Rosenthal: Yost’s firing could have ripple effect

Earlier this season, rival executives took comfort in the Twins’ success with runners in scoring position, figuring the team could not sustain such a high batting average in those situations.

Well, after nearly 1,400 at-bats, the Twins are batting .313 with RISP—the best in the majors by 25 points.

The sabermetric view on performance with RISP is that it hinges on luck and fluctuates from season to season. The Twins, for example, hit only .276 with RISP last season. The Tigers, on the other hand, hit .311—then fell back to .271 this season.

...Adds Joe Vavra, the Twins’ hitting coach since 2006: “Luck is the residue of hard work, too. I’ve heard the phrase, ‘What is good luck if you don’t use it?’ You keep working at it. Sometimes what appears to be lucky becomes something that is designed to work.”

Rival executives remain skeptical. “They better not count it being this way next year,” one says.

Another exec points out that the Twins’ .281 batting average, while tied with the Red Sox for the best in the majors, is 32 points lower than their average with RISP.

“If it is that easy, perhaps they should focus during all four of their at-bats that day instead of just the one with runners in scoring position and hit .313 overall,” the exec says.

Why aren’t all exec’s like that~~~~? (eats campylobacter-filled donut for afternoon jollies)