Stupid Stuff

[DOUGHBOYS]

Look at this stupid write-up from RotoWorld....

'Billy Hamilton tripled and stole his 59th base of the season in a loss to the Red Sox on Sunday.
Yep. Billy Hamilton can still fly. The triple gives him 10 on the season, and if it wasn't so easy to knock the bat out of his hand and induce weak contact, he'd probably have double that amount. Hamilton is fantasy-relevant because of his ability to steal bases like few others, but it sure would be nice if he could do it while hitting for a respectable average/on-base percentage.

Oh QUIT!
Billy Hamilton doesn't get the bat knocked out of his hands any more than Dee Gordon does.
Gordon is ahead of Hamilton in shortening his swing and trying to get more balls on the ground more to use his speed.
And for the love that is all Holy, can you please stop harping on OBP for Judys?!?!?

ANY walk to Hamilton, Gordon, or Trea Turner is a gift from the pitcher.
These pitchers do not want to walk these three hitters (runners).
And they know it.
These three are going to take pitches hoping for a walk that hardly ever comes.
Four hitters had more walks than Hamilton, Gordon, and Turner COMBINED this year!

We get that Gordon and Turner are better hitters than Hamilton.
That fact is reflected in drafts.
In the PreMature League Draft, Turner went in the first round, Gordon the second, with Hamilton being drafted in the third round.
Hamilton is the larger stolen base threat, but drafters know he is batting challenged.
If Hamilton did raise his batting average, he too, would be a first round pick.

This writer is asking the same of Hamilton as owners were asking of Robinson Cano early in his career.
Cano owners were mystified that while Cano had better than average speed and good baseball instincts, that he did not attempt to steal more bases.
Stealing bases was never part of Cano's game.
We can't wish it on him so that he could be better for our fantasy stats.
Sometimes, we have to take players as they are.
Wishing for a better OBP from a judy is just stupid stuff.
67 players in baseball received 60 walks or more last year.
Not one of those players had 30 stolen bases.
Conversely, only 11 of the 40 hitters who swatted 30 or more homers had LESS than 60 walks.
When will these writers realize that pitchers are the major ingredient in cooking up OBP recipes?