"On base percentage" is such a nice stat.
Don't you agree?
To a point.
It assumes that players are off base more than on base, and that the further above 30% you go, the better.
That's OK for most players.
What if you're on base, like, almost all the time?
Maybe "off base percentage" for a player like you is just more appropriate.
Brandon Nimmo, the man who can't get no respect, has an off base % of .419.
That is, pitchers have somehow managed to keep him off base in 13 of his 31 plate appearances so far.
Good job, pitchers.
If you can't quite wrap your head around this new statistic, I will go traditional for you. His ON base % is .581.
He is 10 for 23 with 3 doubles and 4 ribbies. He also has 8 walks in 7 games. On base 18 times in 7 games.
How do you spell "catalyst"?
Of course, we could have run out and gotten Jackie Bradley, Jr. for his defense and benched Nimmo.
Jackie's off base % is .844. Impressive.
For you traditionalists, his ON base % is .156. Which, I guess, makes him a Screwer of the Brewers. He is 4 for 31, no walks, 11 Ks.
Thankfully, he got hit by a pitch once, so it boosted his on base % a bit. Can we trade for him now, please? I like watching guys walk back to the dugout with their head hanging down, don't you? Guys on base can be, like, so distracting, man.
George Springer, the man everyone lusted after to get bubbly Brandon's butt buried on the bench, has an off base % of 1.000.
Well that's not really accurate. You'd need at least 1 plate appearance to calculate a percentage. Oblique Georgie has not gotten to the plate once yet, so he trails Nimmo by 18 so far in that regard. Georgie, though, has spring in his step when it comes to cashing his paychecks 100% of the time. He got tips from Jed Lowrie on how to do that while feeling achy.
Another Mets' off base percentage specialist is Luis Guillorme, with a .273 OFF BP.
Again, to frame it in a way you can better grasp, his on base % is .727.
He has 5 walks, and is otherwise 3 for 6, so he has been on base 8 of 11 times.
Wait. What's a mere utility player doing getting to the plate 11 more times than the great George Springer? I can't explain that one.
Utility players are supposed to collect splinters, and to be seen, not heard, and get put into games in the 9th inning for their defense only. When they see one, they are supposed, to say, "is THAT what a bat looks like?"
Anyway, it should have come, to no one's surprise, that we have two off base specialists in Nimmo and Guillorme.
Let's look further.
Brandon was on base 38% of the time in spring training, Luis 42% of the time.
And last season, Nimmo had a .404 on base %, while Guillorme had a .426 on base %.
In the regular season in 2020 and 2021 combined, Guillorme has a .468 on base %, or a .532 off base %, if you prefer.
Nimmo in 2020 and 2021 combined? .426 on base %, or .574 off base %, if you prefer.
By comparison, the Chicago Cubs have a .261 on base % (or .739 off base %) so far this season.
Would I be entirely off base to say that I like Brandon and Luis a lot for their ON base skills?
But, kidding aside, shouldn't Luis and Brandon be playing almost every day?
You know, guys who get on base? Hey, those kinds of players can actually score. You can't score when you're off base.
And this team needs scoring. Lots of scoring. At least that is what Jake tells me. I don't think he is being off base, do you?
4 comments:
As a point of comparison, the top 2 career OBP for players while they were Mets is John Olerud (.425) and Dave Magadan (.391).
George's stats can not get higher here.
In baseball, 3 outs is the ultimate number. Before there are 3 outs, anything is possible. Once there are 3, nothing is possible.
Guys who get on base at a high rate and the ones who, very simply, make the least outs. It's hugely valuable.
Jimmy
Jimmy, for a while, I think a lot of people thought Nimmo would go the way of Eric Campbell. Boy, was that wrong.
And Guillorme, if I mentioned him in the same sentence as fiery Wally Backman, most people would say, "you're nuts." Until you get to his 2020-21 .468 OBP. That stat cannot be ignored. Luis, I think, is better than most people give him credit for.
Except on a passed ball or wild pitch you cannot score once you've reached out # 3 is right.
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