Jump to content
North Side Baseball

Chat with Tangotiger

Tim

By Tim,
in Chicago Cubs Talk

 Share
Tim MVP

Tim

Site Manager
Posted
Posted

Please join me in welcoming Tangotiger to Northside Baseball! Tangotiger is one of the internet's best known and most respected sabremetric authorities. His website www.tangotiger.net is highly recommended, as is his book http://THE BOOK—Playing The Percentages In Baseball.

 

Tango has agreed to come here to talk about issues related to sabremetrics, so please avoid questions about particular players. For those who have been studying sabremetrics for a while, this is a great chance to talk to one of the leaders in the field. For those new to the field, this is an opportunity to learn from one of the best.

 

Once again, let me say thank you to Tango for coming here and spending his time answering our questions.

Recommended Posts

Guest

Guest

Guests
Posted
Posted

Tango,

 

I'll get the ball rolling here with a question about defensive metrics. Could you please give an overview of the latest research on how to measure the defensive impact of a given player?

 

Thanks!

Ding Dong Johnson Cooperstown

Ding Dong Johnson

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

Tango,

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. I was curious what you thought about the fact that so many in the game still appear to ignore the stats that arguably are the most telling of a player and his value. It seems as though there are still too many scouts around that value 40 times over OBP. It's very frustrating as a Cubs fan for them to preach aggressiveness when their biggest offensive problem is their lack of patience. It's hard to drive runners in when there are no runners on.

sethuel1 ACL Cubs

sethuel1

Verified Member
Posted
Posted

Tango,

 

What is your opinion of bunting/sacrificing with a man/men on base? Do you subscribe to the theory that it should only be used in situations where only one run is necessary, there's a man on second, and two outs (i.e. the one based on run potential) Or is a bunt prescribed in some other situations OK as well?

 

Thanks for your time,

 

Seth

CubinNY MVP

CubinNY

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted (edited)

Tangotiger,

 

Athough much more lip service is paid to the scientific method in baseball analysis (at least in the popular media) it seems to me that most teams still use mostly traditional methods to make personnel decisions.

 

Would you agree or disagree with that and why?

 

Thanks.

Edited by CubinNY
CubinNY MVP

CubinNY

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

Tangotiger,

 

Me again. Do you think the world of fantasy baseball has had any impact on the way an MLB team makes personnel decisons.

 

Thanks again.

 

CubinNY.

Outshined_One Cooperstown

Outshined_One

Community Moderator
Posted
Posted

Tangotiger,

 

What's your personal background? Did you grow up cheering for any teams? Why did you decide to turn to these facets of baseball you have been addressing in your work?

Outshined_One Cooperstown

Outshined_One

Community Moderator
Posted
Posted

Okay, now that I have more time...

 

1) OBP has exploded in popularity thanks in large part to Moneyball. While it may not have spread to every organization, many more organizations are using it to evaluate players in the draft and free agency. More prominently, many more fans of the game have been espousing its virtues than in past years.

 

Do you think that OBP is everything that people make it out to be? What are some of the inherent flaws you see in it? Also, in the next few years, do you think another metric will achieve a similar popularity?

 

2) There does not seem to be a whole lot of consistency in the way people statistically evaluate each pitcher. Each group has its own most important stat, be it wins, Ks, ERA, WHIP, K/9, HR/9, and so on.

 

What stat or combination of stats do you think is best in evaluating an individual pitcher's overall production? Do you think this stat (or combination) works equally well for starters and relievers?

 

3) What underrated or undervalued stats do you think people should start paying more attention to when evaluating a player?

 

Thanks!!

Mark Priors Calves Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Mark Priors Calves

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

Tango,

 

Thank you for taking some time to give us some of your insight. How do you see statisical analysis changing the game of baseball over the next 5, 10, or 50 years? Have you found it to be frustrating facing some of the resistance to statistical analysis by some of the more "traditional" members of the baseball community?

 

Thanks again.

soccer10k Cooperstown

soccer10k

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

Tango,

 

I have to ask this question: What do you think of Joe Morgan and how ironic do you think it is that he's on the cover of "Baseball For Dummies"? And please, be brutally honest. Thanks.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
The North Side Baseball Caretaker Fund
The North Side Baseball Caretaker Fund

You all care about this site. The next step is caring for it. We’re asking you to caretake this site so it can remain the premier Cubs community on the internet. Included with caretaking is ad-free browsing of North Side Baseball.

Become a Caretaker

  • Member Statistics

    6,793
    Total Members
    13,056
    Most Online
    Kevin OBrien
    Newest Member
    Kevin OBrien
    Joined
×
×
  • Create New...