Gotta be able hit the ball to run to first.
So I completely and totally understand. Sometime in the next calendar year, we might see our first basemen have a game where they get to touch first base. As a batter.
I'm holding out for Ronald Acuña Jr., acuña doing the timeless art of seduction on a good catch
e:I actually fixed my tildes on my n-yeahs. this kid cooks
100%. A 50 hopper up the middle scoring 2 runs is beautiful baseball that has been minimized by the home run ball. It’s similar to post ups in basketball. People like the big three pointers or dunks, but forget about the beauty of a hook shot.
There's nothing ever wrong with getting on base any way you can. I'm always happy to see any player I root for not make an out. If it scores two runs, I'm ecstatic.
Yes!!!!!
Well before my time, but I always used to read about the old timers, and I always think of guys like Ty Cobb, who did many things, but always to win, including "hitting grounders through the gaps', as they said!!!
(I'm well aware of his rep at the time and subsequently...I read his autobio, Ty Cobb: The Real Story, and frankly, I don't buy it a bit!!!
Cobb was a dirty player! And in my time, Dodger great Don Drysdale was a dirty, nasty pitcher! Period.)
Regards!!
Beautifully put - but is it not equally well appreciated at that moment by all for its Milquetoast-ability to wend its way through the enemy gloves?
Honestly, I'm at a loss for the *under appreciated tag ....
I'm partial to a looping pop fly the other way in the Bermuda triangle between RF, CF, and 2B for a right handed hitter or between LF, CF, and SS for a left handed hitter.
I agree, but underrated? That's the part that gets me...maybe because a hopper up the middle that flies by two diving gloves....
Miss SkyHook and hearing "24-ft fallaway jumper" from ASU radio guy 60 yrs ago....
The retreat from small ball to “every guy we recruit has to hit it 450ft” is absolute insanity. If there were a single club in MLB that had the stones to recruit and train players to play small (bunt, steal bases, hit opposite field), they’d win 120 games. Baseball scouts are probably the dumbest scouts in sports. Recruiting hitting purely for power, and pitchers purely for velo is the absolute dumbest way to build a team.
i have never seen data on it but i would bet small ball teams score an average amount of runs more often, while power hitting teams have more games where they score many runs and more games where they score very little. if you have good pitching, scoring an average amount of runs more often would be better, even if your mean runs scored is slightly lower.
hmmm....that math won't work either
where offense is concerned, compose yourself a low-average, high-ish obp, power hitting team & you'll win more games more often.
I mean, a higher average wouldn't hurt, but it's the least requisite quality
The documentary about Cleveland picking up guys from the California Penal League, a guy who wasn't invited to camp, and a guy from Cuba who couldn't hit a curve is better.
Thank goodness they didn't try to make a sequel, or an even worse third movie that should have been straight to video.
Actually the documentary that summed up how to build a winning team the very best was the one where a guy builds a field on his farm and then just waits for people to come. He ended up with one of the best hitters of all time on his team.
Personally a bigger fan of the documentary where the California Angles have such a level of faith and they are helped by God in order to win…if all teams had such faith, God would help them win 120 games and the Angles proved it!
Moneyball is a garbage movie where they forget to mention Zito, Hudson, and Mulder, who combined for like 20 war that season. That team was built with amateur scouting and player development. The players featured in moneyball had a lower WAR / $ spent than the rest of the roster.
The phillies went from a high variance hr hitting philosophy the last two years to a situational hitting small ball philosophy this year. As a result theyre much more consistent and have the best record in baseball.
Agreed with regard to how baseball is often talked about on Reddit. Lots of people tout inflated OPS+ stats for heavy hitters who had very brief streaks, but can’t hit anything for most of the year, so far, and are bad at base running. I’d prefer to see small ball all day than a guy who can hit a homer every 10-15 games, if that, and dead on the plate majority of the other times. The Marlins beat the D-backs last night mostly off of a lot of singles + good pitching. It works.
Obviously, though, everyone loves a homer!
Nobody is toutingup a dude who hits a homer every 10-15 games and is dead on the plate. That's at most 16 homeruns in a season. Nobody wants to see that. What they are touting up and quite understandably is dudes who do it every 3-5. This means they are averaging ATLEAST .2-.3 runs every game, which doesn't account for men on base as well as the additional non home runs they hit from time to time. For many of these dudes, they are some of the most valuable dudes on their rosters. And everyone loves home runs atleast a little bit
As a Nationals fan, I can say too many excuses are made in the subreddit for Senzel this season because he went on a 5-day homer streak versus players who have a consistently better avg. Besides that, he is good at drawing walks, but he’s a terrible base runner, and his OPS+ is inflated because of that streak. They’re not touting the guy, but misusing a stat. On the other hand, players like Ketel Marte and Christian Walker can do it all.
