Joey Gathright made top play (10 PM Sportscenter)...

[chiefqueen]

For jumping over another player....while the player was standing.

[chiefqueen]

I just checked, the video is not on Youtube yet.

[BigRock]

He jumped over the pitcher like he was a parked car.

[Sure-Oz]

I saw it, pretty badass...

I hope we can use him, he could be a real SB machine for us

[tk13]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IRg1n1jTo4

[doomy3]

he is a freakish athlete

[Hootie]

they showed a clip of him jumping over a car when he was traded to the Royals...too bad he sucks.

[POND_OF_RED]

That was badass. I don't think he brings much to the ball club besides a good baserunner for some needed runs. Could be very useful in the "small-ball" scheme of things.

[alanm]

What? Was I the only one who saw the game on Fox SN last night?:hmmm:

[DeepSouth]

Keeping Gaithright our of the starting lineup is almost a crime. You'd think it'd be worth trading DeJesus so he could start in center.

[Dartgod]

That was badass. I don't think he brings much to the ball club besides a good baserunner for some needed runs. Could be very useful in the "small-ball" scheme of things.
Keeping Gaithright our of the starting lineup is almost a crime. You'd think it'd be worth trading DeJesus so he could start in center.

Not until he learns how to steal bases.

[bkkcoh]

Not until he learns how to steal bases.

Going into last nights game, he was 9 for 9.

What? Was I the only one who saw the game on Fox SN last night?:hmmm:

I DVR'd it last night, I will have to watch it.

[shakesthecat]

Not until he learns how to steal bases.

He's 10 out of 10 this spring.

I agree with DS, Gathright brings a different element to the team. It's obvious he's worked very hard on his game this past off season.

DJJ is a nice player, but I'd gladly trade him for a prospect or 2.

[Dartgod]

He's 10 out of 10 this spring.
That's a hell of an improvement. Hopefully it carries over to the regular season.

[JBucc]

I like Gathright, I hope the success he's had in spring translates to the regular season. Going by talent or physical ability he SHOULD be Jose Reyes like.

[Delano]

God, those speedy bastards are fun to watch if they can get on base.

I've watched two Twins games this spring in which Carlos Gomez had a bunt single (head first slide) and stole second. One one of these plays he got to third on a loose ball, and scored on a single. The other time he scored from second on a Delmon Young blooper that barely made it into right field.

Very fun to watch a guy like that. Tom Kelly was a guest and called Gomez an instant run.

[Demonpenz]

I saw it, pretty badass...

I hope we can use him, he could be a real SB machine for us

Horray for giving away outs!

[eazyb81]

Not until he learns how to steal bases.

There was an article in the Star recently about how Buddy Bell did not give him the green light to steal, and instead just told him to steal in certain situations. I think the best base stealers just have an innate ability to know when to go and when not to.

[bkkcoh]

There was an article in the Star recently about how Buddy Bell did not give him the green light to steal, and instead just told him to steal in certain situations. I think the best base stealers just have an innate ability to know when to go and when not to.


Like Willie Wilson and John Wathan.

But the best use of speed is the ablity and the baseball smarts to take the extra base, puts pressure on the defense and creates plays. Going from 1st to 3rd, stretching a single into a double.

I think this years Royals will be much better in most facets of the game.

[Fish]

Gathright made a couple plays last night besides the leap over the pitcher.... he made one helluva catch playing center. 3 hits, 2 runs. Including later in the game when he bunted one on.

I think Hillman is liking Gathright, and we could see more of him this year. Gathright definitely looks improved.....

[Demonpenz]

I think base stealing is giving away outs and unless it is a specific point of the game late in the game the situation never really calls for it. Especially with this line up right now. I don't want anyone stealing and distracting butler, Guillion, Gordon, actually no one on the team needs to see action going out of the corner of their eye while batting. They need to be striking the ball. If we do steal it better be late innings when the hitter is taking.

[Delano]

I think base stealing is giving away outs and unless it is a specific point of the game late in the game the situation never really calls for it. Especially with this line up right now. I don't want anyone stealing and distracting butler, Guillion, Gordon, actually no one on the team needs to see action going out of the corner of their eye while batting. They need to be striking the ball. If we do steal it better be late innings when the hitter is taking.

So when defenders shift around the infield during the pitch it distracts the hitter? Bullshit.

[Sure-Oz]

Stealing also lets you get runners in scoring position, if he can steal at an 80% clip we can win alot of games with that

[Dartgod]

There was an article in the Star recently about how Buddy Bell did not give him the green light to steal, and instead just told him to steal in certain situations. I think the best base stealers just have an innate ability to know when to go and when not to.
He still needs to improve on his steals/caught stealing ratio. 19/14 the last two years. Not good for a speedster like him.

[Demonpenz]

So when defenders shift around the infield during the pitch it distracts the hitter? Bullshit.

that is what the stats and players say. The last thing you want is movement right behind the pitcher and that is what you see when the SS or Second basemen is covering. Let me drag up some stats to hammer it home

[Demonpenz]

alright i am not going to dig it up but let me tell you i hated seeing people moving around and I am sure the hitters want a solid view. Especially the shitty one's the royals have. They don't need any distractions

[bkkcoh]

Gathright made a couple plays last night besides the leap over the pitcher.... he made one helluva catch playing center. 3 hits, 2 runs. Including later in the game when he bunted one on.

I think Hillman is liking Gathright, and we could see more of him this year. Gathright definitely looks improved.....

IIRC, there was a youtube video of him hurdling a car or something like that. Interesting video. I am sure someone will be able to find the video on here.

[Demonpenz]

Most past research on the stolen base seems to side with Weaver. Using data from Major League Baseball, researchers have found that stealing at less than a 75% success rate is detrimental to success. Joe Sheehan explains in Baseball Prospectus Basics: Stolen Bases and How to Use Them that when considering stolen bases, one must consider both the cost and the benefit. Therefore, the break-even point for successful base-stealing is so high because outs are more valuable than bases in nearly every instance. For example, the Run Expectancy Matrix created by Baseball Prospectus reveals that a runner on first base with no one out is worth approximately 0.864 runs. A successful steal of second base would raise that figure to 1.173. However, a failed stolen base attempt drops that number to 0.270. In this example, the loss is nearly two times the gain.

In the same article, Sheehan also suggests that the secondary effects of base-stealing, such as putting pressure on the opposing pitcher and defense, do not exist. In fact, he goes as far as to suggest that a runner at first base is more disruptive to the defense than a runner at second base, simply because the first baseman must hold the runner on and the middle infielders are forced to cheat toward second base to have a chance at a double play.

While these findings have been consistently replicated and are generally accepted by Sabermetricians and others when talking about professional baseball, there has been little or no research conducted examining the stolen base at other levels of play. As a Division I college baseball coach, this leads me to wonder: Is the stolen base a more valuable offensive weapon in college baseball than it is at the professional level?

The numbers seem to indicate that the stolen base is more a part of the college game than it is the professional game, even to the casual fan who has taken a few minutes to compare player and team statistics from both levels. For example, in 2006, the Los Angeles Angels led all of Major League Baseball in stolen bases with .91 stolen bases per game. That same season, the average Division I college baseball team stole 1.2 bases per game, with the national leader averaging slightly more than three stolen bases per game.

A deeper analysis of both college and professional statistics is even more revealing. A series of multiple linear regression models were created using data from both NCAA Division I and Major League Baseball. The models used both stolen bases per game and caught stealing per game to predict runs scored, while controlling for base-stealing opportunities. The results were interesting. The first set of regression models, examining the relationship between stolen bases per game and runs scored, revealed that in college baseball, runs per game increased by .295 with each stolen base per game. However, in Major League Baseball, runs per game actually decreased by .208 with each stolen base per game. While it seems strange that a successful stolen base attempt would result in fewer runs scored, it is likely explained by the fact that teams stealing more bases generally do so to compensate for a lack of offensive firepower (i.e. power hitting). Therefore, it is not the stolen base itself that is costing the team runs but the team's overall style of play. The second set of regression models, analyzing the relationship between caught stealing per game and runs scored, indicated that in college baseball, runs per game decreased by .304 with each unsuccessful stolen base attempt per game. In Major League Baseball, the cost of a failed stolen base attempt was even more severe at .845 runs per game.

