From: sfh@po.CWRU.Edu (Steven F. Hubbard)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Defensive Position and Hitting
Date: 4 Jan 93 15:40:54 GMT
Reply-To: sfh@po.CWRU.Edu (Steven F. Hubbard)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank) says:

>I got the Stats 1993 Player Profiles, and they had a great breakdown
>of batting by position for players.  I couldn't help but notice a trend.
>
>As an outfielder, Bip Roberts hit well over .350 with lotsa power.
>As an infielder, his OPS was in the 600-650 range.
>
>John Kruk was over 150 OPS better at 1B than in RF.
>
>Canseco DH: 942 OPS.  RF: 759 OPS.
>
>Travis Fryman was a sensational 891 OPS 3B, but just an OK 703 OPS as a SS.
>
>Cory Snyder 1B > OF > 3B.  Tim Wallach 1B > 3B.  Jerry Browne 3B > OF > 2B.
>Mariano Duncan 2B > SS > OF.  Fletcher SS > 2B.  Gaetti DH > 1B = 3B.
>Gladden LF > CF.  Rene Gonzales 1B/3B > 2B.  Juan Gonzalez was slightly
>better as a LF than as a CF.  Darryl Hamilton RF > LF/CF.  Len Harris,
>2B > 3B/SS.  Jeff Kent 3B > 2B.  Jeff King 2B > 3B > 1B.  But HoJo and 
>Roberto Kelly CF > LF.  
>
>Sorrento was 100 OPS better as a DH than as a 1B.  Stankiewicz was 150+
>OPS better as 2B than as SS.  Tettleton was 165 OPS better as a DH than
>as a C.
>
>But Boggs was about the same at DH and 3B, and Brett was better as 1B than DH.
>O'Brien was also about the same at DH and 1B.  Carter was much better as OF
>than as DH.  Fielder was better at 1B than DH.  Tartabull was much better
>as RF than DH.  Phillips was better as a position player than a DH.  Jack
>Clark was Superman at 1B (974 OPS in 50 PA) but Wallachesque as a DH (<600
>OPS).
>
>Cooper about the same as 1B and 3B.  Brunansky was better as DH > RF > 1B.'

  I don't see any trends.

>
>--
>Possible hypotheses for all this.
>
>1.  Random chance.  We're talking a lot of small sample sizes here.

   What other type of chance is there?  Given what you've shown here.  Chance
is all I can see.

>
>2.  Players playing in unfamiliar positions hit poorer than they would
>    otherwise.

  Define an unfamiliar position.  Snyder was brought into the majors as a
right fielder and occasionally played SS.  Now he hits better as a first
baseman than an OF.  Why isn't 1B an unfamiliar position for Wallach?

>
>3.  Players playing in more difficult positions have more of their
>    attention drawn towards the more demanding defensive position, and
>    may be less able to hit.

  Duncan 2B > SS.  Fletcher  SS > 2B.  
  Kent  3B > 2B.  King  2B > 3B.

     No trends here.


>
>4.  DH's may not be in the flow of the game, and have trouble staying
>    warmed up to hit, as they spend much of the game on the bench.
>
>5.  Players playing DH may be doing so in coming back from an injury,
>    and hit less well because of the injury rather than the position.

  How then do you explain Canseco,  Tettleton, Sorrento, Brunansky, etc.

>
>6.  The position switch may just coincide with a platoon advantage --
>    a batter might be platooned at 3B against RHP, but 2B against LHP.

  In which case, the hitting is unaffected by defensive position.  This is all
due to BA vs. right and left.

   None of these hypotheses can adequately explain the data.  In your defense,
I recognize the small sample.  Maybe 10 years worth of data would show trends 
of some kind.

SfH
-- 
Steven F. Hubbard                ** "If people don't want to come to the 
Case Western Reserve University  **     ballpark, how are you gonna stop them? 
Department of Physics            **  
Cleveland, OH 44106              **                         -- Yogi
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball