Player Comparison

With today's 4:00 PM trade deadline this player comparison occurred to me.

Player A: 73 G / 43-31 / 68.1 Comp% / 7.5 Y/A / 115 TD / 55 INT

Player B: 77 G / 38-48-1 / 67.1 Comp% / 7.0 Y/A / 121 TD / 60 INT

Player A is Miami's Tua Tagovailoa and Player B is Arizona's Kyler Murray. Both are face of the franchise QB's but both are also out of favor and in need of a change of scenery. Meanwhile both have huge contracts. Numbers wise this trade seems to make sense but realistically would never happened. But if it were proposed - who says no?

Player Comparison

This comparison came to mind when I wondered perhaps fans have biases for or against these players.

Player A: 68.5 Comp %, 7.4 Y/A, 142 TD, 46 Int

Player B: 67.1 Comp %, 7.5 Y/A, 229 TD, 85 Int

If you haven't figured it out - Play A is Joe Burrough and Player B is Dak Prescott. The numbers are fairly equal when you consider Dak is 4-years older than Joe (which explains the more TD's but their TD to Int ration is fairly close). 

Leads you to wonder if the difference in perception stems from one being the first pick in the draft while the other waited until the 4th round. Difference in expectations? Or could it be a white vs black prejudice? You determine but there is a bias.

Player Comparison

This player comparison has been bubbling in my head for some time.

Player A: 39-27-0 rec / 68.2% Compl / 7.6 Y/A / 97.6 QB rating

Player B: 35-41-0 rec / 63% Compl / 7.5 Y/A / 90.3 QB rating

Player A was drafted 5th overall while Player B was the 2nd overall pick a few years earlier. Player B is now also a backup. In case you haven't figured it out yet Player A is Tua Tagovailoa while Player B is Marcus Mariota. If the Dolphins continue to lose would anyone be surprised if Miami uses next year's first pick on a QB?

Player Comparison

This player comparison occurred to me as worth a closer look:

Player A: 73 G, 64.4% Comp %, 15,398 yards, 73 TD, 43 Int

Player B: 63 G, 62,9% Comp %, 14,486 yards, 73 TD, 50 Int

Player A, in case you haven't guessed, is Daniel Jones and Player B is Trevor Lawrence. Statistically they are basically equal but Lawrence was the first overall pick in the draft and looked at much differently than Danny Dimes.

Maybe this is the year that perception changes.

Player Comparion

This NFL player comparison has been eating at me for some time.

Player A: 30-17 record / 66.9 Comp% / 11,712 Yards / 76 TD / 33 Int

Player B: 30-32 record /66.6 Comp% / 17,223 Yards / 114 TD / 42 Int

Cut to the chase but Player A is Tua Tagovailoa of Miami while Player B is Justin Hebert of the Chargers. Despite coming out in the same draft - Tua went 5th overall while Hebert went one pick later, ever since Tua has had people question  whether the Dolphins took the wrong QB while Hebert seems to be immune to criticism. Despite playing fewer games because of injury and playing behind Ryan Fitzpatrick for some of his career - Tua has the same number of wins as Hebert. 

Have never been much of a Tagovailoa fan but also think it unfair the way he gets treated as the lesser QB to Hebert. Remind me again - what did Hebert win in college? Oh yeah - that wasn't his fault either.

Player Comparison

Here's comparison that occurred to me the other morning:

Player A: Passing Yards 3,127 / Passing TD's 36/ Rushing Yards 1,206/ Rushing TD's 7

Player B: Passing Yards 3,365 / Passing TD's 21 / Rushing Yards 629 / Rushing TD's 6

Those stats are from both quarterbacks sophomore NFL seasons. Player A's stats are a little better than Player B's which partly explains why Player A was named NFL MVP for that season while Player B came in second in MVP voting in his season.

You may have guessed that Player A is Lamar Jackson while Player B is Donovan McNabb. Interesting to note that both players are about the same size (McNabb was a little heavier and maybe stronger while Lamar is faster) but both players also led their teams in rushing for those seasons. Donovan McNabb seems to be the natural comparison to Lamar Jackson in my eyes.

Player Comparison

I wanted to make this player comparison this week.

Player A - 1,391 hits / 225 HR / .290 BA / .856 OPS / 118 OPS+

Player B - 1,747 Hits / 229 HR / .313 BA / .882 OPS / 124 OPS+

Player A is Troy Tulowitzki who announced his retirement this week while Player B is Nomar Garciaparra. I make this comparison because of the talk (not a lot granted) of if Tulowitzki is a Hall of Fame Player. I would simply state that if Nomar isn't a Hall of Famer then neither is Tulo.

