Michelle Yeoh is likely one of the best actors working right this moment. How do I do know that? It’s not her 40-year profession, the 50-plus movies on her résumé, or the Academy Award in her trophy case. No, it’s the truth that she was forged within the movie adaptation of Depraved, one of the beloved musicals on the planet, regardless of having no earlier vocal coaching or singing expertise. She advised director Jon M. Chu as a lot earlier than she agreed to hitch the forged: “You recognize Jon, I don’t sing.” With all due respect, it exhibits.
In case you haven’t already seen Depraved, effectively, it is best to hurry up, as a result of the Oscars are on Sunday. On the very least, take a hearken to “The Wizard and I,” wherein Yeoh sings alongside Broadway star and Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo. Their pairing is the vocal equal of the “unfinished horse drawing” meme. But, inside the context of your complete movie, Yeoh makes it work. Her appearing is so robust, her portrayal of Madame Morrible so full and convincing, that by the tip of the film, it’s laborious to think about anybody else within the function. She may need a darkish blue slider bar within the Vocal Runs Above Common part of her Cinema Savant web page, however her general efficiency was effectively above substitute degree.
There are certainly some passionate musical theatre followers who took umbrage on the casting of a non-singer in a singing function. I don’t rely myself amongst them. I believe there’s something great about the concept that somebody can use their strengths to beat their weaknesses. It’s good to know an individual doesn’t must be expert at each a part of an exercise to be altogether profitable. On that be aware, right here’s what it appears to be like like when skilled baseball participant Josh Bell tries to run:
Bell wasn’t even the baserunner in that final clip, however how might I go away it out? Take a look at how far J.T. Realmuto had made it down the baseline when Bell picked up the ball:
And right here’s Realmuto reaching the bag a cut up second earlier than Bell:
Yeoh is an Oscar-winning actor, which suggests she will be able to star in a film musical regardless of a weak singing voice. Likewise, Bell is a Silver Slugger-winning hitter, which suggests he can have a significant league profession regardless of being one of many worst baserunners I’ve ever seen. And I believe that’s nice.
A few months in the past, I wrote about gamers who try just one stolen base in a full, certified season. I named such a season after Paul Konerko, who holds the document for probably the most particular person campaigns that meet the standards. Nevertheless, Bell was the participant that caught with me probably the most after writing that piece. Check out this desk exhibiting the eight gamers in recorded MLB historical past to have 4 or extra certified seasons with precisely one stolen base try:
Most “Konerko” Seasons
*Certified seasons with just one stolen base try (profitable or not)
So far as accomplishments go, a Konerko is essentially arbitrary and utterly trivial. Nonetheless, that’s a formidable checklist of names. Jim Thome and David Ortiz are Corridor of Famers. Miguel Cabrera will be part of them quickly sufficient. Victor Martinez, Frank Howard, and Adrián González have been all distinctive skills in their very own proper. Konerko is a White Sox legend. After all, it’s no mere coincidence that this leaderboard is plagued by All-Stars. This can be a checklist of fellows who racked up a ton of certified seasons, and so they earned all that enjoying time regardless of offering subsequent to nothing on the basepaths. No marvel they have been nice hitters. They’re all examples of gamers who made up for a weak point in a single space with their strengths in others.
But, Bell stands out from the pack for a handful of causes. For one, he’s nonetheless lively, and he’s younger sufficient that he might simply add a couple of extra Konerko seasons to his tally earlier than his profession is up. He’s additionally unmistakably the worst general participant of the bunch. That’s much less a knock on Bell and extra a credit score to the others. Right here’s how Bell stacks as much as the remainder of the checklist by way of WAR:
Konerko Leaders by WAR
| Participant | Profession WAR | Seven-12 months Peak WAR | WAR By means of Age 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel Cabrera | 68.8 | 45.3 | 60.9 |
| Jim Thome | 69.0 | 40.5 | 45.8 |
| David Ortiz | 51.0 | 32.8 | 26.5 |
| Frank Howard | 38.7 | 30.1 | 24.2 |
| Adrián González | 36.5 | 29.1 | 29.8 |
| Victor Martinez | 26.8 | 27.3 | 23.2 |
| Paul Konerko | 24.0 | 19.3 | 15.9 |
| Josh Bell | 9.6 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
This implies Bell comes the closest to the purpose at which the remainder of his abilities may not be sufficient to compensate for his poor baserunning. Certainly, he has put up unfavourable Offensive Runs Above Common (Off) the previous two years on account of poor baserunning numbers canceling out his barely above-average bat. In the meantime, guys like Cabrera or Thome might have insisted on making an attempt 50 steals a yr and nonetheless been helpful gamers.
