I see the term "cadillac card" being tossed around quite a bit. What does this mean?
This is a term from strato history long before online strat existed. Here is my attempt to explain.
In the beginning there was no strat. We learned about players through what the announcers on Saturday afternoon baseball told us. Then strat was invented. After a brief struggle for life strat flourished. Each season a new set of cards would come out. But there was only what is now called the basic version on one side of a card and the back side was empty. No differentiation made between right or left hand batters or pitchers. Each year a new set of cards would come out based on the previous season stats.
As time passed improvements were made such as using the back side of the card and splitting that side in half to show results against both right and left hand pitching. Popularity blossomed and demand for past seasons grew. In those prehistoric times those in charge listened to their customers and began producing card sets that were based on previous seasons. At first it was only a selected few which the masses had demanded. These cards were computer generated using only the raw basic stats and based on the basic rules established at the time. Bill James and Sabermetrics were not even imagined in science fiction. There was insufficient stats for performance against left and right hand pitching or batters. You will note that on majority of cards from chevy seasons both sides of the card are almost identical. Double play data only existed for hitters. So most every card was evenly balanced. No pitcher had gb(A) on their cards. But such was known for hitters so they did appear on the batter card. These simple cards based on simple stats plugged in to a computer which generated card images are what eventually would become known as "chevy cards". At the time though they were just labeled "old timers".
As time passed the masses realized hitter and pitcher stats often varied greatly depending on whether the opponent was right or left handed. And it was recognized that some pitchers threw more double plays than others. And this information for current seasons was published in books printed on paper. Yes, they did exist.
Then one year strat issued the current season based on these new addtional stats. The advanced side of the card reflected the new L/R splits and pitchers who induced the most double plays got gb(A) added to their cards. And the number of the same on hitters cards were reduced. The masses applauded. The rulers of strat were listening to them.
Drunk with the power of being listened to the masses began calling for strat to produce a card set for all seasons and for these new advanced cards for all seasons. But the data for many past seasons did not exist. But effort was made to give the masses what they wanted. Missing seasons were generated. Research was initiated to obtain the necessary data to convert the more popular past seasons to the new advanced format. As these conversions were created replacing the old versions the stratomatic fanatics needed a way to differentiate between the generic computer generated cards and the newer more advanced versions of those cards. These were dubbed "cadillac" cards by the scribes.
Short version...
Chevy Cadillac
gb(A) on pitcher cards N Y
gb(A) on hitter cards high reduced
L/R differentiated minimal more realistic based on data
When mixing the sets hitters from chevy seasons will hit in to more double plays than they really should since they will still have all the original gb(A) and the gb(A) that appears on pitcher cards. Hitters from cadillac seasons will hit in to fewer double plays than real life because they will be configured to have received some of their double plays coming off pitcher cards. But with mixed play no pitchers from chevy seasons will have any gb(A).
One assumes these factors are built in to the pricing since in theory the price formula uses the card structure for pricing instead of real life stats.
Mon Jul 21, 2014 9:22 am