What is a TOOTBLAN?
Theriot may have brought TOOTBLANs into the modern age, but he certainly didn't invent them.
TOOTBLAN is an acronym that stands for "Thrown Out On The Bases Like A Nincompoop." It is an officially recognized term on MLB.com. It was coined by blogger Tony Jewell in 2008, in an effort to quantify the negative impact that Cubs Shortstop Ryan Theriot was having on the team with his baserunning blunders.
Today, it has become a cornerstone of cutting-edge baseball analytics. Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi was recently quoted as saying "TOOTBLANs are one of the first indicators I look at before continuing with a transaction. I'm always aiming to have a nincompoop-free team. That's why we got rid of Mauricio Dubon."
History of the TOOTBLAN
TOOTBLANs are as old as the game itself.
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One of the earliest and most infamous baserunning blunders is "Merkle's Boner."
