From: joeb@cserver.plexus.com (Joe Brotz)
Subject: Re: AL Rookie of Year Award?
Organization: Plexus Corp. -- Neenah Wisconsin
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 13:26:02 GMT

paul@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Paul R Krueger) writes:

>In article <1992Oct5.030209.369@midway.uchicago.edu> thf2@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>>In article <1afvtkINN8hk@uwm.edu> paul@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Paul R Krueger) writes:
>>I'll be curious to see the first-to-third-on-a-single, opposition balk,
>>and other stats of the like for 1991 and this year if anyone has them.
>>Krueger's description is sounding more and more subjective.  I suspect,
>>without any evidence to back me up, that the Brewers aren't taking the
>>extra base any more *often* than they used to.  
>    
>    Yes, you're right, I am being subjective. It could very possibly be
>    that I've been swept away by Garner and Co.'s hype. Still, this team
>    seems very different to me than any team I've ever seen in Milwaukee.

>>But if they've been at the top of the league in baserunning the last
>>five years, then they've been aggressive all along, haven't they?
>    
>    Yes, but not near to the point that they are now. I don't have the
>    exact totals, but I believe their end-of-the-season stolen base total  
>    for this year is about 70-80 higher than any of the past four or five
>    years. 

>    Friday night's game was a perfect example. Having Hamilton steal in
>    the ninth down 3-2? They would have never done that before this year.
>    Thursday against Seattle, down a couple runs and having Seitzer and
>    Fletcher double steal in the late innings. Never, ever before this
>    year. I don't have the stats or know them, but I think if anyone does,
>    the stats will prove me right about their overwhelming aggressiveness.

I don't guarantee that this is the EXACT total, but I believe this years
stolen base total for the Brewers was 256. Their previous club record
was 176, so as you said, its about 80 stolen base higher than any of
their previous marks. BTW, their stolen bases this year was the 
highest ever for a team in the AL East, and the most by any team 
since the '76 A's (a team that Garner was a member of).

IMO, it would be hard for anyone to produce any truly meaningful 
statistics to measure the impact of a team's running game. Here are
my observations of the running game's affect in a baseball game
(obvious ones anyway):


  1) the stolen base itself 
  2) getting an extra base on the hit-and-run
  3) pressure on pitcher causing balks
  4) pressure on pitcher causing bad pitches (this one could  
     have a HUGH impact, but how do you measure it?) 
  5) pressure on fielders causing errors (or just bad decisions)
  6) avoiding double plays when the baserunner is in motion
  7) extra pressure on the catcher (takes his mind off of calling
     the game??)
  8) putting infielders out of position when they have to cover
     the attempted stolen base (turns an out into a hit).

I'm sure there are other side affects. Through the year, Brewer fans
have observed the positive affects that we've gotten in each of these
areas, but it's pretty hard to say where we would have been without
the aggressive running game.


--
"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher I ever    <Joseph A. Brotz         >
saw. Every time he pitches, the other team    <joeb@cserver.plexus.com >
doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver       <UUCP: spool!cserver!joeb>
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball