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1. The Kids Are Enright (1k5v3L)Seems like those exact quotations from Jeter were used in Tom Tango's With or without article from the Hardball Times Annual.
"Yup. You got us. That guy sucks at defense and the people who work so hard under me are the ones who continue to run him out there. Those guys suck too."
Edit: What TVerik said.
A simple "we don't agree with the study" or "our own numbers say otherwise" would suffice. The bit about becoming physically ill over the contents of a term paper was a little over-the-top, considering it's actually, you know, true.
Number of PAs in which Ichiro! was on first base: 17
Number of those PAs in which there was a runner on 2nd base blocking him: 3 (including 2 6-4-3 DPs)
Results with 2nd base open: homerun, 2 doubles (one was a GB to LF, not sure if that was a glaring Jeter misplay or down the line or something), flyout (2x), 2 forceouts 6-4, 2 GIDPs, Ichiro! stealing second (2x), IF single to ARod, 1b on GB to LF (no idea if it was a "pasta"), caught stealing
So there are 2 questionable plays out of 17 with Ichiro! on base. No idea if that is high or low.
Calling it a term paper is a bit disingenuous... I know the author fairly well and we talked at length about his models at a recent conference. Shane is a pretty serious statistician who just happens to like baseball (even if you can't tell from the picture on his webpage).
well then have a few scouts watch Jeter and other MLB shortstops and tell you how Jeter's range compares.
Just watch any Yankee Game, Jeter was REALLY REALLY bad last year.
He still does some things well, he has a good accurate arm, he has good hands and he still tracks pop ups really well (another reason why he would have converted to an OF quite easily)- he just doesn't get to ground balls that most other MLB Shortstops do.
I've notice din recent years that teams have seemingly been more reluctant than they used to be in benching or moving veteran SSs who can't really play the position anymore.
It was pretty hysterical that Detroit got Renteria so they could move Guillen- Guillen's range was unacceptable? Renteria's range by 2009 (if not sooner) will be as bad as Guillen's was in 2007. Dombrowski's one of the better GMs around- but that move is perplexing- ok no it's not- they are going for it in 2008 (legitimately, unlike say Seattle...)
Jeter was referring to Ichiro as a batter-runner.
I wasn't trying to diminish the quality of the work Russ. I just found Stick's stated reaction to a statistical study somewhat ridiculous.
Maybe its easier to get a good player at SS if you accept below average defense for above average offensive production rather than trying to find a defensive standout who won't kill you with the bat.
Virtually every groundball extrabase hit goes down the line. I can't remember if it's 99% or 99.9%, but I did study this for the years retrosheet has project scoresheet hit locations. It's enough that in my TotalZone system I can be confidant in charging groundball XBH to completely to either the 1B or 3B.
Jeter can't misplay a groundball bad enough to turn it into a double, if it goes through the SS area and becomes a double, the blame lies with the outfielder. The only thing Jeter could do to put a runner on 2B is throw the ball away, but that would be scored a single + error or just a straight error.
Also, calling Jeter the worst shortstop in the majors is going a bit too far. He's a better defensive shortstop than a lot of people who play the position part-time, like Mark Loretta, or who played briefly as regulars and failed, like Russ Adams. He just happens to be the worst defensive shortstop among those who were good enough all around players to keep the regular job for over 10 years.
Excellent point. To restate: as the position starts to carry offensive expectations (post-Ripken), the traditional emphasis on defense at SS diminishes.
and also:
1. flipping the ball backhand to the catcher
2. diving into the stands after he's caught a popup
he's great at those, too, don't forget
I think it is ~98.5%. It does happen on turf fields, and often enough on GBs that go off a defender's glove.
That's *specifically* part of the calculation the run values in my system for DRS. It came from the studies done by Dale Stephenson, Sherri Nichols and basically the DA/DR researchers.
Anyone using my run values include a few doubles in the middle infield GB values.
Are you sure? Analyst looking at Jeter's D on this site goes back to at least 2001. Were people really talking about Jeter's lack of range during the championship run? I'll have to look at the STATS Diamond Chronicles when I get a chance.
Hmm, does Ichiro hit a lot of 15 hoppers near shortstop?
try rsb in Google Groups.
I don't envy the person in the Yankees' organization who will ultmately have to sit down with Jeter and explain the facts of life to him. Maybe it should be the entire pitching staff.
Neyer was talking about it long before then.
They've got bar graphs charting their displeasure!!!
This isn't true. Bpro has been talking about how bad Jeter's defense is since 1997. This is part of Bpro's player comment on him from their book released before the 98 season:
We’ve been very critical of his defense, so we should note that his range factor and Defensive Index are both average to slightly below. He didn’t make the great leap forward offensively, but improved marginally in most areas while staying healthy. He’ll be a reasonable MVP candidate a couple of times in the next six years.
And that was when PBP metrics were rating him as above average.
Jeter has always looked terrible
This isn't true either.
(chuckle) I'm pretty sure having Derek Jeter as our shortstop has served us well in the last decade or so.
Look, our team has a few question marks. Our job here is to keep the number of question marks low, and to deal with the biggest ones first. From where I sit, other teams have a lot more question marks than we do; and of the ones we have, Derek Jeter's defense ranks a little bit north of "Do we put too much salt on the popcorn?" in the priority list.
- - - - - -
Was that so hard to do?
I disagree with the part about him looking terrible. Jeter is fluid and graceful, with a strong arm, sure hands, and a willingness to dive for (and miss) ground balls. His body language is confident and he seems blissfully unaware of his shortcomings. Plus there were all those jump throws from the hole! I could easily see how a person who only watched him for a game or two might think he was a good defender. Only when you watch a bunch of Yankee games a year, and notice that the opposing SS almost invariably gets to balls that go past Jeter for hits, do you realize the awful truth.
