Robert Ford seems to ruffle the feathers of sabermetrically inclined Royals fans from time to time (i.e. calling David DeJesus a fourth outfielder on a good team, saying Kevin Appier was not an ace). In the latest installment, he has
called Billy Butler a "base-clogger." I'm not exactly sure what people mean when they say that. It wouldn't be controversial to merely call Butler slow, but there's something else implied in the term "base-clogger," something that indirectly disparages his on-base skills. But perhaps it just means the player doesn't come around to score as often as he should relative to how often he's on base.
Anyway, this prompted me to look into the rates Royals players have scored historically. I looked at the 113 players that have reached base 200+ times not including home runs for the Royals, the number of runs they scored minus home runs, and came up with a run scoring efficiency number. Speed and intelligent base-running are of course big parts of making your way around the base-paths, but it is also important to remember the huge factor of teammates bringing you in, making these numbers not just an individual stat. Butler has not had the luxury of great hitters helping him come home. That combined with his lack of speed does result in a poor rate of scoring: he comes in at 100th on the list of 113 Royals, having scored 24% of the time he reaches base by way of a non-homer. The average for the 113 guys on the list is 30%. So in the strictest sense that he gets stranded more than you would like, maybe he is a "base-clogger." But that is such a loaded term. Since the way to score runs is to not make outs/reach base, anytime you "clog" a base, you have done something good. And even if he's not efficient at coming home on a rate basis, he clogs bases so often that he's already scored the 18th most runs in Royals history. So, sure, call the guy slow all you want. But calling him, or really anybody, a base-clogger pejoratively just doesn't make much sense.
(By the way, I don't mean to pick on Ford. I enjoy his work on the radio and on
his blog, and I appreciate that he focuses on bringing the perspective of baseball insiders, something I know little about.)
Here are some of the stats on Royals run-scoring efficiency:
As a little kid, I really believed that Gary Thurman would be a star--a speedy 1st round pick and all. I just looked up his stats. He maxed out at 216 PA's in 1992 and Total Zone says he was even 6 runs below average in the field. He'll always have those 2 solo HR's in 1991, though. Run on, Gary. Run on.
ReplyDeleteButler is the best hitter on the Royals roster right now. period. Look at increased homers this year. He is developing. Perspective, people.
ReplyDelete