Gload

[BigSqwert]

Also, I consider the fact that he isn't running as much a positive rather than a negative. It keeps him on the basepaths, and gives the heart of the order a chance to drive in more runs, since if he isn't stealing, he isn't getting thrown out.

So what's the point of having a speedy guy at the top of the order? And you already answered your own question. You asked for proof that he isn't distracting the pitcher yet you state yourself: "the fact that he isn't running"

 

Why would a pitcher be distracted by someone who doesn't run?

[Gregory Pratt]

He is without a doubt my least favorite player in all of baseball. .370 Avg. @ home in his career only .295 on the road also his Home OPS is 240 points higher than his road for his career. In other words he's a pretty decent 1B on the road but one of the greatest players in the history of baseball at home, odd.

 

Jeffrey Hammonds 2000

 

Wow. There are some better choices out there to be had, but to each his own.

[Kalapse]

Wow. There are some better choices out there to be had, but to each his own.

I care more about on field performance than a person's character but that's just me.

[Gregory Pratt]

I care more about on field performance than a person's character but that's just me.

 

Even using that criteria there are certainly better choices, IMO.

[Chisoxfn]

I care more about on field performance than a person's character but that's just me.

Hence the reason you can like Caruso even though he hates me

 

Least Favorite Professional Athlete: Peyton "I'm a Fraud/Prick" Manning

Favorite Professional Athlete: Tom "I'm a gosh darn republican" Brady

[Felix]

So what's the point of having a speedy guy at the top of the order? And you already answered your own question. You asked for proof that he isn't distracting the pitcher yet you state yourself: "the fact that he isn't running"

 

Why would a pitcher be distracted by someone who doesn't run?

Reputation. Who cares if he doesn't run if the threat is still there? I doubt Rickey Henderson could still steal bases at a high rate, but I'd be willing to bet he'd get in the pitchers head.

 

Honestly, if you have a row of Iguchi, Thome, Konerko, and Dye behind you, there is no point to having a speedy leadoff hitter. Pods is there because when he's hot, he gets on base at a excellent pace and he sees a lot of pitches, which works the pitcher and gives the chance for hitters behind him to see what the pitcher is throwing.

 

Least Favorite Professional Athlete: Eli "I'm a Fraud/Prick" Manning

Fixed

[fathom]

Honestly, if you have a row of Iguchi, Thome, Konerko, and Dye behind you, there is no point to having a speedy leadoff hitter. Pods is there because when he's hot, he gets on base at a excellent pace and he sees a lot of pitches, which works the pitcher and gives the chance for hitters behind him to see what the pitcher is throwing.

Fixed

 

I definitely agree with you that Pods can still get into a pitcher's head. And I also agree that we're better off when he's not running. I think most people can observe that Iguchi is a better hitter when he's not trying to protect Pods on the bases. It would be a huge spark for the team the rest of this season if Pods can get on at a .375 clip the rest of the way. He'd be such a more effective hitter if he just protected the count better with two strikes.

[Kalapse]

Even using that criteria there are certainly better choices, IMO.

He's a fraud, he's a perfect candidate to be hated IMO, he's talked about like he's a sure fire hall of famer at times when in reality he is not nearly a hall of fame caliber player.

 

Hence the reason you can like Caruso even though he hates me

All the more reason to like Mikey.

[BigSqwert]

Reputation. Who cares if he doesn't run if the threat is still there?

I personally don't think his reputation as a basestealer is as good as you might think....at least right now. I recall several instances last year where the opposing pitcher was so distracted by Pods on first that they wound up throwing the ball away or making a mistake. This year his basestealing has been awful and I don't recall any pitchers making critical mistakes trying to keep him from going to 2nd.

[Gregory Pratt]

He's a fraud, he's a perfect candidate to be hated IMO, he's talked about like he's a sure fire hall of famer at times when in reality he is not nearly a hall of fame caliber player.

All the more reason to like Mikey.

 

His splits aren't as drastic as you're making them out to be:

 

By Breakdown AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

Away 808 132 253 67 2 28 108 169 8 122 2 2 .313 .433 .505 .938

Home 831 210 309 76 7 57 184 175 6 102 4 2 .372 .481 .686 1.167

 

That's over the last three years.

