tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post8938109792669187582..comments2024-03-28T10:50:33.234-07:00Comments on Nationals Baseball: Amusement Park Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-55976533132008841212017-05-22T08:08:31.956-07:002017-05-22T08:08:31.956-07:00SLOW YOUR ROLL, DUSTY!!! Ye Gods!!! Not GOod!!!
...SLOW YOUR ROLL, DUSTY!!! Ye Gods!!! Not GOod!!! <br /><br /> <br />@MarkZuckerman<br />Following<br />19 percent of MLB starts of 115+ pitches this season have come from #Nats rotation...11Zimmerman11https://www.blogger.com/profile/16781523049010759416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-26340511594513957442017-05-22T07:36:41.442-07:002017-05-22T07:36:41.442-07:00Charlie and Dave are quite a pair - love those guy...Charlie and Dave are quite a pair - love those guys. I will say this, comparing radio to TV announcers is comparing apples to oranges. Without the visual in TV radio guys are forced to describe the action in much more detailed/colorful way - to paint the picture for the audience. FP has grown on me though, he provides a quirky comedic relief and he does a great job explaining the intricacies of the game to the casual fan: "For all you youngsters out there, notice how Murphy... etc." So much of the entire package is about cadence and the guy's voice. I'm more of a John Miller, Vin Scully, Don Orsillo kind of guy. Charlie and Dave have a soothing rhythm as well.<br /><br />As an aside, I read a comment on an ESPN article when we beat the Mets 23-5. The article had imbedded video clips from some of home runs our guys hit that day. Some guy from CA who doesnt watch the Nats wrote: "Wow - are those the announcers that Nationals fans have to listen to everyday? That is probably the worst/lamest home run call I've ever heard! Haha" Is it naive to think that if other fans around the country who casually pop in to Nats games notice this, that some of the Nats loyal fanbase notices this as well? I sure do. "See. You. Later! Aaaannnd the Nats. Are up 2-1." Bob sounds like he stating facts or reading a teleprompter during an infomercial.<br /><br />I'd prefer a Charlie & Dave simulcast if you ask me.Ole PBNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-982850082950623822017-05-22T07:33:50.043-07:002017-05-22T07:33:50.043-07:00I'm team Robot and team FP. It's kind of a...I'm team Robot and team FP. It's kind of a perverse thing--I love how bad FP is. I find him enormously fun to listen to, mostly because he's a homer and a washed up journeyman and all that. And sometimes I even think he has a good thing to say. Bob is hard for me to listen to. He gets facts wrong all the time, has very little insight to add, and is very vanilla in general.Josh Highamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00524273388243642450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-56677141954576587642017-05-22T07:22:49.377-07:002017-05-22T07:22:49.377-07:00I'm in the same boat as Robot. FP is great com...I'm in the same boat as Robot. FP is great comedic relief because at least 4 or 5 times a game, he says something so ridiculous you feel the need to rewind and make sure you heard it right. I also like his insights from the clubhouse. Bob is whatever. Still prefer Charile and DaveFriesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-44916478893127707082017-05-22T07:03:45.424-07:002017-05-22T07:03:45.424-07:00I could take or leave Bob, but I frickin' love...I could take or leave Bob, but I frickin' love FP. Robotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-29525827387680702032017-05-22T05:49:55.076-07:002017-05-22T05:49:55.076-07:00@Anonymous from 6:06PM
Everyone loves to critiqu...@Anonymous from 6:06PM <br /><br />Everyone loves to critique announcers and say how awful they are (and since when did everything boil down to some arbitrary ranking?). For my money, Bob and FP are the best in the game. I love tuning in every night to listen to them. Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07359859089545299921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-19154594773987152242017-05-20T19:17:14.570-07:002017-05-20T19:17:14.570-07:00In a 21 game sample Suzuki is dramatically outperf...In a 21 game sample Suzuki is dramatically outperforming his career norms. He was below average last year and awful the year before. Not worth 5 million a year for the previous two years, and it's not certain he'll continue to hit well over the course of this season. Probably he'll end the year worth more than 5 million, but that doesn't make up for how bad he was in 2014 and how mediocre he was last year.Josh Highamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00524273388243642450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-80341321031178912072017-05-20T18:06:05.103-07:002017-05-20T18:06:05.103-07:00I am so tired of our broadcasters being such homer...I am so tired of our broadcasters being such homers - its pathetic. 