Best lefty off all time? My vote is Koufax!

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Snowman

In one breath, you claim to understand BABIP and its implications, and in the very next breath you use the completely nonsensical term of "great contact pitchers" as if such a thing exists. This is what I'm trying to tell you. There is no such thing as a "great contact pitcher". They are the Loch Ness Monster of baseball. A myth. If you don't understand this, then you don't understand BABIP and why it is important.

This isn't exactly news either. Every franchise in the league today knows this. You might find some old school uneducated managers here and there who still reject it, but the front offices and owners across the league all accept this fundamental truth. It's been well known for the better part of 20 years now.

You should read this. It's a link to the original research article by the guy who discovered this fundamental truth about pitchers not being able to control contact after the pitch.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/n...-hurlers-have/

And yet, throughout the entirety of baseball history, we have great pitchers who are not strikeout pitchers (and thus getting their outs on contact) having very long careers and performing far above most pitchers. If there is no such thing as a great contact pitcher, how are pitchers like Maddux great? Or do you think Maddux and the numerous other pitchers like him are all sheer luck?


I'm familiar with McCracken's article and Bill James' positive take on it. I think some of the points are true indeed. But I also am aware that some contact pitchers have high inning careers of greatness. These sample sizes seem unreasonable to chalk up to sheer dumb luck. If it was purely the team defense behind them, pitchers like Maddux and the number 5 starter on the team who isn't a strikeout pitcher would chalk up about the same numbers on the whole. Maddux is a good example, he wasn't a great K pitcher. He pitched to contact. And he won 4 ERA crowns, 4 FIP crowns, led the league in fewest hits per 9 once. How do we explain his 5,000IP career if contact pitchers are all bad or mediocre?


Are you capable of making any argument whatsoever without insulting anyone? I think you've actually started to bring up good points that can coalesce into a coherent, rational argument, but your absurd egotism and propensity to just resort to the ad hominem at every single turn obscures even your good points.