The GranderDunn Effect

It is a familiar sight in baseball. At least one player every year is a victim of the GranderDunn effect. The effect can be explained as a fast player who stops utilizing their speed once they begin to hit home runs.

Granderson (Left) and Dunn (Right) at the 2012 All Star Game

Curtis Granderson has stolen 20 or more bases in a season in three different seasons. When Granderson was traded to the Yankees he took advantage of the short porch in right field. In 2010 Granderson hit 24 home runs and stole 12 bases. In 2011 he played a full season, and was rather successful, hitting 41 home runs and stealing 25 bases. The 2012 season is where the GranderDunn effect enters play. Granderson is now known as a power hitter and he hit 34 home runs over 131 games in 2012, but has stolen just 8 bases.

Granderson has not only given up his speed to the power of home runs, but also his batting average. In 2012 he has a career low .235 batting average. Curtis Granderson is slowly becoming Adam Dunn.

This can also be seen in players such as Grady Seizmore, Corey Hart, and Alfonso Soriano. Andrew McCutchen may also be sacrificing stolen bases for home runs to the GranderDunn effect in seasons to come.




Thanks and credit to Mark Suleymanov for contributing the witty name .

The Chicago White Sox

The White Sox finished 2011 with a 79-83 record. It was disappointing to see The White Sox do poorly, but that's the unpredictable aspect of baseball we all love so much.

The lineup for The White Sox was hurt by the poor performance of Adam Dunn. He actually had a negative WAR. WAR stands for wins above replacement. His WAR was -2.7 meaning without Adam Dunn the White Sox would have won 2.7 more games. You cannot fault the White Sox for signing him. He had a 138 OPS+ in 2010, but the transition between leagues and to DH must have been incredibly difficult for him. If The White Sox want to do well in 2012 they need to get Adam Dunn back to him old self.

A positive look at the White Sox's lineup is the consistency and excellent performance of Paul Konerko. Konerko has an  average OPS+ of 140 over his last three seasons, which is great. He has also driven in 304 RBI's over that span. The White Sox need to keep one consistent hitter for the entire year and Konerko is definitely that guy.

The rotation looks a little different without Mark Buehrle, because he signed with The Miami Marlins. If Jake Peavy can stay healthy and get back to the Peavy from 2008, The White Sox will have an ace. Peavy hasn't pitched 20 games since 2008 because of injuries. The pitcher to watch is John Danks. He is going to be 27 and hasn't had a big season yet. If 2012 can be his break out season The White Sox may still be alive in the American League Central. The final pitcher worth discussing is Philip Humber. He pitched 163 innings in 2011 with a 3.75 ERA. He 29 and has good stuff. Being in the prime of his career he may be an advantage to The White Sox.

Although they traded away Sergio Santos and Carlos Quentin The White Sox have a chance to improve on their record from 2011, but not by much. They lost big parts of their team in Mark Buehrle, Carlos Quentin and Sergio Santos. I guess The White Sox have decided to start rebuilding. Combined with The Twins, The White Sox can be a thorn in the side of The Tigers.