Which is a better statistic for assessing baseball pitchers: Earned Run Average (ERA) or Walks/Hits per Inning Pitched (WHIP)?
ERA or WHIP?How about *neither*. I’d prefer something like DRA- (Deserved Run Average compared to league average) or maybe WPA (Win Probability Added).ERA and WHIP have some weaknesses in common, as well as some individual flaws. Still, they’re not without value, as long as you consider the shortcomings properly.Both are subject to the whims of defense. Have gold glovers behind you, and hard hit balls turn into outs. Play in front of a post-fire-sale collection of AAA+ fielders, and even weak contact turns into hits and runs.ERA’s defense problem is compounded by the “Earned” part. Have your defense commit an error, and then any poor pitching later in the inning get whisked away as “Unearned Runs”. Another issue with ERA is what happens if you leave the game with runners on base. The Expected Runs table gives the (frequently updated) number of runs that score on average from each combination of outs and runners. If your relief does better than that, you do benefit, but if they do worse, you take the statistical hit. If you’re the reliever, you can come in with runners on, let them score, and have no effect on *your* ERA. It’s all well and good to say these sorts of things balance out in the long run, but they don’t actually always do so.One of WHIP’s biggest weaknesses is that it makes no account of the type of hit given up. A homerun shows up the same as a walk. It also gives no idea of whether the baserunners given up are spread out, or clumped. Pitch two innings and put two runners on. If they are one in each inning, it’s unlikely to be all that dangerous. Give up both in the same inning (with the other inning being 1–2–3), and there’s a higher chance of giving up a run. Yet both end up in the stat line as 1.00.ERA does tell you something about the rate at which runs are given up, though getting rid of the “Earned” part helps take the defense and Official Scorer out of the equation. The greater number of innings for starters give a better chance for things to even out towards a truer reflection of actual performance.WHIP has probably more value for relievers than starters, as they tend to come into higher leverage situations, particularly with runners on, where any hit/walk could be critical.
With a runner on first base and less than 2 out, on an infield popup, wouldn't it make sense for the infielder to intentionally miss the ball?
You’ve forgotten that the batter-runner is also running towards first base.You’re right that the runner who started on first base will likely hold at first, to avoid being doubled off.But while the ball is falling, the batter is running towards first. This means there is no time to drop the ball and get a double play.The fielder has two choices.Catch the ball.The batter is out, and the runner will return to first baseLet the ball drop.The runner had to hold at first, so the out at second base is very easyThe batter had been running all this time, so he is very likely safe without a throw at first baseEssentially, this becomes a choice of which runner the fielding team would rather have on first base. If one option is significantly slower than the other, let the slow guy on base and get the fast guy.For example, let’s say Billy Butler is on first base with no outs. Billy Hamilton is the batter and hits an infield popup. No sane team wants Hamilton on the basepaths. The smart play is to catch the popup. Get the out. Leave Butler on first base, as he is a notoriously slow runner.Now, if Hamilton were the runner on first and Butler hit the popup, let the ball drop. As fast as Hamilton is, he could not possibly beat the throw to second (barring some funny bounce or a mishandle by the fielder). Yes, Butler reaches first base safely, but the speed trade-off is enormously in favor of the fielding team.So, it only makes sense in some situations to let the ball drop. Put simply, it depends on the speed trade-off of the runners.**I would also add an infielder is not allowed to intentionally drop the ball in this situation (having the ball land in his/her glove and dumping the ball on the ground). Google Mike Lowell dropping a line drive. If a fielder intentionally (in the umpire’s judgement) drops a catchable (in the umpire’s judgement) ball, the batter is called out. An infielder must look like he is making a valid attempt at the ball for the play to work.
Would you rather have Mantle, Mays or Ruth if you were starting a baseball team?
Ruth was spectacular as a slugger, hitter for average and pitcher. He wasn’t particularly fast, but he did steal a few bases. He was a slightly below average defensive player. Ruth was a pretty good pitcher in his day, but I doubt he’d be used for that now. Still, if he went straight to hitting, he probably would have hit another 100 or 150 homers! Mantle was a comparable slugger, but not hitter for average. He was a shade more of a base stealer than Ruth, but not nearly as much more than you might have expected. He was a below average fielder (makes you wonder why he played centerfield!). He won 3 MVP awards. Yes, he got injured, but thst’s part of who he was, isn’t it? Willie Mays was comparable to Ruth in homers, Mantle in average, but well beyond the others in speed and defense. Mays’s positive wins above replacement in the field was twice as positive (18) as Mantle’s was negative (-9). He won 14 gold gloves.Still, consider that Mike Trout (and perhaps Mookie Betts) is doing what these gods did against modern pitching (100 mph with replacement pitchers every late inning AB) and defense (positioning came after Mays and Mantle).Of those three, I’d take Mays, but I’m not sure that I’d take any of them first, over a few others.
BASEBALL RULE: Runner slides into glove of defensive player, glove falls off with ball remaining in it. out?
Rule 7.08(b) Comment: A runner who is adjudged to have hindered a fielder who is attempting to make a play on a batted ball is out whether it was intentional or not. If, however, the runner has contact with a legally occupied base when he hinders the fielder, he shall not be called out unless, in the umpire’s judgment, such hindrance, whether it occurs on fair or foul territory, is intentional. If the umpire declares the hindrance intentional, the following penalty shall apply: With less than two out, the umpire shall declare both the runner and batter out. With two out, the umpire shall declare the batter out. so basically its at the umpires descrection whether the runner intentionally interfered with the fielder if not hes safe if so he and batter are out. also it states if any part of his uniform detached from its proper place on his person"the catcher". The ball is in play and the batter may advance base at his peril
If a hand is hit when bunting?
It is very difficult sometimes to tell whether the ball hit the hand or the bat first in these situations, even more so when you have tens of thousands of people screaming. So the plate umpire simply may have thought it was a foul ball. Or the umpire may have ruled that the batter "offered" at the pitch, making it a moot point whether the ball hit the bat or the hand first. The result would be the same: a strike. Additionally, the plate umpire could also have ruled that the batter made no attempt to avoid being hit by the pitch or that the pitch was in the strike zone. While we're at it, let's clear up a misconception: A batter need not pull the bat back to avoid being charged with a swinging strike on a bunt attempt. Merely holding the bat over the plate -- in or out of the strike zone -- is not a strike. Egad, another misconception to debunk: The hands ARE NOT part of the bat. As for the pitcher wearing a jacket while running the bases, it's common practice, to keep his arm warm and prevent stiffening. As for the hats, there is nothing in the rules prohibiting ear flaps.
In baseball, what are the 7 ways to reach first base without getting a base hit?
1. Walk 2. HBP 3. Fielder's choice 4. Reaching on error. 5. Strikeout- ball gets away from catcher and you reach 1st base safely. 6. Fielder's Obstruction (interfering with the batter while he is running to first base) 7. Catcher's interference (catcher interferes with batter while he is in batter's box) You don't go to 1st base on a balk, only the runners move up a base.
If a pitcher is pulled mid count...?
It's actually covered in the rules. Rule 10.18 (h) A relief pitcher shall not be held accountable when the first batter to whom he pitches reaches first base on four called balls if such batter has a decided advantage in the ball and strike count when pitchers are changed. (1) If, when pitchers are changed, the count is 2 balls, no strike, 2 balls, 1 strike, 3 balls, no strike, 3 balls, 1 strike, 3 balls, 2 strikes, and the batter gets a base on balls, charge that batter and the base on balls to the preceding pitcher, not to the relief pitcher. (2) Any other action by such batter, such as reaching base on a hit, an error, a fielder's choice, a force out, or being touched by a pitched ball, shall cause such a batter to be charged to the relief pitcher. (3) If, when pitchers are changed, the count is 2 balls, 2 strikes, 1 ball, 2 strikes, 1 ball, 1 strike, 1 ball, no strike, no ball, 2 strikes, no ball, 1 strike, charge that batter and his actions to the relief pitcher. So for your example: 2-0 count, walk is charged to the first pitcher Home Run always charged to the relief pitcher Strikeout is always charged to the relief pitcher It's gets more confusing when the other team switches batters at the same time. On Sept 4, 1978 Doe Boyland of the Pirates made his major league debut against Skip Lockwood of the Mets. Lockwood got 2 strikes on Boyland when Mgr Joe Torre replaced Lockwood with Kevin Kobel. Chuck Tanner responded by replacing Boyland with Rennie Stennent. Stennent later struck out but because of the rules, Kevin Kobel was credited with striking out Doe Boyland even though they never faced each other. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...
Does the batter have to run if the ball makes contact with bat in baseball?
Nope. He isn’t compelled to run. What he should do depends on the result of making contact: fair ground ball, fair fly ball or line drive, bunt, foul ball, tipped pitch caught for strike, etc.But understand that getting to the next base safely and proceeding around the bases IS THE OBJECT OF THE GAME. That is, the purpose of making contact with the ball is to get safely to first (or beyond), so you should run.So what if the batter doesn’t run?From an umpire’s perspective, if a batter puts the ball in play but stands still or heads to the dugout he can be declared out for having abandoned his base. The defense wouldn’t necessarily need to make a play. You see this call occasionally when strike three is not legally caught (e.g., swing & miss a pitch that hits the dirt before being caught). Usually the catcher will tag the batter-runner, or throw it to first. But aside from being put out, if he simply gives up the ump will call him out. Or, if he makes it all the way to the dugout he is automatically out for having abandoned the base.So, no, a batter doesn’t have to run when he is allowed and expected to run, but it will count as an out. And piss off his teammates.This is why you’ll see most batters run, or at least start off at full speed, whenever they make contact - even on a routine ground ball or pop fly that is likely to be an easy out.P.S. - Abandoning the base calls can get pretty weird, and are fun to watch. Usually this happens on a dropped 3rd strike. But there are times when a runner believes the second out is the third out and heads to the dugout. Or what he thought would be the third out was called safe. Again, “abandoning the base” isn’t automatic until the runner steps into the dugout, but the umpire can call him out any time between his leaving the base and reaching the dugout. Umpires are typically cautious when making this judgment call because of the likelihood that a coach or teammate will make it clear (i.e., shout at the idiot!) that he is still supposed to be on base. Further, even if he is almost in the dugout, he can attempt to return to the base he acquired. Running out of the base path is not considered since he was giving up his base, not running toward a base.