Whale

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Q.  What qualifications does Dr. D have, if any, to post on sports that feature balls larger than a coffee cup?

A.  Definitely NOT that he has kept up with X's, O's, 3-Techs or dollar dimebacks.  And not even that he could do a decent job in fantasy football any more.

One thing he does have that you kiddies don't ... the number of games watched, lifetime.  Dr. D definitely passes the Black Ink HOF Test (top 10 in league appearances) there.  Once again the 3rd deck point-of-view comes into play.

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Q.  What is the difference between a blog post and an e-zine article?  Or a chat thread?

A.  The original "weblog post," before you were born, son, was a type of diary entry.  It might contain light tips or brief information of very limited use to the author's friends.

An "article" purports to analyze or explain a topic in a more comprehensive way.  The content in it is supposed to be high-quality, and of considerable value to the 50th-percentile reader - who likely isn't living in the same house as the author.

When Dr. D posts on the NFL, he is launching a 3rd type of entry:  the "chat thread."  :- )  Feel free to do the same.

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Q.  What do you make of a 12-7 victory?  Panthers probly woulda won if that running back hadn't dropped the ball on his way to The Promised Land.

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Q.  What does his defense look like, from the 3rd deck?  Be brutally honest.

A.  He looks like a 1970's shortstop to me.

I don't know why I think of 1970's shortstops as being Bud Harrelson and Tim Foli, those wiry-strong (white) guys who were respectable but not great.  If you actually looked it up, maybe you'd find that there are more J.J. Hardys playing today than there were then.

By 1970's shortstop, I'm typecasting a man with unremarkable athleticism who is scrappy, smart, and competent...  that's what Miller looks like STANDING there, that's what he looks like moving around, sort of.

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Q.  Objectively speaking, what's the scouting report?

A. He's actually faster and quicker than the average AL shortstop.  The arm is average or not quite - that's what we've seen, the last month.  He's not going to cannon people down from the hole like Brendan Ryan, but he makes the throws.

The numbers all agree:  he's a -10 runs defender, this year.  That's like Asdrubal Cabrera, definitely a -10 guy, and Stephen Drew, a third left handed bat-first guy.  It's pretty clear that, in 2013 and probably in 2014, Miller is going to be right around -10 runs defensively.

For two years, we got bat-first shortstop who does a decent (not problematic) job with the mitt.  So sue him.

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Q.  And you know how Zduriencik loves those guys.

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On July 19, 2013, the Seattle Mariners started both Dustin Ackley and Raul Ibanez in the outfield against the Cubs.  They gave up 7 runs, but scored 10, and won.

On July 9, 2013, the M's started Ackley and Ibanez against the Red Sox, and gave up 11 runs.  They lost, 8-11.

How's this OF config working for them?

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Defense ... vs Offense ... vs Roster Config.  THREE Subjects, Not Two

Hm.  I wasn't biased either way when I started typing, but at first glance, the 1B/DH answer looked like kind of a no-brainer to me.  The center field defense was kind of kludgy there for a few weeks.  On the other hand, our offense went from vomit-worthy to the team strength.  Not meaning to be snide, why are we talking about this?

Well, there is a reason, or could be.  The team's DER is .700 this year, #24 in baseball.  Last year it was .718, #4 in baseball.  If you want to angle the discussion 10 degrees, and debate offense vs. defense in 2013, that would be a legit debate (and we all know where it would wind up).  

But the center field defense, as such?  How much of that .718 to .700 DER dropoff is due to CF?  Saunders HAS played the lion's share of the CF defense in 2013.

Ackley's played 24 games in CF, and he will play there in 2014 whatever your roster config.  Ackley's CF play isn't going to be a cost associated with anything.  Except with the 2009 draft.

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