Why walk?

by Paul Householder on May 31, 2007 6:34 PM EDT

When you can run?

OK. I have to give credit where credit is due.

Jerry Narron is not as much of a moron as I had first thought.

"HOP ON TOP: Norris Hopper is an ideal leadoff guy in that he doesn't strike out much. He can run and he's an excellent bunter. He's not an ideal leadoff guy in that his batting average was exactly the same as his on-base percentage going into Wednesday's game: .286, meaning no walks in 49 at-bats.

"'Hop's done a good job for us,' Jerry Narron said. 'He puts the ball in play. But he doesn't get the bases on balls you'd like to see from a speed guy'" (emphasis mine).

Hey. That's progress. Narron actually appreciates that you need OBP from your speed guy in order to have him hitting leadoff with any effectiveness.

Whether he actually does anything with that knowledge is another matter entirely.

Poll

Does this encourage you?

Yes.

3 votes

No.

5 votes

boobs

16 votes

24 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I note...

That Norris Hopper is again leading off.

If not him, then who? I would propose Hatteberg.

"That which is repeated will happen a third time."

by Paul Householder on May 31, 2007 6:46 PM EDT reply actions

Hamilton

by Brian B on May 31, 2007 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Hatteberg is an great choice to lead off

When Pete Rose led off he was not fast, wasn't a threat steal many bases and didn't score often on a long single from 1st. base. Although Hatteberg is no Rose, he, like Pete, brings some very compelling talents to the leadoff role.

Pro ABs
Doesn't Strike out much
Isn't afraid to take a walk
Becomes a better and better hitter as the count deepens.
Makes contact more than Freel or Hopper
He's a clutch hitter that makes an opposing pitcher feel the pain when he walks our pitcher.
An intelligent base runner
Strong OBP and Batting average.

Why not have him on base when Hobbs and co. comes up to bat.

Now batting for the Reds, the pitcher - Marcel Duchamp

by Madville on Jun 1, 2007 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions

hmmm

"He puts the ball in play. But he doesn't get the bases on balls you'd like to see from a speed guy."

These two ideals can often cancel one another out. If NoHo tries to put ball in play, he might be swinging at pitches out of the zone or not working deep into the count.

I'm not confident that Jerry's really thought this one through.

Fuit quod es, eris quod sum

by Man Mountain on May 31, 2007 6:52 PM EDT reply actions

I think...

"Put the ball in play" is baseball-guy speak for "doesn't strike out as much as Adam Dunn."

That being said, I am not 100% convinced that Jerry gets it either, because even knowing that you need OBP at the top of the order, he still goes with the "traditional" speed guy instead of Hatteberg or some other non-traditional choice.

I am assuming that all of the "boobs" are "no", probably.

"That which is repeated will happen a third time."

by Paul Householder on May 31, 2007 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I voted "boobs"

It's tradition. :-)

I am not encouraged by this, but I'm not discouraged, either. I don't think Narron is a moron. I think he's smarter than people give him credit for. And he certainly has information we don't have access to.

It's easy to be armchair managers, but I'm not convinced anyone else would do a better job.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named "Bubba"?

by BubbaFan on May 31, 2007 7:03 PM EDT up reply actions

im convinced

that anybody that contributes to baseball prospectus or the hardball times or any such forward-thinking publication would do a better job.

"Swing away, Bronson." -- sayeth Chris Welsh.

by boobs on May 31, 2007 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions

You mean...

..."bat the pitcher 8th" and that kind of thing?

I am curious about stuff like that, but I'm not convinced that it works. I think the place to try it is the minors. If it works there, then take it for a spin the big leagues.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named "Bubba"?

by BubbaFan on May 31, 2007 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions

not really

im not really talking about lineups. i mean some other aspects of the manager's job. Creating a four-man rotation, bringing in a closer in the highest-leverage situation, not relying on lefty-righty matchups for the sake of doing it, not hit-and-running, being more conservative on the basepaths, not bunting, etc. some of those things could really make a difference.

"Swing away, Bronson." -- sayeth Chris Welsh.

by boobs on May 31, 2007 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions

For the record

I don't think Jerry Narron is an idiot, though I have called him one and will continue to call him one from the relative anonymity of a psuedonym. It is the passive agressive thing to do.

That said, I do think he makes many, many poor managing decisions that lead me to believe his overall managing philosophy is faulty, IMHO. He's one of a vast number of "baseball guys" that are experiencing their last hurrah in this game.

The future is at hand, and Narron's not invited.

Fuit quod es, eris quod sum

by Man Mountain on May 31, 2007 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions

The new paradigm is leadership

and relationship building.Especially when dealing with egos of magnitude of major league baseball players. His approach to the game is rigidly book driven, yet simultaneously he grasps at straws. His inconsistant decion making alienates his players because he doesn't know how to best utilize them. He probably never considers including them in the decision making process. He strikes me as a refugee from the 'take a seat on the bench and shut-up' school - the kind of coach who doesn't know how to or doesn't think he needs to explain what he does to anyone other than Wayne and Castellini.It is no wonder that the team is flat.

Now batting for the Reds, the pitcher - Marcel Duchamp

by Madville on Jun 1, 2007 1:04 AM EDT up reply actions