Baker Is Still Worried About The Bases Being Clogged
That Dusty Baker would repeat one of the most mind-boggling statements in major league baseball history is itself mind-boggling. MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports:
Do the Cubs need to improve their on-base percentage next year? They currently rank last in the National League with a .318 OBP."On-base percentage is great if you can score runs and do something with that on-base percentage," Baker said. "Clogging up the bases isn't that great to me. The problem we have to address more than anything is the home run problem."
(Emphasis added.) In March 2004, Baker said, "I think walks are overrated unless you can run. If you get a walk and put the pitcher in a stretch, that helps, but the guy who walks and can’t run, most of the time he’s clogging up the bases for somebody who can run."
Baker is certainly right that the Cubs need to improve their power. A full season of Derrek Lee will help.
But no matter the virtures a person may have as a manager, in my mind, these statements, representing a lack of understanding of something as important as avoiding outs, automatically disqualifies that person from managing or coaching at the professional level.
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Re: Baker Is Still Worried About The Bases Being Clogged
I don't know how a major league manager, even one of Dusty's caliber can think like this.
What good is a bunch of solo homeruns? You need guys "clogging" to make them hurt.
The only negative I can see with "clogging" is that you hit into more double plays. Also, typically most homerun hitters strike out more, so that avoids the groundball double play, too. :o)
Re: Baker Is Still Worried About The Bases Being Clogged
This is the attitude that brought us Neifi, that got Patterson swinging at anything near or not so near the plate, and took the team where it is today. It has always been Dusty's opinion that OBP did not matter.
That is why I am glad to see the reports that Seattle is going to let Hargrove go and wants Dusty, who is looking to go back to the West Coast. The question is whether Hendry will bring anyone decent in to replace him.
Unfathomable
I just can't believe the stream of effluvia that flows from Dusty's mouth. If his players had any grasp of fundamentals, they could "unclog" themselves and--oh, I don't know--score a run or two! But instead they get picked off, doubled off (Jacque!) and look more like the Bad News Bears. I entertain the hope that when Dusty leaves, Hendry might try to get some guys with a decent OBP. Maybe he feels now like a patient player will not get a good shot in Dusty's "be aggressive" system. Or maybe they're both just idiots.
OBA Not a Cubs Option
It appears from the Cubs record ever since Andy MacPhail took over as team president circa 1992 that OBA has not been a top priority as shown by the team's persistent poor performance in that area.
More about clogging the bases...
Quick Takes and Clogging
http://danagonistes.blogspot.com/2006/10...
http://www.cubsnet.com/search/node/clogging
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Photos from Ryne Sandberg Day at Wrigley Field