Shields honored as AL's best

Rays starter James Shields got two wins, and Monday he got something to go with them - American League Player of the Week honors.

3 months ago webdoyenne Comment 15 comments 0 recs |

Story-email Email | Print |

Comments

Even funnier is...

The stats used for MLB.com’s “breaking news” text msg for this are, my 2 most hated and overglorified stats….his 2 WINS and his 1.13 ERA during his week.

by Jacob Larsen on Apr 28, 2008 5:22 PM EDT 0 recs

Here we go again...

So you think they should give out the player of the week based on peripherals. Get a clue.

by save_the_trop on Apr 28, 2008 9:18 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah, opinions aren't allowed here!

"I've seen many, many blue skies turn gray, but the sun will eventually return, and so will I. So will I." - Carlos Pena

by R.J. Anderson on Apr 28, 2008 9:39 PM EDT up 0 recs

Listen, we’ve been having a rigorous and mostly intelligent debate over this whole stats vs. scouting thing. Let’s not ruin it. I respect your opinion, and the opinions of others with whom I disagree, and I’d hope you feel the same. But there’s no reason to abandon civility either way in making your point.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Apr 29, 2008 12:14 AM EDT up 0 recs

Additionally

I want to stress there really is no stats vs. scouting debate. It is a phony issue published by people who either do not understand what the sabermetricians are doing (and saying) or who, more rarely from my reading, have become dogmatic and rather fanatic converts to the statistical approach with a very narrow outlook on it.

I have never read a respectable sabermetrician who denies the importance of scouting or claims that one can understand the game simply from analyzing the numbers. The entire underpinning of sabermetrics is skepticism, the willingness to question dogma. It is always far more interested in the questions than the answers and subjects all views, including its own most universally accepted, to criticism.

by bobr on Apr 29, 2008 7:33 AM EDT up 0 recs

Well said, Bob. If someone were to look at baseball from a purely dogmatic stat or tool perspective you’re going to miss a significant part of the picture. For a statistical analyst to completely discount scouting is to fall into the same line of thinking statistics were meant to (and in many cases have) debunk.

Longlorious.

by RATW on Apr 29, 2008 10:02 AM EDT up 0 recs

It's stupid to discount either

Stats analyzers are cheaper than scouts and good ones aren’t as rare as good scouts. Ideally, and within our fine organization, the two sides work well together.

"I've seen many, many blue skies turn gray, but the sun will eventually return, and so will I. So will I." - Carlos Pena

by R.J. Anderson on Apr 29, 2008 3:05 PM EDT up 0 recs

Precisely

Right.

by bobr on Apr 29, 2008 4:26 PM EDT up 0 recs

He deserved this

I’m sure he will smoke a couple J’s to celebrate.

I heard his audio on ESPN….he said “man” about 20 times….silly stoner has a million dollar arm.

That settles it for me. Shield’s jersey will be bought on Friday

Mound Visit

by Mound Visit on Apr 28, 2008 5:37 PM EDT 0 recs

I'm not thinking he's a stoner

Just because he uses “man” a lot. He’s married and has a daughter, and from what I’ve seen he has displayed more maturity than a lot of veteran pitchers who have 10 years on him.

by Patrick L. Kennedy on Apr 28, 2008 6:23 PM EDT up 0 recs