Heard an interesting quote today....

[CoogansBluff]

OK, here is what you've got ...

Team A - Great pitcher, average position players.
Team B - Average pitcher, great position players.

The coach who made this quote is in the Big Ten.

The average team in the Big Ten scored 4.3 runs per game. Therefore, using the Big Ten as a guide ...

Team A would average 4.3 runs vs. Team B (average hitters vs. average pitcher).

So, how many runs would Team B score against Team A? How many runs would the best 8 position players in the Big Ten (+ an average pitcher) score against the best pitcher?

Make your own prediction.

TEAM A
Sara Moulton, Sr., P, MINN (27-8, 1.97 ERA, 244 SO in 209 IP)
8 average positon players

vs.

TEAM B
OF Andie Varsho, Purdue (.416, 45 runs, 16 2B, 26 SB)
OF Nicole Sappingfield, Michigan (.402, 61 runs)
SS Sierra Romero, Michigan (.491, 18 HR, 72 RBI)
C Taylor Edwards, Nebraska (.346, 18 HR, led Big Ten in pickoffs, runners caught stealing and opponent SB pct)
3B Kaitlyn Richardson, Jr., Minnesota (.418, 10 HR, 21 doubles, 51 RBI)
OF Mary Massei, Wisconsin (.375, 10 HR, 39 RBI)
2B Hailey Decker, Nebraska (.369, 14 HR, 21 doubles, 53 RBI)
OF Lyndsay Doyle, Michigan (.372, 56 runs)

Note that while Moulton's ERA was 1.97, her runs allowed per 7 innings was actually 2.70 because of unearned runs.

So if Moulton allows 2.7 runs per game to the average team, would this Big Ten team of all-stars score more than 4.3?

I think so.

But, back to an earlier statement I made - How do you define great and average?

Is Moulton truly great? Was there a great pitcher in the Big Ten last year? Moulton didn't make first-team all-Big Ten, but then she made second-team All-American, ahead of any other Big Ten pitcher. Probably one of the 10 best pitchers in the country, but she's not Cat Osterman. But Crystl Bustos wasn't in the Big Ten's all-star lineup either.

So my answer would be that if you're talking about the best few pitchers in the world, then yes. If you're talking about a 12U tournament where the best pitcher is liable to be much, much better than the average pitcher, then yes. But if you're talking about a major college conference, where there is balance and parity, then probably not. I'd rather have 8 great players + an average pitcher.

I'll also add that it must be a great pitcher on her average day, not when she's at her best. A great pitcher on her best day is hard to beat.

OK, so I spent more time on this than I had, but the question intrigued me.

Good job, JAD.

 

[cuzmail]

How do you define a great pitcher?
Pitcher who strikes everhyone out. Not much of a defense needed.
Pitcher who generates weak infield grounders and pop ups in fewer pitches. Routnine play making defense needed.

Pick your poison. Sooner or later the strikeout pitcher will see hitters who won't strike out and sooner or later the contact pitcher will see hitters who will do more than bloopers.

 

[quincy]

CoogansBluff, stop trying to bring facts into the question.

 

[CoogansBluff]

CoogansBluff, stop trying to bring facts into the question.

Thanks for not calling me crazy. That took some research.

 

[SoAZDad]

So my answer would be that if you're talking about the best few pitchers in the world, then yes. If you're talking about a 12U tournament where the best pitcher is liable to be much, much better than the average pitcher, then yes. But if you're talking about a major college conference, where there is balance and parity, then probably not. I'd rather have 8 great players + an average pitcher.

I see and agree with your caveats and logic. Arizona made it to, but lost in, the Supers last season. They had excellent defense at C, 1B, 2B, SS, and 3B. They had pretty good defense in an outfield spot. They hit the crap out of the ball, most of the time.

The pitching was mediocre.

 

[riseball]

How do you define a great pitcher?
Pitcher who strikes everhyone out. Not much of a defense needed.
Pitcher who generates weak infield grounders and pop ups in fewer pitches. Routnine play making defense needed.

Pick your poison. Sooner or later the strikeout pitcher will see hitters who won't strike out and sooner or later the contact pitcher will see hitters who will do more than bloopers.

I never thought of the two as mutually exclusive.

 

[29dad]

TEAM A[/B]
Sara Moulton, Sr., P, MINN (27-8, 1.97 ERA, 244 SO in 209 IP)

This is neither here nor there but by the end of last season Moulton wasn't even the best pitcher named "Sara" on her own team.

 

[CoogansBluff]

This is neither here nor there but by the end of last season Moulton wasn't even the best pitcher named "Sara" on her own team.

Yeah, I didn't know which one to pick. The Big Ten had 3-4 pitchers very similar at the top statistically.

 

[29dad]

Yeah, I didn't know which one to pick. The Big Ten had 3-4 pitchers very similar at the top statistically.

You were wise to pick a Gopher pitcher. Any MN pitcher would be considered one of the very best in the country. Our worst pitcher would be the ace of any other staff in the country, as you folks will witness this Spring when our reign of terror... oh wait. It's a bit too early for this I think.

 

[riseball]

You were wise to pick a Gopher pitcher. Any MN pitcher would be considered one of the very best in the country. Our worst pitcher would be the ace of any other staff in the country, as you folks will witness this Spring when our reign of terror... oh wait. It's a bit too early for this I think.

You are supposed to keep the generator outside the shelter when ice fishing. Otherwise the fumes...