8th inning in Saturday's game, Bryce hit's a sharp ground ball that Phillips bobbles, picks it up, and just barely throws out a "hustling" Bryce. FP pointed it out: "look at Bryce, hustling all the way, just barely gets him, thats the breaks." Except no FP. No he wasn't. He was slow out of the box - then about a quarter of the way down the line, starts sprinting when he realizes he has a chance. Every player is guilty of this, but our announcers wouldn't let you know it. Go look at what these clown are ranked... 3 different sources rank them top 5 worst in the game.... Ugh, see? This is what happens when they start giving games away - we start nitpicking every detail.<br /><br />....But seriously, Bob and FP are terrible. FP is cliche after cliche and Bob just is plain BAD. And after finding out how long he's been in the booth, I'm shocked. The crew is way too Mickey Mouse for me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-44357843587958357672017-05-20T12:55:06.891-07:002017-05-20T12:55:06.891-07:00Suzuki is still mediocre, brah.Suzuki is still mediocre, brah.Robotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-83789986270723459812017-05-20T07:20:17.014-07:002017-05-20T07:20:17.014-07:00Three L's in a row. The MLB leading offense ha...Three L's in a row. The MLB leading offense has now been bottled up by two of the worst teams in the league. The pitching staff is now one group of starters that have worn themselves out already because Dusty doesn't trust the bullpen, and the bullpen that justifies Dusty's angst game after game.<br /><br />It's only May 20th, the Nats are 25-16, seven games ahead in the standings even after last night's loss to the now 2nd place Braves, and still I have this really bad gnawing in my gut that says this team is in deep doodoo. We need Scherzer and four days of rain.<br /><br />Now tell me again how mediocre Kurt Suzuki is.Sammy Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17286255593094532554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-39848764793306619032017-05-19T20:08:05.046-07:002017-05-19T20:08:05.046-07:00I'm sure Monday I'll talk about it again a...<i>I'm sure Monday I'll talk about it again after another blown game. </i><br /><br />Well, here's #1....Robotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-52321547866710595222017-05-19T14:11:59.246-07:002017-05-19T14:11:59.246-07:00Ole PBN, you are not following in the footsteps of...Ole PBN, you are not following in the footsteps of your namesake<br /><br />I agree though. I think Trea isn't really a leadoff type hitter because he's never really been a high OBP guy. I think he needs to shorten his swing and learn to be a slap type hitter. Yeah power is great and all, but there's enough power in this lineup. Slap the ball down the third base line and beat out infield single after infield single. That's my take at leastAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-84816346464026919512017-05-19T14:03:45.662-07:002017-05-19T14:03:45.662-07:00Also, just to prove my point, go look at each guy ...Also, just to prove my point, go look at each guy in our starting lineup and how they hit at each spot in the order... is it some crazy coincidence that every guy KILLS it from the 8th hole (regardless of sample size?)<br /><br />Sorry, not trying to be a know-it-all... I most certainly do not. Just drives me nuts with the apparent respect for advanced stats that these managers claim to have, yet throw it out the window for some unknown reason that is based on "yerp, just feel right"Ole PBNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-5846503320246392342017-05-19T13:57:58.419-07:002017-05-19T13:57:58.419-07:00^^ I'd say Trea is a version of "C" ...^^ I'd say Trea is a version of "C" with flare for "B" when he's on.<br /><br />Offensively, Trea has tremendous wheels and good power for a guy his size. But like Danny Espinosa, has a long swing that puts balls in the gap and over the fence - produces weak contact or no contact at all. He hasn't shown great patience at the plate any level and has lived off of fastballs down the pipe (see 2016 season). Give him something to hit, and he'll make you pay more often than your average player. Make him chase, and like MAT, he'll chase. I'd argue that Bryce's best asset is his ability to command the strikezone, he makes pitchers come after them. And if they don't he'll take his walks, but he's on-base nonetheless. In truth, he's the ideal lead-off hitter, but that's not my point.<br /><br />My point is Turner in the lead-off spot is exposing his weaknesses and not showcasing his strengths. Whether is old-school "he's fast - put him at leadoff" or some other reason, he's more likely to hurt the team than help it from that spot in the order. I've been harping on this all season, put him 7th or 8th (yes, behind MAT). Turner is a good athlete and will thrive in a low-expectation spot in the order. Why waste that on a guy like MAT who AT BEST is gonna give you something like .260 with modest pop and ton of K's?