AquaMan2342 wrote:Living and dying by stats like WAR seem to force some to walk a fine line sometimes. Bear with me here, but is it possible that those who run teams and manage them know more about how to effectively build a team and lineup? I think Howard's overrated also, but I definitely think he's within the top 100 players in baseball, and a lot of that does come from his run production.
I'd rather live and die by WAR than by RBI.
Howard is a top 100 player in baseball, but that doesn't mean he's underrated. Howard is crazy crazy overrated.
The #1 goal of a cleanup hitter isn't to "drive in runs". The number one role of every hitter is "don't get out". There are secondary goals based on where a player hits in a lineup (hit for power, don't strikeout, don't ground out), but the #1 rule is "don't get out".
Howard just does not get on base much, and his skill set has been steadily declining.
The reason why Ryan Howard isn't the answer here is Chase Utley. Howard has so many RBIs because Chase Utley is always on base. And unlike "being increasingly less awful" at defense like Howard, Utley has been one of the best defensive player at one of the most important positions for nearly a decade.
If anyone on the Phillies is underrated, it's Utley and Victorino. Howard's value comes from the 1985 notion of valuing players on triple crown stats.
Howard's are swell, but any baseball person would happily trade half of his homers to get on base an extra 60-80 times a year.
Skinny wrote:jose altuve...ive talked to one N.L. scout who thinks he is already better than cano...guy will win 3-4 batting titles and atleast 1 mvp
Lord almighty.
I just talked to one NL scout who tells me that Nolan Ryan is going to come out of retirement and kick everyone's ass. And also win 3-4 batting titles and at least one MVP.
Maybe not in any recent years, but I always felt growing up that Todd Helton was the most underrated and least proportionately popular player I have ever seen. And it's not like he played for a team that is below the radar, the guy simply got no respect. Guys like Galarraga, Bichette and Larry Walker were more popular than he was in his prime.
Case in point: his 2000 season.
HR: 42 RBI: 147 AVG: .372 OPS: 1.162
MVP voting? 5th His stat rankings in the NL? First in BA, first in WAR, first in OPS, sixth in HR, first in RBI.
Skinny wrote:jose altuve...ive talked to one N.L. scout employed by the Astros, who thinks he is already better than cano...guy will win 3-4 batting titles and atleast 1 mvp
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