Baseball player development is in a really cool place at the moment with the ability to rely on advanced technology and data to evaluate players’ performances and what’s best for those players moving forward. Something that goes overlooked outside of front offices is the evaluation of certain starting pitchers and whether or not they are … Read more
Founded on my research for the “Minors vs Majors” chapter in my book, “Hardball Retroactive” paired with complementary articles “Minors vs. Majors: The Top Minor League Batters in the Expansion Era” and “Minors vs. Majors: The Top Minor League Pitchers in the Expansion Era“, the ensuing series will reveal the Minor League All-Star rosters for … Read more
It may seem ridiculous, but David Wright’s career was a lot better than one might think. Arguably the most beloved member of the organization’s history, the Captain of Queens gave the city 11 years of excitement before battling back and neck injuries over his final three seasons. However, given his recent retirement, it is time … Read more
*This was written prior to the Mets signing Wilson Ramos to be their starting catcher. Any suggestion that they should trade for Realmuto was done in knowing that they were still in the running to acquire his services* When the Mets made an early-winter splash in acquiring 8-time All-Star Robinson Cano and stud reliever Edwin … Read more
One of the best parts of Major League Baseball’s Hotstove is watching organizations separate into the two categories of “rebuilding” and “in contention.” Most of the time, those of us outside MLB teams have a pretty solid idea of which team fits where. On the opposite side, very rarely do we see a team that … Read more
If I were to tell you that the two highest paid players in baseball in 2018 were Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout, you’d probably say something along the lines of “good, they’re the best players of this generation.” And you’d be right. No pitcher and position player are more qualified to than those two. However, … Read more
Founded on my research for the “Minors vs Majors” chapter in my book, “Hardball Retroactive” paired with complementary articles “Minors vs. Majors: The Top Minor League Batters in the Expansion Era” and “Minors vs. Majors: The Top Minor League Pitchers in the Expansion Era“, the ensuing series will reveal the Minor League All-Star rosters for … Read more
Base Running Run is the sum of several baserunning components. GAR (Ground Advancment Runs, SBR (Stolen Base Runs), AAR (Air Advancement Runs), HAR (Hit Advancement Runs, and Other Advancement Runs (OAR). BRR represents the number of runs contributed by a player’s advancement on the bases above what would be expected based on the number … Read more
Conceivably, the greatest leadoff man of all-time, Rickey Henderson’s most glaring attribute was his knack for disrupting a game with a stolen base. Maury Wills was the first player to reach the century mark (104) in 1962 for the Dodgers. It took another 12 years before Lou Brock, of the Cardinals, was able to eclipse the feat with 118 thefts. The 80’s saw … Read more
How do ballplayers fare in different ball-strike counts? Is there a substantial variation in batting and slugging percentages as one goes deeper in the count? In which counts does the batter or pitcher gain a significant advantage? Revisiting the Retrosheet Event Files after extensively utilizing them throughout the “Taking the Extra Base” and “BABIP by … Read more
