Angels sign C Jonathan Lucroy to 1yr/$3.35M deal

[Inside Pitch]

2 hours ago, Dochalo said:

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/pitch-framing-data-is-going-insane/

above is an article about the inconsistency of pitch framing from year to year for particular players.  Lucroy is actually mentioned in the article as someone who's oddly declined without explanation.  

if you're not into all the actual data provided, the last paragraphs sums up everything in that the year to year framing of a guy has become fairly unpredictable.  

My guess is that it has something to do with pitchers, but no one that I know of has tracked this relative to the umpire.  The human element of having an ump is what makes framing a thing.  There has to some variability in a catcher ability to frame relative to who back there.  I don't even know how umps rotate and their travel schedule.  

Here ya go...

The Fall of a Fabled Pitch Framer...  How Jonathan Lucroy, once baseball’s best receiving catcher, started losing strikes

https://www.theringer.com/2017/5/23/16045944/jonathan-lucroy-texas-rangers-pitch-framing-3bfa2f11ae4a

[ten ocho recon scout]

1 hour ago, Tank said:

a couple of years ago we were on the same flight from houston to LA. While in the waiting area, he rolled his suitcase over my foot but never apologized. Jerk.

You wouldnt like to see him angry...

[Lou]

45 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

You wouldnt like to see him angry...

the only people I enjoy seeing angry these days are Dodgers fans after they lose and libs in the political forum. 

[beatlesrule]

Our new catcher.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

On 12/28/2018 at 6:29 PM, WeatherWonk said:

Hilarious. A guy that NOBODY on AW talked about all off season, and now people are piping up and saying, "I'm down with this". It went from Realmuto to Ramos to Grandal to a guy with a -0.7 WAR. 

It's pretty sad when the best you can say about most all of our FA signing this year is "....well, at least it's only one year" or "well, he has great upside".

The Dollar Tree off season continues...................

ROGER I love you!!!!...... in the non-physical way.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

Johnathan LuCroy had some great years with the Brewers and a good time in Colorado and a decent time working with the pitchers in Oakland.

Was he ever thought of here? No.

Is he better than what we have? Maybe.

Can he get back to previous #'s? Historically, that has never worked in our favor. 

I see this overall as a finality signing just to cover a position of need and move on to the next need. Will it work out? Maybe, but it doesnt break the bank.

Also, now the replies from the knowns are hilarious and almost comical.

I cant wait to read articles on his splits in non American territories on odd numbered Wednesdays in leap year during months that end in odd numbered days during eclipses.

Framing doesnt do squat when your pitching staff consistently misses their spots, tear ligaments in their elbows, doesnt pitch to the shift etc.

 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

In before 15 pages on Johnathan LuCroy!

[Lou]

24 minutes ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

Was he ever thought of here?  

asked and answered.

hint: you are incorrect 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

1 minute ago, Lou said:

asked and answered.

hint: you are incorrect 

Interesting I guess i missed it. Which thread and date was that? Since everyone has been hot on realmuto, hedges, Grandal etc.

 

Also, way to cherry pick Lou!

[Tank]

4 hours ago, beatlesrule said:

Our new catcher.

simple solution: tell the astros hitters not to hit little nubbers in front of the plate. i'll give them a call this week to work out the details.

[Tank]

5 hours ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

You wouldnt like to see him angry...

i was immediately aware of that at the moment.

[Inside Pitch]

38 minutes ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

I cant wait to read articles on his splits in non American territories on odd numbered Wednesdays in leap year during months that end in odd numbered days during eclipses

Do you want the home or away numbers for those days?    Also day or night games?

[Lou]

10 minutes ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

Interesting I guess i missed it. Which thread and date was that? Since everyone has been hot on realmuto, hedges, Grandal etc.

 

Also, way to cherry pick Lou!

it's in the thread titled: "Angels sign C Jonathan Lucroy to 1yr/$3.35M deal"

[Inside Pitch]

1 minute ago, Lou said:

it's in the thread titled: "Angels sign C Jonathan Lucroy to 1yr/$3.35M deal"

His name came up a few times in the Hot Stove thread too.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

4 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

His name came up a few times in the Hot Stove thread too.

I didnt read the 110+ pages again.

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

10 minutes ago, Lou said:

it's in the thread titled: "Angels sign C Jonathan Lucroy to 1yr/$3.35M deal"

You mean the same thread that posted after the signing friday?.... cool I saw that also, matter of fact Ive posted in this hence your reply and our conversation within it..

Edited December 31, 2018 by SlappyUtilityMIF

[ettin]

12 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Do you want the home or away numbers for those days?    Also day or night games?

I am sure Lucroy has caught a game during the day with the rock pile in the background we can use as a data point! Maybe two!

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

Just because it is my opinion that it's a coverage signing and an attempt to place lipstick on a pig. 

Doesnt mean I'm incorrect.

Just because I enjoy giving some of the writers on here a little grief regarding their homerism at times.

Doesnt make it incorrect.

It's all in good fun we are all adults right? I think some of the optimism is great. However, it needs to be sprinkled with a little bit of reality.

