[Sammon/Sarris] Tommy Pham makes his case for MLB’s next big metric: He calls it PhamGraphs
January 5, 2026
[Sammon/Sarris] Tommy Pham makes his case for MLB’s next big metric: He calls it PhamGraphs
30 comments
Matt Kemp is what Tommy Pham is trying to be post-reirement.
There, I said it.
Kemp was THE coolest guy when he was on the Padres/Braves and I was bartending at Chase Field. Always made it a point to dap me up from the tunnel between the locker room and the dugout.
Pham WANTS to be that now. A player remembered for being cool to everyone.
(Chase Anderson was also cool, but one of those “don’t tell anyone” kind of cool people, signed autographs for people in my bar, but it was a “don’t text a friend” situation)
What does it track, number of temper tantrums pulled?
This is a really good article about Pham’s obsession with the nuances of the game & how they can impact topline metrics.
But I’m sure everyone will just make jokes about the slap & Pham’s general reputation.
Edit to add a TLDR –
The piece suggests that Tommy Pham is a bit of an advanced stat nerd & has a few theories about shortcomings with some of the most looked-at advanced metrics.
Most of it boils down to the differences as a hitter between playing for a good team vs a bad team. He says having a 100 OPS+ on the Pirates is not the same as having a 100 OPS+ on the Yankees or Dodgers.
The reasoning largely has to do with quality of opposition & how playing for a bad team (or with Pittsburgh in particular a bad lineup but good pitching) means you’re more likely to face better pitching later in games because you play in more close games to begin with.
They speak to an unnamed exec who basically validates Pham’s theory. They say most team models do incorporate this stuff & the impact isn’t huge or anything but it’s a legit take.
He also specifically calls out Jose Ramirez, says his numbers are being suppressed by playing for Cleveland, & that he wants to see weather-related variables integrated into defensive metrics.
Look out FanGraphs – PhamGraphs is here to take your numbers and win your fantasy leagues!
i’m sure if i had a Times account, this would be an interesting read
this metric would slap ngl
New Metric Alert, Nerds! LET’S GOOOO!!!
Pham’s got some good analytical ideas, which I respect
Still hate him tho
It’s a quality of opponent and situational metric which I am kind of against. Stat padding happens in every sport. Should we stop counting TDs against the Jets where most of the game is garbage time? Let’s make a stat that removes home runs away from Grisham, Judge, Bellinger and two off Ben Rice because it was off of Kyle Gibson in April. No, that’s stupid. Some teams aren’t their record some years and it’s down to when they are on the schedule. While there is leverage stats, there is going to be a debate over labels and it’s just better to count everything the same.
Would love to see his slap ops+.
Everyone is just going to clown on Tommy Pham because of, well, Tommy Pham, but he actually makes some good points here despite the goofy name and article headline
When’s he dropping an OnlyPhams
He’ll also be a manager in the major leagues, if he’s offered the opportunity/if it appeals to him
I like Pham a lot. Hopefully he gets a great post playing career with this stuff.
Fun Police got this thread on lock down
Present your pre-approved pro-Tommy Pham comments or get brigaded
Tommy Pham seems like a huge dick who has trouble going a week without getting into a verbal altercation with a fan, but I’ve never heard anyone call him stupid.
I was not expecting something that thought out. I did not know Tommy Pham was like that. Truth be told, I was expecting something like what dumbass Jeff Frye would post on Xitter.
*Coming to theaters this summer, the long anticipated sequel to a movie that defined a generation*.
‘WHERE’S THE MOTHERFUCKING RESPECT, HEINEMAN?’
**Moneyball 2: The Pham-Tom Menace!**
‘Like I said when I flipped that bat, FUCK HIM!’
*Rated 18 for violent slapping.*
*’NOW THIS IS PADRES-ING!’*
I am all for getting deeper into the truth about advanced stats, because I have really tired over how simplistic people talk about them now adays. OPS is literally just the new batting average at this point, and a team like the Brewers more than proved it by being more successful while throwing out the “in” stats entirely and winning more games.
Advanced stats also tend to break down at the worst moments, particular big playoff ones, and I think he’s onto something about looking at other metrics for trends, as the eye test can point our some of these trends better than advanced stats can still… Everyone is calling for their manager to watch the damn game on the field in a close game, and be willing to make the calls that throw all of the evidence to the wind, Ala Yamamoto in this most recent World Series.
He’s incredibly cool and the only current player I want to see as a national broadcaster in the future.
Honestly a fantastic article with some really good points. A lot more nuance.
I do think that Pham is an underrated ball knower, but as a follower of him when he was on the dbacks, he is sometimes one of those guys who thinks he’s so smart that he cannot perceive that he’s being extremely dumb.
I’ve seen a metric before which accounted for the pitchers or hitters a player faced. I can’t remember where tho
He SBPI (Shadow Boxing Per Inning) rate is Hall of Fame worthy.
Good for him
He brought this up at a poker game once
Awesome
Beating people up over fantasy football
MLB subscribers get periodic surveys asking about their features and whatever, and the last question after the demographics is “Who is the most exciting player in MLB?”. I always write in Pham. He’s extremely talented, defies the aging curve, and his volatility brings suspense to a PIT/CHC game in May.
Why is this thread full of Tommy Pham apologists? Every comment pointing out his flaws is heavily downvoted. He deserves that bad reputation – he earned it multiple times over.
