It’s Still Not Wright
From Mark Feinsand at Yankees.com:
Compare these two stat lines:
Player A: .316 average, 21 home runs, 79 RBIs, 63 runs, .388 on-base percentage
Player B: .284 average, 21 home runs, 71 RBIs, 67 runs, .386 on-base percentageThe first? National League MVP candidate David Wright. The second? Rodriguez.
So although their stats are virtually identical, Wright (who has 11 errors vs. Rodriguez’s 18) is having what is considered a terrific season because the Mets have a double-digit lead in the NL East — and he makes less than a half-million dollars.
And let’s not forget — Rodriguez has put up these numbers in a “down year” where nothing has gone right for him.
I really wish people would stop making this comparison. As I pointed out there three days ago, A-Rod, offensively, this season is not even near Wright.
These two players play in different leagues. They play in different home ballparks. You have to adjust for that – as I did three days ago when I presented the boiled down stats.
Why not compare A-Rod’s season to Lee Seung-yeop’s season playing in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants? Oh, because it’s different leagues, etc., right? Comparing Rodriguez to Wright, just using the raw numbers, is the same mistake.
Not to change the subject here (actually, yes, to change the subject because I hate this topic and am completely exhausted by it)…
The Blue Jays traded Shea Hillenbrand and reliever Vinny Chulk to San Francisco for Jeremy Accardo. I don’t know much about the minor leagues and which leagues are considered pitcher friendly or hitter friendly but he seems to be a pretty talented young arm. I find it amazing that Toronto, in a position of little to no leverage, was able to get a guy like this.
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/A/Jeremy-Accardo.shtml
PS – I went to camp with Mark Feinsand back when we were in the 5th & 6th grades (circa 1985-86). I’m jealous that he has a job that allows him this kind of access…
Well, I think your argument actually favors A-Rod, Steve. A-Rod plays in the far superior league and hits in a ballpark that is not easy on right-handed hitters. Wright hits in a park that isn’t friendly to home runs, but he gets to hack against some truly terrible pitchers.
Almost all of the great pitchers right now are in the AL, and A-Rod has to face a bunch of them: Santana, Halladay, Schilling, Kazmir, Contreras (and the Angels, Oakland, White Sox and Indians have pretty good pitching staffs, and let’s not even get into the bullpens).
Wright “seems” to be having a better year this year because he gets a lot of big hits. If that’s all that counts, then fine, he’s having a better year. But I don’t think the overall numbers show that. And who does Wright have to face? The Nationals, Braves, and Phillies don’t exactly run out superstars (aside from Smoltz). The Marlins pitchers are talented, but all rookies.
Actually, outside of Willis, Carpenter, Clemens and Oswalt, there aren’t many pitchers in the NL who challenge you.
I think Wright — and the Mets — have it pretty easy. Which is why they’re getting along with such a lousy pitching staff.
2005 Park Factors via the CBE:
Yankee Stadium: 105
Shea: 96
Shea has always been a pitcher’s park. Winds, bad sight lines, etc. Yankee Stadium has one of the best batter’s eyes in the league as a backdrop.
As far as the ace list, you really can’t go by that – what about the 2nd line of pitchers? What about the 3rd and 4th starters in each league? Which league has deeper pens and uses them earlier in the game, etc. There’s so much there to factor in that you can’t just make an ace list and work off that.
Well, I’m not just going on an ace list. The AL has better pitchers and deeper staffs. Who has the best staff in the NL? The Astros? After that, who has more than two good pitchers? And I didn’t even mention Verlander, Liriano, Zito, Haren. And just look at the All-Star Game: in the NL bullpen, you have Hoffman, Turnbow, Gordon. In the AL: Mo, Papelbon, Ryan.
The pitching in the AL is across-the-board better, and you can’t discount that when comparing hitters’ stats.
And seriously, as we going to bring the batters’ eye into this to make the case for Wright? Unless you pull it, right-handers don’t hit cheap home runs in Yankee Stadium.
How many hitter’s parks are in the AL East? A-Rod gets 20 games in Baltimore and Fenway. Plus, he gets to hit TB pitching for 19 games.
In the NL East, Wright gets 10 games in FLA – and extreme pitchers park. Sure, he gets 10 games in Philly – but, that’s about it in the NL East. Washington is deep – and Turner is a fair park.
A-Rod gets many more nicer parks to hit in, playing in the AL East.
Doesn’t Fenway have a much larger overall OF than Shea? Except for a brief short distance down the LF line aren’t the LF dimensions similar? Plus a 30 foot wall in Fenway that costs HR’s compared to a 12 foot wall at Shea. Isn’t left center virtually the same distance in both parks? Thereafter, except for the so-called Pesky-pole down the RF line, the Fenway OF is in fact very large.
IMHO Shea has always been overrated simply owing to the fact that the Metropolitans lacked power hitters most of their miserable existence.
Mike Schmidt has said Shea was his favorite road park to hit in.