So what do these findings actually tell us? In the most simplistic sense, they indicate that the stolen base is indeed a more valuable offensive weapon in college baseball than it is in Major League Baseball for two reasons: 1) The reward for a successful stolen base attempt is greater; 2) The cost of an unsuccessful stolen base attempt is less significant. Therefore, because they have more to gain and less to lose, it makes sense for college teams to utilize the stolen base more liberally. However, the fact that college baseball teams attempt considerably more stolen bases per game than do big league teams seems to suggest that many college coaches are already aware of this more favorable "risk/reward" ratio.

[Dartgod]

IIRC, there was a youtube video of him hurdling a car or something like that. Interesting video. I am sure someone will be able to find the video on here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cySfw8f0beg

[Mama Hip Rockets]

i saw that on tv this morning, so awesome.

[ChiefsCountry]

Sounds like somebody is loving Moneyball too much with no stolen bases thing.

[Fish]

Gathright would have been tagged out if the pitcher had just held on to the ball.... of course I'm sure having a guy jump over you can break a fella's concentration...

[Demonpenz]

I don't mind stealing as long as it is the correct time.
"If we do steal it better be late innings when the hitter is taking. "

Directly quoted from post number 22

I have 20 or so years in bball. I watch about 100 or so baseball games a year. I am just a firm beliver that you shouldn't give away outs.

[acesn8s]

Hillman has been teaching these guys how to steal. According to the players this is something they haven't been taught how to do in the big leagues. I can't believe that something so fundamental doesn't get retaught EVERY spring training.

[StcChief]

the royals will trade him

[KcMizzou]

Brett picks Gathright as best of the spring



SURPRISE, Ariz.| Who is having the best spring training for the Royals?

George Brett hardly hesitated with his response.

“Joey Gathright,” Brett said. “He’s doing all the things we need him to be doing. He’s hitting down on the ball, and when he puts the ball on the ground, or he lines it somewhere, he’s tough for opponents to deal with.

“Oh, and he’s the best bunter on the team, period. Keep an eye on him this year.”

Gathright happened to hear the praise from the Hall of Famer as he headed for the batting cage.

“I’ve never heard (Brett) say that about me,” Gathright said, smiling. “It’s nice to hear.”

Gathright isn’t about to claim he’s having that great a spring training. He’s not really stopping to notice.

“I don’t know that it feels all that different,” he said. “I’m just busy working.”

Gathright is hitting .316 with a team-high eight steals and a tied for a team high with 11 runs scored.

“He’s playing faster,” Paul Splittorff said. “I haven’t seen that speed before.”

Gathright gives the Royals something any run-starved offense needs — pressure on the defense because of that speed.

“I’m just trying to be around the bases as much as I can,” Gathright said. “Whatever it takes to get on base and be around it.

“I’m trying to pattern my game after Juan Pierre. I’m trying to become the best bunter I can be and really use that as a weapon. I think I’m getting better at it, but I know I can still improve quite a bit.”

For now, Gathright figures to be an extra weapon lurking from the bench, though there are some observers who think the Royals could be better served by having Gathright in left and moving Mark Teahen to first.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/royals/story/540511.html

[RockChalk]

alright i am not going to dig it up but let me tell you i hated seeing people moving around and I am sure the hitters want a solid view. Especially the shitty one's the royals have. They don't need any distractions

I never thought it was a distraction while hitting, but runners stealing bases broke my concentration when I pitched

The Royals don't have a team that is just going to just rake the ball all over the field. They need to manufacture runs and basestealing is one of the best ways to do that