Scott Patterson - Scott and his baseball years #2 - we love this sport!

SPcrazygirl · 05-03-2008, 11:15 AM

Now we can talk again quite a while about our both predilections.

I would like to do with pleasure a list of all fans in this thread. Who would want with pleasure on the list, it simply writes.
Let's go for fun.

fans on this thread:
SPcrazygirl
SPA
KbatMO
Tarty History
Nogodsnomasters
razzlephrat

Last Thread:
Scott and his baseball years

**SPA** · 05-03-2008, 01:26 PM

Please add me to the list, Ela!!

Can't wait to see the banner that's created. Do you know how to do those too? Incredible.

KbatMO · 05-03-2008, 02:27 PM

Source: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...t-Patterson-3.

Scott's true "rookie" card (defined as his first year in professional baseball, which was 1980 with the Anderson Braves) says:
Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6'2" Weight: 180 Age 21

thebaseballcube.com is the only source of Minor League data for Scott - but there are two (known) omissions:
(1) For 1984- from the back of Scott's 1985 Albany-Colonie Yankees card (TCMA)
In addition to his record with the Nashville Sounds (NYY, AA): Wins = 5, Losses = 4, Innings Pitched = 64, ERA = 4.78
Scott finished 1984 with the Columbus Clippers (NYY, AAA): Win = 1, Losses = 3, Innings Pitched = 36, ERA = 6.50
For some reason, the second line is missing on "baseball cube". It would lower his career ERA (earned run average) slightly. (The lower a pitcher's ERA, the better.)

(2) For Winter 1986-87- from interviews/press clippings: Scott became a free agent after the 1986 season and was picked up by the L.A. Dodgers. It was thought he would join AAA team, the Albuquerque Dukes, the following spring. He played ont he "Winter baseball league" in the Dominican Republic that year - but there don't appear to be stats or info available. We don't know how much time he spent in Spring training in early 1987. We know that ironically (in his own words) - it was his childhood idol, legendary Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax who told Scott that if his heart was no longer in the game, he shouldn't continue. In another interview when SP was feeling more self-deprecating, he said that Koufax told him "he didn't have it" (it = the ability to make the leap into Major League baseball.)

Explanations of abbreviations used in baseball statistics ("stats") may be found on:

Baseball statistics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Gives new meaning to "That's a stat I can remember!")

p.s. SPA - SPcg has great SP avatars, graphics ... and videos (on youtube) ... including a beautiful one of Scott and baseball ... she's awesome!

p.p.s. Opinions/discussion about Scott's pitching statistics starts below (post #14)

**SPA** · 05-03-2008, 02:57 PM

I was wrong. It can be edited!! Learn something new!!

SPcrazygirl · 05-03-2008, 03:09 PM

Thanks for your tips, Karen. Grammar into your language is heavy for me a little bit. But only so I can learn.
I have changed the title. An update of the list has occurred.

KbatMO · 05-03-2008, 06:06 PM

Your banner is great - SPcrazygirl - I love it. The engraving and embossing effects are superb!! Very nice choice of pix! To anyone grousing about the NYY cap in the top-left photo (ahem) ... it's his card from the 1985 Albany-Colonie Yankees. Since Albany (NY) is where I went to college, that's a personal favorite - and I really appreciate it! See next post from SPcg about her graphics design.... The image on the top right is from Scott's 1984 Columbus Clippers card.

Following up on post #4 - above: In early 1986 the Yankees sold Scott to the Texas Rangers where he spent spring training - under something called "the Rule V Draft". (Source: baseball-reference.com) The Rangers had brought up 10 pitchers and planned to keep 5 of them. Under Rule V, if Scott wasn't picked up by the Rangers Major Leage team, the Yankees had the option to buy him back. In Scott's case, he was sold for $50K and the Yankees bought him back from $25K. If they'd been willing to forego the $25K profit, Scott would've started the 1986 season with the Texas Rangers' AAA team (Oklahoma City). Probably would've gotten more intensive training/coaching from the Rangers at just the right time. Very possibly, playing for a smaller org. would've enabled him to make the leap to the Majors. (Note: According to baseball-reference.com, very few players under the Rule V Draft have become stars; main exception = Roberto Clemente in 1954.)

So, even though the Yankees didn't need him - they had lots of pitching talent; they went for the minor profit without care for what might've been best for Scott's career. Scott said in an interview (~early GG years) that in the mid 1980s, "the Yankees were asleep in the front office." (Front office = where the business decisions and deals are made.) Although he has given Yankees credit for what he learned while playing with them - esp. about putting the team first - this really took the wind out of Scott's sails. (Something tells me he's not as sentimental about Albany, NY as I am!). Even the Rangers head coach thought the Yanks would "do the right thing" and allow Scott to remain in Texas. By the end of the 1986 season when Scott became a free agent, he expressed his disappointment openly to sports reporters. For context: in the 1980s when baseball salaries were much lower - a player had to make it into the Major Leagues ("the show"!) to earn "real" money as a professional ball player. Salaries were very low in the Minor Leagues.

