So, i promised that i'd come back and write on this, so here it is.. I dont think its necessary to talk about how great of a season the Kid had, nor mention the amazing numbers he put up pitching for a team that won so few games and provided so few runs and winning about a quarter of their games. What I really want to talk about is the trend that Lincecum seems to represent, a change in the game and the mindset that goes along with it.
A few years ago, theres a very good chance that Lincecum would have lost this award to Brandon Webb who had 22 wins to Lincecum's 18. Baseball traditionalists almost always determined the value of a pitcher almost solely on their win counts. And because so many members of the media were traditionalists, the Cy Young award went to the pitcher with the most wins almost every single year. Now this isnt to say that wins arent important, they are. Wins are the most important statistic in baseball.. they represent success and count towards making the playoffs, which get you to a championship. But, there is so much more to wins than appears. Wins are a team statistic, and while a pitcher determines almost half of a game, there are so many factors beyond their control, such as run support and errors. While wins are an extremely important measure in determining the value of a pitcher, at the same time you have to take the team into account.
What is a big deal in Tim Lincecum winning the Cy Young is a trend towards a new way of baseball thought; a new approach to the game. A few years ago, a statistician named Bill James made his mark on the game and began a revolution of new thought called sabermetrics. I first read about sabermetrics in Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Basically, sabermetrics is analyzing baseball from a statistical standpoint and determines the value of players and the aspects of the game, purely using numbers. What I see in recent years is a trend of those coming into power in baseball, whether it be in the media, GMs, or the front office- you can see more and more of the effects of sabermetrics and the influence of statistical analysis on baseball.
My hope is that Lincecum's Cy Young win will serve as a stepping stone in the evolution of the game and the mindset that goes along with it. It is important that the game continues to grow and as important as baseball tradition is, it also alienates the fans at times. Ideas like sabermetrics will be instrumental in bringing fans closer to the game. Baseball seems to finally be moving in a direction of change, and i dont think that it will be such a huge change that baseball traditionalists will be offended. It should rather be looked at as the next step in the evolution of the game.
Anyway, thats my little tangent of the day. Without further ado, here is my mini celebration for the Kid winning the Cy Young..
A few years ago, theres a very good chance that Lincecum would have lost this award to Brandon Webb who had 22 wins to Lincecum's 18. Baseball traditionalists almost always determined the value of a pitcher almost solely on their win counts. And because so many members of the media were traditionalists, the Cy Young award went to the pitcher with the most wins almost every single year. Now this isnt to say that wins arent important, they are. Wins are the most important statistic in baseball.. they represent success and count towards making the playoffs, which get you to a championship. But, there is so much more to wins than appears. Wins are a team statistic, and while a pitcher determines almost half of a game, there are so many factors beyond their control, such as run support and errors. While wins are an extremely important measure in determining the value of a pitcher, at the same time you have to take the team into account.
What is a big deal in Tim Lincecum winning the Cy Young is a trend towards a new way of baseball thought; a new approach to the game. A few years ago, a statistician named Bill James made his mark on the game and began a revolution of new thought called sabermetrics. I first read about sabermetrics in Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Basically, sabermetrics is analyzing baseball from a statistical standpoint and determines the value of players and the aspects of the game, purely using numbers. What I see in recent years is a trend of those coming into power in baseball, whether it be in the media, GMs, or the front office- you can see more and more of the effects of sabermetrics and the influence of statistical analysis on baseball.
My hope is that Lincecum's Cy Young win will serve as a stepping stone in the evolution of the game and the mindset that goes along with it. It is important that the game continues to grow and as important as baseball tradition is, it also alienates the fans at times. Ideas like sabermetrics will be instrumental in bringing fans closer to the game. Baseball seems to finally be moving in a direction of change, and i dont think that it will be such a huge change that baseball traditionalists will be offended. It should rather be looked at as the next step in the evolution of the game.
Anyway, thats my little tangent of the day. Without further ado, here is my mini celebration for the Kid winning the Cy Young..
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