Marks of Futility

by Matthew on Sep 9, 2011 2:45 PM PDT in Seattle Mariners Stats

There are many many many ways to point out how bad this team was at offense this year. Here's another one. Remember this piece? Who cares, I'll give you the gist of it. Split OPS+ (sOPS+) is a measurement of how a player does in that split compared to the rest of the league in that split. This way you can compare how Dustin Ackley hits with runners in scoring position compared to how everyone else hits with runners in scoring position. Or, you can even use team-level splits instead of player-level and compare how the Mariners hit with runners in scoring position versus how everyone else hits with runners in scoring position.

That is the usual type of split seen. One type of split that I enjoy perusing is positional splits. What kind of production teams get out of the players at X position while that player played that position. It's the focus of what I did here looking at Mariner catchers and what I will do in the future, looking at the rest of the defensive spectrum. For now, I bring it up because in that first post, the subject was about the worst overall sOPS+ in Mariner history. It was in left field during the 1999 season when Brian L Hunter and a few others (but mostly Hunter) achieved a split OPS+ of just 52. Major League left fielders that year hit .279/.353/.462 while Mariners taking the field in left conspired to hit .240/.282/.333.

There are nine offensive positions and the Mariners have 34 years in their history. That's 306 individual position-years and left field in 1999 was the absolute pinnacle of suck by this measure. That was the point of that post. The point of this post is to alert you all that the 2011 Mariners are going to reset that bottom. And they may, incredibly, do it twice. Right now, Mariner center fielders have a .215/.269/.291 batting line which is a 53 sOPS+. Thanks mostly to Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Saunders, they have a chance to knock Brian L Hunter from ignominy.

But those two have nothing on the third basemen. Six different players have tried out at hot corner and right now they collectively own a .191/.247/.252 batting line. That's a 43 sOPS+. Forty-three! This isn't just breaking the old suck record, this is annihilating it. Unless Kyle Seager turns into Barry Bonds, there's no way the record doesn't fall easily.

The Seattle Mariners: reminding you again and again that there is no floor.

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Fun article, bro.

Write it again.

Always up for some Twitter action @nandron. I only talk NW sports, though.

by Nick Andron on Sep 9, 2011 3:03 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

I thought it was an interesting article.

"Perhaps the worst comment I've ever seen on LL." - sanford_and_son.

by Ride the Apocalypse on Sep 9, 2011 10:16 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't. I hate shit like this.

I’m no homer. I’m a pretty realist guy and fan.

But, at the same time, I fucking know our team is terrible. I see it every day. Why the salt in the wounds?!

If it were two years from now, when we’re a playoff team, the “did you know we were record breakingky bad back in 2010” story is interesting. You think “I had no idea!”

But why now? What’s the value?!

Now is the best time to focus on positives. The fan base is hurt. Overwhelming negativity is pretty useless and just disheartening.

Always up for some Twitter action @nandron. I only talk NW sports, though.

by Nick Andron on Sep 9, 2011 10:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Overwhelming negativity?

This was posted on the same day that we posted about Ichiro being amazing, and Jason Vargas making an encouraging mechanical adjustment. We can’t just ignore what’s negative, especially when it’s interesting (as this is).

by Jeff Sullivan on Sep 9, 2011 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions 13 recs

What's the value?

I happen to find it interesting to dissect the Mariners, no matter the result.

But, I personally find comfort in finding out that they’ve been legitimately awful because then I know that at least I haven’t been watching run-of-the-mill dreck. It encourages me because I can know that my disinterest the last couple months toward this team’s offense isn’t a troubling foreboding about me no longer caring about baseball as a whole. Instead, it’s probably because I’ve been made to endure watching a team that’s really terrible at hitting. It’s no sweat off my back if I am apathetic about terrible. If I were lethargic about average though, then I’d start to wonder.

Also, I think that if I don’t understand the bad, then I can’t understand the good. Furthermore, the title of the post is “Marks of Futility.” The first two sentences are:

There are many many many ways to point out how bad this team was at offense this year. Here’s another one.

I did not trick you into reading this post and the lede was about as straightforward as you will ever see about anything written, ever. Don’t want to read about how bad the team is? Then stop reading after the second sentence. I cannot fully express how much your initial comment and then this one disgusts me. I gave you (the reader) ample warning over what the post would cover. I didn’t charge you to read it. I didn’t solicit you personally. I didn’t encroach or impose you either. I wrote it for myself, and offered it here for you to read, ignore, comment, question, interact, whatever and your response is this dismissive, mocking, put upon demand that I/we only write what you deem worthy?

Here’s another free idea, go start your own blog. Write what you want to read and next time I write something negative about this team, keep your entitled whining to yourself.

by Matthew on Sep 10, 2011 12:27 AM PDT up reply actions 13 recs

Would you rather read a constant stream of fluff about how great your team is and how everything is amazing?

Providing balance is important. There are sites willing to provide copious surface-level puff pieces that do nothing but put a positive spin on every little thing. I find, and I’d be willing to bet that most other LL readers agree, that Jeff and Matthew offer a very even and realistic view of the team. If it makes you feel better, you can put on dark sunglasses and repeatedly chant “We’re number one!”.

And, as always, you’re bitching about free content that no one held a gun to make you read. Don’t be an ingrate.

by abender20 on Sep 10, 2011 5:49 PM PDT up reply actions 4 recs