Add new comment

I don't mind conversing about the topic - or any topic.
  
Case A for "what good are big bats if you have lineup black holes?" would be a team like the 2010 Nationals.
That team had the 138 OPS+ of Dunn, 142 from Zimmerman, and 129 and 133 in half-seasons from Willingham and Morse.  So there's 3 combined "big bats" which should be enough to bolster the lineup, right?
 
655 runs scored, 11th out of 16 in batting average, 12th in OBP, 11th in SLG and OPS.
 
They got 1570 ABs from their top 7 bench bats, who ALL had OPS numbers between .550 and .690, and another 290 from pitchers who hit like, well, pitchers.
 
They also got hurt by a 73 OPS+ catcher, a 79 2B and a 73 CFer.  3 big bats (and a decent SS) were not enough for that offense.
 
I can see arguments that would discount the possibility of a couple of guys shouldering the load making a huge difference for the other guys in the lineup.
 
I still think the reason everyone for the Mariners had near-career lows at the same time was partly because of that.  Ivan Rodriguez didn't slump, he's just done for the Nats.  He posted a 73 OPS+ this year, a 74 last year.
 
Their bench is terrible.  Kennedy did well last year but his 82, 50, 86 streak the years before that makes his age 34 season of 79 look about right.
 
Morgan had a bad year for them.  It happens.  But the holes in their lineup are holes.  They aren't filled with average-decent hitters who cratered.
 
Do I think the lack of a MOTO explains everything?  No.  The Wilsons are just bad.  Positional and lineup change may have messed with Figgins severely for the first half of the season.
 
Do I consider it a contributing factor?  Absolutely I do.  And I know Sandy and Matt don't.
 
But I thought that's why we decided to post to forums and blogs and chat rooms: to talk about it.
 
If we had an ignore feature here, I'd be using it on Matt, regardless of what insights I might get from some of his posts.  It's not worth it to me to hear that kind of obnoxious noise.  I can spend my time posting less and doing other things, that's no skin off my nose.  I come here - and to my other forums - to talk baseball, not to get screamed at.
 
If this isn't the place to do that, I'll find another place.  If you feel like you have to scream to be heard, Matt, then eventually you'll get to scream to yourself.
 
~G