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SI picks on our Dusty!

How dare they.. though I hesitate to mention that most here will probably agree with the article.  SI's John Donovan has a column today criticizing Dusty Baker for his plans to bat Brandon Phillips fourth this year.  

The problem with Phillips as a cleanup hitter -- and this is, statistically speaking, hard to argue -- is that he's miserably miscast.

This is the take-home message.  Donovan argues that Phillips had one of the lowest slugging percentages (.493) and on-base percentages (.352) for a clean-up hitter in baseball last year.  Those damn new stats.  I still don't quite have the perspective.  I see that Phillips hit 30 home runs and drove in 94 runs last year, so why is it such a terrible idea?  

Then, the point was made clear to me why that reasonably nice RBI number isn't such a great indicator.

 You'd kind of expect that from that position in the lineup.... Phillips drove in somewhere between 13-14 percent of the runs he had a chance to knock in (not counting himself, with home runs), which ranks deep in the bottom half of all hitters in the league. (The best player in the league least year at converting on his RBI opportunities was Detroit's Magglio Ordonez, who drove in nearly 22 percent of the runners that were on base for him.)

See... now I'm starting to get it.  Sometimes RBIs is a function of what the guys in front of you do too.  Now, I know those of you already comfortable with your stathood will chuckle at my realizations.  But it is amazing how getting beyond just the big 3 stats does open up an understanding of the game even more.  And what is wrong with that?

But back to the big, bad SI bully picking on our Dusty.  He goes on to tease Dusty about the role of walks in the line-up.  And then gets Phillips to admit something that may diminish (or possibly enhance) his popularity in our conservative little town.

Phillips says.... "I'm a swinger."

That's fine.... just don't go running for governor.