Is this worth noting?

by Kyle Lobner on Aug 31, 2009 4:45 PM CDT Comment 21 comments

Here's something else to discuss, if you're sick of the J.J. Hardy conversation:

Before August 8, Jason Kendall started 93 of the Brewers' 109 games (85%), and hit .232/.318/.262 (.598 OPS)
Also before August 8, Mike Rivera started 16 of the Brewers' 109 games (15%), and hit .203/.294/.271 (.565 OPS)
Combined before August 8, Brewer catchers hit .228/.317/.280 (.597 OPS)

Since August 8, Jason Kendall has started 14 of 21 games (67%), and is hitting .356/.482/.444 (.927 OPS)
Also since August 8, Mike Rivera has started 7 of 21 games (33%), and is hitting .333/.484/.667 (1.151 OPS)
Combined since August 8, Brewer catchers have hit .348/.483/.522 (1.004 OPS)

Poll

In the 21 games since August 8, Jason Kendall has been playing less, Mike Rivera has been playing more and both have been much more productive. What's your reaction?

Kendall is benefitting from more rest, Rivera is benefitting from more ABs.

217 votes

Kendall is hot right now, and this says nothing about Rivera.

10 votes

This is just proof that Rivera should play more, even if Kendall is hot right now.

66 votes

It's too early to say, but this could be the start of something relevant.

81 votes

This sample size is too small to be relevant and you're wasting my time by displaying it.

75 votes

449 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Even last season...

there was a huge drop in Kendall’s hitting as the season went on. He’s 35 yo and playing one of the most demanding positions in the field.

by sjlee on Aug 31, 2009 4:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Too hard to say re: Rivera

Not hard to know this is a fluke for Jason Kendall. He hasn’t been a relevant offensive player in years.

But he sure does call a good game, and bring other intangibles to the table.

I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."

~Jeff Sackmann

by Charlie Marlow on Aug 31, 2009 5:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure you can say that either. Have we seen extended periods of time with Kendall getting the rest he (apparently) needs?

If you accept the fact that he’s not an everyday player (which you’d have to convince him of, I’m sure), then this is a potentially interesting point.

That said, nothing Kendall or Suppan does is right, so, I still say cut them both. /typical bcb’er

by Mykenk on Aug 31, 2009 5:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not advocating cutting Kendall

And I am fully aware that there aren’t a plethora of options that exist for catching help at the MLB level. But, as I said above, Kendall hasn’t been relevant offensively for years. Folks always tout the ‘intangibles’ and ‘calling a good game.’ If that’s such a big deal, isn’t Jason Varitek the best catcher in all of baseball?

I don’t have a category for "washed-up guys who may or may not be dominant big-league closers sometime soon."

~Jeff Sackmann

by Charlie Marlow on Aug 31, 2009 7:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

"If that’s such a big deal, isn’t Jason Varitek the best catcher in all of baseball?"

Of course he is! He’s the glue keeping the Red Sox together or something like that and you don’t even get to be on the Red Sox, the most brilliant organization ever to exist in baseball and life and everything else, much less in a leadership role without being superawesomeamazing.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Sep 1, 2009 7:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That sounds a lot like True Yankeeism if you ask me.

by richardhkirkando on Sep 1, 2009 7:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

but the Yankees have a catcher who can actually hit

I think Jay’s argument is more PRO-KENDALL than anything. He provides veteran leadership and calls a great game.

"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."

by Hyatt on Sep 1, 2009 7:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, that

and the Red Sox have the bestest organization in the game and of course the bestestest GM ever with a fun name so anyone on their team is great. They can even sign injury prone castoffs and turn them into supposedly highly coveted players overnight (I still don’t understand why anyone thought teams would outbid each other for the prize that is Brad Penny).

