tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5985668569918053928.post3764300336731871519..comments2024-01-24T05:19:09.805-06:00Comments on This Game Of Games: Beating A Dead Horse (Again)Jeffrey Kittelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02367989375750209078noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5985668569918053928.post-28931009019123265722008-09-29T14:38:00.000-05:002008-09-29T14:38:00.000-05:00Thanks for stopping by and sharing the information...Thanks for stopping by and sharing the information. Good stuff as always. <BR/><BR/>The Dunlap/Richardson stuff is interesting because those two are linked in my own mind because of the 1886 trade that sent Dunlap to Detroit. Richardson had been playing 2nd before the trade and moved to left afterwards. My argument has been that Detroit upgraded the position by getting Dunlap while others believe that Detroit's goal was actually to plug a hole in the outfield. Richardson's versitility allowed them to make a trade for a 2nd baseman and move him to left, plugging the hole. <BR/><BR/>Certainly, Dunlap was seen by his contemporaries as an outstanding defensive 2nd baseman. I'm not certain if this has ever been quantified but there is nothing but praise for his defense in the historical record.Jeffrey Kittelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02367989375750209078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5985668569918053928.post-66352852320326419842008-09-28T16:18:00.000-05:002008-09-28T16:18:00.000-05:00Jeff, I just saw this post and I have some prelimi...Jeff, I just saw this post and I have some preliminary post-1883 figures. It will be some time before I post it because for me the hard part is writing, not crunching numbers. Anyway, Dunlap is the #1 NL 2B for 1885 and 86, although in 1885 Hardy Richardson is within .2 WAR which is well within any margin of error. In '85 Dunlap ranks 9th among NL position players; in '86 I have him 10th (Richardson, primarily a LF, is 3rd). In '87 Dunlap ranks as perfectly average for a 2B, and in '88 he is second among a weak group at that position. So while he certainly was not the same player as you mentioned, he at least was helping his teams out.<BR/><BR/>For your readers who may not have seen my posts, the WAR figures do not include fielding value, other than making a rough estimate at the inherent value of playing each position. But I see no reason to think that Dunlap would be diminished if fielding was considered. Probably the opposite.phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18057215403741682609noreply@blogger.com