Gavvy Cravath and the Surroundings Quotient
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:03 pm
We think every baseball number in the world is available to us. it is not so.
Sure, there are mph from the hand to plate, and exit velocities, and diagonals, and God knows what next.
BUT, there are some numbers that we have to come up with in our heads.
To illustrate this. let's talk about Gavvy Cravath. Cravath had more homers in baseball than any other player....
Until Babe Ruth showed up.
Cravath got his nickname 'Gavvy' from having killed a seagull with a batted ball in his younger days.
Seagulls are 'gaviota's' in Spanish.
Anyways, I felt badly about Cravath losing the all time home run lead to Ruth after a full career, only to have the Babe swat more than Cravath after only two full seasons of being a hitter.
I shouldn't have.
Cravath was a good player. Not a great player.
A good power hitter. Not a great power hitter.
You see, Cravath was a product of his surroundings.
In the minor leagues, he changed his swing to hit more to the opposite field. He took advantage of a fence that was just 280 feet from home plate.
When reaching the major leagues, his swing was perfect for the location. The Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.
The Baker Bowl's right field fence was little more than 270 feet from home plate.
Cravath would hit 92 home runs there. Only 25 at other ball parks.
If ever a record needed to be broken, it was Gavvy Cravath's!
This brings us back to our missing numbers.
I call it the 'Surroundings Quotient' or SQ.
SQ is constantly in our heads, not on a spreadsheet or on paper.
I'll bet you used it just yesterday when Randal Grichuk was traded to Toronto and Dominick Leone went to St Louis.
Grichuk escaped a landfill of outfielders in St. Louis.
A place where he never felt treated right. A team that sent him down to the minors each year.
Now, he'll probably start most days in a better hitting environment and to a team that may give him more slack than the RedBirds offered.
His SQ did not shoot through the roof, but it took a significant leap.
There are no numbers to support that he'll have better numbers in Toronto.
BUT, there are few of us that does not think her has a better chance to prosper there.
Leone goes from a team with a solid Closer to a team with a rent-a-Closer.
Luke Gregerson is not highly thought of by a lot of baseball or fantasy baseball fans.
Seeing Leone getting Saves for the Cardinals is more crystal clear than seeing him save games for the Jays.
PLUS, there should be a lot more opportunities for both W's and Saves in St. Louis over Toronto.
His SQ did shoot up a few rounds.
SQ can work in reverse as well.
Even Longoria was far down on draft lists when the off-season began.
Longoria is probably a little farther down those lists with the trade to San Francisco.
When I picture Longoria in my mind, I picture a home run ball to left field over a short little fence down the left field line.
In San Francisco, no such luck.
He'll have to hit the ball a ton there to see it go over the fence.
Gavvy Cravath never had to work so hard!
SQ is why we like Colorado hitters and Giants pitchers.
It is why we like Andrelton Simmons playing behind our pitcher, not Jose Reyes.
It is why some believe that Giancarlo Stanton can set new home run records with a switch to Yankee Stadium.
SQ is everywhere except on a spreadsheet or paper.
Sure, there are mph from the hand to plate, and exit velocities, and diagonals, and God knows what next.
BUT, there are some numbers that we have to come up with in our heads.
To illustrate this. let's talk about Gavvy Cravath. Cravath had more homers in baseball than any other player....
Until Babe Ruth showed up.
Cravath got his nickname 'Gavvy' from having killed a seagull with a batted ball in his younger days.
Seagulls are 'gaviota's' in Spanish.
Anyways, I felt badly about Cravath losing the all time home run lead to Ruth after a full career, only to have the Babe swat more than Cravath after only two full seasons of being a hitter.
I shouldn't have.
Cravath was a good player. Not a great player.
A good power hitter. Not a great power hitter.
You see, Cravath was a product of his surroundings.
In the minor leagues, he changed his swing to hit more to the opposite field. He took advantage of a fence that was just 280 feet from home plate.
When reaching the major leagues, his swing was perfect for the location. The Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.
The Baker Bowl's right field fence was little more than 270 feet from home plate.
Cravath would hit 92 home runs there. Only 25 at other ball parks.
If ever a record needed to be broken, it was Gavvy Cravath's!
This brings us back to our missing numbers.
I call it the 'Surroundings Quotient' or SQ.
SQ is constantly in our heads, not on a spreadsheet or on paper.
I'll bet you used it just yesterday when Randal Grichuk was traded to Toronto and Dominick Leone went to St Louis.
Grichuk escaped a landfill of outfielders in St. Louis.
A place where he never felt treated right. A team that sent him down to the minors each year.
Now, he'll probably start most days in a better hitting environment and to a team that may give him more slack than the RedBirds offered.
His SQ did not shoot through the roof, but it took a significant leap.
There are no numbers to support that he'll have better numbers in Toronto.
BUT, there are few of us that does not think her has a better chance to prosper there.
Leone goes from a team with a solid Closer to a team with a rent-a-Closer.
Luke Gregerson is not highly thought of by a lot of baseball or fantasy baseball fans.
Seeing Leone getting Saves for the Cardinals is more crystal clear than seeing him save games for the Jays.
PLUS, there should be a lot more opportunities for both W's and Saves in St. Louis over Toronto.
His SQ did shoot up a few rounds.
SQ can work in reverse as well.
Even Longoria was far down on draft lists when the off-season began.
Longoria is probably a little farther down those lists with the trade to San Francisco.
When I picture Longoria in my mind, I picture a home run ball to left field over a short little fence down the left field line.
In San Francisco, no such luck.
He'll have to hit the ball a ton there to see it go over the fence.
Gavvy Cravath never had to work so hard!
SQ is why we like Colorado hitters and Giants pitchers.
It is why we like Andrelton Simmons playing behind our pitcher, not Jose Reyes.
It is why some believe that Giancarlo Stanton can set new home run records with a switch to Yankee Stadium.
SQ is everywhere except on a spreadsheet or paper.