Pablo Ozuna

[SoxFan1]

Hey, fixed that for ya.

[NorthSideSox72]

His only positive so far on the year is that he's walking more but the fact that he's stealing 75% of the time (average SB% for someone of his skill set) is not really a huge positive, it's more of an indictment as to how bad he was at stealing bases last year, the same goes for his OBP which as Cap'n pointed out is ranked 9th out of 14 leadoff men in the AL, in other words it's mediocre.

 

He hit .233 in April, .318 in May and now .136 in June that's a horrible trend and it's left him with a .247 batting average which is just pathetic for a leadoff man.

 

The fact that his defense appears to have gotten worse is not helping matters either, the guy gets some of the most pathetic jumps on balls then takes bad routes to get there and misplays the ball once it gets to him. His horrid arm is just making him look even worse, he's possibly the worst defensive OF in baseball right now and when combining htat with his mediocre offensive numbers I'm not really sure why anyone is wondering why he's catching s*** for his play.

Hey, fixed that for ya.

Batting average for a leadoff man is not terribly relevant. OBP, and maybe OPS, are better measures, and he is right in line with last year on those (a bit higher on OPS, a bit lower on OBP). And that is when he is in the midst of a slump. Offensively, the guy is just fine for now. He'll get hot again and his numbers will be well above last year.

 

Now defense is another matter. He needs a lot of work out there - he does sometimes look like he has regressed.

[Kalapse]

Batting average for a leadoff man is not terribly relevant. OBP, and maybe OPS, are better measures, and he is right in line with last year on those (a bit higher on OPS, a bit lower on OBP). And that is when he is in the midst of a slump. Offensively, the guy is just fine for now. He'll get hot again and his numbers will be well above last year.

 

Now defense is another matter. He needs a lot of work out there - he does sometimes look like he has regressed.

Um, actually when grading a leadoff man the last stat you look at is OPS, all you really care about is if he's getting hits and walks, SLG% is irrelevant making OPS a pretty meaningless stat for a guy hitting first. His OBP is mediocre, it was last year too, just because it's near what he did last season does not make it good. He's been in a slump for 2/3 of the season now also.

[NorthSideSox72]

Um, actually when grading a leadoff man the last stat you look at is OPS, all you really care about is if he's getting hits and walks, SLG% is irrelevant making OPS a pretty meaningless stat for a guy hitting first. His OBP is mediocre, it was last year too, just because it's near what he did last season does not make it good. He's been in a slump for 2/3 of the season now also.

OBP is key, like I said. And he is around .350 while in a slump. It was .400 earlier this year. And he hasn't been in a slump for 2/3 of the year. If he was in a slump, say a .136 BA, for 2/3 of the year, that would mean he was hitting .478 the other third of the year to get you a .250 BA that he has (using approximations). I don't think he was THAT hot in May.

[Kalapse]

OBP is key, like I said. And he is around .350 while in a slump. It was .400 earlier this year. And he hasn't been in a slump for 2/3 of the year. If he was in a slump, say a .136 BA, for 2/3 of the year, that would mean he was hitting .478 the other third of the year to get you a .250 BA that he has (using approximations). I don't think he was THAT hot in May.

How exactly is a .233 BA and a .281 OBP in April not a slump? Or maybe his 53 point free fall in BA since May 16 isn't a slump. I know he's not that good but that's just pathetic hitting. He sucked in April and he's been struggling since mid May which is when his BA began to freefall. That's actually more than 2/3 of the season.

[chitownsportsfan]

OPS is the last stat you look at? I'd take Ricky Henderson as my prototypical leadoff hitter, and he could slug a little. And OBP comprises the more important (for a leadoff) part of OPS, so I wouldn't say it's that low on the list of stats. I'd say BA is the least important stat. OBP is where it's at for a leadoff, and I'd easily take a .250/360/425 line with say a 75% successful steal percentage, out of my leadoff man.

 

Otherwise, I agree with everything you said about Pods.

Edited June 16, 2006 by chitownsportsfan

[NorthSideSox72]

How exactly is a .233 BA and a .281 OBP in April not a slump? Or maybe his 53 point free fall in BA since May 16 isn't a slump. I know he's not that good but that's just pathetic hitting. He sucked in April and he's been struggling since mid May which is when his BA began to freefall. That's actually more than 2/3 of the season.

His freefall in the last month is a serious slump. No doubt. He was mediocre in April (though I think he started the first two weeks at like .067, then got hot the 2nd half of April). So, I am pretty sure that offensively, he sucked for 2 weeks, rocked for 5, and has sucked for 4 since then. I guess that is a 6/11 slump ratio.

 

But whatever. He's in a slump. He is still the leadoff guy, and I think its way too early to talk about making any sort of change. Some better consistency would be good from the guy, but he is still getting on base. Once his numbers on the year start really getting ugly (which they will if he hits .136 for another month or more), then its time to talk about reducing his playing time.

