Weekly Question
With the trading deadline just passed a little more than a week ago, people have
been really breaking down teams lately. What do they have? What do they need?
Who should they get to fill that hole? This has got me to thinking about what
my team would look like if I had the choice. So, loyal reader, my question for
you is:
Would you build around pitching? Defense? Offense? Would you have a powerIf you were a GM and got to start from scratch, what type of team would you build?
offense, or more of a small-ball type system? What is most important to you?
What can you do without? All of the things you wish you could tweak about your
favorite team - they're too slow, they don't hit, the bullpen sucks - you now
get to remedy. No specific names are needed, just generalities.
1 comment:
I would build around 3 things: pitching, pitching and pitching. Over the course of 162 games, pitching trumps hitting time and time again. I can give example after example of teams that are consistently good because of their pitching. The best example is the Atlanta Braves, who are working on their unprecedented 14th straight division title. The small-market Oakland A's are another good example. Last year's and this year's St. Louis Cardinals is another good example. Their starting 5 pitchers have been healthy all season. Keeping starters healthy is key. If one of them goes down, its like losing 2 pitchers (someone from the bullpen usually replaces them, so the bullpen is weakened as well).
As for hitters, as long as I had my pitching in place, I'd go for clutch hitters more than flashy stats. In other words, guys who know how to get that clutch hit in a pitching duel. Maybe mix in some speed, too: it doesn't slump. Think 2003 Marlins with Jaun Pieere & Luis Castillo at the top of the order.
You could say that these teams I've mentioned have only won a handful of World Series between them. My response is: if you look at their overall postseason record, I'm sure they have winning records (just like their regular season records). And they consistently play deep into the playoffs. The teams I'm talking about win more often than not over the long run. In a "short" 7 game series, as Sparky Anderson used to say: "sometimes the ball just bounces funny sometimes."
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