Have some exciting news!
I'll be joining the
@Yankees
as a Baseball Operations Associate, starting in January! I couldn't be more excited to take this next step and to join such an incredible organization
Why AcuΓ±a Jr should be an above average outfielder but is not (thread):
AcuΓ±a has one of the most elite skillsets in all of baseball, it does not make sense for him to be anything worse than at least an average outfielder. He is actively choosing not to value defense.
While I will no longer be tweeting my baseball opinions, my blog and twitter will remain active, so please keep in touch! Thank you to all of those who've supported me. I truly can't believe how much has changed this past year and am incredibly thankful for this opportunity.
Just wanted to thank you all for following along this year! Because of your support Iβve made so many new friends and have had amazing new opportunities. Back in February I barely had 100 followers, I cannot believe where I am today. Thanks for making every night more fun
Another video that proves he isnβt thinking ahead is his failure to back up the CF in the playoffs last season, leading to an inside the park home run
Robinson approached me after a game in 2017. I spent the game by myself keeping score, and he told me I had a future in baseball. The first time someone had said that to me. A really impactful member of the organization. Best of luck to him moving forward
#Rays
says Dewey Robinson stepping down as their director of pitching development/coordinator at end of season. Was with
#Rays
for 12 seasons, in pro ball for 41. Team has statement congratulating and thanking him.
His biggest issue comes before the ball is even put into play. His pre-pitch setup is non-existent. Heβs often flat footed and not in an athletic position, leaving him susceptible to frequent poor jumps.
Main takeaway is this: I view AcuΓ±a extremely highly as among the best players in baseball. But this aspect of his game is incredibly frustrating because he is choosing not to put as much effort into his defense as he is his offense, and it is hurting him and his team.
Now his jumps: AcuΓ±a very rarely runs straight to the ball. Heβs indirect to the ball, adding several steps. May not seem like a big deal, but even a few feet in the wrong direction is often the difference between conversion and non-conversion.
His reads are poor. Given his skillset, I find it hard to believe that he is that bad at reading balls off the bat. Yet we see plays like this when he is at his home park of multiple years and still seems unaware of where the ball will end up and how to field it
Not only does Cedric Mullins have the second most hits (39) in the league, heβs using the whole field and not bunting as frequently as he did last season
How does arm factor in here? AcuΓ±a has an elite arm, BUT arm is the least important aspect of outfield defense. Pre-pitch, reaction, jump, and range are all much more important. There are way more opportunities to make a catch than to throw someone out.
Tickets for the Field of Dreams Game on Thursday with the
#Yankees
and
#WhiteSox
are the most expensive regular-season tickets on record, per . The average purchase price is $1,413.63. The "get-in'' price is $1,316 with tickets going as high as $3,972.
This reinforces the idea that AcuΓ±a is just not actively thinking about what to do before contact. Here are three more plays that prove AcuΓ±a is not paying attention. Plays that the majority of Major League players can make, yet AcuΓ±a just misses them.
Red Sox LHP Brandon Walter looks incredible:
- Twoseam: Plus sink
- Slider: Very sweepy with depth
- Changeup: Above avg fade and depth
Also has plus control and gets a ton of Ks. Lefty batters looked lost against him
On the Tyler OβNeill situation- Iβd love to hear why he was even sent in the first place. Down 3 with 2 outs, couldβve had bases loaded with the go ahead run at the plate. Instead itβs an iffy send against a plus arm
This prevents him from making both routine and non-routine plays. Someone with his skillset should be able to make more difficult, non-routine plays more often. This is contributing to his poor reaction times.
So excited to share my first monthly column at
@TheAthleticFS
about the challenges James Outman, Taj Bradley, and Jarred Kelenic may face and whether they can keep up their hot starts!
His injury history (ACL) and age have nothing to do with his poor defensive metrics. AcuΓ±a is in the prime of his career at 25 and has 82ndpercentile speed. He already has 18 stolen bases on the year. He is 100% healthy and able to compete.
With our first look at Masataka Yoshida, we learned that he can pull the ball for power, and when he needs to he has good bat to ball skills.
In todayβs first AB he is able to take a cutter that got in on him and drive it pull side for a double:
Brandon Lowe was not a finalist for the silver slugger, but seems to fit right in with the other 2B finalists. Congrats to him for having another successful year regardless, and being among the best in the league
And what is this company that knows more about baseball and baseball analytics?
An outside company isnβt going to understand the intricacies of player evaluation & projection, roster construction, or how to value certain characteristics. Need baseball people to do that.
The Yankees plan to evaluate how they approach analytics this offseason:
βWeβre looking to bring in possibly an outside company to really take a look at the analytics side of what we do. Baseball operations in general," owner Hal Steinbrenner told AP.