[Kalapse]

OPS is the last stat you look at? I'd take Ricky Henderson as my prototypical leadoff hitter, and he could slug a little. And OBP comprises the more important (for a leadoff) part of OPS, so I wouldn't say it's that low on the list of stats. I'd say BA is the least important stat. OBP is where it's at for a leadoff, and I'd easily take a .250/360/425 line with say a 75% successful steal percentage, out of my leadoff man.

 

Otherwise, I agree with everything you said about Pods.

Ricky Henderson is the greatest leadoff man in the history of baseball, he did everything well, including power. However, he is the exception to the rule. When you have a leadoff man you're not looking at his SLG%, what do I care if he's hitting HRs or triples (2 best ways to raise your SLG). If I'm going to look at my leadoff man I want a high OBP (his .401 career mark is beyond great) but I dont care about SLG so what use do I have for SLG% so what use do I have for OPS? I'd rather just look at his OBP. 75% is ok, I'd prefer maybe a Beltran or Abreu type rate but 75% is definately passable. A .350 OBP on the other had is less than stellar, that's mediocre in the current state of the AL seeing how he's not even ranked in the top 50% of leadoff hitters in the American League in OBP.

[Allsox]

There's a reason Pablo isn't starting more than twice a week and that's cuz his defense is really brutal. Yes, he's hot right now but once teams figure out he likes to shoot the other way, they'll pitch him inside. I don't mean to downplay Pablo cuz he's an excellent sub but the holy praise going around here for him and raggin on Pods for his slump is Cub fanish :banghead

[Kalapse]

There's a reason Pablo isn't starting more than twice a week and that's cuz his defense is really brutal. Yes, he's hot right now but once teams figure out he likes to shoot the other way, they'll pitch him inside. I don't mean to downplay Pablo cuz he's an excellent sub but the holy praise going around here for him and raggin on Pods for his slump is Cub fanish :banghead

Or maybe it's being realistic, Pablo is 32-75 on the season and has been incredibly clutch. The guy is ridiculously fast, a great baserunner and a pretty good contact hitter who plays completely balls out in every way possible he blows defensively but that has more to do with the fact that he's a damn infielder playing in LF, what isn't there to love abot the guy? And like I said before, what Pods is doing right now is more than a slump.

Edited June 16, 2006 by Kalapse

[chitownsportsfan]

what isn't there to love abot the guy?

 

His career OPS+ of 67? His career OBP of .307? He's caught lighting in a bottle so far, I'll give him that. But he has proven himself a brutal hitter in his career.

 

My hope is that Ozuna continues his hot hand, but I'm not expecting it.

[Capn12]

Since I'm lazy, I'll repost what I did in the other Pods thread:

 

How long are we gonna cling to that OBP as an argument for how good Pods is doing?

 

 

Check those June numbers...check that OBP so far. Look at who we've played in June. This month, Pittsburgh is really the only bad team we play. We are playing all quality teams, and Pods has all but disappeared. Now a .247 BA with a .343 OBP for our glorious leadoff hitter. Check his OBP against other leadoff hitters in the league...actually, I'll tell you how he ranks..Pods ranks 9th out of 14 regular leadoff hitters in OBP.

 

That would almost be acceptable if he had any skills at all in the outfield. But lets not forget his horrid throwing arm, and terrible reads he gets going to his right.

 

Pods is not that good of a player, period.

[Allsox]

Or maybe it's being realistic, Pablo is 32-75 on the season and has been incredibly clutch. The guy is ridiculously fast, a great baserunner and a pretty good contact hitter who plays completely balls out in every way possible he blows defensively but that has more to do with the fact that he's a damn infielder playing in LF, what isn't there to love abot the guy? And like I said before, what Pods is doing right now is more than a slump.

 

I'm not sure what exactly Pods is doing to hurt the team other than being in a slump and his defense we all knew wasn't the best last yr so it shouldn't be a shock to anyone. And I'm just being realistic when I say Pablo isn't an everyday starter for a reason. That reason is because the Sox have better players to put out there on a daily basis than him.

[Steff]

what isn't there to love abot the guy?

 

His complexion.

[Kalapse]

His career OPS+ of 67? His career OBP of .307? He's caught lighting in a bottle so far, I'll give him that. But he has proven himself a brutal hitter in his career.

 

My hope is that Ozuna continues his hot hand, but I'm not expecting it.

Pablo has been a great bench payer for this team since spring training of last year, I could honestly care less what he did in 111 ABs with 2 different franchises over the course of 3 seasons before '05. In 203 ABs last year and so far through 75 ABs this year the guy has been amazing, he's not a starter but he's so damn perfect off the bench. There isn't a team in the league who wouldn't want him on their bench right now.

 

I'm not sure what exactly Pods is doing to hurt the team other than being in a slump and his defense we all knew wasn't the best last yr so it shouldn't be a shock to anyone. And I'm just being realistic when I say Pablo isn't an everyday starter for a reason. That reason is because the Sox have better players to put out there on a daily basis than him.