Interestingly enough both players finished their careers withe the exact same 44.2 career WAR. And that's not where the similarities end.

Tulo finished with 5 All-Star game appearances, 2 gold Gloves and 2 Silver Slugger awards. Nomar had 6 All-Star game appearances, won 2 AL Batting Titles and 1 Silver Slugger. While both players were greats for their time - I don't think you could make a real Hall of Fame argument for either player.

Player Comparison

Here's a player comparison I've been thinking about.

Player A - 1988 G/ 1355 R/ 383 HR/ 1311 RBI/ .313 BA/ .400 OBP/ .965 OPS
Player B - 2439 G/ 1513 R/ 118 HR/ 1013 RBI/ .328 BA/ .415 OBP/ .858 OPS

Both players have impressive numbers - though Player B had 451 more games in which to compile stats. But here's the numbers I was really curious about:

Player A - .278 BA/  .370 OBP/ .495 SLG/ .865 OPS
Player B - .302  BA/ .387 .OBP/ .395 SLG/ .781 OPS

Those are the career road numbers for the two players. You can see a big drop off for both players but Player B basically becomes a slap singles player on the road.

Player A - .348 BA/ .431 OBP/ .637 SLG/ 1.068 OPS
Player B - .354 BA/ .443 OBP/ .491 SLG/ .934 OPS

Those are the home numbers for both players. It should be noted that Player A won an MVP and was a 7 time Gold Glove winner. At home his numbers were almost Ruthian but ironically it was largely his home numbers which played against him when it came time for Hall of Fame voting. Player A was Larry Walker who played the bulk of his career home games at Coors Field. Player B was Wade Boggs who I still say would not be a Hall of Fame player if A - he didn't stick around just to get his 3,000 hits (3,010) or B - didn't play the bulk of his career home games at Fenway Park.

And yes I have a serious dislike for Wade Boggs.

Player Comparison

Here's a Player Comparison for your consideration - both players are starting pitchers.

Player A - 239 W / 3.69 ERA / 3343.1 IP / 2862 SO / 61.0 WAR
Player B - 216 W / 3.46 ERA / 3261.0 IP / 3116 SO / 79.6 WAR

The only real advantage Player A has over Player B is in wins but what if I told you Player B also had 22 saves while Player A had none? How about if I also told you that Player B was a monster in the playoffs  going 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA while Player B was a pedestrian 10-6 with a 4.20 ERA? Game, set and match to Player B - right?

Well Player A is CC Sabathia who has been recently touted as a  potential Hall of Fame player when he retires. Player B is Curt Schilling who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but many of the same people touting Sabathia haven't voted for him.

Schilling is 15th all-time in strikeouts and every player ahead of him (except Roger Clemens) is in the Hall of Fame. Schilling is 26th all-time for WAR and every player ahead of him (except Clemens and Mike Mussina) are also in the Hall of Fame.

The whole process has turned into a joke!

Player Comparison

Here's a basketball player comparison for you:

Player A - 323 G / 5812 Pts / 18.0 PPG / 8.4 RPG / 1.5 APG
Player B - 358 G / 5987 Pts / 16.7 PPG / 3.4 RPG / 2.7 APG

Pretty even but slight edge to Player A - agreed? What if I told you Player A helped his team win 2 NBA Championships while Player B helped his teams win 1? Advantage Player A hands down - right?

Well Player A is Bailey Howell who played for the Celtics for 4 seasons (1966 - 1970) while Player B is Ray Allen for was in Green for 5-seasons. Nobody has ever called for Bailey Howell's number to be hoisted to the rafters. So can we stop the nonsense of people saying Ray Allen's number should be retired by Boston?

Player Comparison

Here's a comparison I thought was interesting:

Player A: Age 24 / BA .326 / OBP .376 / SLG .493 / OPS .869 / OPS+ 123
Player B: Age 32 / BA .323 / OBP .386 / SLG .457 / OPS .843 / OPS+ 120

This was kind of a trick comparison because Player A and Player B are the same person - Dustin Pedroia. The age 24 season was 2008 - the year Pedroia won the AL MVP. That was also the year he led the AL in hits, runs and doubles. His age 32 numbers are from this season. The comparison was to show just how good Pedroia has been this season.

He might not be in the 2016 AL MVP conversation like Mookie Betts - but Pedey is having a damn fine season.

