Robinson Cano vs. Dustin Pedroia

[Dirty Water]

Now and for the future... who ya got?

[34Celtic]

This reminds me of all the Jorge/Varitek debates

oh and the Nomar/Jeter debates

[Basketball Jesus]

Or the great Ken Ryan/Sterling Hitchcock filibuster of 1994

[HeelSox]

my boy Pedroia.

[34Celtic]

Or the great Ken Ryan/Sterling Hitchcock filibuster of 1994

Or the great Willie Mcgee Luis Polonia better bench player/pinch runner debate of '95.

[Boston's Future]

This is a tough one. Both guys are future All-Stars for many years to come. For a good season both guys will hit well over .300, and eventually i think both guys will be able to hit 20 home runs. Both guys don't really steal bases, but i like Pedrioa's overall speed better. As for defense, Peds blows Cano out of the water. I think Cano really isn't that great of a defensive second baseman, while Pedrioa has a lot of range, a quick throwing release, and a good arm. Offensivly its a toss up, but Pedrioa gets the edge with his glove

[34Celtic]

I think Cano is underrated defensively. Problem is he looks nonchalant because he makes a lot of things look easy but he is one of the best at coming in on a slow groundball and gunning the runner out at first.

[cmaff051]

I think Cano is underrated defensively. Problem is he looks nonchalant because he makes a lot of things look easy but he is one of the best at coming in on a slow groundball and gunning the runner out at first.

He has had a few stinker games where he has looked really bad, but he is really solid out there. Definitely underrated.

[risktaker91]

A lot of Cano

[risktaker91]

Robinson Cano, after his great season last year.

[cmaff051]

I'll wait until the league adjusts to Pedroia before we make this comparision.

[34Celtic]

here we go with BABIP again.

[Three34]

B.J. Upton. Still.

[cmaff051]

here we go with BABIP again.

BABIP is an awful way to judge a hitter. If you hit the ball on the screws all the time, you are going to have a high BABIP.

Stick to the BABIP with pitchers please.

[Basketball Jesus]

BABIP is an awful way to judge a hitter. If you hit the ball on the screws all the time, you are going to have a high BABIP.

Hunh? No. BABIP is a rather telling stat when it comes to predicting whether a seemingly high batting average in a small sample size is more design than luck/randomness. Case in point: Robbie Cano 2006.

[34Celtic]

Wouldn't every good hitter have a high BABIP? Or a guy who strikes out a lot have a high BABIP? Like Adam Dunn.

[CB4_Toronto_Raptors]

B.J. Upton. Still.

That's not how you spell Aaron Hill






(I'm still going with Cano for now and future to answer the oringinal question)

[Basketball Jesus]

Wouldn't every good hitter have a high BABIP? Or a guy who strikes out a lot have a high BABIP? Like Adam Dunn.

High, as in relation to normal batting average? Yes. League BABIP tends to be around .300 or so, whereas league batting average is somewhat less. But, in context, not every good hitter is going to have a high BABIP, mostly because BABIP is as close to a ranomness stat as can be because it only accounts for balls in play. You'll notice certain trends among great hitters (like the slap-hitting Ichiro or Manny or Jeter) that they have generally higher average BABIP because, you know, they're great hitters and because there's enough of a sample size (i.e. multi-year) that you can make the logical assumption they're good hitters. Plus, and this is where you come in, there's enough visual evidence to point at them being great hitter.


But for guys like Cano that have seemingly great seasons, like his 2006, BABIP can be useful because 1. you know by looking at him that's he's not a once-in-a-generation hitter 2. that the high batting average was due more to a rather "lucky" (again random) collection of hits in-play. It wasn't due to speed, like Ichiro, or exceptional plate discipline like Manny or Bonds, or whomever. He just got a lot of hits in play last season and hits, by and large are more a product of luck than skill.


*For reference, Adam Dunn has a below-average BABIP, mostly because all his value (positive and negative) comes in the form of HRs/walks/strikeouts...things not measured in BABIP.

[34Celtic]

I dont know about hits being luck over skill. If you hit a ball on the nose, on a line...you will have a better chance of getting a hit than someone who continuously gets jammed and hits weak groundballs or has a dip in their swing and gets a lot of pop ups.

[Boston's Future]

Cano is on fire right now. He has more power, but in the end i think the averages will cancel out. Since Pedrioa has better defense and will be on a playoff team, I find him more valueable.