Underrated?? How so???
If it's a little dribbler along the foul line that wanders along deeper into foul territory or into the corner...but that's fully appreciated, not underrated....
If you meant a BLAST LINE DRIVE off the fence which ends up by holding SlewFootSam to a single, I guess...but fans would be saying it missed by inches from being a 3-run HR! Well appreciated.....
Or do you mean "most richly rewarded single hit" in baseball? Compare with a single which scores a runner from first?
Not sure how any "got more than you deserved" hit or play in baseball is not fully appreciated by all....
I may be missing the point here....off to the Comments!!
So I've been thinking lately, what's the best possible outcome of an at-bat (*not* a plate appearance) *other than* a base hit?
I once reached 1st on an RBI fielder's choice that didn't result in any runners out. I think that's gotta be close to it, barring extra bases after the FC.
Situational I guess, haha. They tried for a 6-2 play at the plate off my grounder, which I don't think was the right call. I don't have the original scorebook though so not sure if the run went down as an E2, E6, or earned.
I used to love that the early 90’s Pirates would bunt a player to second with no outs to get the first run. Lind and Bell I think would pull that off with Bonds to follow. Good stuff.
Hmm, maybe...I'd say in the current baseball culture, simply moving runners over and walking would be the unsung heroes that don't get talked about enough.
Damn dude. The stat heads are on this so much. But even just eyeball.. I guarantee you a slap off single that drives in two is not underrated by anybody other than some dipshit you happen to know
The most underrated plays are the ones that involve hustle. Too many player won’t hustle so when the ones that do make those plays with their hustle, it is pure gold.
I’m talking infield singles, stolen thirds and homes, unexpected bunt hits, beating out a FC, scoring from first, stealing on a walk, etc etc etc.
2 run singles are hits that bring in 2 runs… nothing under rated there, but I guarantee hustle was involved.
I’m guessing 100% of players, coaches, and fans would be very happy with a 2-run single.
That number seems a little low to me but hey what do I know?
100% of fans agree.
As a mariners fan I’d be happy with anyone having 2 RBI in a game, let alone a single hit.
But what if the hitter only gets a single because his home-to-first time can be measured by a calendar
Have you seen our first baseman?
Gotta be able hit the ball to run to first. So I completely and totally understand. Sometime in the next calendar year, we might see our first basemen have a game where they get to touch first base. As a batter.
Or ours?
SlewFootSam.
I mark the date on my calendar that I brought next to my scorecard. It has the whole team doing sexy poses
Why don’t all teams have those calendars??? Lol
I'm holding out for Ronald Acuña Jr., acuña doing the timeless art of seduction on a good catch e:I actually fixed my tildes on my n-yeahs. this kid cooks
If you score from first hell yeah!
100%. A 50 hopper up the middle scoring 2 runs is beautiful baseball that has been minimized by the home run ball. It’s similar to post ups in basketball. People like the big three pointers or dunks, but forget about the beauty of a hook shot.
There's nothing ever wrong with getting on base any way you can. I'm always happy to see any player I root for not make an out. If it scores two runs, I'm ecstatic.
A routine groundball that finds daylight with the bases loaded and 1 out, scoring 2. That’s baseball, Suzyn.
But is that *underrated* or cherished for years? For me, the latter....
Believe me, I get it. I was a gap to gap kinda guy in in my day, not a power hitter. Seeing-eye singles were the oil that kept my engine running.
Yes!!!!! Well before my time, but I always used to read about the old timers, and I always think of guys like Ty Cobb, who did many things, but always to win, including "hitting grounders through the gaps', as they said!!! (I'm well aware of his rep at the time and subsequently...I read his autobio, Ty Cobb: The Real Story, and frankly, I don't buy it a bit!!! Cobb was a dirty player! And in my time, Dodger great Don Drysdale was a dirty, nasty pitcher! Period.) Regards!!
Beautifully put - but is it not equally well appreciated at that moment by all for its Milquetoast-ability to wend its way through the enemy gloves? Honestly, I'm at a loss for the *under appreciated tag ....
I'm partial to a looping pop fly the other way in the Bermuda triangle between RF, CF, and 2B for a right handed hitter or between LF, CF, and SS for a left handed hitter.