Player Comparison

Here's a player comparison I've been wondering about lately:

Player A - 7 HR/ 24 RBI/ .241 BA/ .271 OBP/ .412 SLG/ .682 OPS
Player B - 5 HR/ 17 RBI/ .244 BA/ .312 OBP/ .360 SLG/ .673 OPS

Both players man the same position but Player B is making $17 million more than Player A. If you haven't figured it out Player A is Will Middlebrooks who is starting to get hot for the Padres while Player B is Pablo Sandoval who has been pretty disappointing so far for the Red Sox.

Middlebrooks probably needed a change of scenery and I wish him all the best. It's just that this comparison has been bothering me these past few days. The fact that Middlebrooks is also 7-years younger also makes this comparison a little harder to take on a full stomach (no Panda pun intended).

Player Comparison

Here's a Player Comparison between two pitchers

Player A: Age 30 / Height 6'4" / Weight 240 / GS 252 / IP 1596
Player B: Age 31 / Height 6'5" / Weight 205 / GS 191 / IP 1510

I use different ages for two reasons - Player A was born in January while Player B was born in November also Player B basically lost a season to the 1995 Player's Strike. I consider the players to be fairly similar in body types and pitching styles (though Player A is a lefty and Player B a righty).

The reason I think this is a pertinent Player Comparison is because Player A is Jon Lester and the Red Sox may be considering signing him to a six-year deal. Player B is Curt Schilling who averaged 217 innings pitched in the next six years after his age 31 season. I happen to think six years is a good risk on Lester.

I don't buy that Schilling was just 205 pounds though.

State of the Red Sox

The Red Sox aren't good (so far) this season. The Globe's Chad Finn argues that there isn't much that GM Ben Cherington could have done this off-season to have really made a difference. His article has me conflicted. On the one hand I prescribe to Bill Simmons' theory that a team that wins a championship should get a 5-year grace/get out of jail free period from its fans - so I'm not complaining. On the other hand there was a move Ben Cherington made last year that I disagreed with and think now we are seeing the issues from that move - so don't tell me that there was nothing Cherington could have done to avoid the current malaise.

Let's look at a Player Comparison.

2014 Player Comparison:
Player A - 21 G/ 91 AB/ 1 HR/ 10 RBI/ .242 BA/ .276 OBP/ .352 SLG/ .627 OPS
Player B - 54 G/ 210 AB/ 9 HR/ 32 RBI/ .267 BA/ .291 OBP/  .448 SLG/ .739 OPS

Player B certainly would have been helpful and an upgrade over what the Red Sox currently have going on in the outfield. But the thing is Player A was so helpful in the Red Sox winning the World Series - could Player B have made a similar or better contribution?

2013 Player Comparison:
Player A - 122 G/ 477 AB/ 15 HR/ 61 RBI/ .292 BA/ .351 OBP/ .451 SLG/ .801 OPS
Player B - 144 G/ 606 AB/ 17 HR/ 84 RBI/ .304 BA/ .334 OBP/ .465 SLG/ .800 OPS

So Player A is Shane Victorino and Player B is Torii Hunter. Hunter is every bit as good - or better than Victorino both at the plate and in the field and it should be mentioned in the clubhouse. The Red Sox could have had Torii Hunter for similar money but fewer years than what they gave Victorino. That was a move Cherington didn't make but should have.

But I'm not complaining because Boston won the World Series last year with Shane Victorino in right field.

Player Comparison

Here's a small sample size player comparison but its one I want to track all season:

Player A - 0 R/ 0 HR/ 0 RBI/ 1 SB/ .000 BA/ .222 OBP/ .222 OPS
Player B - 1 R/ 1 HR/ 1 RBI/ 0 SB/ .250 BA/ .250 OBP/ .875 OPS

Player A is Jacoby Ellsbury who had a planned day off yesterday and Player B is Grady Sizemore who also had a day off yesterday. I have nothing against Ellsbury but the Sizemore story is so great that this comparison warrants special attention during the season.

Player Comparison

With Spring Training upon us - this player comparison has been on my mind this morning.

Player A - 715 G/ 865 H/ 65 HR/ .297 BA/ .350 OBP/ .439 SLG/ .789 OPS
Player B - 892 G/ 948 H/ 139 HR/ .269 BA/ .357 OBP/ .473 SLG/ .830 OPS

What really got me thinking about this comparison is the fact that Player B is only 1-year older than Player A but has played 177 more games DESPITE missing the last two seasons to injury! Think about that for a minute. Player A is Jacoby Ellsbury and Player B is Grady Sizemore.