I hear things as well first hand and secondly by others within the Organization. Sometimes, I bring them up (and get ridiculed) sometimes I dont. 

[Lou]

24 minutes ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

You mean the same thread that posted after the signing friday?.... cool I saw that also, matter of fact Ive posted in this hence your reply and our conversation within it..

you might have posted in it but you obviously haven't read it 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

38 minutes ago, Lou said:

you might have posted in it but you obviously haven't read it 

1 and a quarter pages were enough. I quote and respond within my reading of the threads. At which point sometimes, like your corresponding replies have taken me away from completing the read and have made me feel too tired to continue through the other 7 and 3/4's pages of replies, opinions, suggestions and optimism.

[Inside Pitch]

11 minutes ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

It's all in good fun we are all adults right? I think some of the optimism is great. However, it needs to be sprinkled with a little bit of reality.

I hear things as well first hand and secondly by others within the Organization. Sometimes, I bring them up (and get ridiculed) sometimes I dont. 

I don't disagree with you and I've gone on record as not being a real fan of the move -- but, you're likely a bit guilty of overreaching on the home/away splits for the sake of comedy.  ATT Park, Fenway, Coors, Oakland, whatever they call the park in Cinci etc etc.   There are parks that can influence numbers more so than usual.   This works both ways, Cahill benefited from pitching in Oakland.   Anyway, I admittedly am someone that gives consideration to neutral park data, in large part because it's typically the second biggest sample size over the course of a full season and less of a niche split as is normally the case.

Whatever the differences of opinion, your post read to me as having been said in good fun...

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

10 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

I don't disagree with you and I've gone on record as not being a real fan of the move -- but, you're likely a bit guilty of overreaching on the home/away splits for the sake of comedy.  ATT Park, Fenway, Coors, Oakland, whatever they call the park in Cinci etc etc.   There are parks that can influence numbers more so than usual.   This works both ways, Cahill benefited from pitching in Oakland.   Anyway, I admittedly am someone that gives consideration to neutral park data, in large part because it's typically the second biggest sample size over the course of a full season and less of a niche split as is normally the case.

Whatever the differences of opinion, your post read to me as having been said in good fun...

Absolutely IP, park neutrality is a huge point to consider. However, I looked overall and consider his play within the AL West and give that more credence than #'s say in Colorado or the Senior circuit. Also, while factoring in age and position of play.

On a positive note he has always been known as a above average defensive catcher and works well with a pitching staff. Which may in turn allow some newness and positive reinforcement wth the hiring of Doug White and what he wants to instill in the pitching staff! Our version of Brian McCann....

On the offensive side I think we get what we get and we dont throw a fit.

[Inside Pitch]

1 minute ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

Absolutely IP, park neutrality is a huge point to consider. However, I looked overall and consider his play within the AL West and give that more credence than #'s say in Colorado or the Senior circuit.

Good to see you agree on the whole neutral park thing -- so what that being said....  his time in Texas was pretty brutal -- that's a bit of a red flag IMO.    When push comes to shove the dude bears little resemblance to the guy who played in Milwaukee.   It's a lightning in a bottle move -- but, even if all that's left is what he did last year -- he still serves as a bit of a safety net.  Catcher is the one area in the system that is still pretty raw.

 

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

15 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Good to see you agree on the whole neutral park thing -- so what that being said....  his time in Texas was pretty brutal -- that's a bit of a red flag IMO.    When push comes to shove the dude bears little resemblance to the guy who played in Milwaukee.   It's a lightning in a bottle move -- but, even if all that's left is what he did last year -- he still serves as a bit of a safety net.  Catcher is the one area in the system that is still pretty raw.

 

Well, to be honest his offensive #'s were pretty good in the last 2 months in Texas right after they traded for him in 2016 and he hit 11 HR's and we know how historically the ball flies out of Arlington in the heat. The next season he slipped again and was traded .247. And then went to the friendly confines of Colorado where he also had a uptick in Avg to .310.

In Oakland his #'s continued to drop and went back to what he did in Texas the start of his first full season there in 2017. Once again I see park issues regarding more games at home with the extended foul lines and pop ups.

Last year he hit .200/.273/.253/.523 in Anaheim. That's not very good.

 

[Inside Pitch]

1 minute ago, SlappyUtilityMIF said:

Well, to be honest his offensive #'s were pretty good in the last 2 months in Texas ight after they traded for him and we know how historically the ball flies out of Arlington in the heat. The next season he slipped again. And then went to the friendly confines of Colorado where he also had a uptick in Avg.

In Oakland his #'s continued to drop and went back to what he did in Texas the start of his first full season there in 2017. Once again I see park issues regarding more games at home with the extended foul line and pop ups.

Last year he hit .200/.273/.253/.523 in Anaheim. That's it very good.

 

I saw his numbers last year, but small sample so, I pretty much waved it off as noise.   But his neutral park numbers last year at least hint that he could provide league average (catcher), offense in a less pitcher slanted environment.   

I think he is what he is.