Add new comment

This has always been my argument. We give a lot of weight to baserunning and fielding as WAR contributions, but I don't think those things alter the box score as much as we think they do. Maybe that's just my personal pleasure at seeing tangible results in the batter's box instead of theoretical results in the field, but No-Hit WAR creators seem more vulnerable to collapse if they aren't being propped up by actual batting results (either their own or others).
And as you say, GMs still don't believe in the total, SABR-accepted impact of defense. "A run saved is a run scored" sounds like a great motto, but in practice it doesn't work that way, and you just lose 1-0 with the worst offensive output in half a century (your Mariners!).
I still think it's because offense is not only additive but multiplicative, symbiotic in ways we haven't captured yet. According to math, there is no clutch and Chone Figgins is worth 5 WAR. According to life, I'm not seeing that. And I think you can have too many good defenders on a team. Overlap, whether in the infield or the outfield, because each guy can cover MORE than his zone, and so you are decreasing the usefulness of the defensive WAR you're paying for.
Although I do wonder whether Ackley's great defensive year last year was helped by playing next to Brendan Ryan, and trusting him to make OOZ plays... which meant Ackley was freed up to play a couple of steps the other way and make his own OOZ plays to help his rating.
Regardless - I don't want to play full WAR price for guys who can't hit but "make it up in other ways." Bourn is not on my radar, not for the price he's asking. We have run-producing needs and plenty of decent run-savers already on the squad. Detroit put Miguel Cabrera at third base, that's how much they worried about defense vs. offense. Complementary
It's more important to get the offense functioning - or at least the majority of GMs act (and pay) like it is. If you're going to pay for defense, then that's what pitchers are for. Having my defensive guy standing on 2nd base all the time when the 3rd out is recorded doesn't help me win enough games. Occasionally-chained-together-singles is a poor substitute for a working offense.
~G