Best case - if Sizemore is healthy and can return to form then the Red Sox have basically replaced Ellsbury's production at a fraction of the cost. Worst case - they write off Sizemore's contract. It's a no-lose lottery ticket on a guy who is just 1-year older than Ellsbury!

Player Comparison

With the college bowl season winding down thoughts will soon turn to the NFL Draft. In the next few months get ready to start seeing this quarterback comparison on a regular basis:

Player A - 6'5" 228 pounds
Player B - 6'0" 209 pounds

Based on my set-up you might think Player A was going to be Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater but he's 6'3" 196 pounds and you might have thought Player B was going to be Johnny Maziel who is very close at 6'1" 209 pounds. In reality Player A is Phillips Rivers and Player B is Drew Brees. I keep thinking that when it comes down to QB's in the 2014 NFL Draft that NFL GM's will be facing a similar situation to what the Chargers faced in 2005. The classic QB body athlete or the "under-sized" playmaker.

Player Comparison

This player comparison struck me when I was reading Matt Snyder's Hall of Fame case for Edgar Martinez.

Edgar Martinez - 2055 G/  8674 AB/ .312 BA/ .418 OBP/ .515 SLG/ .933 OPS/ 147 OPS+
Player A -           2247 G/ 9453 AB/ .316 BA/ .414 OBP/ .539 SLG/ .953 OPS/ 133 OPS+

Player A actually played one fewer season than Edgar but was able to stay more consistently healthy during his career so that he was able to be in the field more often for his team. That has a value all its own. Snyder wrote that Martinez was the opposite of a compiler yet Player A was able to accumulate more runs, hits, doubles, triples, HR, RBI, and total bases in let me say again - one fewer season.

Many baseball scribes are writing that an anti-DH bias may hurt Edgar but there may just be the opposite effect in that some writers may vote for him just to prove they aren't biased against the DH. Player A also will be a victim of bias since he played all his home games at Coors Field. Yet I don't think any writer will go out of his way to show he doesn't hold that against a player's career.

Player A is Todd Helton who won a Gold Glove at first base (it should be mentioned). I am curious to see how the voting for the two players compares.

Player Comparison

Here's a player comparison I've been thinking about.

Player A - 1988 G/ 1355 R/ 383 HR/ 1311 RBI/ .313 BA/ .400 OBP/ .965 OPS
Player B - 2439 G/ 1513 R/ 118 HR/ 1013 RBI/ .328 BA/ .415 OBP/ .858 OPS

Both players have impressive numbers - though Player B had 451 more games in which to compile stats. But here's the numbers I was really curious about:

Player A - .278 BA/  .370 OBP/ .495 SLG/ .865 OPS
Player B - .302  BA/ .387 .OBP/ .395 SLG/ .781 OPS

Those are the career road numbers for the two players. You can see a big drop off for both players but Player B basically becomes a slap singles player on the road.

Player A - .348 BA/ .431 OBP/ .637 SLG/ 1.068 OPS
Player B - .354 BA/ .443 OBP/ .491 SLG/ .934 OPS

Those are the home numbers for both players. It should be noted that Player A won an MVP and was a 7 time Gold Glove winner. At home his numbers were almost Ruthian but ironically it was largely his home numbers which played against him when it came time for Hall of Fame voting. Player A was Larry Walker who played the bulk of his career home games at Coors Field. Player B was Wade Boggs who I still say would not be a Hall of Fame player if A - he didn't stick around just to get his 3,000 hits (3,010) or B - didn't play the bulk of his career home games at Fenway Park.

And yes I have a serious dislike for Wade Boggs.

Player Comparison

Here's a player comparison I've been thinking of these past few days:

Player A - .272 BA/ .370 OBP/ .470 SLG/ .840 OPS/ 127 OPS+
Player B - .283 BA/ .359 OBP/ .496 SLG/ .854 OPS/ 122 OPS+

Pretty close right? How about compiled numbers?

Player A - 1470 R / 385 HR / 1384 RBI / 78 SB
Player B - 1346 R / 358 HR / 1327 RBI / 308 SB

Player A played 2606 games while Player B has played 2064 games and is still playing. Very good chance that Player B passes Player A if he stays healthy but playing healthy has always been a concern with Player B. It should be noted that Player A was an 8-time Gold Glove winner and is regarded as one of the best all-around defenders at his position in baseball history. Player B has 3 Gold Gloves.

Player A is Dwight Evans and he's not going into the Hall of Fame. Player B is Carlos Beltran and all those people thinking he's a Hall of Famer need to take a deep breath.