Ryan Spilborghs is a former big league outfielder. He is currently a color analyst for the Colorado Rockies on Root Sports Rocky Mountain and also works for MLB Network Radio. He came up in the Rockies organization and appeared for the club at the major league level between 2005 and 2011, playing a significant role in Colorado’s 2007 and 2009 post-season runs. Ryan also spent time with the Indians and Rangers organizations in 2012 before finishing out his playing career with Japan’s Seibu Lions in 2013. MLBTR is glad to welcome him as a contributor to its Player’s Perspective series.
The Dodgers are positioned to make a deep playoff run this season. They have been one of the best teams in baseball despite losing the best pitcher on earth in Clayton Kershaw, remarkably going 32-22 since his injury. The front office has found ways to push this team forward by using the waiver wire, trades, and roster manipulation, including using an obscene 14 different starting pitchers.
The Dodgers were even willing to demote the polarizing Yasiel Puig because they felt it made their team better. Puig had put a strain on the clubhouse chemistry. Given that decision, the recent trade of A.J. Ellis to the Phillies for Carlos Ruiz was a strange move. Ellis was the heart and soul of the Dodgers. Carlos Ruiz is a good player who was instrumental for the Phillies in their great run from 2007-2011. Ruiz remains an excellent pitch caller and a great teammate. He can handle a pitching staff, and has better splits versus lefties than Ellis. We can dissect every advanced metric and acknowledge that this trade makes sense. However, I argue that no metric can place a value on what certain players mean to a team.
I expect the Dodgers to continue to play well. But from a player’s point of view, this trade fractures the team. There is now a disconnect between what is best for the team, and what the front office values for the group. In talking with various members of the media, reading the reactions of the Dodgers players (most notably Kershaw), and even if you ask opposing teams, everyone agrees: this trade made no sense.
I have played on two teams that have made the playoffs, the 2007 and 2009 Rockies. The ’07 team made it all the way to the World Series. Talent is always the separating factor. However, when a group of talented individuals play as a collective unit, the cliché “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts” rings true. In order to have the collective whole play as a group, a bit of magic is required. Something must connect them. Most of the time it is a collection of “glue guys” who value the group more than themselves. These “glue guys” don’t have to be superstars, or even starting players. In 2007, Jamey Carroll, Yorvit Torrealba, Josh Fogg, and LaTroy Hawkins were as integral to the team as Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki. The following year, when the Rockies did not bring back Carroll, Hawkins and Fogg, the team and clubhouse were not the same. The front office undervalued their on and off-field production. The 2008 team was the same core of starting players, a team that should have returned to the post season, but it was not the same “core” team. The value of “glue guys” can never be measured but should always be respected.
Baseball has grown enamored with statistics. But baseball is human, it is a grind. Teams spend months with mostly the same individuals sharing a common goal: get through the day. Most times the Major League life is not glamorous or filled with joy. Each day can become monotonous and difficult. Having the rare teammate who can grind with you, who can hold teammates accountable, and who can make people around him better is invaluable. Trading that human element for a better left-handed split makes the Dodgers fragmented and vulnerable. Can a backup catcher really mean that much to a team? The short answer: yes.
Players understand the game is about results and getting wins. A team will not flinch if a great starting pitcher with an ERA over 6 needs to go. Often times, a team will keep a struggling veteran but limit his role to where he can still help a team win. In the case of Ellis, we are discussing the value of a role player and his effect on the overall health of the team. Kershaw and Ellis “wept” when they heard the news. Is that a normal reaction toward a player getting moved?
There are no shirts that say A.J. Ellis was the “heart and soul” of the Dodgers team, but you don’t need one to know that he was. Look at the reactions around baseball. Look at the response of the players in that clubhouse and the media that follows them. Ellis was the last player the Dodgers expected to lose. This story has nothing to do with Carlos Ruiz as a player, and everything to do with how front offices value a team. The Dodgers can easily win the World Series this year, because the talent is there, but it will not change my mind: trading Ellis was a serious mistake. A piece of the Dodgers is sitting in a clubhouse in Philadelphia, and that piece, however small you value it, may be the most important.
