Jose Reyes‘ baserunning gaffe from Friday night’s game was exactly that: a gaffe. Meaning, a blunder, or a foolish mistake.
It doesn’t matter that Bob Ojeda was a former MLBer and he supported this blunder, because there are former MLBers who, if you asked them, would say it was a dumb move.
And it doesn’t matter that Reyes’ own manager Terry Collins publicly supported Reyes’ decision to take a chance in that situation, because Collins
With all the ballyhoo about Jose Reyes’ headfirst slide into third last night and the ensuing discussion about whether it’s safer / smarter / faster to slide head- or feet-first, here are some interesting points.
First, a mechanical engineer came to the conclusion that sliding head-first was faster.
Though, other researchers — including a physicist — saw no significant difference between the two methods.
But what about the opinion of someone who has actually been on a baseball field and done some sliding? Here is what Davey Lopes — one of the all-time great basestealers — had to say in an article published on MLB.com a few weeks back:
This is elementary, but useful for kids and amateur coaches. Wally Backman explains how middle infielders decide who is going to cover second base in a stealing situation and how that decision is communicated.
If it were still April, the “shaking off the rust” excuse would still apply to Jose Reyes. However, we’re now getting into mid-May, and Reyes is floundering with a .229 batting average and a .281 OBP. Those certainly are not the numbers you’d expect from the best offensive player on your team — a.k.a. the number-three hitter.
Could this batting third thing be getting into his head?
It seems to me that his plate discipline has gone out the window since moving to the #3 spot — but that’s just my old eyes and my unreliable memory talking. So, as much as I tend to eschew “the new math” of baseball, I took a suggestion (via Twitter) from Craig Glaser of Sabometrics and took a look at “swing rates” on Fangraphs.
Accordng to the numbers, Reyes’ “outside swing percentage” (or “O-swing%”) — the percentage of balls outside the strike zone that he’s swung at — is
RED FLAG ALERT!
Take a look at the above photo, taken in Port St. Lucie from yesterday’s intrasquad game by Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog. It’s Josh Thole in his “runners on” catching stance.
Notice the flat back, weight forward on the balls of the feet (and off the heels), arms extended out in front. It’s classic, 1970s positioning, made famous by the likes of Johnny Bench.
And it’s wrong.
That’s right — Johnny Bench, the greatest catcher who ever lived — used an improper, inefficient catching stance.
If you didn’t think I was off my rocker when criticizing Sandy Koufax last week, then surely you believe I’ve gone bonkers on this one.
Newly signed import Ryota Igarashi is the owner of the fastest ball thrown in Japan, a 98-MPH heater. However, his goal is to hit triple digits, and he believes the harder clay mounds in the USA will give him that opportunity (do they play on sand in Japan?). From Yakyubaka.com: Ryota Igarashi is apparently interested … Read more
Before Endy Chavez, “The Catch” in Mets history referred to the diving snare made by Ron Swoboda in the 1969 World Series. I had the great pleasure of talking to Ron about that catch and how he turned himself — through hard work, pride, and dedication — into a Major League outfielder capable of making … Read more
The Mets and Ryota Igarashi have reached an agreement on a two-year deal. The 30-year-old Japanese hurler is expected to compete for the setup role in front of Francisco Rodriguez. I’ve never seen him pitch (other than the video below) and therefore cannot comment on his skillset or demeanor. However, Patrick Newman of the outstanding … Read more