<br /><br />At the end of the day, would you rather him hit .250 from leadoff or .310 hitting 8th, on-base and wreaking havoc for the pitcher while the heart of the order is up? I know what I'd want. The lineup with the team we have now should be Werth, Murphy, Zimmerman, Harper, Rendon, Wieters, Taylor, Turner, pitcher<br /><br />Just advice from a silly old fan...but what do we know? AMIRIGHT?! Play on Dusty...Ole PBNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-39172721373424936822017-05-19T11:11:27.242-07:002017-05-19T11:11:27.242-07:00A possible future topic: Trea Turner - who is he r...A possible future topic: Trea Turner - who is he really?<br /><br />A) The 2015 minor league version who we hoped would be the ideal leadoff man - Billy Hamilton speed, with a bat capable of .300+ and an obp of .370+.<br />B) The 2016 major league version who hit like prime Derek Jeter (with Billy Hamilton speed) - .300+ with gap power and HRs too.<br />C) The 2017 (so far) version who's more like Ian Desmond - swings hard and often, can be streaky hot and icy cold, but provides more batting value from extra base power then from obp (iow, not an ideal leadoff man, despite the Billy Hamilton speed).dc rlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07461439774954382179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-58619548132287957202017-05-19T10:48:08.939-07:002017-05-19T10:48:08.939-07:00took a look at pitchf/x over lunch...and it's ...took a look at pitchf/x over lunch...and it's not movement related. yeah his movement has dropped off the last couple starts, but that's actually because he was overperforming his career averages earlier in the year <br /><br />soooo where do we look from here? how about location...hmm fastballs are definitely up but the 4 seamer no more so than in the past. Maybe that 2 seamer (sinker on pitchf/x) is getting a little too far up, but nothing horrendous. what about horizontal location? Ah there we go, Tanner's throwing the ball right over the plate. He's not necessarily "grooving" the pitches, but he's not working the fringes of the plate as well as in the past. He used to be great at working the arm-side of the plate, and then burying a curve down on the opposite side of the plate. Now he's hardly working the arm side of the plate (inside on righties) and consistently missing off the opposite side (inside on lefties)<br /><br />So what does that mean...? No idea. Might be a little bit of Weiters, might be mechanics, might be a head thing. But it's clearly a location issue more than it's a movement issue.Friesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-40399372807121864072017-05-19T10:14:51.628-07:002017-05-19T10:14:51.628-07:00Fries... or the WBC argument.... BUM BUM BUM!Fries... or the WBC argument.... BUM BUM BUM!Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-52118286475815377972017-05-19T09:15:17.610-07:002017-05-19T09:15:17.610-07:00I'm too lazy to go look at pitchf/x data, but ...I'm too lazy to go look at pitchf/x data, but I think you're right about the movement thing Harper. Charlie and Dave were hinting yesterday that his two seamer wasn't breaking back over the plate at all, and if he's not getting movement then his borderline strikes become borderline balls. Part of that could be Weiters, but I think it's more likely that it's the pitch itself since the chase rate is down.<br /><br />And what causes balls to lose movement? Lack of spin...due to dead arms...and we're back to a bullpen argument again wooooFriesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-10438431389281518292017-05-19T08:47:48.813-07:002017-05-19T08:47:48.813-07:00That wouldn't necessarily show up in the zone ...That wouldn't necessarily show up in the zone percentage since the frequency of those pitches would be limited. But you'd think it would show up more..... I'm not sure exactly the zone % effect of a bad framer though. A couple poorly frames strikes turned into balls could create more strikes later? I don't know. Would have to see if there's a connection. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-69677824283121662502017-05-19T08:45:15.923-07:002017-05-19T08:45:15.923-07:00JE34 - possibly but if it were a strike/ball thing...JE34 - possibly but if it were a strike/ball thing we'd see it in the zone percentage. I suppose maybe he relies on hitting the corners with 3 balls and in those cases he's losing an extra batter a game? Could be. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-40853919763683335362017-05-19T08:42:21.998-07:002017-05-19T08:42:21.998-07:00(at least I think it was yesterday... it's bee...(at least I think it was yesterday... it's been a long week)JE34noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-40729014725150332672017-05-19T08:39:01.650-07:002017-05-19T08:39:01.650-07:00Could it be that Tanner is not getting as many bor...Could it be that Tanner is not getting as many borderline pitch calls because of how awful Wieters is behind the plate? Like yesterday when he stood up on a bunt try, causing a pitch that was *right down the middle* to be called a ball... and all the other times when he makes what looks like no effort at all to frame pitches on the edges...JE34noreply@blogger.com