The 2007 Scouting Report by the Fans for the Fans

by Slyde on Aug 21, 2007 9:29 AM EDT

Every year Tom Tango (tangotiger) puts together a neat little experiment where he asks for fans to help rate players on their various defensive abilities. Tango then compiles all of the ratings using the idea of strength in numbers to see who the best defenders in baseball are. This is a chance for you to be the scout and rate players in these categories:

Reaction/Instincts
Acceleration/First Few Steps
Velocity/Sprint Speed
Hands/Catching
Release/Footwork
Throwing Strength
Throwing Accuracy

I think it's a great concept and I think we have enough knowledge here to help Tango accomplish his goal for the Reds at least. You can read about his plan for the whole thing here as well as find links for each team.

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Comments

Cool.

I feel like a fourteen year-old girl voting for American Idol.

Hey Slyde (and all you saber-and-tech savvy Reds fans), did you see this article?

I was going to make a diary about the article and ask folks what they typically think about MLB.com's GameDay and all that, but Slate has an ad on their site featuring video of Kelly Ripa (with some great Farrah Fawcett-hair) driving an SUV and I've now watched it loop and forever lost like eight minutes of my life. And I haven't even taken 'mute' off yet.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Aug 21, 2007 11:28 AM EDT reply actions

I think it's cool stuff

but I haven't looked at the data or many of the studies that closely. My mind has already been blown by Baseball Reference this year. I don't think I could handle having it blown again.

I'm a numbers freak, numbers freak. I'm numbers freaky, ow.

by Slyde on Aug 21, 2007 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't understand where's the Category for

Scrappy/wallbanger

They say it is all over in the blink of an eye. Don't Blink.

by Madville on Aug 22, 2007 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions

I think the 'King Felix' anecdote..

..was the most revelatory part of the article:

The crowning achievement of the Gameday researchers and, I would argue, one of the greatest moments for nerdom since Ric Ocasek married Paulina Porizkova, occurred earlier this summer in Seattle. Dave Cameron, a writer for the U.S.S. Mariner blog, was trying to figure out why hitters were getting to M's ace Felix Hernandez in the early innings. Cameron turned to Gameday's database, which helped him figure out that King Felix's problem is pitch selection: The dude throws too many fastballs. So, Cameron posted his findings in a beautifully argued open letter to the Mariners pitching coach. The coach printed out the post and handed it to Hernandez. Next time out, the pitcher laid off the fastball and threw eight innings of shutout ball. Bloggers around the world should tack up portraits of Cameron in their living rooms.

(I do think the "Ric Ocasek is a goofy looking guy with a hot wife" reference is a little bit played out but I suppose that might be because I'm a goofy looking guy with a hot wife.)

by Fat Vegas Alan on Aug 21, 2007 1:08 PM EDT reply actions

i always like to reference

lyle loveitt and julia roberts. although, i really dont think she is all that good looking. but the point stands.

at least this isnt pittsburgh

by Charlie Scrabbles on Aug 21, 2007 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions

She has an extremely LARGE mouth

They say it is all over in the blink of an eye. Don't Blink.

by Madville on Aug 21, 2007 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

which is good for some of us

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Aug 21, 2007 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Salmon Rushdie gets..

..only enough beauty sleep as a fatwah will allow so I really shouldn't pile on, but let me just say that his gal is quite the spicy dish.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Aug 21, 2007 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Aren't they broken up now?

Still, I Lakshmi some Pad(ma) Thai.

...ouch, I think I pulled something trying to make that joke work.

by Brendanukkah on Aug 21, 2007 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions

yep

he dumped her, so they say, which can happen after eating too much Thai.

"Two Dunn's enter, but only one Dunn will leave...unless neither do because they decide to play cards, drink beer, golf, and fish."--SlydeFrog

by Man Mountain on Aug 21, 2007 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Too lazy to wikipedia this

Anyone know what happened to her arms?

by Brendanukkah on Aug 21, 2007 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions

car crash when she was a kid

i think it's sexy as hell

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Aug 21, 2007 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh

I saw that movie about you people.

"Two Dunn's enter, but only one Dunn will leave...unless neither do because they decide to play cards, drink beer, golf, and fish."--SlydeFrog

by Man Mountain on Aug 21, 2007 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Chris Robinson is sad

by ken on Aug 21, 2007 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I am requesting a photo

of both you and your wife. I have no doubt that what you say is true but seeing is believing.

They say it is all over in the blink of an eye. Don't Blink.

by Madville on Aug 21, 2007 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Here we are at a friend's wedding..

by Fat Vegas Alan on Aug 21, 2007 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Come FAV everybody knows that isn't

you...you don't own a cape and tiarra.

They say it is all over in the blink of an eye. Don't Blink.

by Madville on Aug 22, 2007 12:39 AM EDT up reply actions

I'll tell you...

..what I told my friends the night we drank two backpacks full of Rolling Rock and went to Meijer to buy rollerbaldes at 1am: "If you own a bedsheet, you own a cape."

by Fat Vegas Alan on Aug 22, 2007 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions