(08-23-2021, 11:24 AM)DC 86 Wrote:(08-23-2021, 08:44 AM)Mick Wrote: The Giants have a strong edge in fielding, they're #4 in MLB with a .987 fielding average, Dodgers are #21 at .983. Translation: Giants have committed 57 errors, dodgers have committed 73.
Fielding Average is to Fielding as Batting Average is to Batting, i.e. not a useful metric. Advanced statistics indicate that the Giants are a better fielding team than the Dodgers but not by a significant margin.
Agreed. Players who field all the balls hit at them but have no range are not as effective as those who can cover a lot of ground even if those guy make occasional errors.
I think UZR (ultimate zone reading) is a good method of measuring fielding effectiveness (available at fangraphs).
(08-23-2021, 12:17 PM)Mick Wrote:(08-23-2021, 10:50 AM)teejers1 Wrote: Think the Giants' hitting has been on downward trend of late . . . definitely a concern. (Posey, in particular, has been scuffling. Belt, too, though less so).
You're correct, the Giants started out very slow in March/April (.225/.305/.395/.700), then improved to .236/.331/.435/.766 in April, then really improved in June and July, while cooling in August:
June (.259/.333/.457/.791)
July (.260/.340/.459/.799)
August (.249/.314/.435/.749)
Posey cooled off considerably. He's at .250/.364/.411/.774, whereas during the rest of the season he was comfortably over .325/.450/.475/.925
I recently read an article that suggested the Giants’ big upswing in June/July was due to the MLB crackdown on pitchers loading the ball. The spin rates are down and the Giants have taken advantage.