Also, recall he accused a jays player of steroid use, without proper foundation, just this year. After he started a fight with them. Just to add to all the other downvoted comments where people rightfully pointed out issues with Pham.
30 comments
Matt Kemp is what Tommy Pham is trying to be post-reirement.
There, I said it.
Kemp was THE coolest guy when he was on the Padres/Braves and I was bartending at Chase Field. Always made it a point to dap me up from the tunnel between the locker room and the dugout.
Pham WANTS to be that now. A player remembered for being cool to everyone.
(Chase Anderson was also cool, but one of those “don’t tell anyone” kind of cool people, signed autographs for people in my bar, but it was a “don’t text a friend” situation)
What does it track, number of temper tantrums pulled?
This is a really good article about Pham’s obsession with the nuances of the game & how they can impact topline metrics.
But I’m sure everyone will just make jokes about the slap & Pham’s general reputation.
Edit to add a TLDR –
The piece suggests that Tommy Pham is a bit of an advanced stat nerd & has a few theories about shortcomings with some of the most looked-at advanced metrics.
Most of it boils down to the differences as a hitter between playing for a good team vs a bad team. He says having a 100 OPS+ on the Pirates is not the same as having a 100 OPS+ on the Yankees or Dodgers.
The reasoning largely has to do with quality of opposition & how playing for a bad team (or with Pittsburgh in particular a bad lineup but good pitching) means you’re more likely to face better pitching later in games because you play in more close games to begin with.
They speak to an unnamed exec who basically validates Pham’s theory. They say most team models do incorporate this stuff & the impact isn’t huge or anything but it’s a legit take.
He also specifically calls out Jose Ramirez, says his numbers are being suppressed by playing for Cleveland, & that he wants to see weather-related variables integrated into defensive metrics.
Look out FanGraphs – PhamGraphs is here to take your numbers and win your fantasy leagues!
i’m sure if i had a Times account, this would be an interesting read
this metric would slap ngl
New Metric Alert, Nerds! LET’S GOOOO!!!
Pham’s got some good analytical ideas, which I respect
Still hate him tho
It’s a quality of opponent and situational metric which I am kind of against. Stat padding happens in every sport. Should we stop counting TDs against the Jets where most of the game is garbage time? Let’s make a stat that removes home runs away from Grisham, Judge, Bellinger and two off Ben Rice because it was off of Kyle Gibson in April. No, that’s stupid. Some teams aren’t their record some years and it’s down to when they are on the schedule. While there is leverage stats, there is going to be a debate over labels and it’s just better to count everything the same.
Would love to see his slap ops+.
Everyone is just going to clown on Tommy Pham because of, well, Tommy Pham, but he actually makes some good points here despite the goofy name and article headline
When’s he dropping an OnlyPhams
He’ll also be a manager in the major leagues, if he’s offered the opportunity/if it appeals to him
I like Pham a lot. Hopefully he gets a great post playing career with this stuff.
Fun Police got this thread on lock down
Present your pre-approved pro-Tommy Pham comments or get brigaded
Tommy Pham seems like a huge dick who has trouble going a week without getting into a verbal altercation with a fan, but I’ve never heard anyone call him stupid.
I was not expecting something that thought out. I did not know Tommy Pham was like that. Truth be told, I was expecting something like what dumbass Jeff Frye would post on Xitter.
*Coming to theaters this summer, the long anticipated sequel to a movie that defined a generation*.
‘WHERE’S THE MOTHERFUCKING RESPECT, HEINEMAN?’
**Moneyball 2: The Pham-Tom Menace!**
‘Like I said when I flipped that bat, FUCK HIM!’
*Rated 18 for violent slapping.*
*’NOW THIS IS PADRES-ING!’*
I am all for getting deeper into the truth about advanced stats, because I have really tired over how simplistic people talk about them now adays. OPS is literally just the new batting average at this point, and a team like the Brewers more than proved it by being more successful while throwing out the “in” stats entirely and winning more games.
Advanced stats also tend to break down at the worst moments, particular big playoff ones, and I think he’s onto something about looking at other metrics for trends, as the eye test can point our some of these trends better than advanced stats can still… Everyone is calling for their manager to watch the damn game on the field in a close game, and be willing to make the calls that throw all of the evidence to the wind, Ala Yamamoto in this most recent World Series.
He’s incredibly cool and the only current player I want to see as a national broadcaster in the future.
Honestly a fantastic article with some really good points. A lot more nuance.
I do think that Pham is an underrated ball knower, but as a follower of him when he was on the dbacks, he is sometimes one of those guys who thinks he’s so smart that he cannot perceive that he’s being extremely dumb.
I’ve seen a metric before which accounted for the pitchers or hitters a player faced. I can’t remember where tho
He SBPI (Shadow Boxing Per Inning) rate is Hall of Fame worthy.
Good for him
He brought this up at a poker game once
Awesome
Beating people up over fantasy football
MLB subscribers get periodic surveys asking about their features and whatever, and the last question after the demographics is “Who is the most exciting player in MLB?”. I always write in Pham. He’s extremely talented, defies the aging curve, and his volatility brings suspense to a PIT/CHC game in May.
Why is this thread full of Tommy Pham apologists? Every comment pointing out his flaws is heavily downvoted. He deserves that bad reputation – he earned it multiple times over.
Also, recall he accused a jays player of steroid use, without proper foundation, just this year. After he started a fight with them. Just to add to all the other downvoted comments where people rightfully pointed out issues with Pham.