George Herron
cjherron
pacmanxu
slapshot66
On this the eve of the 2009 MLB All-Star Game I find myself compelled to break my blog silence. A crime has been committed. One of such proportions and far reaching implications that I can not stand idly by and watch it go unnoticed by the public. What is it that has gotten me so worked up that I feel like I have downed an molotov cocktail of Red Bull, coffee and speed?
Brandon Phillips was robbed. Period.
No, I am not saying that he was held up at gunpoint in Over-the-Rhine and his home was not broken into by crack-heads wanting to cash in on his HDTV. This crime was one of a more methodical and premeditated variety. For arguably the 3rd time in as many years Phillips has been snubbed by the powers that be for a trip to the annual midsummer classic. I am not sure if it is due to his flashy and sometimes childish tendencies or his ‘all or nothing’ approach at the plate, but something has earned him a permanent spot in the doghouse of the fans and media alike.
That said, in 2007 Orlando Hudson was the backup selection to perennial All-Star Chase Utley. I have no problems with Utley. Great guy, great player and swears like a drunk sailor during World Series festivities in Philly (what’s not to love about that). Hudson though…more on that later. Then in 2008 it was Dan Uggla over Phillips for the backup slot. How did Uggla reward the fans for his selection that year you ask? By SINGLE-HANDEDLY trashing the NL team with three strikeouts, three errors and finally grounding into a double play for good measure.
But 2009 is the straw that breaks the camels back. Orlando Hudson is going to the All-Star Game, again. It’s almost easier to see why he shouldn’t be there in favor of Phillips. Looking at the offensive numbers first, Phillips has him beat in more than half of the standard batting categories (Home Runs, Runs Batted In, Fewer Strikeouts and Stolen Bases). He’s done this even while receiving 43 fewer plate appearances.
When you average the numbers to a statistically similar number of at bats, you see Phillips additionally leading in Runs and virtually tied in Walks.
So apparently you don’t want to win the All-Star Game by scoring more Runs, hitting more Home Runs, driving in more RBI, drawing more Walks or delivering more Stolen Bases to get into scoring position. And here I thought that ‘This One Counts’.
Maybe it’s all about defense, you know holding the other team to fewer runs. That surely has to be Charlie Manuel’s reasoning because it can’t be about offensive output as illustrated above. The problem with the defensive argument though is that in 2009 Phillips is just as good and better that Hudson looking at (3) separate fielding measurements (Fielding %, Zone Rating and Range Factor).
- They both field 98%-99% of the plays they make cleanly (Fielding %)
- Phillips gets to more balls in his ‘zone’ than Hudson proving higher defensive acumen and better breaks/reads (ZR)
- Phillips participates in more outs at his position than Hudson (RF)
So in the end either Hudson has some serious dirt on Bud Selig for stealing the ’08 Gold Glove and 2 All-Star nods, or the National League really doesn’t want to win. It becomes clear that losing 11of the last 12 games with one tie (thanks again Bud) has not motivated them enough to put the best players on the field. With better offensive numbers and defensive skills Phillips not only can generate an extra run, but keep one from scoring. That in my book is more than worth a selection.
