Post by rog on Mar 22, 2018 8:13:20 GMT -5
Randy's just going to LOVE this one.
Inside Edge is the type of company Randy hates -- a baseball analytics company. Inside Edge gained its first major league contract with the Brewers in 1993.
In 1996 the worked for the Yankees, who won their first World Series in 17 years. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre gifts a baseball to the company signed, “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
In 1997 the Marlins won the World Series, then sent two replica trophies and a letter of thanks to the founders of Inside Edge.
The Yankees' title and the Marlins' championship were the first two of six straight by Inside Edge clients.
We have discussed Inside Edge fielding measurements here, and Inside Edge has one of the dozen votes in the annual Fielding Bible elections.
Boagie will love this: When verifying that it was indeed Inside Edge stats we had reviewed here, I came across the following article, which I had read but more or less forgotten about, entitled "Andrelton Simmons is incredible in ways we cannot measure". What? Spectacular fielding we can't measure? Read and enjoy, Boagie and others:
On Sunday night, Andrelton Simmons orchestrated what has to be one of the top assists of the year, certainly the most creative. On one play, within one sequence, he created two separate rundowns. If it’s not one of the most watchable chain of events all season, I have to see the full list of contenders. It featured all the athleticism, artistry, and anticipation that we’ve come to associate with Simmons.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, the count full, and Jose Altuve on first base, Carlos Correa ripped a single to right. With Altuve off and running, Simmons moved into position to cut off the throw from Kole Calhoun. Instead of holding his glove up near his chest, however, to intercept the ball, Simmons allowed his hands to hang freely at his sides. His intent, it seemed, was to let the ball carry through to third base with a view to catching Altuve.
Simultaneously, Correa proceeded to make a wide turn around first base. Perhaps anticipating this — indeed, perhaps having caused it — Simmons reached up at the last moment to cut off Calhoun’s throw. Immediately, he turned to first, throwing it behind Correa and creating the opportunity for a rundown.
That’s actually only half the play. Instead of describing the rest, though, I’ll just present the whole video. Here it is:
It’s a remarkable sequence.
The extended play is another example of how special a defender Simmons is at shortstop. He leads all defenders with 33 Defensive Runs Saved this year, doing so while occupying the position at the top of the defensive spectrum. He’s tied with Franklin Gutierrez for what is the fifth-best DRS mark of all time, trailing only Kevin Kiermaier (42 DRS in 2015), himself (Simmons posted 41 DRS in 2013), Manny Machado (35 DRS in 2013) and Adam Everett (34 DRS in 2006).
Simmons is the best shortstop of the DRS era, which dates back to 2003.
Simmons has totaled 164 DRS since his debut. The next-best shortstop is Jack Wilson, who totaled 116 DRS. They’re the only two shortstops to have recorded 100-plus career DRS. Only 10 have totaled more than 20. Simmons is absurdly good at defense.
The Simmons trade is one the Atlanta Braves would perhaps like to have back. He ranks 19th in the sport in WAR (4.7), and the 28-year-old is under contract for the next three seasons at $39 million.
Simmons has all sorts of gifts that can be measured by Statcast. He has an incredibly quick exchange, a strong and accurate arm.
I suspect that, to have converted 12.9% of “remote” plays for his career (those with a 1-10% chance, according to Inside Edge) and 44.4% of “unlikely” plays (10-40%), Simmons must also possess an outstanding first step and well above-average range.
But what’s notable about the play Sunday night is the imagination and anticipation it required.
Consider all the choices made by Simmons in an instant. To set the trap for Correa, to immediately assume a role in the rundown between first and second, to remain aware of Altuve’s movements at the same time: these are all things Statcast can’t easily measure. Yet it’s evidence of a player who’s completely focused on the game, who must be something of an elite student of the game, who knows his opponents well, and can think two steps ahead to set up plays. Simmons here is the equivalent of an expert point guard on multiple fast breaks simultaneously.
