him. At the bottom of the rankings for CS runs are fan favorite A.J. Pierzynski at -4.5 runs, Yorvit Torrealbea at -5.1 runs, and blowing away the field is defensive legend and Boston Red Sox stalwart Jason Varitek, at -10.7 runs.

Pitch blocking: As for the actual "catching" part of catching, the best in baseball this season was the Phillies' Carlos Ruiz, at +5.6 runs. Jason Varitek gains some of his cred back here at +5.1 runs (I wonder what it would be if he had to catch Wakefield). The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Matt Wieters may not have quite cemented his Hall of Fame credentials, but he can block a pitch decently at +3.9 runs. The players are grouped by their performance for separate teams, so I just noticed that one of my favorites, Gregg Zaun, was +2.9 for the Orioles, and +1.4 for the Rays, which puts him at +4.3, or the real number 3. Maybe Baltimore let him go to soon -- he definite brings his Z-Game when he's blocking pitches. At the bottom of the rankings, Jorge Posada, Josh Bard, and and Rob Johnson (why did he get so much playing time?) are all tied at -3.8, Russell Martin (?!) is at -5.1 (although he saw more PA than just about any other catcher on the list). And bringing up the rear... this is going to be a shock, prepare yourself... Miguel Olivo, at -7.8. Think about that -- it's only -0.28 runs per WP/PB. Sure, he's "only" -2.7 runs worse thatn Martin, but Martin saw almost 1400 more PA than Olivo this season. This shows we're on the right track, as Brian Cartwright's WOWY study done previous to this season showed Olivo to be historically terrible at blocking the plate. Another great job of scouting by Dayton Moore and the Process Servers.

Throwing errors: Given that there's so little variance with this stat, there's probably less of a repeatable "skill" when it comes to this stuff. In other words, if we were doing a projection, there would be much more regression for TE and FE runs than others. Still, we're measuring value here, so it goes on the record. Gerald Laird leads the pack again at +1.5 runs, followed closely by Yorvit Torrealbea at +1.3 the Kurt Suzuki and Henry Blanco at +1.2 each. At the bottom, we have Rod Barajas (otherwise a good defensive catcher) at -1.6, Miguel Montero at -1.7, and sadly, my boy John Buck at -3.0. He had some really, really horrible games at the beginning of the season. At least he can move two inches to his right or left.

Fielding errors: Jason Kendall justifies his major league status with a +1.0 here, as does Russell Martin. Rod Barajas shows he's Joe Mauer's equal, as they both have +0.8. Mike Napoli is -1.6, the traitorous Paul Bako is at -2.0, and Brian McCann, who's decent at everything else, has an anomalous -3.6.

The Best and The Worst, and Others of Note: One Man, Five Tools, Indeed: Gerald Laird blows away the field at +13.3 runs. The Tigers made a conscious effort to improve their defense in the offseason, and whatever else happened, with Laird they certainly succeeded. At 0.9 WAR player without defense, with it he's about 2.2. Kenji Johjima might be overpaid, but at +8.8 runs defensively, he seems a bit less ridiculous. Dave Ross and Ryan Hanigan come in at +7.0 runs. Yadier Molina was very good, if not quite as godlike as some would think, but +6.6 runs is nothing to sneeze at, and makes him about a 4 WAR player this season. Joe Mauer's +4.3 is good, but he's not the best in baseball or the league, and that certainly doesn't make him a better MVP candidate than Zack Greinke. Matt Wieters is +2.5, so he'll probably stick at catcher, at least for a while.

Victor Martinez isn't as bad as some would say, being only -2.2 betweeen Boston and Cleveland. Jeff Mathis is a "great" defensive backup at -2.0. Or how about Jose Molina at -1.1 backing up Jorge Posada at -5.9? Giants cleanup hitter Bengie Molina is at -3.4

As for the bottom ranks... Josh Bard is at -7.3, the human swing machine, Miguel Olivo, is at -8.8, and the Living Stereotype, Mike Napoli, is at -9.7. No wonder the Angels think Mathis is a good defender.

