Toeing The Rubber/Riding The Pine: 4/22/2013‏

Toeing The Rubber/Riding The Pine Week four is a wrap around week in fantasy baseball. Most aces from week #1 have their second two start weeks of the season this week so pitchers like David Price and Felix Hernandez have two starts with one very notable exception, Justin Verlander.  Adding to the aces in this […]

Are 1800s Innings Pitched Totals Valid?

Should the enormous innings pitched totals of hurlers in the nineteenth century be adjusted based on the distance thrown? In order to compare eras, let’s take a closer look at the progression of distances from the pitching “box” to home plate since 1876. 1876-1880: 45 feet 1881-1892: 50 feet 1893-2013: 60 feet 6 in In […]

Clearing The Bases

Baltimore Orioles: Starting Pitcher Chris Tillman may be on the disabled list, but he is expected to be activated and take his regular turn in the rotation this weekend…..If 2B Brian Roberts can stay healthy and once again become the player he used to be, this would be a pretty big boon to the O’s […]

Tracking Triple Milestones – 2012

With the season nearing the halfway point, it’s a good time to check  on hitters that are on target for the triple milestones of a .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs and which pitchers are on a pace for 20 wins, 200 strikeouts and an ERA under 3.00. Since pitchers have recorded […]

Clearing The Bases

We can’t have a surprise column without a disappointment column now can we?  Earlier this week we talked about our Top 9 pleasant surprises, and now we will visit the opposite end of the spectrum.  Maybe I’m a negative kind of person, but it seemed that there were quite a few players/teams I could put […]

What Does F12 Really Mean?

As previously defined, the Factor12 Rating (F12) is an analytic measurement utilizing league average performance to compare the value of all MLB pitchers. In basic terms, F12 is a rating that takes into account all aspects of pitching. It produces a number on a scale of 0.000-infinity (theoretically), where the average pitcher’s value is 24.000. […]

Reporte de Las Ligas Mayores / Mes de Marzo‏ (Report of the Majors / March)

Todo a punto para comenzar una nueva temporada del mejor béisbol del Mundo : Las Grandes Ligas. Este año será más emocionante, ya que habrá dos nuevos lugares para la postemporada, por lo que las posibilidades de jugar en octubre se amplían.Ahora se tendrán 10 invitados en playoffs, los 3 campeones divisionales y dos comodines.  […]

2012 Milestones (And Beyond): Runs Scored

Ten days ago I wrote that we won’t be witnessing any real milestones in wins for a long time unless Jaimie Moyer makes a successful comeback, and even that’s no guarantee.  Using Bill James’ “Favorite Toy” at ESPN.go.com (called “Career Assessments” now), I deduced that CC Sabathia has a 45% chance of reaching the 300-win […]

Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw Named Walter Johnson Award Winners by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance

You can debate whether Justin Verlander should be win the “best player in the league” award.  There was no debate on if he’d win the “best pitcher” version. The Detroit Tiger ace was an unanimous selection for the Walter Johnson Award, given out by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance.  Verlander was the top name on all […]

Clearing The Bases

The Rays’ magic ran out in the 1st round playoff loss to the Rangers.  They won the first game, but their lack of offense was a glaring weakness in three straight losses that sent them home. The Yankees had a disappointing end to their 2011 season with a Game 5 loss to the Tigers at […]

Clearing The Bases

Wow, what a last couple of days in the baseball season.   Hard to believe that both the Braves and Red Sox choked up huge leads in the month of September, but as everyone likes to say, “that is why they play the games”.  The playoff matchups in the Wildcard round offer up some intriguing possibilities.  […]

¿Verlander, Cabrera O Ellsbury Para Mvp (Cabrera, Verlander, Ellsbury for MVP)

Va estar candente la votación por el MVP este año, yo creo que se lo deben dar a Jacoby Ellsbury, pero esa es mi opinión que, como la del muerto, “no cuenta”. Por ejemplo, ahí está Justin Verlander, un tipo que su única temporada perdedora fue la del 2008 con 11-17 durante 7 campañas que […]

Clearing The Bases

We’ve had to take a few weeks off due to some software problems, but we’re back today, just in time to watch all of the players that major league teams will call up to fortify their bullpen and bench during this final month.  The Yanks and Red Sox have been playing a big series this […]

Something Stirring Beneath the Surface

The younger set cannot remember one of the iconic pictures of my youth: Nikita Kruschev, Russian Premier and head of the original Axis of Evil in Moscow, angrily banging his shoe on the desk at the United Nations, screaming to the US envoy to the UN, “We Will Bury You!” It was the headline in […]

Touring the Bases With Peter Bock of the Coastal Plains League

College baseball is set to go off this week.  Wood bat leagues like the Coastal Plain League will be evaluating college talent before their start-up in late May.  Here is a behind-the-scenes look at that league with one of the league founders, Peter Bock. The Coastal Plain League operates in three Atlantic Coast states.  The […]

Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez Overwhelming Winners Of Walter Johnson Award

2010 was often referred to as “the year of the pitcher.” However, not all pitchers are created equal. The Baseball Bloggers Alliance announced today that Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay was the unanimous selection for the National League Walter Johnson Award, receiving all nineteen first place votes. In the American League, Seattle’s Felix Hernandez was almost as […]

If the Granderson trade never happened…

As CC Sabathia and the Yankees beat up on Justin Verlander and the Tigers Tuesday night, a very interesting battle occurred within the war. Austin Jackson, an outfielder who was developed in the Yankee system, hit a home run on the first pitch thrown by the Yankees ace CC Sabathia. The inning later, Curtis Granderson, […]

A Proper Frame for Stephen Strasburg

Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson left southern California in 1907 a shy young man who was uncertain why the Washington Senators thought he was going to be a star. Manager Cantillon had heard from scouts the kid was a unique talent-77 straight scoreless innings, 166 strikeouts in eleven games. Now, a century later, another […]