SB Nation User Blog: jonk

Next Year!

jonk — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:58:44 -0000

Who's excited for next year?

Full year of Cliff Lee?

Hamels will return to form.

Chooch turning into a stud.

More Werth antics.

Beating the Mets!

How long til pitchers and catchers report?

STFU You

jonk — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:06:12 -0000

Look, some person who is not smart, most people around here probably hate you. You may have hit your wife in public, or maybe you have complained about your role 100s of times, and there might be a reason why people call you a 10 cent head. Maybe I have always backed you, just because I thought you could pitch well or do something else worthwhile.

Since someone like you hasn't done crap for us this year, get the hell out. That bling on your finger, if you were here last year? That is due to Cole Hamels. I know you can't read this you probable illiterate douche, but maybe you can have a team official or somebody else act it out for you.

TALKING SHIT RIGHT AFTER THE PHILLIES WON A GAME TO KEEP FROM BEING ELIMINATED IS RETARDED.

What the hell could possibly go through that air-tunnel in your head where in such euphoria after a big win, the first thought that you maybe had is to deride your teammate or someone you know, regardless of the stupid things he said. I am glad you won't be back next year or sometime in the undetermined future.

[Edit: Sotry made more ambiguous to not to refer to anyone in particular.]

Yahooooooooo!

jonk — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:57:22 -0000

Better to be lucky...

jonk — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:54:26 -0000

...than good. That is what somebody's mama always says, somewhere.

Burnett sure seemed like a beast last night. Unhittable to say the least. Sometimes perception matches up with reality; Burnett was unhittable. The problem is that he was walkable and the Phillies got screwed there. Burnett knew what he was getting and was Tom Glavine about it. He knew he didn't have to throw one pitch down the middle of the plate and he didn't. Fair or not, I'll post and you'll decide.

via www.brooksbaseball.net

Not one pitch down the middle. Pretty amazing. But when you are given every call on the outside, why the heck would you throw the ball down the middle? 8 pitches on the outside and 2 on the inside tell the whole story. When he wasn't getting those calls, the Phils were flailing at thos pitches grounding out weakly. What is telling to me is that he got MORE called strikes outside the edge of the plate than he did on the inside on the left side of the plate (in the graph). 8 outside the zone, 6 inside the zone. I would be a bit happier if those numbers were reversed, but that is a terrible strikezone. The problem is that those pitches are unhittable but were kinda close, so nobody really notices.

Compare that to Pedro, who was SICK (in all senses of the word)!

via www.brooksbaseball.net

He got 4 outside calls, one pretty darn close too, but look at all those called strikes IN the zone. He didn't have to try to extend the zone out a bit, he was dropping everything inside the zone and the hitters couldn't do anything with it. Don't let the game results fool you, Pedro was dominant and Burnett, while certainly hitting his spots, was given an extra-wide plate by the ump.

I don't normally rail on the umps. I was fine with Howard's play since it was inconclusive in slow-motion replay (how can you expect an ump to go either way on that) and I am not really even that angry about Utley's DP (really it shouldn't have been close to make it questionable). I do care about a wide strikezone with a good pitcher on the mound. It's tough enough to hit the ball squarely when it is down the middle of the plate, now you have to try to hit it when it is a ball.

So, to recap...

Burnett = lucky; Pedro = good

MLB.com shows us some big time homer love

jonk — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:01:38 -0000

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/feat/16182260;_ylt=AsdrvheAMZdCBGd0eibiE6oRvLYF

The Phillies have 7 of the top 10 post season homeruns in their book. At first I thought it was just NL since it was just Phillies, Phillies, Phillies.

Biggest ERA difference ever?

jonk — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:48:11 -0000

I have to imagine that Lidge has set the largest gap in ERA for any reliever with over like 50 innings, in the history of baseball between last year and this year.

What makes the Phillies so good?

jonk — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:20:04 -0000

This has been an interesting year to say the least. One of our MVPs has gone into the toilet. Our lights out closer's lights have been out. We actually made a trade for a top class pitcher and we picked up possibly the best pitcher ever in his prime. Most people would never have guessed that all of this would have occurred this year and that the Phillies would be 8 up with a handful of game to go.