I recommend you read some of the other posts in this thread, like I said before Pods was pathetic in LF last year, "not the best" is a major understatement, and it seems so far this season that he's gotten even worse out there. He's been in a slump for all but a few weeks this season, that's one hell of slump righ there. Pablo might not be a starter but he's blowing Pods out of the f***ing water right now with his bat and no matter how bad he's been defensively it's tough to be any worse than Podsednik.

[Dick Allen]

I've never been a fan of Pods, but I've never seen a guy go from must have to must get rid of faster on this board for really no drop-off in performance. In fact his performance may even be better this season, at least offensively. His OBP is only .008 lower than last season, even after his recent slump. His slugging percentage and OPS are both higher. He has only scored 35 less runs than he did all of last season, and is only 5 short of his entire RBI total from 2005. I can't see where you can say he was great last year and bad this season.

[Capn12]

I recommend you read some of the other posts in this thread, like I said before Pods was pathetic in LF last year, "not the best" is a major understatement, and it seems so far this season that he's gotten even worse out there. He's been in a slump for all but a few weeks this season, that's one hell of slump righ there. Pablo might not be a starter but he's blowing Pods out of the f***ing water right now with his bat and no matter how bad he's been defensively it's tough to be any worse than Podsednik.

Which is what I'm trying to say myself 100%. Pablo needs to be given play time right NOW, while he is hot, and while Pods is 'in a slump' as you al lsay.

[Kalapse]

I've never been a fan of Pods, but I've never seen a guy go from must have to must get rid of faster on this board for really no drop-off in performance. In fact his performance may even be better this season, at least offensively. His OBP is only .008 lower than last season, even after his recent slump. His slugging percentage and OPS are both higher. He has only scored 35 less runs than he did all of last season, and is only 5 short of his entire RBI total from 2005. I can't see where you can say he was great last year and bad this season.

I don't think there's anyone who thinks he was great last year and bad this year. There's many a person who felt he was mediocre during last season as well.

[chitownsportsfan]

We really should just open up a "Scott Podsednik Discussion" thread, because I'm pretty sure we could debate this all season.

 

I think Pods is pretty damn average.

[Dick Allen]

I don't think there's anyone who thinks he was great last year and bad this year. There's many a person who felt he was mediocre during last season as well.

I got slammed so much last year commenting how Pods was not all that good.

[Kalapse]

We really should just open up a "Scott Podsednik Discussion" thread, because I'm pretty sure we could debate this all season.

 

I think Pods is pretty damn average.

Average or mediocre.

 

There's too many damn stats to prove to many damn points. There will also always be a group of people who will defend him with their lives. Mainly because he has a cute little ass.

[3E8]

To Podsednik's credit he is third among AL leadoff hitters in both BB/PA as well as P/PA which are two key stats for a leadoff man that go hand in hand. He's not really striking out too much, and his G/F ratio is amongst the highest in the league, which is preferred for a speedy guy like him. So the main problem offensively now is that not too many balls are finding holes for him as his BA on balls in play is one of the lowest in the league. I guess he's been a bit unlucky in that aspect thus far.

[Kalapse]

I got slammed so much last year commenting how Pods was not all that good.

People are going to love him no matter how poorly he plays, I'm not sure if it's the Scotty the Hotty thing or maybe they just don't know how he compares to other leadoff hitters around the league.

[Allsox]

Pablo has been a great bench payer for this team since spring training of last year, I could honestly care less what he did in 111 ABs with 2 different franchises over the course of 3 seasons before '05. In 203 ABs last year and so far through 75 ABs this year the guy has been amazing, he's not a starter but he's so damn perfect off the bench. There isn't a team in the league who wouldn't want him on their bench right now.

I recommend you read some of the other posts in this thread, like I said before Pods was pathetic in LF last year, "not the best" is a major understatement, and it seems so far this season that he's gotten even worse out there. He's been in a slump for all but a few weeks this season, that's one hell of slump righ there. Pablo might not be a starter but he's blowing Pods out of the f***ing water right now with his bat and no matter how bad he's been defensively it's tough to be any worse than Podsednik.

 

Pods may be bad in the OF but Pablo makes him look like Torii Hunter out there. And you said it yourself:

"He's not a starter but he's so damn perfect off the bench"

 

Good, let's keep Pablo that way and let Pods right himself. When Scotty's on, he's a much better player than Pablo Ozuna in the leadoff spot for the Sox.

[Dick Allen]

People are going to love him no matter how poorly he plays, I'm not sure if it's the Scotty the Hotty thing or maybe they just don't know how he compares to other leadoff hitters around the league.

The love for him has faded for some. Its mostly based on his lower average, but his OBP is basically the same, and the enormous amount of errors. Next offseason will be interesting with Pods arbitration eligible.