Some of the skills on display fall under the umbrella of baseball makeup, that quality demonstrated by players who are good bets to maximize their talent, while also suggesting who will add hidden value on the field and in the clubhouse.
Simmons is fun because of his tools. Statcast and defensive metrics love him in part for those tools. But the play from Sunday night should also be of comfort to evaluators, some of whom are fearing redundancy in this age of player- and ball-tracking. Not everything that makes Simmons special, or that play special, can be counted or quantified. And that should still mean there is a place for human evaluators for a while, perhaps for all time. There is still magic and imagination in the game.
Just last night -- I think of all kinds of baseball things as I'm falling asleep -- I was thinking of Boly's comments regarding why he feels Crawford is a better shortstop than Simmons. Perhaps more than anything else, he likes the controlled, orthodox way Brandon makes plays. For instance, Brandon sets himself more on balls in the hole than Simmons does.
Boly is certainly right that Brandon uses the proper mechanics. But the proper mechanics don't take into consideration the strength and accuracy of Simmons' arm -- even without his getting set. With jump throws, Simmons makes the occasional play a more orthodox approach won't permit. The jump throw definitely saves a fair amount of release time. The question is, is that time savings worth the cost of a slower and often less accurate throw allowed by the jump release?
For most players, the answer would be no. But Simmons tends to use the approach mostly on balls where the orthodox method would simply take too long to get the out. And has there ever been a player with a stronger and more accurate jump throw than Andrelton?
Boly feels that as Andrelton ages, he'll fall behind as age catches up to his ability to make plays in unorthodox ways. His arm will lose steam, and his agility will decline at least a little. So Boly is no doubt there will be some decline. The question, of course, is, how much?
And whether the decline is minor or full-time major league, that has no bearing in how good a fielder Simmons is right now. And most consider him the best now, and one of the best ever.
Fan Graphs, for instance, states "Simba’s playing time is always guaranteed as the league’s preeminent defender." Of course it was also in Fan Graphs that the headline stated "Andrelton Simmons is incredible in ways we cannot measure".
So it isn't just the "measurements" that make Simmons arguably the best fielding shortstop in the game. The argument is strong.
Inside Edge is the type of company Randy hates -- a baseball analytics company. Inside Edge gained its first major league contract with the Brewers in 1993.
In 1996 the worked for the Yankees, who won their first World Series in 17 years. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre gifts a baseball to the company signed, “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
In 1997 the Marlins won the World Series, then sent two replica trophies and a letter of thanks to the founders of Inside Edge.
The Yankees' title and the Marlins' championship were the first two of six straight by Inside Edge clients.
We have discussed Inside Edge fielding measurements here, and Inside Edge has one of the dozen votes in the annual Fielding Bible elections.
Boagie will love this: When verifying that it was indeed Inside Edge stats we had reviewed here, I came across the following article, which I had read but more or less forgotten about, entitled "Andrelton Simmons is incredible in ways we cannot measure". What? Spectacular fielding we can't measure? Read and enjoy, Boagie and others:
On Sunday night, Andrelton Simmons orchestrated what has to be one of the top assists of the year, certainly the most creative. On one play, within one sequence, he created two separate rundowns. If it’s not one of the most watchable chain of events all season, I have to see the full list of contenders. It featured all the athleticism, artistry, and anticipation that we’ve come to associate with Simmons.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, the count full, and Jose Altuve on first base, Carlos Correa ripped a single to right. With Altuve off and running, Simmons moved into position to cut off the throw from Kole Calhoun. Instead of holding his glove up near his chest, however, to intercept the ball, Simmons allowed his hands to hang freely at his sides. His intent, it seemed, was to let the ball carry through to third base with a view to catching Altuve.
Simultaneously, Correa proceeded to make a wide turn around first base. Perhaps anticipating this — indeed, perhaps having caused it — Simmons reached up at the last moment to cut off Calhoun’s throw. Immediately, he turned to first, throwing it behind Correa and creating the opportunity for a rundown.
That’s actually only half the play. Instead of describing the rest, though, I’ll just present the whole video. Here it is:
It’s a remarkable sequence.
