SB Nation User Blog: AdjustedExpectations

You've just been hired as a manager for a MLB team..

AdjustedExpectations — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:28:33 -0000

This team happens to run things completely differently than the norm. As the manager you no longer make any play by play choices. Ever. You no longer make any lineup choices. Ever.

As manager you are now a direct representation of the players for the front office and media. Your duties include talking to the players and guaging health and tiredness. Talking to the media and relating real issues within the clubhouse, issues with the minor league teams. Confronting the Ump is still part of your job, so you may actually do it more when an ump has a strike zone that appears to be sitting on Jello.

You now carry a tablet pc. This tablet now determines all situational game planning. It determines lineups, rotation management, bullpen management and uses and composes trends for opposing pitchers and managers.

The organization is very invested into the system behind the tablet. Spring Training is no longer just a warm up. During Spring Training a lot of info is collected in a way that gives the organization an ideal look at abilities. Range tests, reaction timing, home to first and the like. Consider it a team based "combine" akin to the NFL's setup. Of course with true biases towards things needed in the MLB.

The system from a front office point of view (since you're the manager, I'll give you a peek) would decide things from organizational promotions, demotions, player value, contracts, arb/option consequences and the like.

The organization also has inducted serious fines interally for not documenting any health based issues. There is no hero complex on our team. There are also a few battery of routine tests done during every homestand to keep a perspective on how the players are holding up. Our team doesn't believe in the concept in "70% there".

Now, you're hired for the next 5 years. No 3am phone calls saying you're gone, no September press conferences. You were vetted before hand and understand what you're walking into. We'll take our chances.

Now, I'm going to sit you in front of the G.I.C (geeks in charge) to start talking about stats that would be needed in order to create such a system, information that has yet to be gathered, approaches to take into the club house and the like.

Here's where you come in. we no longer have a manager that has a dice that he rolls, or belief in a veteran that doesn't have stats to back it up. There is no concept of overexposure, protecting the young guys.

What stats would you use to decide future aquisitions, what stats would you use for line up construction, approaches towards the other teams pitchers, field positioning, minor league management, situationals.

if there isn't a stat, describe one that you would like to see looked at. Just because one is the only stat of its kind doesn't mean it is the defacto winner, if it has a foundation that gives it a bias then it should be contested.

In short, the whole idea is to take away all biases. Every night it seems there's gripes about lineup construction, so let's take the manager out of the equation. Every night there is gripes about the bullpen management, so let's look into taking the manager out of it as well.

What do you need in such a system, or things that you would like to have?

Dr Jekyll and Mr Eyes

AdjustedExpectations — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:31:44 -0000

When Glaus exited the game last night due to watering issues, I started looking up some stats in the small amount of games played so far. Honestly, I thought he was having a hard time of it and was pulled. I mean, striking out twice with bases loaded had to be demoralizing on its own. But when I caught the quip over at PD about him having issues seeing at night in St Louis I thought I'd take a look.

Wow, to say the least. Our 3B is seriously having some trouble. This is a seriously small sample size, for obvious reasons. But even still, consider this.

Games in St Louis this year : 12
In 7 night games (24 AB) he's done
.125/.214/.125 with 3BB, and 8Ks
In 5 day games (16 AB) he's done
.375/.500/.375 with 4BB and 2Ks

Something is clearly wrong with him here at night. That's just over 30% of the games we've played so far. It really dents his numbers.

For the record, if you take out his Home Night games this year and then look at his numbers, they really clean up quite a bit.

All games - Home night games : 16
In those games he's put up .328/.426/.517 with 19 hits (11 doubles) 10BB/9K

Hardcore's infamous 40 acres fanpost noted the following line as a guideline -.279/.375/.505 for a clean up hitter. Now, while Glaus' numbers will regress some, it's clear that we may very well have our guy, if we could pinpoint what's going on with him at home at night. Food for thought.

As with all things medical, finding out how long this issue has been going on from the Cardinals is something I'd highly doubt. But clearly, the watery eyes is far from excuse, there's something there.

A Different Kind of Fan Post

AdjustedExpectations — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:41:53 -0000

I haven't dug around the entire SB blogs to gather sentiment and I really don't care to, I haven't really even looked at our own. But I wanted to take a post and say this real quick.

As someone who knows directly how the stress level of yesterday would have felt, I just wanted to say thanks for the effort of everyone involved here on VEB and SB in general. I'd rather see a one run game with Izzy on the mound in the 9th with bases loaded and 1 out than go through that.

I don't know, but it's fair to say that there will be a substantial group that won't notice the fact that there is a very low "tax" threshold on here. Nothing is paid for by us, and we're not riding the "advertising everywhere" tax.

So I for one, don't mind the little hiccups here and there and continue to really enjoy the threads as my time permits. So Thanks!.

And as a little humorous aside :

Last year I had a server that lost its backbone one day. hard drive two days later, and the ram the following saturday @ 2am. There was more tension in that office than there would have been with Tony going to a Mothers Against Drunk Driving meeting.