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Atlanta Braves Knockahoma Nation podcast – advanced stats edition

By Josh Brown

ATLANTA BRAVES INFIELDER LONNIE SMITH GETS IN THE FACE OF AN UNIDENTIFIED UMPIRE DURING THE BRAVES VERSUS SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS GAME AT CANDLESTICK PARK IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. MANDATORY CREDIT: OTTO GREULE/ALLSPOR
ATLANTA BRAVES INFIELDER LONNIE SMITH GETS IN THE FACE OF AN UNIDENTIFIED UMPIRE DURING THE BRAVES VERSUS SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS GAME AT CANDLESTICK PARK IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. MANDATORY CREDIT: OTTO GREULE/ALLSPOR /
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Imagine a world where only advanced metrics and projections told the story. Imagine if the outcomes of individuals and teams and leagues were completely dependent on spreadsheets.

This week on Knockahoma Nation we talk about some Atlanta Braves stuff, but also about how important stats and projections are, but how they sometimes don’t tell the whole story.

Just think about baseball if projections were the only authors of the story.

Remember Lonnie Smith? On paper, Lonnie Smith was a star. In 1989 Lonnie Smith posted a 166 wRC+. But why don’t Atlanta Braves fans ever talk about Lonnie Smith? Because the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

In the 1991 World Series against the Minnesota Twins Lonnie Smith completely forgot how to run the bases and cost Atlanta a World Series. We could care less about his numbers.

Look at other fan bases for a second. New York Yankees fans believe Aaron Boone hung the moon. Why? The guy slashed .254/.302/.418 as a Yankee. But that doesn’t matter. What does matter is the fact that Boone hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning off of Tim Wakefield during Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS which gave the New York Yankees a 6–5 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees won the game and the series on Boone’s homer.

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Remember John Rocker? Rocker has become a laughing stock and an embarrassment to Atlanta. In 1999 Rocker had 38 saves for Atlanta and was one of the game’s best closers, but no one remembers that. Why? Because sometimes the story goes beyond the numbers.

If the story relied solely on the numbers does Francisco Cabrera drive in Sid Bream? Does Deion Sanders play completely out of his mind and hit .533 in the ’92 World Series. Does a guy like Mark Lemke hit .411 in the ’91 World Series? Does Austin Riley even get drafted? Does a low draft guy like Bryse Wilson become one of the best pitchers in the best farm system in baseball?

We also talk about why it’s okay to be excited about Ender Inciarte. The Atlanta Braves haven’t won a postseason series since the year 2000 and haven’t had a long-term answer in center field since Andruw Jones, so God forbid Braves fans get excited about a Gold Glove winning center fielder who is about to get 200 hits.

Want to listen to the podcast on iTunes? Go here to listen to Knockahoma Nation on iTunes and for a list of all past episodes, and make sure to follow Knockahoma Nation on Twitter @KnockahomaNTN.

Not on iTunes? No problem.  We’re also on Stitcher, Google Play and TuneIn Radio.

Next: Gohara had great numbers too... but...

Make sure you support all the other great Atlanta Braves podcasts out there, too. Talking Chop, Road to Atlanta, and Grant McAuley’s Around the Big Leagues all offer great Braves info. And, like we say on the show, we get so much of our info from those guys.

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