The extended play is another example of how special a defender Simmons is at shortstop. He leads all defenders with 33 Defensive Runs Saved this year, doing so while occupying the position at the top of the defensive spectrum. He’s tied with Franklin Gutierrez for what is the fifth-best DRS mark of all time, trailing only Kevin Kiermaier (42 DRS in 2015), himself (Simmons posted 41 DRS in 2013), Manny Machado (35 DRS in 2013) and Adam Everett (34 DRS in 2006).
Simmons is the best shortstop of the DRS era, which dates back to 2003.
Simmons has totaled 164 DRS since his debut. The next-best shortstop is Jack Wilson, who totaled 116 DRS. They’re the only two shortstops to have recorded 100-plus career DRS. Only 10 have totaled more than 20. Simmons is absurdly good at defense.
The Simmons trade is one the Atlanta Braves would perhaps like to have back. He ranks 19th in the sport in WAR (4.7), and the 28-year-old is under contract for the next three seasons at $39 million.
Simmons has all sorts of gifts that can be measured by Statcast. He has an incredibly quick exchange, a strong and accurate arm.
I suspect that, to have converted 12.9% of “remote” plays for his career (those with a 1-10% chance, according to Inside Edge) and 44.4% of “unlikely” plays (10-40%), Simmons must also possess an outstanding first step and well above-average range.
But what’s notable about the play Sunday night is the imagination and anticipation it required.
Consider all the choices made by Simmons in an instant. To set the trap for Correa, to immediately assume a role in the rundown between first and second, to remain aware of Altuve’s movements at the same time: these are all things Statcast can’t easily measure. Yet it’s evidence of a player who’s completely focused on the game, who must be something of an elite student of the game, who knows his opponents well, and can think two steps ahead to set up plays. Simmons here is the equivalent of an expert point guard on multiple fast breaks simultaneously.
Some of the skills on display fall under the umbrella of baseball makeup, that quality demonstrated by players who are good bets to maximize their talent, while also suggesting who will add hidden value on the field and in the clubhouse.
Simmons is fun because of his tools. Statcast and defensive metrics love him in part for those tools. But the play from Sunday night should also be of comfort to evaluators, some of whom are fearing redundancy in this age of player- and ball-tracking. Not everything that makes Simmons special, or that play special, can be counted or quantified. And that should still mean there is a place for human evaluators for a while, perhaps for all time. There is still magic and imagination in the game.
Just last night -- I think of all kinds of baseball things as I'm falling asleep -- I was thinking of Boly's comments regarding why he feels Crawford is a better shortstop than Simmons. Perhaps more than anything else, he likes the controlled, orthodox way Brandon makes plays. For instance, Brandon sets himself more on balls in the hole than Simmons does.
Boly is certainly right that Brandon uses the proper mechanics. But the proper mechanics don't take into consideration the strength and accuracy of Simmons' arm -- even without his getting set. With jump throws, Simmons makes the occasional play a more orthodox approach won't permit. The jump throw definitely saves a fair amount of release time. The question is, is that time savings worth the cost of a slower and often less accurate throw allowed by the jump release?
For most players, the answer would be no. But Simmons tends to use the approach mostly on balls where the orthodox method would simply take too long to get the out. And has there ever been a player with a stronger and more accurate jump throw than Andrelton?
Boly feels that as Andrelton ages, he'll fall behind as age catches up to his ability to make plays in unorthodox ways. His arm will lose steam, and his agility will decline at least a little. So Boly is no doubt there will be some decline. The question, of course, is, how much?
And whether the decline is minor or full-time major league, that has no bearing in how good a fielder Simmons is right now. And most consider him the best now, and one of the best ever.
Fan Graphs, for instance, states "Simba’s playing time is always guaranteed as the league’s preeminent defender." Of course it was also in Fan Graphs that the headline stated "Andrelton Simmons is incredible in ways we cannot measure".
So it isn't just the "measurements" that make Simmons arguably the best fielding shortstop in the game. The argument is strong.