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Sep 1, 2009 9:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

we know different Sox fans

Most of the ones I know personally were not happy that the Sox re-signed Varitek in the first place, and had really wished that the Sox had traded for one of Texas’ over 9000 catchers over the offseason. They’re really excited about Victor Martinez. Martinez can even catch Wakefield, which is one of those things that Varitek never, ever figured out, leading to years and years of awful-hitting defensive catchers on the Boston bench.

I don’t know how anyone could pull the “call a good game” excuse with Varitek after this season. You’ve all seen what’s wrong with the Sox rotation.

by morineko on Sep 1, 2009 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't say it's a waste of my time

but it’s definitely too small of a sample, but anecdotaly it is interesting.

by Hyatt on Aug 31, 2009 5:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Right

I was just trying to predict what jacob would say.

"The reports are that he is getting better. The definition of better is nebulous."

by Kyle Lobner on Aug 31, 2009 5:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can predict what Backtocali would say

it wouldn’t matter if we signed Victor Martinez back in 1996 like I told them to

by Hyatt on Aug 31, 2009 6:41 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Seconded

I was going to say that I voted for the last option, because it is too small of a sample, but it’s still the sort of thing I come to this site for.

Brewers Baseball and other assorted nonsense (mostly the assorted nonsense) at my blog, What's a Tararrel?

by Lefti on Aug 31, 2009 8:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I’m in between the last two – right now, the sample is too small to be meaningful. Its possible that we could be onto something, but I don’t expect it to turn out that way.

by richardhkirkando on Sep 1, 2009 7:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I may be misremembering

But didn’t Kendall play significantly better in 2007 when he went from starting every game in Oakland to getting days off in Chicago?

Ryan Braun: He loves it.

by SRB on Aug 31, 2009 7:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hmmmm

According to BRef, he went from hitting .226/.261/.281 in 312 PAs (80 games) in Oakland to hitting .270/.362/.356 in 202 PAs (57 games) with the Cubs. You may be on to something there, though I’d like to see his BABIP splits and I’m not sure where to find those. Of course, given that Kendall typically has such a ridiculously low-BABIP, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that more rest could raise it (i.e., it’s possible that when he’s rested he’s able to hit more line drives, drive the ball better, etc.)

Brewers Baseball and other assorted nonsense (mostly the assorted nonsense) at my blog, What's a Tararrel?

by Lefti on Aug 31, 2009 8:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, nevermind, just found them

.243 BABIP with the Athletics, .291 BABIP with the Cubs. Actually had a slightly lower (18.2% to 18.7%) line drive percentage, and significantly higher (10.7% to 7.7%) infield-fly percentage with the Cubs, though, so that’s probably almost entirely luck. Weird.

Brewers Baseball and other assorted nonsense (mostly the assorted nonsense) at my blog, What's a Tararrel?

by Lefti on Aug 31, 2009 8:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Intangibly yours...

I would think a batter like Kendall, whenever he is "hot’ it is almost always a function of luck. I am not sure overuse hurts his performance either. I think maybe that groundball takes 2 hops to get to the SS, instead of 3 if Kendall gets a day of rest, but for the most part you are still going to get weak ABs.

I remember listening to a radio interview with Kendall a year or so ago, and he said that “calling a game” is one of the most overrated qualities that can be attributed to a catcher. The coaches, pitchers and catchers, all go through scouting reports before a game and determine how they are going to pitch to the opposing batters, so really, the pitching strategies are pre-determined.

I really do not like Kendall, but I have a terrible feeling that Kendall will sort of be like Counsell where at the end of every season, you expect to part ways with him, but then some shit happens, and he gets resigned, – but only as a backup – and then more shit happens and he ends up starting 135 games.

Taking Shallowness to New Depths...

by Fatter than Joey on Sep 1, 2009 7:19 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

As much as I don't really like Kendall

I think what you described is a very good role for him. At this point, with his familiarity with the Brewers pitching staff, I’d take Kendall over a journeyman or green prospect. That said, a potentially legitimate replacement – for now Mike Rivera fits the bill – would be better than Kendall.

by ecocd on Sep 1, 2009 7:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs