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Thursday, August 11, 2011
Sabermetrics broadcaster
Will Carroll suggests it’s Boog Sciambi:
The voice of sabermetrics right now isn’t Bill James or even Billy Beane, but a guy they call Boog.
Jon “Boog” Sciambi calls baseball for ESPN Radio every Sunday night and calls the closest thing to a sabermetric radio call as we have now. He’s informed by the statistics and what they mean, putting it together in a manner that doesn’t alienate the generation that has grown up not on the storytelling skills of Vin Scully, Bob Uecker and Jack Buck, but the corporate beige tones of Joe Buck and other empty suits that have as less passion for the game than they do for their next commercial read. Sciambi walks the line, introducing little nuggets, putting things in context, and inserting education into his anecdotes. He knows the limitations of what he can do, but by doing it, he’s pushing the boundaries. I’m sure there are announcers out there in the minor leagues who grew up reading Joe Sheehan and Rob Neyer, who drop in Fangraphs stats into their Single-A broadcast alongside Baseball America quotes. I’d love to know who they are, but more, I’d like to support them. Let’s get them some ratings and help smart young broadcasters move up the chain and find a seat alongside Sciambi.
Sciambi rose to sabermetric prominence with his anecdote about Chipper Jones not taking the first pitch. It was a brilliant article, and showed us how smart Chipper Jones was. Chipper reasoned that pitchers are so careful around him that if he doesn’t swing at the first good pitch he sees, he’s not going to see another good pitch. Hence, he swings at the first pitch more often than the average hitter would. On the other hand, Pujols does NOT swing at the first pitch very often, and it works out quite well for him too. Basically, you can’t really come up with a general rule.
Anyway, Sciambi has emailed me on several occasions, always good questions, and really, that’s all we can ask of the media. They’re getting out of their comfort zones, and willing to look at the numbers in a new way. So, if Boog is our future, then we’re on the right path. All we need is Morgan Ensberg to get a more prominent role, and we’re well on our way.
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