[Milkman delivers]

I personally don't think his reputation as a basestealer is as good as you might think....at least right now. I recall several instances last year where the opposing pitcher was so distracted by Pods on first that they wound up throwing the ball away or making a mistake. This year his basestealing has been awful and I don't recall any pitchers making critical mistakes trying to keep him from going to 2nd.

 

And if stealing doesn't matter anymore, then all the more reason to have Mackowiak start in LF and leadoff.

[Felix]

This year his basestealing has been awful and I don't recall any pitchers making critical mistakes trying to keep him from going to 2nd.

Wasn't a pitcher, but how about in Baltimore, when Chen picked him off and the first baseman rushed the throw to second because of Pods' speed, throwing it into the outfield?

[BigSqwert]

Wasn't a pitcher, but how about in Baltimore, when Chen picked him off and the first baseman rushed the throw to second because of Pods' speed, throwing it into the outfield?

It just seems like such a stark contrast looking at what Pods brought to the table in 2005 compared to this year. It isn't even close.

[Kalapse]

His splits aren't as drastic as you're making them out to be:

 

By Breakdown AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

Away 808 132 253 67 2 28 108 169 8 122 2 2 .313 .433 .505 .938

Home 831 210 309 76 7 57 184 175 6 102 4 2 .372 .481 .686 1.167

 

That's over the last three years.

Am I missing something here? That's still a difference of 72 HRs, 59 BA points and 229 OPS points. That's incredibly drastic a difference.

[Felix]

It just seems like such a stark contrast looking at what Pods brought to the table in 2005 compared to this year. It isn't even close.

And that still doesn't prove anything. It just means that the pitchers are making less mistakes when throwing over to first, it doesn't specifically prove that Pods is in their heads or not. Its not like he has some magic power that he looks at the pitcher and suddenly the pitcher throws it away.

 

A better way to look at it would be to see how many times a pitcher has thrown over to first (or second) with Pods on base this year, and compare it to the number of times that happened last year. I don't have those numbers, nor do I really care enough to do the research to actually compare them.

[Gregory Pratt]

Am I missing something here? That's still a difference of 72 HRs, 59 BA points and 229 OPS points. That's incredibly drastic a difference.

 

Sure, but he plays perfectly fine away, too.

[Kalapse]

Wasn't a pitcher, but how about in Baltimore, when Chen picked him off and the first baseman rushed the throw to second because of Pods' speed, throwing it into the outfield?

He got picked off, that is absolutely nothing to be proud of, Conine made a horrendous throw. More often than not the firstbaseman makes a decent throw and he's dead. I wouldn't be using him getting picked off as an example of how disruptive he is on the basepaths.

 

Sure, but he plays perfectly fine away, too.

He's not elite though, he's a slightly above average firstbaseman on the road but a master of baseball godliness at home, in other words, a fraud.

[Felix]

He got picked off, that is absolutely nothing to be proud of, Conine made a horrendous throw. More often than not the firstbaseman makes a decent throw and he's dead. I wouldn't be using him getting picked off as an example of how disruptive he is on the basepaths.

He got picked off, yes, but Conine likely (I cannot prove this, nor can anyone else really besides Conine himself) made a horrendous throw to second because it was rushed, which can be attributed to Pods' speed, or at least Conine's opinion of it.

[Kalapse]

He got picked off, yes, but Conine likely (I cannot prove this, nor can anyone else really besides Conine himself) made a horrendous throw to second because it was rushed, which can be attributed to Pods' speed, or at least Conine's opinion of it.

Actually it looked like Conine just held onto the ball too long, he had Podsednik dead to rights, he was only a little over halfway to 2nd base at the time and Conine made a Frank Thomas like throw, it really didn't look like he rushed it at all.

[CWSGuy406]

Why would a pitcher be distracted by someone who doesn't run?

 

See: yesterday's game.

 

Pods doesn't have to steal bases to be a distraction. Maybe he should take bigger leadoffs, with no intention whatsoever of stealing second; rather, make the pitcher throw over more. Maybe it'll lead to a few more pitcher mistakes for Tadahito and Thome.

 

I've disliked Scott since last season, but I much prefer the Podsednik who runs only on guys with long deliveries/bad catchers to the one who's running for the hell of it.