J.R. Richard card coming?
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If you don't know that name, a trip to Baseball Reference would be well worth your time. This man was probably the best power pitcher in the game from 1976 to 1980 (yes, I realize Nolan Ryan was also active then). He had multiple sub-3.00 ERA seasons, multiple 300K seasons, yet somehow he was only an All Star once. If Grady Sizemore deserves a legend avatar (I love Grady, BTW), Richard should get a look from the Show team. And hopefully, some educated seamheads will back me up on this.
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Doesn't even crack the Top 1000 Career WAR.
Richard's K/9 was 8.4
Nolan's was 9.5no.
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If this was an argument about getting into the Hall of Fame, I would totally agree. But from the standpoint of playability and guys who can give you a boost in Diamond Dynasty, J.R. Richard is video game game candy.
His velocity alone would play well in the game. Also, there are plenty of "legends" in this video game who were only good for a handful of years, not over the course of a decade or more.
If you compare Richard's 5-year peak to the peak years of any other great pitcher you can think of, it stacks up well.
That alone is worthy of consideration.
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Richard's 5 year peak was worth 21 WAR.
That's the equivalent of Mike Clevinger today.
I get that he's your guy. That's great. But there's literally over 1,000 guys who deserve it over him. You don't hear me over here saying Oddibe McDowell deserves a spot in the game, do ya?
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I would love to have a J.R Richards card in gm!! Who cares about WAR in a video gm!! He would be better than half the pitcher's in the gm now!! Lol
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Yeah, that’s another example of how WAR is flawed, especially against pitchers. For his career, not even his peak, a 2.86 FIP, 1.24 WHIP despite 4.3 BB/9, OPS against of .600. Retired right at his peak, after his age 30 season.
Baseball being a weak link sport, minus WAR would be a better indicator IMHO. As it is, it’s tilted against control/contact pitchers. I get what it’s trying to achieve, but there are so many blind spots with it.
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J.R. Richard has better numbers than Mark Prior....
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Wasn’t Richard the first pitcher to top 100 mph “officially” ?
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Yeah soooo, let's not argue about WAR in regard to a simulation baseball game.
I doubt very seriously when people are creating their Space Station stadiums next week they'll say: "I wonder how this asteroid pit in left field will affect my squad's WAR."
In regard to relevant numbers, Richard won at least 18 games, struck out at least 200 batters and had an ERA near or below 3.00 -- in four consecutive seasons. He was on his way to that in a fifth season before a freak stroke ended his career.
It was probably that stroke that prevented him from amassing those holy grail advanced stats that all the kids are talking about these days.
I'm not sure he was the first pitcher to be "officially" clocked at 100, but his gas was phenomenal. His physical skills would be really fun to see in a virtual game.
Sadly, he didn't play long enough to make it into the Virtual Hall of Fame before it closed down in 2005.
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@gxj334_psn said in J.R. Richard card coming?:
Yeah soooo, let's not argue about WAR in regard to a simulation baseball game.
Why not? WAR is the best tool we have (at the moment) to compare players across eras. It's perfect by no means, but its the best we've got.
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Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Ryan Klesko, Dave Kingman, Grady Sizemore -- all guys with WAR below 30 who have cards in the game.
What else ya got?
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All the guys you mentioned have higher WARs than JR Richard.
What else ya got?
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Actually, Kingman's career WAR was significantly lower. And Sutter wasn't that much higher. When analyzing player talent, scouts usually base their judgment on comps - other guys that are in the same range, which describes the players on my list.
Your original response said Richard didn't crack top 1,000 in career WAR. Wouldn't that disqualify the 5 guys I mentioned, as well as several other throwback players in the game?
I understand your argument, but rarely is a judgment about a player's worth based on one aspect. WAR is a useful tool, but it is hardly the end-all-be-all grade to judge baseball players. And as you said, it is not perfect, even in a vacuum.
Again, this is about which players' physical attributes would make them fun to play with -- in a virtual reality game.
Anyone who actually watches the way baseball is played and strategized on the field and had seen or heard of JR Richard may appreciate that.
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I raise you Kerry Wood...Dennis Martinez....
WAR is a cumulative number an add/subtract statistic. It's a food tool for comparing individual seasons, or overall career but not the quality of someone's peak. Richard's definitely should be someone worthy of a card he is 5th all Time in H/9 with a 2.86 FIP. 5 very strong years
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@savefarris_psn said in J.R. Richard card coming?:
All the guys you mentioned have higher WARs than JR Richard.
What else ya got?
Richard is a different story, though. The stroke he had mid-season ended his career, right in the middle of his best season (10-4, 1.90 ERA). Richard wouldn’t have a great card (it would play a lot like Bob Gibson) but I can see making the case for one.
You could say that Lyman Bostock doesn’t deserve a card because he only had 14 career WAR, but only because he was shot and killed during his fourth MLB season. I would even be fine if they gave a guy like Mark Eichhorn a card just because of his 1986 season alone.
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Like to see Vince Coleman for Cardinals
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