Marvin said:
AustinCountyAg said:
texasaggie2015 said:
Yep.. I know I sound like a broken record but don't look at ST stats. Players don't and coaches don't. Neither should we.
for the guys on the bubble fighting for a roster spot the stats dang sure do matter
I ignore comments about ignoring Grapefruit results. I've been to a few spring trainings, so I know how they work. It is the "trust me" blanket statement that makes me laugh.
Vets- absolutely throw them out. Vets work on things, experiment, and try new mechanics and pitches. Younger guys- pay attention. Someone just brought up Dirden's performance last year or before. You think he would have made the team without a strong spring? It was fool's gold, but he got a shot because he earned the attention of the coaches.
You can't throw the same "spring training doesn't matter" blanket over players of different stature like Altuve and Smith. It's myopic at best.
yelling-at-cloud moment over! lol
I think the point it spring training stats certainly is a part of evaluating the young guys, but it's likely the least important thing the coaches and GMs look at.
For instance, I don't think coaches and GMs are looking at Cam Smith and saying, wow, he's batting .450, he's gotta make the team. He's standing out because he's playing well and doing things the right way. Stats are a reflection of that, but could he be hitting it hard, taking good ABs, and not having much to show for it? Certainly. The sample sizes are so small.
Both Loperfido and Arraghetti had really strong springs last year, and they didn't make it out of camp with the big league club. They didn't stand out because of their stats (although I'm sure it played a small roll). They stood out because they played well and did things the right way. It's not a coincidence they were called up when needed last season.
So yes, the absolute of "spring training stats don't matter" can't be blindly applied to all players, but I think it's fair to recognize they probably don't play a large role in determining if a young guys makes it out of spring training with the big club as they are essentially a function of playing well.