Simply En Fuego

Dear Jake,

Chew on this: before May 15th the SF Giants were 18-18. Since May 18th that same team is 13-2.  They went from 3rd place in their division to first place.  I guess I shouldn't say "that same team" because they really aren't the same at all.

Baseball is the ultimate stat sport.  "Moneyball" was trendy for awhile and in some places still is.  Entire organizations are swayed by the lure of stats that lead to wins.  This makes sense, what team doesn't want to win?  I would argue however, that there are some immeasurable and intangible things that can be even more important that WIP, slugging percentage, and other stats.  I think team chemistry can make or break a season.

So what happened on May 18th that changed the team in San Francisco?

There is a man named Hunter Pence that was activated after being injured.  Almost across the board each individual player on the team has seen an increase in their stat lines since he's returned.  Maybe this is coincidence. Maybe it's just a correlation that isn't impacted by Pence.  I really believe that Pence is a fire starter on that team though.  He hustles everywhere and doesn't go a single pitch without going all in.  He dives for things, is constantly boosting his team's moral by giving crazy speeches, and takes control of the mood of their entire home stadium.  I would want to play on his team because he won't let you stay down.

Do you think that a single player can have that much of a dramatic impact on an entire team?  How important is chemistry in a locker room?  What do you think?

Sincerely,
Joel