Thanks Doc! I'll try to, whenever I feel like I can further the conversation.
As for this particular exchange, I guess my salient point was that it's worth adding defense to the ERA+ and OPS+ comparison, especially when theres a real gap between the teams. It takes three points to triangulate, right? Defense might be the third point that explains why we're the only thing that gets smaller in Texas.
I think we're on the same page about BABIP regression. I just figure that given these two teams, it wouldn't surprise anyone if in a luck-neutral face off, the stRangers settle in at about 310 and the Ms scrabble along at 278. That can be a pretty huge deal in a season series, no?
As for the Mariners' attempts to cover 73% of Safeco, I think they're less like the ocean than like an inland lake. Sure the whole scene is pleasant, and there's a bubbling brook of Leonys and the steady eddy of Seager, but the rest of the water is a little tepid. One thing that struck me a few weeks ago was how many lazy bloops plop down in front of Cruz in the outfield. Cruz and Cano both kind of remind me of the late career Derek Jeter: they field the hell out of their positions, but only if their limited speed allows them to participate in the play. Thus you can have a team whose defense looks aesthetically pleasing and "crisp" as you so aptly put it, but without actually being "good". They aren't costing us on "visible plays", but they might be failing on some invisible ones. Feel me?