The very last thing that units Bell other than the others is that he’s the one one who was caught stealing in all of his Konerko seasons. That additionally makes him the one participant in recorded MLB historical past with 4 certified seasons of precisely one stolen base try and one caught stealing. Solely three different gamers have even had three such seasons. Solely 30 have performed it twice.
Bell went 0-for-1 on the bases in 2024. He went 0-for-1 on the bases in 2023. He additionally went 0-for-1 on the bases in 2022. Sadly, he didn’t try any stolen bases in 2020 or 2021. However in 2019? He went 0-for-1. That’s really a exceptional run of stolen base ineptitude. From 2019-24, Bell was considered one of 151 gamers to build up 2,000 or extra plate appearances. He was the one one with no single stolen base. Check out his 4 makes an attempt from the previous six years for a textbook lesson on how to not steal a base:
Bell ran slightly extra often throughout his first three large league seasons. Nevertheless, he wasn’t any extra productive. From 2016-18, he went 4-for-14 (28.6%) in stolen base makes an attempt. That’s technically higher than his 0% success fee from 2019 onward. But, in keeping with weighted Stolen Base Runs (wSB), Bell was nearly twice as detrimental on a per-game foundation in his first three seasons than he’s been within the six seasons since. Let me put that one other method: He’s the one participant (min. 2,000 PA) with none stolen bases previously six years – and he’s nonetheless been a extra efficient base stealer than he was the three years prior.
All advised, Bell has produced -9.8 wSB in his profession. That’s the bottom complete within the sport in that point by greater than two runs. To place that quantity in context, contemplate that Rickey Henderson was price 9.5 wSB in 1982, when he set the trendy document with 130 stolen bases in a season. Even that legendary efficiency wouldn’t be fairly sufficient to outweigh the injury Bell has performed on stolen base makes an attempt all through his profession.
Making Bell’s poor baserunning all of the extra attention-grabbing is the truth that he isn’t even that sluggish. To be clear, he is sluggish. However he’s hardly the slowest participant within the league. Greater than 50 certified runners had a slower common dash pace in 2024:
Josh Bell’s Pace in 2024
| Dash Pace | Dash Pace Percentile | HP to 1B | HP to 1B Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25.4 ft per second | ninth | 4.75 seconds | ninth |
SOURCE: Baseball Savant
In actual fact, Bell truly used to have above-average dash pace. He isn’t the quickest man round, however pace isn’t the entire story. Merely put, he’s simply dangerous at this:
Josh Bell’s Pace Over the Years
| 12 months | Dash Pace (ft/s) | Dash Pace Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 27.3 | sixtieth |
| 2017 | 27.2 | 57th |
| 2018 | 27.1 | 54th |
| 2019 | 26.7 | forty eighth |
| 2020 | 26.2 | thirty third |
| 2021 | 26.2 | thirty fourth |
| 2022 | 26.2 | twenty fifth |
| 2023 | 25.9 | seventeenth |
| 2024 | 25.4 | ninth |
SOURCE: Baseball Savant
To that time, Bell’s maladroitness isn’t restricted to stolen base makes an attempt. Since his debut in 2016, he has racked up -28.1 BsR. No lively participant has a decrease baserunning worth in that point. And the primary motive for that low BsR? Operating into outs at residence.
In case you’re acquainted with Bell’s model of baseball, I’m positive you possibly can image him trundling down the third bottom line whereas the ball sails previous and beats him to the plate by a number of ft. Naturally, he’ll strive (and fail) to drag off an outlandish slide to keep away from the tag. With that picture in my head, I began trying into the numbers on a hunch, and I used to be more than happy to search out I used to be 100% right. No participant has harm his groups extra by working into outs on the plate since he broke into the league:
Most Harm Completed on Outs on the Plate (2016-24)
SOURCE: Baseball Savant
Cumulative run worth on “thrown out” performs at residence plate. Doesn’t embody constructive worth from profitable advances or unfavourable worth from holds.
I invite you to take a seat again and luxuriate in a compilation of a few of Bell’s worst outs at residence:
Like Colin Firth in Mamma Mia and Russell Crowe in Les Misérables, Michelle Yeoh is the most recent in a protracted line of Oscar-winning actors to faux their method by way of a musical function. And like Miguel Cabrera and Paul Konerko, Josh Bell is the most recent in a protracted line of sluggers to plod their method alongside the basepaths.
Maybe Bell’s coaches, teammates, and followers have lengthy been annoyed by his baserunning, however personally, I proceed to be impressed. Bell is proof that you simply don’t must be good at the whole lot to be good at one thing. He’s an admirable instance of a person persevering with to strive one thing he simply isn’t good at. And if none of that sentimental stuff strikes you, effectively, not less than we are able to all admit his baserunning antics are entertaining to observe.