Maybe not really. But it's a pretty catchy headline, no? Best part? Not even really mine. Besides, even if Juan Pierre actually did read FJM, there's little to no chance he would admit it. That would be like people who revel in his speed and gutsiness and whatnot actually saying "WOW! Juan Pierre is a better batter when he is patient at the plate and attempts to draw walks and thereby raising his OBP. Shock! And awe!"Apparently though, that is what happening -- Pierre being patient. Not reading FJM. From Buster Olney:
'He's picking through pitches,' said one talent evaluator. 'I think with the competition going on' -- with four Dodgers outfielders competing for three spots -- 'he had to re-think a little bit the way he was playing. In the time I've seen him, you can really see him trying to get on base, in a way that's different from in the past. There's a deliberate thought process going on there. His at-bats look different.'
That's because they are different, so far. Entering Wednesday's game, Pierre is averaging 3.67 pitches per plate appearances, more than a quarter of a pitch better than the 3.40 pitches per plate appearance he averaged last year, and he is hitting .316, with a .388 on-base percentage. He's never had an on-base percentage of greater than .378.
You know what the funniest and most ironic thing about this is? Juan Pierre, bastion of Moneyball haters everywhere, saw four men competing for three jobs in the Los Angeles Dodger outfield. And he realized that the key to getting more playing time was to get on base more -- i.e. exploiting a market inefficiency being better at someone else in a particular area that is more valuable to his team. Even if it's small in market and sample size, he's still using the failing of others to secure more playing time.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. "Even if it's small in market and sample size, he's still using the failing of others (Andruw Jones) to secure more playing time."
Um, not quite. Unfortunately Joe Torre is an idiot, so instead of playing Pierre in Jones' spot (Jones 170/279/264) he is playing in Ethier's spot (Ethier 291/376/447.)
Posted at 3:02PM on May 9th 2008 by Mike
2. Right, I get what you're saying. What I meant though is that sooner or later, if Jones continues to suck, I think Torre will plug Pierre in at center instead of Jones. Besides, Druw's defense is ridiculously overhyped anyway.
But point taken -- sorry for the misrep, if that's what it was.
Posted at 3:35PM on May 9th 2008 by Will Brinson
3. Ummm, that's not exploiting a market inefficiency. At all.
Posted at 4:03PM on May 9th 2008 by David