You notice those sample sizes are usually hot to cold, not cold to hot.
Teams adjust. Teams have sort of figured Lawrie out after his strong start last year.
So now Lawrie has to adjust back. He can't just say "Heeeeey I rocked last year so I'll rock this year"
Adam Lind is dangerously getting into Aaron Hill territory.
__________________
Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire
I have a feeling the Jays offense will only go as far as Bautista takes them as one of the leaders in the clubhouse.....really hope he turns it around soon; he looks lost right now.
__________________
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. I love power.
Still no idea why Eric Thames is batting higher then EE in the lineup and why in the world Davis was pinch running for Lind when he was not the tying run in the 9th. Also not sure why Omar Vizquel is on this team. And Lawrie is off to a truly awful start this season, almost worse then Thames and yet nobody says a thing.
'
The runs are going to come, it's just very frustrating. Drawing conclusions after 18 games about this team not being a good hitting team is pointless. I'll just sleep well tonight knowing this team is 10-8, in spite of the slow start by the offense.
What makes you say Lawrie is off to an awful start? He is hitting for a pretty good average, even though it is inflated by 3 or 4 infield singles. His defense is significantly better then Thames, and he doesn't get sheltered at bats like Thames does by not having to fave tough lefties. Lawrie does a lot of good things out there, Thames is only there for his hitting.
I agree with you that it is ridiculous for people to be saying this team is poor at hitting already. They will come around. We knew this team would slump at times, that is what happens with young teams (heck, that can happen with any team).
If this team can continue to get pitching like this all year then they are going to put up a lot of wins. Simple as that.
It's been frustrating to watch but the Jays are just getting some really tough pitching right now, combined with some less than perfect ABs. Tampa you expect it out of but I think it feels like such a kick in the nuts because the Orioles are really not this good, this is their season's hot streak.
Orioles pitching is going to come back to earth in a big big way at some point, it's just unfortunate that they are getting them now when guys like Tommy Hunter, who is the mlb equivalent of a sack of monkey crap, is framing the corners like Greg Maddux last night and Jason Hammel has his lowest WHIP in all 8 years he's been above AA ball - he's pitching in his 4th organization so the Coors Field stuff is baloney...
I do think their pen is for real but we're talking about the exact same bad team as last year with a couple established sub-par journeymen starters thrown into the mix. The Taiwanese SP I'll reserve judgement on since I've never seen him.
Of all the position players Lind really looks horrible to me at the plate, although one of the Jays blogs has an amazing 10% analysis of all the batters up today and apparently he has improved his approach significantly.
Thames, I love the guy but he has got to go already, he is going to have to hit 320 to compensate for his fielding, he's probably given up at least 10 bases already in the field and when you're not hitting you simply can't have it.
You notice those sample sizes are usually hot to cold, not cold to hot.
Teams adjust. Teams have sort of figured Lawrie out after his strong start last year.
So now Lawrie has to adjust back. He can't just say "Heeeeey I rocked last year so I'll rock this year"
Adam Lind is dangerously getting into Aaron Hill territory.
Half of them were players that went from cold to hot....did you even watch the video? Jeter, Mays, Maddux, Pujols
I'm still blown away you actually called baseball a "small sample size game". I know you're not into baseball statistics or advanced ones, but some of the statements you make, with nothing to back them up, do get tiresome.
Lawrie does have to adjust back. He's a sophomore coming off a rookie season where he just destroyed MLB pitching. He's been great at every level thus far. He's still going to be a great bat in this league.
Funny talking about Aarron Hill when you said he'd be a better option at 2nd base then Kelly Johnson. Adam Lind is brutal against lefties, but he still has shown he can have success against right handers. He was here all last season and the Jays still put up great offensive numbers.
Pujols is adjusting to a new team and a new league but ask Angel fans, they're getting pretty nervous.
You may scoff at small sample sizes but teams like Boston 7-10 and Angels 6-12 that's cause for concern for a contender. A team needs a record of 91-71 to make the playoffs? Minimum? Going 25ish games over .500 in a 144 game stretch is no easy feat in the American League.
Kelly Johnson is doing no better than Aaron Hill right now.
Never thought hitting was going to be a problem going into this season. I'm not worried about Bautista turning it around, but I am worried about the other guys.
Pujols is adjusting to a new team and a new league but ask Angel fans, they're getting pretty nervous.
You may scoff at small sample sizes but teams like Boston 7-10 and Angels 6-12 that's cause for concern for a contender. A team needs a record of 91-71 to make the playoffs? Minimum? Going 25ish games over .500 in a 144 game stretch is no easy feat in the American League.
Kelly Johnson is doing no better than Aaron Hill right now.
I scoff at small sample sizes when you say the Jays are a bad hitting team because of 18 games. You could literally break down some of the greatest players of all time with sample sizes that small, and make them look awful. You can't judge players based on that small of a window when you are talking about a season of 500 plus AB's. Baseball is the furthest thing in the sports world from a "small sample size" sport. There is no argument to be made there.
If your argument is getting off to a slow start can hurt a team in the long run, then I have no problem with that. It's a whole other thing to start calling an offense and certain players bad because of 18 games. Deteriorating how good a player is because of 18 games of a season. Pujols went 35 games last season without a HomeRun, if we apply your logic to that, then he is really reallly bad considering it's only been 18 games to start this season.
Great that Aaron hill is doing well against NL West pitching. Kelly Johnson is easily an upgrade defensively and has been great in the #2 hole for the Jays. A far cry from the weak player you gave him the title of this off season.
Yes, but unlike in a lot of your arguments, we are using actual statistics to make our argument.
I have to sometimes. If I said Aaron Hill was better than Kelly Johnson just using the naked eyeball test, you wouldn't accept that.
I use the naked eyeball test probably 88% of the time
As an aside.. Adam Lind needs to stop hitting into the shift. Defenses have figured him out. No stats to prove that, that's just me yelling at the tv every time he rolls it to the 2nd baseman who's in right field.
__________________
Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire
Going into Tuesday's game the Jays and Twins were the only teams who starting pitchers had a negative WAR.... Just saying.
The last 2 games would have helped though
It's funny how perception ties into this all too. Drabek has yet to get to the 7th inning in any of his starts but the sign of him being just an average pitcher, from how he ended last season, is a great sign.
It's funny how perception ties into this all too. Drabek has yet to get to the 7th inning in any of his starts but the sign of him being just an average pitcher, from how he ended last season, is a great sign.
Or he has averaged 6 innings in each of his last 4 starts.... he has only allowed 6 earned runs so far this season.
Drabek is a pleasant surprise so far this season.......