The Big Chart

That's it. Keep in mind (along with the limitations mentioned above) that current season performance is not the same thing as true talent. I hope you will find this handy when trying to get various catchers' "real" WAR, and let others know about it. Let the arguments begin!

Rank	Player	Tm	PA	CSRuns	WP/PBRns	TERns	FERns	TotalRuns
1	Gerald Laird	DET	4842	11.0	0.6	1.5	0.2	13.3
2	Kenji Johjima	SEA	2597	6.5	0.9	0.9	0.5	8.8
3	Dave Ross	ATL	1517	4.8	1.6	0.3	0.3	7.0
4	Ryan Hanigan	CIN	2913	4.7	0.7	1.0	0.5	7.0
5	Yadier Molina	STL	5045	3.2	2.6	0.7	0.2	6.6
6	Koyie Hill	CHC	2755	5.4	0.2	0.0	0.5	6.1
7	Henry Blanco	SDP	2278	2.9	1.2	1.2	0.4	5.7
8	Carlos Ruiz	PHI	3887	-1.5	5.6	0.6	0.7	5.4
9	Raul Chavez	TOR	1818	3.6	0.5	0.0	0.3	4.4
10	Joe Mauer	MIN	4153	0.5	2.4	0.7	0.8	4.3
11	Rod Barajas	TOR	4298	2.6	2.5	-1.6	0.8	4.2
12	Brian Schneider	NYM	1976	1.6	1.2	1.0	-0.4	3.5
13	Ramon Hernandez	CIN	2069	0.6	1.7	0.6	0.4	3.3
14	Francisco Cervelli	NYY	1024	2.0	0.8	0.0	0.2	3.1
15	Lou Marson	CLE	572	1.6	1.0	-0.2	0.1	2.5
16	Eliezer Alfonzo	SDP	1128	2.2	0.3	0.6	-0.5	2.5
17	Matt Wieters	BAL	3384	-1.1	3.9	-0.2	-0.1	2.5
18	Ronny Paulino	FLA	2609	2.1	-0.4	0.4	0.5	2.5
19	Landon Powell	OAK	1205	2.8	0.5	-0.3	-0.5	2.4
20	Taylor Teagarden	TEX	2180	3.1	0.9	-1.3	-0.3	2.4
21	Omir Santos	NYM	3092	-0.7	2.8	1.1	-0.9	2.4
22	Ivan Rodriguez	HOU	3327	1.4	0.4	-0.2	0.6	2.2
23	Chris Iannetta	COL	3362	0.1	1.9	-0.7	0.6	2.0
24	Gregg Zaun	BAL	1974	0.2	2.9	-0.9	-0.4	1.8
25	Humberto Quintero	HOU	1893	2.4	0.4	-1.4	0.4	1.7
26	Corky Miller	CIN	702	0.4	0.8	0.4	0.1	1.7
27	Ramon Castro	NYM	822	1.8	0.6	0.4	-1.3	1.4
28	Mike Rivera	MIL	1227	-0.2	0.5	0.6	0.2	1.3
29	Lou Marson	PHI	245	0.7	0.4	0.1	0.0	1.2
30	Jason LaRue	STL	1139	0.0	0.9	0.1	0.2	1.2
31	Craig Tatum	CIN	749	0.5	0.6	-0.1	0.1	1.1
32	Chris Coste	PHI	925	-1.0	1.4	0.5	0.2	1.0
33	Dusty Ryan	DET	337	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.1	1.0
34	Kurt Suzuki	OAK	5222	-3.4	3.6	1.2	-0.5	0.9
35	Michel Hernandez	TBR	1140	0.1	1.1	0.1	-0.5	0.8
36	Geovany Soto	CHC	3607	2.2	-1.1	0.4	-0.8	0.7
37	Clint Sammons	ATL	135	1.0	-0.5	0.1	0.0	0.6
38	Jamie Burke	WSN	155	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.6
39	Brad Ausmus	LAD	1086	-0.1	-0.1	0.6	0.2	0.6
40	Ivan Rodriguez	TEX	961	1.4	0.1	-0.5	-0.6	0.5
41	Matt Pagnozzi	STL	40	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.5
42	Chris Gimenez	CLE	245	-0.1	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.5
43	Pablo Sandoval	SFG	113	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4
44	Buster Posey	SFG	179	0.3	-0.1	0.1	0.0	0.4
45	Dioner Navarro	TBR	4097	0.5	-0.3	0.2	0.0	0.4
46	J.R. Towles	HOU	538	-1.0	0.9	0.3	0.1	0.3
47	Wyatt Toregas	CLE	710	-0.5	0.3	0.4	0.1	0.3
48	Alex Avila	DET	709	0.4	-0.6	0.4	0.1	0.3
49	Steve Holm	SFG	101	0.5	-0.3	0.1	0.0	0.3
50	Edwin Bellorin	COL	69	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2
51	Dusty Brown	BOS	49	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.2
52	Jose Lobaton	SDP	205	0.2	0.3	-0.4	0.0	0.1
53	Jason Jaramillo	PIT	2347	0.2	0.2	-0.7	0.4	0.1
54	Jake Fox	CHC	30	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1
55	Carlos Corporan	MIL	6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
56	Ryan Budde	LAA	38	-0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
57	A.J. Ellis	LAD	119	-0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0
58	Guillermo Rodriguez	BAL	72	0.0	-0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
59	Bobby Wilson	LAA	98	-0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	-0.1
60	David Freese	STL	10	-0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	-0.1
61	Kevin Cash	NYY	297	-0.3	0.0	0.2	0.1	-0.1
62	Chris Coste	HOU	628	-1.2	0.6	0.3	0.1	-0.2
63	Adam Moore	SEA	241	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.0	-0.2
64	Corky Miller	CHW	383	-0.7	0.2	0.2	0.1	-0.2
65	Gregg Zaun	TBR	928	-1.5	1.4	0.5	-0.6	-0.2
66	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	TEX	3169	-0.5	1.6	-1.3	-0.2	-0.3
67	Wil Nieves	WSN	2538	1.4	-0.4	-1.1	-0.3	-0.3
68	John Hester	ARI	255	-0.4	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.3
69	Paul Hoover	PHI	55	-0.3	-0.1	0.0	0.0	-0.4
70	Guillermo Quiroz	SEA	161	-0.1	-0.4	0.1	0.0	-0.4
71	Dane Sardinha	DET	404	-0.5	-0.3	0.2	0.1	-0.5
72	Shawn Riggans	TBR	156	-0.3	0.1	-0.4	0.0	-0.5
73	Matt Treanor	DET	157	-0.6	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.6
74	Kevin Richardson	TEX	70	-0.3	-0.4	0.0	0.0	-0.6
75	Victor Martinez	CLE	1991	-2.7	0.7	1.0	0.4	-0.6
76	Josh Thole	NYM	551	-0.1	-0.5	-0.2	0.1	-0.6
77	Tyler Flowers	CHW	123	-0.3	-0.5	0.1	0.0	-0.7
78	Michael Barrett	TOR	174	-0.3	-0.6	0.1	0.0	-0.8
79	Luke Carlin	ARI	176	-0.9	-0.1	0.1	0.0	-0.8
80	Kyle Phillips	TOR	186	-0.2	-0.3	-0.4	0.0	-0.9
81	Jesus Flores	WSN	980	0.4	-1.2	0.5	-0.6	-0.9
82	Jose Molina	NYY	1533	-0.9	-0.9	0.3	0.3	-1.1
83	Jamie Burke	SEA	424	0.7	-0.8	0.2	-1.4	-1.3
84	Kelly Shoppach	CLE	3042	-0.7	-0.9	-0.4	0.6	-1.5
85	Victor Martinez	BOS	1173	-1.5	1.0	-1.3	0.2	-1.6
86	Ramon Castro	CHW	975	-1.8	1.0	-0.9	0.2	-1.6
87	Rob Johnson	SEA	2927	2.4	-3.8	0.5	-1.0	-1.8
88	Ryan Doumit	PIT	2754	-1.0	0.5	-0.5	-1.0	-2.0
89	Chad Moeller	BAL	1116	-3.1	0.2	0.6	0.2	-2.1
90	Jeff Mathis	LAA	2902	0.8	-1.0	-0.9	-1.0	-2.1
91	Paul Phillips	COL	502	-1.8	-0.3	-0.2	0.1	-2.3
92	Mike Redmond	MIN	1513	-4.1	0.5	0.8	0.3	-2.5
93	Robinzon Diaz	PIT	1268	-1.0	-1.6	-0.3	0.2	-2.6
94	Yorvit Torrealba	COL	2438	-5.1	0.5	1.3	0.5	-2.9
95	Brayan Pena	KCR	1012	-0.5	-3.1	0.5	0.2	-2.9
96	Brian McCann	ATL	4763	-0.7	1.8	-0.4	-3.6	-3.0
97	Chris Snyder	ARI	1962	-1.3	-3.0	1.0	0.4	-3.0
98	Eli Whiteside	SFG	1348	1.0	-2.2	-0.7	-1.2	-3.2
99	John Baker	FLA	3919	-2.6	-0.5	-0.9	0.7	-3.2
100	Paul Bako	PHI	1328	-0.7	-0.3	-0.3	-2.0	-3.3
101	Russell Martin	LAD	5205	1.5	-5.1	-0.7	1.0	-3.3
102	Bengie Molina	SFG	4582	-1.0	-2.6	0.9	-0.6	-3.4
103	Jason Varitek	BOS	4133	-10.7	5.1	0.7	0.8	-4.1
104	George Kottaras	BOS	1166	-1.8	-3.0	0.1	0.2	-4.4
105	Jason Kendall	MIL	5296	-2.9	-1.5	-1.1	1.0	-4.5
106	John Buck	KCR	1693	-2.0	-0.1	-3.0	0.3	-4.8
107	A.J. Pierzynski	CHW	4927	-4.5	-0.8	1.1	-0.6	-4.8
108	Jose Morales	MIN	812	-2.1	-1.7	-0.1	-1.3	-5.2
109	Jorge Posada	NYY	3653	-0.8	-3.8	-0.5	-0.8	-5.9
110	Miguel Montero	ARI	4094	-1.4	-3.4	-1.7	0.0	-6.5
111	Nick Hundley	SDP	2877	-3.7	-2.0	-0.9	-0.2	-6.8
112	Josh Bard	WSN	2902	-2.8	-3.8	-0.4	-0.2	-7.3
113	Miguel Olivo	KCR	3821	0.7	-7.8	-0.9	-0.8	-8.8
114	Mike Napoli	LAA	3468	-4.3	-3.1	-0.6	-1.6	-9.7

