10 year $341 Million for Francisco Lindor :damn:

[Remote]

I get your point but I don't really care about any of that. Just answer the question. Are the Braves still the best team in baseball if you swap Kim and Olson? Yes or no?

It's not a Yes/No question.

Given the Braves' lead on the league...the answer is....probably.

 

[Regular_P]

None of this is addressing the topic at hand though.

The real question is....how much does Olson's HR hitting make up for his bad defense? And how much does Kim's defense and baserunning make up for his lack of pure HR power?

That's all we're trying to do here.

The problem is, you think this gap is HUGE and the evidence suggests it not that huge at all.
And literally the only argument you have is "defense is overrated"

Well, maybe. Maybe not.

Olson has an OPS of 1.193 with runners in scoring position this season; Kim's is .727. So yeah, Olson's hitting is making up for his "bad" defense. All first basemen get dinged defensively for playing first base; all second basemen get a boost for playing up the middle.

If you'd like to read about it more, here you go:

Positional Adjustment

In essence, the positional adjustment is a correction to account for the fact that different positions are more challenging than others, which is a pretty easy thing to accept.

library.fangraphs.com

The difference between a center fielder and corner outfield is 10 runs even though they are fielding just one extra ball on average every two games. All of the calculations need to be updated, badly.

 

[Remote]

Olson has an OPS of 1.193 with runners in scoring position this season; Kim's is .727. So yeah, Olson's hitting is making up for his "bad" defense. All first basemen get dinged defensively for playing first base; all second basemen get a boost for playing up the middle.

If you'd like to read about it more, here you go:

Positional Adjustment

In essence, the positional adjustment is a correction to account for the fact that different positions are more challenging than others, which is a pretty easy thing to accept.

library.fangraphs.com

The difference between a center fielder and corner outfield is 10 runs even though they are fielding just one extra ball on average every two games. All of the calculations need to be updated, badly.

If you don't field as many balls you don't have as much of an impact on the defense.
Does this not make sense?

And all you're saying here is that Olson's offense is making up for his bad defense -- a point I've literally agreed with several times now.

And if Kim was as bad defensively as Olson is...then the gap between them would be enormous because of Olson's power.

BUT....
Kim isn't as bad defensively as Olson is. He's one of the best defenders in baseball. At multiple positions. And that has value. And that's why the gap between Kim and Olson is narrower than people might otherwise expect.

This isn't magic.

 

[Miggs]

I

That’s not how it works though.

You don’t just get a boost for playing 2B or SS or CF.

Those positions are valuable. It’s true. Because they tend to see the most opportunities. But you still have to be good.

There’s no one who is a bad centerfielder who suddenly becomes more valuable than a great 1B simply because they play CF.

Kevin Kiermaier might be the best defensive CF in baseball this season. Freddie Freeman is one of the worst this year.

Their WAR values aren’t anything close to one another.

OK but thats an extreme example Freeman is top in WAR/OPS and Kiermaier although having a decent season at the plate hes still a No 9 hitter...

 

[Remote]

OK but thats an extreme example Freeman is top in WAR/OPS and Kiermaier although having a decent season at the plate hes still a No 9 hitter...

Yes. But it takes extreme examples for people to understand a broader point.

 

[Captain Crunch]

59th in OPS.

Major League Leaderboards - 2023 - Batting | FanGraphs Baseball

www.fangraphs.com

top 6 in war

 

[ineedsleep212]

4 more years of Baez

 

[Regular_P]

5th largest contract in MLB history; 98th in OPS.

 

[Astroslik]

He’s going to get another bag in a couple years

 

[AnonymityX1000]

5th largest contract in MLB history; 98th in OPS.

I heard he and Harper are 1st in OPS since May 1st during the game yesterday.

 

[Brozay]

I heard he and Harper are 1st in OPS since May 1st during the game yesterday.

without looking at anything, I am willing to bet my life that Lindor doesnt have a higher OPS than Aaron Judge since May 1st

 

[AnonymityX1000]

without looking at anything, I am willing to bet my life that Lindor doesnt have a higher OPS than Aaron Judge since May 1st

Take it up with the Fox broadcast yesterday.

 

[Big Dick]

5th largest contract in MLB history; 98th in OPS.

Lindor isn’t the problem with the Mets. At the end of the season he’ll have logged another 5WAR.

 

[Juggalo Fred]

without looking at anything, I am willing to bet my life that Lindor doesnt have a higher OPS than Aaron Judge since May 1st

Lindors OPS side may 1 isn't even .800

Since may 2nd it's. 801

 

[Regular_P]

Lindor isn’t the problem with the Mets. At the end of the season he’ll have logged another 5WAR.

All hail the WAR.

Ha-Seong Kim had a 5.8 WAR with a .749 OPS last year. Maybe you guys can throw a few hundred million at him this winter too.