From: fester@island.COM (Mike Fester)
Subject: Re: RC/27 for CFs
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 16:28:54 GMT

In article <1992Jul20.142636.14312@cbnews.cb.att.com> dae@cbnews.cb.att.com (david.a.elliott) writes:
>In article <1992Jul17.190453.27517@leland.Stanford.EDU> claudius@leland.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu) writes:
>>In article <1992Jul17.171031.3741@island.COM> fester@island.COM (Mike Fester) writes:
>>>In article <1992Jul15.043655.20632@leland.Stanford.EDU> claudius@leland.stanford.edu (Nelson Lu) writes:
>>>>AMERICAN LEAGUE
>>>>Brian McRae, Kansas City	3.36 (can't be nepotism, can it?)
>
>>>Why don't you calculate Thurman's RC, and see for yourself?
>
>>I did.  It is significantly lower.  (A little less than Cuyler, below)
>>However, Thurman has only gotten 103 ABs this year, and McRae has had 3 times
>>as much.  I don't consider 103 AB enough to really see that Thurman is worse
>>than McRae.
>
>Actually, the two of them are pretty close in ability.  Thurman is a
>slightly better hitter and base stealer, McRae is a better defensive player.

If Thrman is a better base-stealer, he has a bizarre way of showing it; he's
below .500 (5 for 11), whereas McRae is 10 for 14. As for baserunning, Mcrae
was one of the best last year; he went 1st ot 3rd on 47% of outfield singles
last year (league average wsa 35%) and scored from 2nd on 91% (league average
was 73%). Thurman's average this year is right about where his career average 
is, while McRae's is below.

>Neither of them are anything more than bench players (although Thurman had
>better minor league numbers, and could prove to be a much better player than
>he has shown if given some serious playing time).

He also makes a lot of errors, hardly what you want for a center fielder.

>I agree with Nelson.  Despite Hal McRae's vow not to show favoritism towards
>Brian when he took the Royals job, he has done nothing but in the last year.
>Brian established last year that he was a decidedly mediocre hitter, and yet

Which is STILL a cut above Thurman.

>the Royals have made no move to replace him, and Hal has not given anyone
>else a shot at playing CF.  Brian McRae never hit in the minors, and he has
>not proven he can hit in the majors.  He has little power.  He strikes out a
>lot.  He doesn't walk.

He still does all of these better than Thurman.

>The Royals have Kevin Koslofski in AAA, who only hit .350 in his brief
>call-up recently.  I realize that players like him very rarely excel in
>the majors (26 years old, and an 8 year minor league veteran), but I'd be
>willing to bet my entire collection of George Brett baseball cards AND my
>entire collection of Royals T-shirts that he could out-produce McRae by 75
>points of OPS if given a chance.


Koflofski has been at least as bad in the minors as McRae. With less power.

>The Royals are sort of like a Little League team, where the coach's son gets
>to pitch and play shortstop despite being about the 10th best player on the
>team.

Would be more damning, if the guys who were better than him and sitting also
played short of pitched.

Mike
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