Several readers didn't like that Piazza was even in the conversation for best catcher ever. I even agreed to switch their positions in the top three. Yet, I maintain that Piazza deserves to be in the conversation and I've got proof.
Check out this: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/piazza-vs-bench-vs-pudge/
I LOVE STATS! (and graphs! I'm a math teacher!)
5 comments:
I'm not a math teacher, but I love stats. I also suspect that the Bench v. Piazza debate also depends partly on (a) when you grew up and (b) if you're a Dodger, Met or Red fan.
One thing I didn't see taken into account in these stats were Pitcher ERA. I know the problem in doing that would bethat these guys caught the vast majority of their team's games (especially Bench) so there'd be no way to quantify the catcher's effect on the pitching staff (unless that's taken in those defensive stats and I just didn't recognize it).
Well, being the clueless collector that I enjoy being, I don't see how you have a 'best catcher' contest without Piazza in it. Period.
Thanks David. With your support, I am pleased to promote you from "clueless collector" to "in-the-know guy."
Piazza definitely needs to be in the conversation. He should be a first ballot HOFer.
Hmm...I'm confused. The link you sent pretty much confirms that the real debate should be Rodriguez versus Bench. Yet both you and the author of the article continue to focus on Piazza vs. Bench.
The article references Sean Smith's WAR stat as the basis for the analysis, yet Piazza is only #74 on that list, while Bench and Rodriguez are at 33 and 37, respectively.
Piazza fell off so hard at the end of his career that he dragged his numbers under the other two. If you have him for his best 5-10 years, of course, he's stellar, but career-wise, it seems to me both Rodriguez and Bench outclass him.
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