Love this story, but then again I love any story that reminds fans that players are a lot more than a collection of numbers. These are real people and real people perform much better at their job when they are in a happy and comfortable environment. Statistics are great, but in reality they only tell you what a player has done, not what he is going to do, even if you attach the predictor label to certain stats. Joe Maddon is not a great manager because he looks at stats, he is a great manager because he maintains a clubhouse with a fun, exciting environment.
LOL. Joe Maddon has one of the best rosters in a LONNNGGG time. THAT’s why the Cubs are so good this year. Let’s see him manage the Angels.
And you know what’s FUN??? WINNING!! The winning creates the fun. The fun doesn’t create the winning. That’s pretty obious right?
Excellent article from my perspective as a fan who appreciates Carlos Ruiz who is a real ‘glue guy’ as well.
Great piece, Ryan. As someone who played in college, I greatly appreciate perspectives like these that discuss the intangibles ever so valuable in a clubhouse that metrics will never be able to quantify. When you’re around the same group of guys for nearly ten months out of the year, camaraderie, chemistry, and trust are all essential. Those who disregard the importance of having guys like AJ Ellis on a MLB roster are doing themselves a disservice. Keep up the great work, and thank you for sharing.
Very happy to see MLBRumors add Ryan Spilborghs as a contributor to the Player’s Perspective series. “Spilly” himself was the type of ‘glue guy’ he writes about in this article.
As an analyst on Rockies’ TV broadcasts, Spilly is both entertaining and informative. His personality and delivery style make him very accessible to a whole range of viewers. He does a great job providing both analytical insight and a player/human interest perspective. Look forward to hearing more from him here.
Excellent summation from someone who has seen first hand the importance of team chemistry. The Dodgers front office runs every aspect of the team and that is why Mattingly headed east to Miami. Mike Redmond was another backup catcher that served as a “glue guy” in Miami and Minnesota just like Ellis did in LA.
There is no use resisting the logic. No one player is more important than the collective. All will be assimilated to the Borgh’s logic.
Resistance is futile.
Great article!
Excellent article Ryan! I have to say as Dodger fan, I always felt you were one of those “Glue Guys”. Also, my best friend, who is Guatemalan and not a big baseball fan, thought it was cool you are a fellow countryman! Hope to see more articles from you on here!
Great article! Unfortunately in today’s world of saber metrics, these types of things are not taken into consideration like before. As a Dodger fan, seeing Ellis go like this hurts a great deal. This is why I respect someone like Brian Sabean. Clearly, he and his staff know the importance of the “glue guy(s).” You’d think the Dodgers would look back at their history and realize they too won pennants and championships with these type of players. The ’88 Dodgers were a team full of them. Who can forget the “Stuntmen?”
Fantastic article. 100% agree that trading Ellis is a huge mistake for what will amount to only a handful of at-bats.
I always felt AJ was the GLUE to the team, not because of Keshaw but because of what he does for the TEAM AND THE PLAYERS DAILY, he’s smart and has fun, doesn’t let ego get in the middle but he will step forward to help one who’s ego is needed to be brought down a peg but does it with class. Ruiz can be alot of things but he can’t be AJ PERIOD. He can even claim to know more than 3 people. I love a respect ADRIAN but I don’t even believe he could be the glue.. What bothers me more than anything in all this Social Chatter,Do the people who really need to read our comments, anguish, and personal opinions ever really hear them? The Dodgers FO and the owners ARE basically alien to us. They don’t deal with the fans other than to say thanks for coming to D’s stadium and supporting our players. Oh I Sorry they don’t say it Vin Scully says it for them. Doesn’t matter what social media or even online NEWS has to say I don’t believe they even pay attention. (well maybe the owners do the news and the stock reports. AJ deserves to come back home where hes always been…………
This is hilarious!!!! So the Dodgers (with AJ Ellis) have basically been post-season busts the past 8 years. Somehow, this .194 hitting catcher is going to make an ounce of difference in 2016?? Are you guys kidding me??? The haven’t won SQUAT with him. But just wait!! If they don’t progress to at least the WS this year all of the morons will be saying how trading AJ Ellis was one of the reasons. LOLOLOL.