Nonetheless: At the beginning of GG-S7 when Luke wears the black baseball cap, it's from a AA Minor League team called "The Connecticut Defenders" (affil. of the SF Giants). Initially he wore their "fitted" (road) cap in 2 eps. (backwards, of course!) but it covered too much of his forehead ... wasn't the most flattering. Clearly I wasn't the only person who thought so(!) - because in subsequent "black cap" episodes, Scott switched to an adjustable cap with just the "cheap plastic band" across his forehead, which still bore the Defenders logo over the brim. It must have been custom-made for Luke Danes! (Because the Defenders don't sell a black fitted cap.) Scott had wanted to wear the fitted cap because it displayed the official Minor League Baseball (MiLB) logo, and he thought it would be cool to promote them ... from which I infer "no hard feelings" toward the game or the league.

original Defenders cap:

new cap:

SPcrazygirl · 05-03-2008, 06:14 PM

That's okay.
The first post was updated.

The engraving and embossing effects are the logos of the teams.

KbatMO · 05-03-2008, 06:21 PM

Very cool!!!! (and again, thank you!!) I'm sure you'll have some more names to add by next week.
Some pix, baseball cards and clippings- thanks to scott-patterson.net; SPA & other SP/Baseball fans!

(1st row: 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984)

(2nd row: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1986)

With Braves org. (prob. 1981, this pic was displayed in Luke's apartment; many thx to the eagle eye of SPA!)

From NY Yankees Official Program (1983):

From Nashville Sounds Program (1983):

SPcrazygirl · 05-03-2008, 06:30 PM

This sounds great. Would you make this real?

KbatMO · 05-03-2008, 06:46 PM

Do you mean - will I really do it? Sure! I'll do it as soon as I can!!!!!!!!!

SPcrazygirl · 05-03-2008, 07:08 PM

Thanks. The subject interests me stronger and stronger. And I am sure that you can still teach something me.
I would have to go really slowly to the bed. Sunday becomes strenuous. But by the banner I must think all the time of Scott. Therefore, I write, besides, in my book. And, besides, I cannot stop in the middle of sentence.

Tarty History · 05-03-2008, 10:17 PM

Ela, would you please add me to the list?

You are all leaps and bounds ahead of me on the Scott baseball knowledge, but I am learning.

Thanks!

SPcrazygirl · 05-04-2008, 01:51 AM

Tarty, you are added on the list, and welcome here.

The first post was updated.

KbatMO · 05-06-2008, 04:35 PM

(brought over from baseball thread #1)

Quote:

From nogodsnomasters post of 05-02-08: Warning: Baseball geekiness ahead. I should really be getting to bed right now because I have to travel early tomorrow, but I can't help it. Hope you will allow me to indulge in a little bit of statistical analysis of our guy. Looking at his career stats, you can tell that Scott was a power pitcher. He threw hard and was able to get a lot of strikeouts. Now there are some more advanced pitching stats out there that can tell you a lot about a pitcher. Two of the ones I look at are WHIP (walks and hits per inning) and my favorite, K/BB (strikes to walks ratio).

Scott's WHIP stats are given, so I'll start with those. This stat tells a more complete story of a pitcher's effectiveness than E.R.A., in my opinion. The lower the WHIP, the better. A WHIP around 1.00 is good. If it gets below 1.00, it is great. A WHIP of 1.75 or more is bad. Scott's career WHIP is fair to average in my opinion. at 1.47.

My favorite pitching stat, the K/BB tells you how dominant a pitcher is. It's not as big of a deal for finesse or control pitchers as it is for power pitchers like Scott (a power pitcher is known for their velocity...but as you will see, that's not enough).
It's easy to calculate. Take the total # of strikeouts and divide by the total number of walks. The higher the K/BB, the better. I calculated Scott's career K/BB to be 1.48. For comparison's sake, Josh Beckett, the ace of the Boston Red Sox had a K/BB of 4.85 last year and a career K/BB of 5.78 in the minors.

In honor of KbatMo(fan of the "Evil Empire" Yankees), I'll give you young phenom Joba Chamberlain's WHIP and K/BB stats for minor and major league.

Joba's Minor League WHIP: 1.01 Major WHIP for '07: 0.75 (wow!)
Joba's Minor League K/BB: 5.00 Major K/BB: 5.67 These are very impressive.

