"The Threat Of the Run Has Changed The Game"

[Dawg61]

exact words used by Harold Reynolds last night when describing Dee Gordon on 1st base. Followed by describing that Gordon on 1st has changed how Sale has to pitch to Lucroy and that Gordon is the biggest reason the Dodgers are in 1st place. Very next pitch a distracted Sale grooves a 3-1 fastball and Lucroy rips it off the wall as Gordon scores easily from 1st base. Elite speed changes the game. A slow high OBP guy doesn't score from 1st there and doesn't affect Sale like Gordon did which leads to the guy right behind Gordon ripping a double on a grooved fastball. That entire sequence of events from the announcer to the speed guy scoring from 1st are exactly the types of examples I need an explanation on how a slow high OBP guy like LaStella is better as a leadoff hitter than Billy Hamilton/Dee Gordon types? I'll hang up and listen.

[PassInterference]

Not a football thread. Moving along...

[Todd4State]

It's hard to capture those things in broad stats because some of the runners are slower than others.

Personally, I don't think having a high OBP guy leading off is a bad idea at all. But ideally you want someone that has both speed and a high OBP, and I don't exactly know why the debate seems to be it's either one or the other.

I do think that we will see more speed in the game in the coming years, but as of now it's sort of in it's infancy. I'm telling you right now- Billy Hamilton is going to be the guy that changes everything.

[Smitty]

I think your lower OBP guys will be the ones stealing because of the injury risk. Watch Altuve cut his in half going forward. Trout could grab 60 but he won't because he's so valuable. Without the SB guy like Hamilton aren't great offensively, so they'll be allowed to grab em all the time. Ben Revere, Rajai Davis, Alcides Escobar... McCutchen will be a sub 20 guy going forward too.