Well, AJ Ellis was a monster playoff performer, so it certainly was not because of Ellis the Dodgers lost. Mattingly’s bullpen management was generally the culprit in 3 straight postseasons.
I completely agree Ryan. What’s most interesting is the contrary arguments people were making. Current and former players have been very vocal in the media and those that are thrilled about the move, typically are guys who never really played the game. This was very clear on MLB Central the day after the trade when Cliff Floyd was adamantly negative towards the trade and Joel, a writer/analyst who spent much more time behind a desk than on a field playing, said it was a great baseball move. As you’ve stated, team performance goes beyond the composition of the individual stats of a player. Joel argued that the Dodgers should feel resilient being in first with the loss of Grienke, Mattingly, and 1000 players on the DL, and that if the team can overcome those changes then they can overcome the loss of their backup catcher. Joel failed to make the observation however, that through this resiliency, one constant was AJ being the heart and soul of the team. I’ve been a Dodger fan since I was born and have seen great team after great team get kind of close. I just hope that the “analytics” of front office didn’t ruin the magic that this team has demonstrated thus far. If the Dodgers don’t make a big run, they will have look at this move as a regrettable one. We’ve already seen the impact that a new catcher can have in big moments, even without the emotional side attached.
Anyway, really enjoyed the article and thought it was a great piece. Also proud that it was done by a fellow Gaucho. Hope to see more contributions in the future. Ole ole ole ole!
These articles must drive SABR nerds crazy. Guys who never played a sport past soccer were everyone got a trophy and they know that chemistry makes no difference on a team. I love when players or retired players tell them otherwise and they argue that there is no way to quantify it. There is also no way to quantify your ignorance but those of us that have played sports at the HS and above levels know chemistry is important. Keep writing this stuff maybe they will get it after they read it enough.
Chemistry definitely matters in Soccer.. I agree about the article all the same but don’t make igborant statements like that. These guys don’t understand human value in athletics because they didn’t play TEAM sports and can’t relate to the social aspect of being on a team.
How would this drive anybody crazy? The reality is that the Dodgers made their onfield team better while losing a clubhouse presence. Maybe this impacts the negatively (I doubt it will), maybe it impacts the positively. It’ll probably end up being an inconsequential move though since they’re both just backup catchers
Interesting article, Ryan. The data driven model invading baseball has likewise conquered much of the work world. Too frequently personality and leadership go unnoticed. The Ellis trade demonstrates poor judgement on the behalf of Dodger brass – those in-charge are inattentive to crucial details.
Invading baseball? The Red Sox titles are DIRECTLY attributed to the geeks making data driven personnel decisions. Bill James. Look him up.
Loved this story.
I’m a big advanced statistics guy, but you can’t ignore the value of guys being able to work as a team in any organizational structure. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, and baseball organizations need guys that lead off the field too.
The problem is how do we measure these intangibles, and one can argue that you can’t
You can’t – and that is unfortunately how narrow minded individuals continue to promote stereotypes and narratives.
If we all just make an effort to understand, there won’t be people disregarding the bigger picture based on their own ignorance and inability to learn.
While it can’t be measured, not everything in life needs to be either. The inability to measure something isn’t the end of the World, and we as fans need to accept that, and accept even with massive amounts of data we don’t know everything going on.
Besides, with the outcry about the whole AJ Ellis deal, seems like the front office shouldn’t have needed numbers and data to realize that the trade was going to upset the clubhouse, just eyes and ears. At that point they made a judgment call, and I guess we all get to watch how it pans out.
In the end, players perform or don’t. Players need to grow up, be professional and do their job. I’ve never been much of a believer in “chemistry”. Winning results in “chemistry” and losing results in “no chemistry”. It’s total nonsense. The 1973 A’s wanted to kill each other. That clubhouse was toxic and they won the WS. As for “well, lets see how it pans out”….what does that mean? If they don’t win the WS it “didn’t pan out”? And FWIW, Ruiz is also a “clubhouse guy”. So does that count for anything?
