Episode 1011: The Up-and-Down Defense Edition

## Summary

*Ben Lindbergh and Jeff Sullivan discuss their EclipseFest sellout and answer listener emails about Jae-gyun Hwang, Daniel Murphy, and power/contact reinventions; the most informative stats; the best way to split up seasons; drastic defensive changes; career cycles for pitchers; protecting the inside of the plate, and more.*

## Topics

* Isolated power and strikeout rate
* Most informative stats for a GM
* Matt Chavez and talented indy league players
* Splitting season performance
* Players with drastic changes in defensive value
* Career cycles for pitchers
* Awarding bases for throwing too far inside

## Banter

* The Effectively Wild eclipse event sold out almost immediately (125 total tickets). Ben and Jeff don't expect more tickets to be released in their block but general tickets are available still.
* Several other minor league teams are planning events to coordinate with the eclipse.
* Jae-gyun Hwang signed with the San Francisco Giants.

## Email Questions

* Mike: "Sometime toward the end of the 2015 Daniel Murphy just decided to more than double his isolated slugging and power while lowering his historical strikeout percentage. What's more inexplicable: a slugger who maintains the same isolated power while halving his strikeout rate or a contact hitter who maintains the same strikeout rate while doubling his isolated power?"
* Sam: "If you were a GM of a MLB team but you had to unlock statistics for scouting new players, much like in Madden or other similar games, which stats would you unlock first for batters and separately pitchers? You already get the basic biographical stats (age, height, weight) and most common position played last year but nothing else."
* Troy: "It's pretty common to split a player's performance up into the first and second halves of a season or to note that a player has had a strong second half. If you had three players who added an equal amount of value over their careers but one did so at an even pace, one was only good during the first half, and one was only good during the second half, which of the three players would be thought of most positively?"
* Marcus: "How many pitchers have a career cycle?"
* Jason (Long Beach, CA): "Given the recent rule changes aimed at increased player safety, I have another suggestion in mind. What if the batter was simply awarded first base any time a pitch crossed into the batter's box on the side where he's hitting?"

## Stat Blast

* Inspired by Gerardo Parra's fluctuating defensive utility, Jeff uses FanGraphs to see the players with the greatest fluctuation in defensive performance.
* Parra had a 48 run difference between the best and worse defensive seasons in his career. This is 9th biggest all-time.
* Ken Griffey Jr. has the biggest difference with a 68.9 run difference between his best and worst defensive seasons.

## Notes

* There are 25 players in the last 20 years who have cut their strikeout rate by at least 40% between consecutive seasons.
* Ben and Jeff would first want to 'unlock' speed and playing time data for players.
* Jeff thinks that a player who is consistent across all parts of the season will be most desired by teams but isn't sure if they would actually get paid more than the other two.
* There are 15 active pitchers with a career cycle, including Clayton Kershaw.
* Ben once broke his nose while playing catch in Central Park.

## Links

* Effectively Wild Episode 1011: The Up-and-Down Defense Edition