[Official] Astros @ Athletics

This has to be a joke. First of all, he has 35 ABs batting 8th, he has 231 batting 2nd. So even if this nonsense was true, the sample size is about 8x higher in the 2 hole.

But go ahead, feel free to cite these random stats you just made up.

 

If you can't see that Pena batting second is his absolute best place to be, then I don't what to tell you.

Did you know he won the ALCS and WS MVPs batting second in the lineup?

Pena batting 2nd also triggers Abreu no longer batting as high as 5th in the lineup. That's a huge bonus.

 

My wife laughed her ass off because we were having a conversation with her parents about why a friend traveling was able to get great seats in Oakland for so cheap.

 

World Series Championship Odds

Astros 11-2
Braves 11-2
Dodgers 11-2
Rays 15-2
Yankees 12-1
Padres 14-1 (somebody explain this one)
Blue Jays 16-1
Meta 16-1

 

On what basis are you deciding that 231 AB is a reliable sample but 35 is not? How many PA do you suggest should a raw “lineup position split”, or whatever bullshit you suggest this is, be regressed against to estimate a player’s “lineup position skill”?

 

People never learn. I expect them to make a splash at the deadline, as usual, only to fall short of the pennant. I've seen that movie every year for the past few years.

 

...all named Jonathan Livingston...

 

Oh I’m not suggesting that there is a tangible reason or that these numbers would hold up over time. I’m simply saying that he has consistently performed better when batting at 2. That’s the actual reality. Whether it would continue to hold up or not is another story, but I do believe this is a situation where you don’t overthink it and just go ahead and continue to give him playing time at the 2 spot until the well runs dry.

230+ ABs is not a “reliable” or “valid” sample size overall, but if we’re comparing the 8 spot to the 2 spot for him it’s 8x the amount, so it’s definitely a better sample than him at the 8. Also, it’s the most ABs he’s gotten at any spot in the lineup, so for what we could have from Peña just over a year into his career, it’s about as good as we are going to get right now. A guy in his second season isn’t going to have 5000 plate appearances to give you a huge valid sample size.

So yes, this could all even out eventually. But the thing is, right now, this very second, it’s not even. He’s been way better at the 2. Is there all sorts of bias in looking at things that way? Certainly. But it doesn’t hurt anyone to continue giving him opportunities there if he continues to hit. He can always be moved out of it.

Also, still waiting on these supposed “batted ball luck” stats.

 

Astros got bullied into deleting the tweet about 10s of fans. That just fuels the haters that the Astros admit it was wrong.

 

“If you believe you’re playing well because you’re getting laid or because you’re not getting laid or because you wear women’s underwear, then you are."

 

Sometimes, even after years of watching, something different draws your attention. In this case it was Abreu's HR slide.

Somehow I had thought the Home Team always had the 1B duggout. But Abreu's sprint after his HR and slide was definitely on the 1B side, even though the Astros were visitors.

Just weird.

 

I think there's 10 or so MLB teams who use 3B dugout at home, mostly due to the sun.

 

Thought it was harmless. Like the same out of market hosts that make fun of the A's attendance when they give updates were suddenly upset at the tweet. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the team.

 

Did the A’s hit Abreu his next plate appearance?

 

Sadly yes

After the game Kotsay said he didn't realize it was Abreu's first HR..which is exactly the kind of incompetence I expect from the manager of that team.

 

Weak! I’m sure Astros pitchers will remember that in the next meeting

 

Let's see if Stanek starts the next game vs Oakland, lol