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Is Running Faster A New Concept In Baseball?
Written by wrigleyville   
Saturday, 01 November 2008
Yesterday, we posted a piece of wisdom from Gerry Fraley, basically saying the Cubs are too slow to succeed in this new age of baseball (based on the results of one World Series and even though they led the league in gallons of offensive categories, including runs). Here is what he said: The success of Tampa Bay and Philadelphia could trigger a fundamental shift in the game. Both the Rays and Phillies reached the World Series by incorporating speed into their lineups. With the decline of power throughout baseball since the implementation of testing for performance-enhancing substances, speed increases in value. Slow-footed clubs such as the Tigers, Cubs and the White Sox should take note. The Chicago teams desperately need speed at the top of the order. Which got us to thinking: A fundamental shift? Really?? Is this concept of "incorporating speed into their lineups" something revolutionary launched by the Rays and Phillies just this year? And is it vital to the success of a baseball team? No ... and no. First, the numbers below show that seven out of the last 10 World Series have included at least one team that is in the top 10 in stolen bases (presumably that's how he's measuring speed based on where the Phils and Rays fell in '08). But the last two World Series have featured teams that didn't do a lot of running (I can't speak to how fast they were, however). So, no, it's not new. And no, it's not necessary. Good theory nevertheless. Oddly, given his speed logic, this year's World Series included the highest ranking home run hitting teams in the last decade. Perhaps teams that can still hit home runs in an era when home runs may become relatively scarce is a more valuable thing, as a commenter noted in the previous post. (Disclaimer: Wrigleyville23 is not opposed to adding more speed to the lineup. We are opposed to flawed logic. We also think Jim Hendry was wise not to pay a king's ransom for Brian Roberts last year, as it would have precluded trading for Rich Harden. We also don't think it is necessary to pay a king's ransom for Roberts this year, as some are advocating, because he is a speed player on the wrong side of 30.) Here are the regular season major league rankings for stolen bases and home runs over the last decade for World Series teams: 2008 Tampa Bay Rays: 1st SB, 9th HR Philadelphia Phillies: 4th SB, 2nd HR 2007 Boston Red Sox: 15th SB, 18th HR Colorado Rockies: 13th SB, 14th HR 2006 Detroit Tigers: 24th SB, 6th HR St. Louis Cardinals: 25th SB, 12th HR 2005 Chicago White Sox: 4th SB, 5th HR Houston Astros: 6th SB, 16th HR 2004 Boston Red Sox: 21st SB, 5th HR St. Louis Cardinals: 5th SB, 7th HR 2003 New York Yankees: 9th SB, 4th HR Florida Marlins: 1st SB, 19th HR 2002 Anaheim Angels: 5th SB, 21st HR San Francisco Giants: 22nd SB, 6th HR 2001 New York Yankees: 2nd SB, 10th HR Arizona Diamondbacks: 23rd SB, 7th HR 2000 New York Yankees: 13th SB, 10th HR New York Mets: 27th SB, 12th HR 1999 New York Yankees: 21st SB, 13th HR Atlanta Braves: 6th SB, 17th HR

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