Great article! I totally agree that this is a vital, yet often overlooked, part of the game. It’s why the recent, almost goofy, pictures of the Cubs wearing onesies for team building plays a role in their record. It’s why the years the Rangers went to the World Series the players in the dugout had all sorts of hand signals (deer antlers, etc…) that kept the team loose and fun. The list goes on…
Once again great and refreshing article.
I think clubhouse chemistry has been severely underrated by the Fangraphs-types and front offices in the last few years, so the AJ Ellis episode has been a nice reminder of what it means. This is just a job, after all, and great co-workers can help you out no matter what the profession.
That said, I find the Rockies example a bit farfetched. I can totally believe all of those guys were fantastic teammates, but they were not the difference between a World Series team and a losing one. Rockies had a lot of things go their way in 2007, and they weren’t as good as their record indicated. Jamey Carroll had a 57 OPS+ and Josh Fogg had an ERA over 7 the next year. Good teammates or not, that’s still a net negative.
A. J. Ellis should have retired into coaching after last season. He had nothing left. Only Kershaw saved his job. LA just doing what it has too. Pro players understand and will get over it. Good move Dodgers.
I think every front office probably places a value on team chemistry. The problem is quantifying it. Is it worth keeping near replacement level players around if they’re strong team leaders? How can we actually be sure that it’s a net positive in the W-L column?
For every 2008 Rockies example I suspect you could find examples of the flip side – a team with a strong clubhouse, character and leadership, that ultimately came up short on the scoreboard.
Great questions Rollie! In short, it’s not quantifiable at all. It’s all BS as far as I’m concerned.
This is an opinion piece. And quite frankly, I find it laughable. Yeah, I know.. “but you never played MLB”. Yeah so what. Most MLB players think it’s smart bunting a guy over despite irrefutable evidence that it’s NOT smart at all. The Red Sox started winning because of Bill James and his data driven decisions. But yeah, keep living in the dark (dumb) ages.
I’d say you were an opinionated guy yourself. Of course players and writers alike write from what they know. Everybody’s allowed their opinions. I’ve been involved in baseball since I was born. Data and metrics are worth something, possibly the paper they’re written on. But real baseball happens between the lines, on the grass, in the clubhouse. No one can explain that either. Yes, you bet clubhouse chemistry is real, just ask the 1986 San Francisco Giants. A manager and front office can make all the difference in the world, with their decisions. Humm Baby began it all for that team and that cohesive camaraderie he created has filtered through the decades to follow. Al Rosen and Roger Craig with Bob Lurie knew what they were doing. True, baseball is professional and these guys work together every day for about 10 mos. — not many people have to do that in their jobs. Live, work, play, travel, eat together. They become a family. Losing members happens in this game but they don’t have to like it; however, they do have to live with it. One player can make a big difference to a team. But baseball is a hard game, and things happen like this. You realize these guys are human, and they do have their opinions and emotions, as we do. You don’t play ball if you can’t handle and accept trades, it’s a part of the game that we don’t always have to like or agree with.
I was surprised by the trade, but don’t necessarily think it was all bad. The main connection he had with starting pitchers really only was with Kershaw. Grandal does most of the connection and guys like Kazmir, Maeda and others weren’t even on the team last year. If it was an untested rookie, then I’d question it, but Ruiz is a solid veteran who has won championships, played with Utley before, and certainly has the respect of any veteran player in the clubhouse.
I live in Dallas and the Rangers have seen the loss of a huge clubhouse presence in Prince Fielder, as well as the addition of a new starting catcher in Lucroy mid-season and they are not having any issues. They also went through this type of situation with Michael Young when they brought in Adrian Beltre and there aren’t many now who would say that was a bad decision.
Thanks Ryan!
I can believe in numeric analytics and still agree with this article.
Frankly my conclusion is the people that push either exclusively are morons. A smart organization like the Pirates listened to the people with experience but insufficient intelligence to quantify and QUANTIFIED it. A fool will assume that without quantification it can not exist in the first place.