So ultimately, Scott's low K/BB was his Achilles’ Heel (IMHO). I'd guess it was his pitch location. A good, patient, fastball hitter could wear Scott down by fouling off a lot of pitches and making him throw a lot of pitches and drive up the count. That's often when the mistakes come. Either the pitcher has to throw a strike and misses the location, or they walk the batter. I've seen Scott joke about giving up a lot of homeruns, and that's what often happens to power pitchers who miss their spots. The velocity makes it easier for the ball to leave the park.

I hope I haven't bored or confused too many of you. This post is for the psycho baseball fans and psycho fans-in-training.

I've gotta go, but I want to hit psycho fan KbatMo with the challenge to look up and/or calculate Sandy Koufax's career WHIP and K/BB.

ETA: I have the feeling Scott got jerked around a lot by the system. I'd like to think he would have made it with the right experiences/coaches. According to the Baseball Cube, Scott was chosen 12th overall in the first round in 1980. Joba was drafted 41st overall in the first round.

Quote:

From KbatMO reply to ngnm, 05-02-08: As for stats little girl (ngnm!) - IMHO he has quite a few saves! He only had 2 pitches - fastball and slider - since he was an RHP - I suspect if he had 1 more great pitch in his arsenal - he'd have been a better pitcher all-around! Would've withstood the power pitchers. I also think he did have a bit of control problem on "bad hair days"! He'd have been even worse off in the past decade - in the juiced-up hitters era!

Initially SP was available at the end of 1979 - but he only made it to the second round so he withdrew ... then early 1980 - 1st round, 12th pick! That's amazing!!! SPA, I know he attended several community colleges for brief periods around that time - chosen strategically for best draft chances. When he was drafted in 1980 by the Braves org., it was from Long Beach Community College (CA).

NGNM I think in Spring 1986 if the Yanks had let him stay with the Rangers org., he might've gotten the right coaching with Okla City (AAA) - and could've made it to the show with TX. But if he was with them too many years past 1987, aside from our losing our iconic handsome sexy intelligent esoteric and irresistable "cause celebre" - of the highest magnitude! ... he might've ended up being owned (partly) by George W. Bush!!!!!! And I'll stop right there!!!

SPA - The link jogged my memory - I was mistaken - not much to say about his hitting - 1 run, total of 5 AB's ... it's his fielding that looks to have been very strong!! Makes sense - high agility! But when I see him hitting in Arli$$ even though it's "for TV" - (not just in uniform but practicing, too) a lot of pitchers look like dorks hitting - but Scott doesn't. Likewise my avi - when he was at bat in 2006.... With a 90 - 95 mph fastball and a brain like his - (and a "golden arm" that was already apparent in childhood) - little wonder he became a pitcher - but I think he'd have made a great hitter, too! And a very smart/strategic one - just like (Don) Mattingly was. Adding to all that the HS pic of him doing track - I bet he'd have made a fast baserunner too - though (long-term) I'm not sure how his knees would've withstood the punishment!

p.s. "psycho-fan - qu'est-ce que c'est?" FYI Sanford "Sandy" Koufax (who never played in the minors) had a career WHIP of 1.11 (best year = 1965: 0.86 ... 1963: 0.87 ... last year of play 1966: 0.98). K/BB: I calc'ed it at 2.94 - using same stats you used to get 1.48 for ScottyP..... Well, I think Sandy's WHIP is a good indicator, along with 2,396 strikeouts, going out in '66 with a 27-9 record and an ERA of 1.73 (lifetime 2.76). In 1963, 65, and 66 he was the Cy Young winner - and won the "triple crown" - best/highest wins, strike-outs, and ERA - in both leagues. Batters hit .203 against him (1957-1966)! 137 complete games, 40 shut-outs!! 4 no-hitters - the last of which was his perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965 (vs. Chicago Cubs). It was the 7th perfect game in baseball history and broke the prev. record of 3 no-hitters ... (Only pitcher to break Sandy's record = Nolan Ryan with 7 no-hitters!) Koufax was the youngest player entered into HOF (at the time) - at age 36. (Ever read "A Lefty's Legacy" by Jane Leavy? Awesome book. Bio of Koufax - each chapter alternates btw his life story and an inning of the perfect game - which was never filmed, sad to say ... only some stills and a couple of radio recordings survive!) BTW I'm really hoping that the life story Scott wants the rights to = Koufax! That would be SO amazing.

~

SPcrazygirl · 05-07-2008, 12:36 PM

Hey Karen. I don't know what I should say.
Except THANKS!!! You're an

.
I'm simply inspired. You have really done a lot of work. Really great job.
With the black Baseball-Cap, I have also seen. But about the background I knew nothing. What you write, is really interesting.
Without doubt, he loves this sport really very much.
And if he makes this film about the idol of his youth real. I think, would put with it he not only S.Koufax, but also itself a baseball monument.

~Ela~