Punk Hits: Not Just An... (03/19)
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March 19, 2013 Skewed LeftBaseball's Great Unresolved DebatesThe American and National Leagues are two distinct leagues in name only. They act more like conferences than leagues, with no league presidents, relatively newfound player mobility, and now constant interleague play. But they continue to operate under a different set of rules, and to some that makes no sense. The DH debate must be settled, the argument goes. Standardize it in, say the progressives, and standardize it out, say the traditionalists, but standardize it soon. It’s among the most difficult problems facing the union and management over the coming years, as it impacts rosters and player salaries. While the role of full-time designated hitter may someday wash away completely, the average primary designated hitter in 2011 made $8.3 million. Yet, as the game faces calls for the NL to give in after 14 decades of pitchers hitting or for the AL to cave on what was by many accounts a successful 40-year experiment, there are far more important debates that have still not been settled. Vital issues that challenge baseball every day and that have laughably seen no resolution. Before even considering what should become of the DH rule, Major League Baseball must take a long and hard look at its real foundational debates or face a future that it probably does not want to envision. 1. What is the singular of Red Sox? Is Xander Bogaerts a future “Red Sock” or is he a future “Red Sox?” Is it different if you’re saying it or typing it? Should it just be avoided at all costs in favor of saying that he’s a “future member of the Red Sox” or just a “Honkbal wizard?” And what is the possessive, “Red Sox’” or “Red Sox’s?”
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Fantasy Tier Rankings: Catchers
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It's not too late to rebrand OBP to increase its market appeal. We should definitely crowd-source a better solution in the comments.
NGO. Not Getting Out (pronounced 'Engo'). He's a tough out against lefties this season, with a .384 NGO.
GOB. Getting On Base (credit to Ken Funck for this one). Old school charm. His GOB has improved dramatically since his rookie season. Elite pitchers can be hailed as GOB stoppers.
I have used "Not out" percentage to describe OBP to casual fans with success. It's more accessible than batting average, because there's less denominator weirdness with walks, etc. With a few exceptions, it's the chance that the batter won't cause an out to happen. (This also makes fielder's choices more intuitive.)
Maybe the acronym isn't needed if you're trying to appeal broadly. Also, percentages are more accessible than decimals. If broadcasts listed a hitter as "2012: Not out: 38.3%. League average: 34.2%", anyone with even a basic understanding of the rules can guess what it means. It might be a compromise between making analytical people happy (a useful stat is on the screen) and bringing in new fans. Fair or not, filling up broadcast space with decimal places doesn't scream "Welcome, new person."
I'd make a similar argument for supplementing or replacing ERA with "Runs per 9 Innings". Explaining earned vs. unearned runs is complicated, and there's good evidence that pitchers have plenty of responsibility for unearned runs. (And conversely, we don't penalize the pitcher when a run is prevented by an amazing defensive play.)
When I think NGO, I think of non-governmental organizations like the UN, WWF or Canadian rapper Snow's 'Pure Snow NGO' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_%28rapper%29