What PBP measure had Jeter above average in 1996-1997? I think his zone rating was about average.
Chris, good suggestion in #28. That's a real productivity killer.
Still, I'm wondering how much of the "Jeter can't field" line of thought comes from people watching him or from people using stats. If I recall Rob Neyer's case was made with range factor, a classic case of using the wrong tool to come to the right conclusion.
Was there a time when the numbers did show Jeter to be good, but some people had their doubts? I recent example of that would be Chris Shelton or Kevin Millar - some PBP stats have rated them very well at 1B in recent years, but observation says the stats are misleading.
I think in Jeter's case it was:
1) He came up and instantly was considered a great shortstop
2) the numbers didn't back this up
3) a few people thought he was overrated
4) the numbers got worse
5) Pasta Diving Jeter! became part of our sub-culture
I could spend hours searching rec sport archives to try and see if what was written back matches up with my theory, or if I've got it all wrong. Most likely though, I'll get distracted and move onto something else.
ZR had him at +2 or something in 97, I don't have access to SG's spreadsheet at work, but I'm like 95% positive that he was above average in 97. UZR had him above average in 97 last I saw, but MGL changes the formula so maybe that has changed.
1995: -3
1996: -13
1997: -2
1998: 4
1999: 0
2000: -13
2001: -18
2002: -16
2003: -14
2004: 3
2005: 1
2006: -5
2007: -20
Well, I was wrong, SG have those numbers changed? They seem to be a little different then the numbers I've seen before, but it's (highly) possible I'm misremembering.
1) He came up and instantly was considered a great shortstop
2) the numbers didn't back this up
3) a few people thought he was overrated
4) the numbers got worse
5) Pasta Diving Jeter! became part of our sub-culture
I think the major wedge point was between 2 and 3, when people with numbers were first shouted down by the "no, he's clearly the best, and if you watched him play every day instead of playing with your damn spreadsheet you'd know it, fool" crowd. It wasn't so much that there was slight disagreement: the numbers folks thought he was among the worst; other folks thought he was among the best. Mike Emeigh was about the only one staking out a middle ground for a while there.
I notice that Jeter's ZR got a lot better when Pettitte left and a lot worse when he came back. Since Pettitte's a groundball heavy lefty, there should be more going to that 3B/SS hole.
Good one old man, you sure do make up for your many shortcomings with your excellent sense of humor.
1. Pettite on the mound means more RHB. Grounders hit by righties are more likely to turn into outs than those by left batters.
2. Groundball specialists tend to produce more easily fielded groundballs than flyball pitchers.
SG, have you looked at how Jeter did in Pettite's starts?
I suspect more of those chances went to second base or third base.
best post in this whole thread!
Maybe Scooby and the gang should stick to crime-fightng.
Nope, I didn't, but I think that's a good idea.
Maybe Scooby and the gang should stick to crime-fightng.
You're thinking the Mystery Machine. This study was actually done by the football-playing cons in The Longest Yard.
BTW: What the hell does the headline mean?
Also, comparing him defensively to failed shortstops like Loretta isn't a very good point. He's a better shortstop than most left fielders, designated hitters, umpires, bench coaches and drunken fans too.
Loretta actually played shortstop for a major league team last year, unlike Manny Ramirez, Frank Thomas, Doug Eddings, Don Zimmer, and myself. Jeter is a better fielder than Loretta. He's only allowed to rack up a huge total of runs below average because he is such a good all around player, but there are shortstops in the major leagues who have less fielding ability than Jeter.
Since you left off sober fans, can we infer that you think that Jeter is worse than a sober fan? :)
I don't see what the issue is. He's a great shortstop. He does everything well except fielding ground balls.
That is a nice way to express the true state of affairs but it is far too reasoned. Somehow a particular brand of Jeterphiles can't see that and must defend their idol against all slights.
Jack Wilson was an average SS last year and outhit Jeter by a considerable margin (.296/.350/.440). David Eckstein basically hit that (.309/.356/.382). Orlando Cabrera was a better than average fielder last year and hit .301/.345/.397.
None of these players made the AS team last year. The Yankees have not quite the equivalent of Eckstein/Cabrera playing SS. And this is leaving out the other consideration of the extra wear and tear Jeter lays on the bullpen with his bad defense. Factor that in, and Jeter is a below average starting SS.
Part of the yankees lack of perspective about the true value of Jeter is costing them valuable time in failing to correct a problem that is keeping them from getting over the hump and finally getting at least a little return on the exorbitant payroll expenditure they have been outlaying.
I realize I'm using ZR to generate this rationale because they are the only ones I have readily accessible and would appreciate input from Dial or David Pinto or someone else who has Jeter's range numbers but I'm willing to wager the end result will be roughly the same.
Man, you might be the smartest person I've ever encountered or even heard of.
kevin, total chances (PO + A + E) should not be used with zone rating. Jeter had 477 fieldable chances as defined by Stats Inc for zone rating (plays that are converted into outs at least 50% of the time). He made 365 plays. An average AL SS had a ZR of .821 and would have made 392 plays. So Jeter made 27 fewer plays, not 33. According to the Notorious Chris Dial's work, an average play not made at short is worth .753 runs.
Jeter's defense made his overall contributions last year just about average if you believe zone rating, so your larger point is probably right, but only for 2007. I've got him projected at around -10 defensively for 2008, which means he's a win or so above average overall if he repeats his offense. I know advanced metrics would project him to be worse most likely, but I use what I have access to.
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