How are we doing it? Comes down to the basics. At first glance to the untrained eye that "watches" the game, we are no good at the basics. But we are, check it out.

The most basic and fundamental rule in baseball (usually not spoken though) is:

Take what is free, but make them earn it.

Never heard that before? Probably cause I just made it up, but in concept, it is the most valuable aspect in all of baseball. Walk a lot, don't give up the walk = success. Sounds simple right? Better yet, strikeout many more than you walk and let your defense do the rest.

Pitchers:

Walks: #2
Strikeouts: #10
BB/K: #1 and by a decent margin

On the other side of the ball...

Hitters:

Walks: #6
Strikeouts: #10 (with Howard)
BB/K: #5

We have the best walk to strikeout ratio from our hitters and the fifth best walk to strikeout ratio from our hitters. That will likely result in success in almost any season. I'd like to see some more patience from our hitters, but I think it might not be their fault. We have so many good hitters in a row that pitchers loathe to throw balls to our middle guys. While the walks aren't as high as they have been in past years, the strikeouts have dropped a ton too.

That is a double edged sword as well as many of our players almost need to strikeout to succeed. That may sound counter intuitive, but consider it a necessary byproduct of power. Howard HAS to be willing to take borderline pitches that he may pop out or ground out on in order to force a pitcher to throw him a meatball he can crush. Sometimes it works (walk or homerun) but sometimes is doesn't (strikeout). But it is almost a necessary evil.

A few other stats people might not realize that have helped us to one degree or another.

Stolen Base Percentage: #1 and by a lot. Always good to not lose runners on base.

GIDP: #1 (we have 86 and Houston, in last has 141)

What do these mean? It means we aren't losing players on base like other teams are. When one of our boys gets on, he either scores or he gets stranded. That is a good thing. Losing players to CS or GIDP is obviously a rally, killer (kinda like the homerun). Phillies may be the best baserunning team in the league (and probably by a lot).

What have we figured out? It is good to get on base for free and even better to not get thrown out while there. Let your four 30+ homerun guys do their thing and drive you in. I think that will equate to good success in the playoffs. It sure did last year.

Phils lose, Lidge blows save, nothing to see here, move along...

jonk — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:25:54 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

2 months ago: Houston Astros second baseman Kazuo Matsui (3), of Japan, celebrates with teammates after hitting a game-winning two-run single against the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 in Houston. The Astros beat the Phillies 5-4. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Browse more photos »

Phils can't score against starter, Phils take the lead against reliever, Phils lose the because of their closer.

Anything else happen I didn't mention?

Ryan Howard...HOF?

jonk — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:00:01 -0000

Howard is certainly a controversial figure in the saberworld. One one hand, he puts up great counting stats and very good rate stats. On the other hand, his counting stats overshadow his rate stats in the minds of the general public. We are all homers here (for the most part) so we love to see him get accolades (deserved or not).

Anyway, based on his baseball-reference stats and their Hall of Fame statistics, Howard looks like a sure lock. Of course, he could break the system (which wouldn't surprise me, but check the numbers.

Black Ink	Batting - 17 (131), Average HOFer ≈ 27
Gray Ink	Batting - 60 (410), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor	Batting - 72 (247), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards	Batting - 23 (491), Average HOFer ≈ 50

He also has a ROY, an MVP and a 2nd and 5th place finish. He is a lock to get a top 5 this year if he continues to produce and is likely to add to his grey ink numbers. If Fielder tails off, then he could take the lead in RBI. Pujols leads him in HRs, but with the Cards running away with the division, there is little to no need for most teams to pitch around him (like teams in his division).

I am not saying his is going to make the HOF. Probably not, but he sure is looking good on these HOF stats.

Phils being sneaky with 40

jonk — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:12:55 -0000

Phils being sneaky with 40

Not a fan of this rule. You have the 40 man for players who are injured. I don't blame the Phils, glad they are taking advantage, but the rule should be changed.

SB Nation User Blog: jonk

Next Year!

STFU You

Yahooooooooo!

Popular Searches

Better to be lucky...

MLB.com shows us some big time homer love

Biggest ERA difference ever?

What makes the Phillies so good?

Phils lose, Lidge blows save, nothing to see here, move along...

Ryan Howard...HOF?

Phils being sneaky with 40

Phils being sneaky with 40