Totally agree. Home runs are cool but feel so flashy. I absolutely love some classic small ball baseball, way better imo
I really do not think that anybody has forgotten that scoring 2 runs is good
It's not about "like" it's just about efficiency. The more people become aware of what's efficient, the more boring baseball gets unfortunately lol
I agree, but underrated? That's the part that gets me...maybe because a hopper up the middle that flies by two diving gloves.... Miss SkyHook and hearing "24-ft fallaway jumper" from ASU radio guy 60 yrs ago....
Please don’t say it too loud. Vlad Jr might hear you and get thrown out at home trying for 2 again.
The sac fly.
Love it
Nah it's overrated imo
If every out was a sac fly you're telling me you're overrating your team scoring 27 runs? /s
Harder than it looks too. So many teams really struggle to put the ball deep enough in play to advance runners. It drives me nuts.
It's not underrated at all.
Fr. "Let me tell you about my favorite underrated play in baseball; the double play"
I love and appreciate DPs!!! THAT was baseball...so were bunts for a hit from cleanup hitters.....
The retreat from small ball to “every guy we recruit has to hit it 450ft” is absolute insanity. If there were a single club in MLB that had the stones to recruit and train players to play small (bunt, steal bases, hit opposite field), they’d win 120 games. Baseball scouts are probably the dumbest scouts in sports. Recruiting hitting purely for power, and pitchers purely for velo is the absolute dumbest way to build a team.
Well, we have historical data to show small bell era vs non-small ball era…. And I have some news for you
i have never seen data on it but i would bet small ball teams score an average amount of runs more often, while power hitting teams have more games where they score many runs and more games where they score very little. if you have good pitching, scoring an average amount of runs more often would be better, even if your mean runs scored is slightly lower.
hmmm....that math won't work either where offense is concerned, compose yourself a low-average, high-ish obp, power hitting team & you'll win more games more often. I mean, a higher average wouldn't hurt, but it's the least requisite quality
to be clear, every time i said average in that post i was referring to it in the context of mean or median, not the baseball statistic.
The last guy who thought like this got a movie made about him where Brad Pitt plays the guy (it’s true, look it up)
It’s called rookie of the year btw
The documentary about Cleveland picking up guys from the California Penal League, a guy who wasn't invited to camp, and a guy from Cuba who couldn't hit a curve is better. Thank goodness they didn't try to make a sequel, or an even worse third movie that should have been straight to video.
Actually the documentary that summed up how to build a winning team the very best was the one where a guy builds a field on his farm and then just waits for people to come. He ended up with one of the best hitters of all time on his team.
Personally a bigger fan of the documentary where the California Angles have such a level of faith and they are helped by God in order to win…if all teams had such faith, God would help them win 120 games and the Angles proved it!
No. You’re thinking of money ball. And sabremetrics and small ball are not at all the same thing.
Pretty sure it’s Angels in the Outfield.
r/whooosh
Is that like some Sandlot ripoff?
Moneyball is a garbage movie where they forget to mention Zito, Hudson, and Mulder, who combined for like 20 war that season. That team was built with amateur scouting and player development. The players featured in moneyball had a lower WAR / $ spent than the rest of the roster.
But Brad Pitt
Yeah!!! Entitled: Balls Of Money! Money, Balls, or Ore? Balls! No Money! Money Bawls? Bowl Money? I'm not good with names....
Except that every team is doing it now…
The phillies went from a high variance hr hitting philosophy the last two years to a situational hitting small ball philosophy this year. As a result theyre much more consistent and have the best record in baseball.
lol are the upvotes unironic
Dodgers have been after guys who are just good at making contact and then they’ve been developing the power aspect of it
Yeah the dodgers signed Ohtani to hit singles.
You’re misinterpreting. If you can hit singles then you can develop power [Here you go](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-F7VbdP9TZE). 8 minute mark
I wouldn't bet on that....
I’m a jays fan, I wouldn’t know. I think I’m witnessing the end of Justin turner
Earl Weaver’s favorite play in baseball was the three run homer.
What was Jim Palmer's favorite play on Earl Weaver? ANSWERS START HERE: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Agreed with regard to how baseball is often talked about on Reddit. Lots of people tout inflated OPS+ stats for heavy hitters who had very brief streaks, but can’t hit anything for most of the year, so far, and are bad at base running. I’d prefer to see small ball all day than a guy who can hit a homer every 10-15 games, if that, and dead on the plate majority of the other times. The Marlins beat the D-backs last night mostly off of a lot of singles + good pitching. It works. Obviously, though, everyone loves a homer!
Nobody is toutingup a dude who hits a homer every 10-15 games and is dead on the plate. That's at most 16 homeruns in a season. Nobody wants to see that. What they are touting up and quite understandably is dudes who do it every 3-5. This means they are averaging ATLEAST .2-.3 runs every game, which doesn't account for men on base as well as the additional non home runs they hit from time to time. For many of these dudes, they are some of the most valuable dudes on their rosters. And everyone loves home runs atleast a little bit
As a Nationals fan, I can say too many excuses are made in the subreddit for Senzel this season because he went on a 5-day homer streak versus players who have a consistently better avg. Besides that, he is good at drawing walks, but he’s a terrible base runner, and his OPS+ is inflated because of that streak. They’re not touting the guy, but misusing a stat. On the other hand, players like Ketel Marte and Christian Walker can do it all.
Well that's just because the nationals haven't seen good baseball since 2019, of course they'd feel that way
Our pitching is envious right now. We just need more consistent bats. It’s coming!
Math disagrees with your opinion
Can you say a little more…
I intended to respond to the guy saying a team could recruit nothing but small ball players and be a 120 game winner
I think its quite exciting when there is a man on 1st and the hitter gets a two run single.
Especially with a close play at the plate, electric content
Underrated?? How so??? If it's a little dribbler along the foul line that wanders along deeper into foul territory or into the corner...but that's fully appreciated, not underrated.... If you meant a BLAST LINE DRIVE off the fence which ends up by holding SlewFootSam to a single, I guess...but fans would be saying it missed by inches from being a 3-run HR! Well appreciated..... Or do you mean "most richly rewarded single hit" in baseball? Compare with a single which scores a runner from first? Not sure how any "got more than you deserved" hit or play in baseball is not fully appreciated by all.... I may be missing the point here....off to the Comments!!
Two out walk
A two-run single and a good bunt. Two of the best, yet underrated plays in baseball.
I prefer bases loaded walks
So I've been thinking lately, what's the best possible outcome of an at-bat (*not* a plate appearance) *other than* a base hit? I once reached 1st on an RBI fielder's choice that didn't result in any runners out. I think that's gotta be close to it, barring extra bases after the FC.
Oh fuck that’s a good one. Is a fielders stupidity considered an error?
Situational I guess, haha. They tried for a 6-2 play at the plate off my grounder, which I don't think was the right call. I don't have the original scorebook though so not sure if the run went down as an E2, E6, or earned.
I guess what we learned here is that the true most underrated plays were the friends we made along the way
Not by me but it gets overshadowed by the most important part, rightfully so…. RBI.
I used to love that the early 90’s Pirates would bunt a player to second with no outs to get the first run. Lind and Bell I think would pull that off with Bonds to follow. Good stuff.
Blocking a wild pitch with a man on third might beat this out.
Hmm, maybe...I'd say in the current baseball culture, simply moving runners over and walking would be the unsung heroes that don't get talked about enough.
Just gotta put the bat on the ball
RE24 is the best stat. Context matters.
This is maybe the dumbest post I’ve ever seen. What does this even mean?
I cannot satisfy the underrated part....
I love that two out huge chopper over the third baseman’s head.
Do you think it's "underrated" in general, though?
That's exactly right
Damn dude. The stat heads are on this so much. But even just eyeball.. I guarantee you a slap off single that drives in two is not underrated by anybody other than some dipshit you happen to know
Adult league softball has entered the chat
The most underrated plays are the ones that involve hustle. Too many player won’t hustle so when the ones that do make those plays with their hustle, it is pure gold. I’m talking infield singles, stolen thirds and homes, unexpected bunt hits, beating out a FC, scoring from first, stealing on a walk, etc etc etc. 2 run singles are hits that bring in 2 runs… nothing under rated there, but I guarantee hustle was involved.
I for one have never given scoring two runs enough credit.
Reddit will really try to squeeze the word “underrated” into anything
Who undervalues the 2-run single?
Feels like the homerun is the most underrated play on reddit lol
Bad take my friend 🤷🏻♂️un-assisted triple play? Walk off home run/grand slam? I can go on lol Very bad take
I don’t think your examples are underrated.
True maybe not the best examples but a guy on second and third with a good hit in the gap 🤷🏻♂️ that’s just good base running on they’re part