Justin Smoak Appreciation Thread

[baubau]

^ anyone ever tell you that your avatar is really f***ing creepy?

 

E: God dammit MagicMike. I meant that for Followthelight.

[Followthelight]

People need something to complain about at all times, esp baseball fans it seems.

 

Yet here you are complaining, ironic....It is a "discussion" board...good and bad will be discussed. Be hard for you to get through life not being able to accept that. No one here was complaining until you showed up. Learn the difference between a statement and complaining.

[AdamGreenwood]

Smoak is getting way too much playing time.

 

I don't mind seeing a defensive shortstop/catcher who can't hit well, but there really is no use for a defensive first baseman with a career .223/.306/.385 (.693 OPS) slash line.

Colabello should be playing everyday - either at 1B or DH.

 

And I'm sorry, but what is all this ******** about hard hit balls. It's not like he's a rookie. He's had 2500 AB to prove himself. Bad luck doesn't give you a career .693 OPS at 1st base.

 

The difference in defense is not enough to outweight the significant differences in offense between Colabello and Smoak.

 

As for next year, I don't see any point in keeping Smoak. EE and CC can be the starters.

[MagicMike]

Yet here you are complaining, ironic....It is a "discussion" board...good and bad will be discussed. Be hard for you to get through life not being able to accept that. No one here was complaining until you showed up. Learn the difference between a statement and complaining.

 

Woah

 

 

http://filament.io/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/keanu_woah.jpg

[CrackerJack]

I like Smoak for what he is ... a part time player.

 

For his fans who moan everytime he's not in the lineup (and make it sound like he's the second coming of Lou Gehrig)... Ryan Goins has been more productive offensively the last couple of months than the big slugging first baseman.

Edited August 24, 2015 by CrackerJack

[Governator]

A defensive 1B is so underrated. In the NL without a DH that's just where they stick the big bats, but in reality, a great defensive first baseman can be the difference of turning inning-ending DPs, picking throws from 3B or even in our case, catching fly balls in foul territory. If we lacked a productive bat in the middle of our line up I can see more of a case of Cola over Smoak, but I believe our team has one of the best defenses in the AL that's just overshadowed by our offense.

[BigCecil]

A defensive 1B is so underrated. In the NL without a DH that's just where they stick the big bats, but in reality, a great defensive first baseman can be the difference of turning inning-ending DPs, picking throws from 3B or even in our case, catching fly balls in foul territory. If we lacked a productive bat in the middle of our line up I can see more of a case of Cola over Smoak, but I believe our team has one of the best defenses in the AL that's just overshadowed by our offense.

 

Colla had a game this weekend on both O and D. That's one. Props for that. Smoak completes our D which is one of the primary reasons we have been solid since the break when the offense took a hiatus.

 

Without his picks yesterday its a different outcome for RA likely. He still has upside at the plate imo. I appreciate Colla's offensive contributions but I prefer Smoak @ 1B.

[MagicMike]

Colla had a game this weekend on both O and D. That's one. Props for that. Smoak completes our D which is one of the primary reasons we have been solid since the break when the offense took a hiatus.

 

Without his picks yesterday its a different outcome for RA likely. He still has upside at the plate imo. I appreciate Colla's offensive contributions but I prefer Smoak @ 1B.

 

It's "Cola" not "Colla".

[BigCecil]

It's "Cola" not "Colla".

 

Thanks for the spelling tips. Go f***ka yourself.

[Followthelight]

thanks for the spelling tips. Go f***ka yourself.

 

lol!

[MagicMike]

Thanks for the spelling tips. Go f***ka yourself.

 

Dude you need a drink to cool off... here ya go, friend

 

http://www.sixthseal.com/archive/October2005/gardenia_cola_can.jpg

[Nabru]

If Smoak is such a good defender, why is there a negative in his DEF column on Fangraphs? (Serious question, maybe a dumb one, but I'm still learning a lot of the current metrics).

[MagicMike]

If Smoak is such a good defender, why is there a negative in his DEF column on Fangraphs? (Serious question, maybe a dumb one, but I'm still learning a lot of the current metrics).

 

It's because he's not... people forgot that range is actually important, even at 1B. Smoak has good hands but his range... it's bad.

[L54]

If Smoak is such a good defender, why is there a negative in his DEF column on Fangraphs? (Serious question, maybe a dumb one, but I'm still learning a lot of the current metrics).

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/library/defense/def/

 

This link is a good starting point for understanding defensive metrics.

[L54]

It's because he's not... people forgot that range is actually important, even at 1B. Smoak has good hands but his range... it's bad.

 

If you set the threshold at 500 innings defensively played at first base, there are exactly zero defenders who have a Def rating that is positive. Surely you're not implying that there are no above average defenders at 1B right? Because that's impossible.

 

The reason is because of the positional adjustment of playing first base (~ -12.5/600 PA). Not because of his eye tested poor range.

[MagicMike]

If you set the threshold at 500 innings defensively played at first base, there are exactly zero defenders who have a Def rating that is positive. Surely you're not implying that there are no above average defenders at 1B right? Because that's impossible.

 

The reason is because of the positional adjustment of playing first base (~ -12.5/600 PA). Not because of his eye tested poor range.

 

Nothing you're saying is correlating to anything in my post.

[Orgfiller]

If Smoak is such a good defender, why is there a negative in his DEF column on Fangraphs? (Serious question, maybe a dumb one, but I'm still learning a lot of the current metrics).

 

The positional adjustment for playing first base is what brings the defense down so much. He could be a plus defender at first but since that's the easiest non-DH position in baseball to play they still get a big negative because it is much easier to play than the others. This is why DH's also get a big negative Def score despite never actually playing defense.

[L54]

Nothing you're saying is correlating to anything in my post.

 

Nabru asked why Justin Smoak's Def value on Fangraphs was a negative, if he's viewed as a an above average defender at first base.

 

You hypothesized that he is not a good defender, and cited his lack of range as the reason why his Def value is negative.

 

That actually isn't true, and I explained why. Very few first basemen will accumulate a positive rating because of the positional adjustment. Def can be used to compare the value of all players relative to their position. A negative Def rating at first base does not equate to poor defender.

[labadee]

^ anyone ever tell you that your avatar is really f***ing creepy?

 

E: God dammit MagicMike. I meant that for Followthelight.

 

he knows he knows..

[GD]

Look at UZR for defensive "skill," how good you are at defense. Or DRS, whatever tickles your fancy. Look at Def for defensive "value," or what value you contribute defensively based on how good you are (based on UZR but you can substitute DRS with some easy math) + where you play.