Angels Magic Number Stalled at 4

Rev Halofan — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:55:03 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

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Final Score in Anaheim: Oakland Athletics 3, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0

Angels pitcher Jered Weaver pitched great but the Halo bats took the night off.

Bobby Abreu struck out 3 times, going 0 for 4 and left 2 runners on base.

The Angels had 5 hits in the game.

Jeff Mathis was in the game for his defense so sure enough, he made a throwing error that brought in the 3rd run of the evening.

After a day off, Angels telecaster Mark Gubicza noted that missing a game might have thrown off the Angels' timing. For the past three weeks he had been lamenting the Angels dull play as a result of their not having any days-off. Nice of Gubi to change it up behind the mic. Too bad for FSN-West that most Angels fans have an i.q. beyond that of the average 9-year-old.

Too bad for Mike Scioscia too, as his attempt to hide something wrong with Mike Napoli by starting Jeff Mathis is as minimal as the framed Barnett Newman lithograph (Vir Heroicus Sublimis) hanging in the apartment the two catchers share. Something is far from heroic and sublime behind the Anaheim plate. Most Angel fans blood pressure is up to record levels as the 3-0 score tonight rings like a coming ALDS result, but in games, not runs...

Poll

Blame of the Game

Bobby Abreu

145 votes

Jeff Mathis

115 votes

260 votes | Poll has closed

John Lackey Shut Out is a Sweep Victory

Rev Halofan — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:09:38 -0000

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As we say in Texas, "¡El Numero Magica es Diez y Nueve!"

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Final Score in Anaheim: Angels 3, Mariners 0

On the heels of a complete game shutout by John Lackey, the Angels swept the Seattle Mariners and extended their division lead to 5 games over the Texas Rangers, reduced their magic number to 19 and look forward to a weekend at home with Ozzie Guillen's White Flag - err, Sox.

Tonight's highlights are short and sweet:

Lackey :CG, 0 R, 7 K, 1 BB, 5 H, 1 HBP

Torii Hunter 2-Run Homer

Howie Kendrick 3 for 3 scoring a late insurance run

Erick Aybar driving in the t3rd run of the night late with a 2-out double down the line.

Lackey told Jose Mota in the postgame interview that he did nothing special in his bullpen warm up, that his arm strength is great since a Spring training strain kept him for the first two months of the season, and that he feels great and is back to normal. With his eyes on the postseason the ace of the Angels staff said, "It's time to roll." But the postgame show made sure to run the Scioscia propaganda machine with a feature on the great Jeff Mathis calling the game. Ludicrous behavior on a night that was all Lackey.

In sweeping the Mariners the Angels only allowed runs on solo homers for the whole series. Monday saw Matt Palmer get his 10th win of the season in relief, Tuesday's victory was Jered Weaver's win was his 15th and Lackey's gem was his 10th win of 2009.

Poll

Panther of the Game

Torii Hunter

20 votes

John Lackey

362 votes

382 votes | Poll has closed

Angels Shutout By A's, 2-0

rghan — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:13:49 -0000

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This is the guy who did us in? Really?

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Final Score in Anaheim:

Oakland Athletics 2, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0

Baby-faced rookie Trevor Cahill two-hit the Halos' lineup through seven agonizing innings, yielding just a broken-bat single to Vlad Guerrero and an ineffectual double off the wall to Jeff Mathis.

The offense squandered a perfectly serviceable start from Ervin Santana, who began the game in dominant '08 form by flashing an unhittable 94-96 mph fastball. Then, with two outs in the first, he clocked A's catcher Kurt Suzuki in the ribs with said fastball, lost a little mojo,and managed to hit 94 only a few more times the rest of the evening. A solo homerun and a triple - arguably a flyball misplayed by Juan Rivera - did him in.

Things went better in the field. Torii Hunter robbed Rajai Davis of extra bases with a flying stab at the wall in the first. Kendry Morales vacuumed up a pair of wicked short hops to save a couple of errors. In the eighth, Maicer Izturis went full extension to spear a grounder up the middle and flipped the ball from his belly to a waiting Erick Aybar, who then rifled the ball across the diamond in time to record the out. Just your average 6-4-3 putout.

The Angels drop a game in the standings to Texas, who muscled past the Yanks today on 2 Ian Kinsler homeruns and now trail the Halos by a mere four games. This is going to be a dogfight.

Poll

Blame of the game

Juan Rivera

51 votes

Vlad Guerrero

46 votes

Mike Napoli

8 votes

Bobby Abreu

43 votes

148 votes | Poll has closed

Ervin Santana Completes a Gem, Angels Win 6-0

WiHaloFan — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:21:06 -0000

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You will always be my bobblehead, Jeffo

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FINAL SCORE IN ANAHEIM: Angels 6, Rays 0
Forget the Mike Napoli bobbleheads, it was Bizarro Night at the Big "A". From the 2008 version of Ervin Santana dealing nasty pitches from the mound, to the bases loaded double off the bat of Jeff Mathis, the Halos showed that the bottom of their line-up can be just a potent as the top and middle.

43,000+ fans might have been at the game to receive their Napoli bobbleheads, but they left shaking their own heads out of the amazing night from Santana and Mendoza Boys. Using just 97 pitches, and inducing 3 double plays, Santana earned his third career shutout blanking the Rays on three hits while striking out six.

Reggie Willits (.219) broke open the scoring with a two-out single to center, scoring Kendry Morales and Jeff Mathis. An inning later, and also with two outs, Jeff Mathis (.213) cranked a drive off the left field fence just missing the Angels' first grandslam of the year.

Poll

Panther of the game

Jeff Mathis

22 votes

Reggie Willits

14 votes

Ervin Santana

376 votes

412 votes | Poll has closed