NORMALIZING NEGRO LEAGUE STATISTICS

Most baseball fans are familiar with the concept of ‘normalizing’ statistics. For MLB statistics, the most basic adjustment is to normalize for park effects. The simplest park normalization calculation takes the impact of a team’s park on runs scored then divides that number, either positive or negative, in half, and then that calculation is applied […]

Medlen’s Misfortune is Everyone’s Misfortune

As the 2012 season drew to a conclusion, Stephen Strasburg’s absence from the rotation of the Washington Nationals was one of the more hotly debated issues. Often those heaping abuse on the Nationals decision to bench their prized right-hander contrasted their decision with that of the Atlanta Braves where Kris Medlen was still taking the […]

Matt’s Anti-Dream Team

Hey baseball fans! A while back, I wrote a post about my favorite players of all time at each position, my Dream Team. Recently, I’ve realized that a team is not a team without a rival. So, I’ve compiled a list of players that are rivals with one player specifically on my Dream Team at the […]

Cast Your Vote For the 1917 All-Stars!

The Voice of the Fan—YOU—will be heard! Here is your golden opportunity to cast your vote for the most deserving base ball players to play in the 1917 All-Star Series between the two great leagues, taking place July 13-15 at the spacious Polo Grounds in New York, N.Y. Voting is taking place right now.  The […]

The Little Steam Engine with a Huge Legacy

Hey baseball fans! I’m sure you all know about who Cy Young is, the winningest pitcher in baseball history in a time when Major League Baseball was in its infancy. But there was a pitcher who might have been just as good and pitched even earlier than Cy did. He is in the Hall of Fame with […]

Cast Your Vote For the 1916 All-Stars!

The Voice of the Fan Will Be Heard! Vote For Your 1916 Midseason All-Stars! The Greatest Baseball Games Ever Played in July! The 1916 All-Star Series, a three game extravaganza pitting the greatest base ball players the world has ever known against one another, will be played July 14 through July 16 at the palatial […]

Triple Milestone Targets 2013

With four weeks to go, only two players are on target for triple milestones of a .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs but six others are close.  Only one pitcher is on target for the milestones of 20 wins, 200 strikeouts and an ERA less than 3.00.  No other pitchers are close. […]

Three-Headed Cy Young Race

The race for AL Cy Young is down to three pitchers. Detroit Tiger Max Scherzer, Texas Ranger Yu Darvish and Seattle Mariner Felix Hernandez all have their cases for the top pitching award but only one can take home the hardware. Scherzer boasts a 19-1 record, a surefire winner in 1992. Darvish is the only […]

Harvey vs. Scherzer is Like Deja Vu All Over Again

Tomorrow’s bout between the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers at Citi Field would most likely be ignored outside of New York and Michigan but for the anticipated match-up of two of the game’s best pitchers—24-year-old phenom Matt Harvey and 28-year-old all-but-guaranteed-to-win-the-AL Cy Young Award, Max Scherzer.  Granted the Tigers don’t have anything clinched yet, […]

Boston Red Sox: Why You Shouldn’t Be Buying Team’s 2013 World Series Chances

Following last season’s 92-loss debacle, this year’s version of the Boston Red Sox have been a breath of fresh air. Heading into last night’s game at 71-49 they already had one more victory than all of last year and hold first place in the American League East. The turnaround can be attributed in various parts […]

Which Way Does Davey Johnson’s Second Act Go?

Davey Johnson was Manager of the Year in 2012 because he brought out the best in a team few picked to win much of anything. Patience and quiet confidence in his players worked those wonders. But this year that same enduring belief in his players has become equal parts tragedy and comedy. Not comedy as […]

Mid Season Triple Milestones

With most teams reaching the season mid-point by playing their 81st game of the season last weekend, its time to take a look at players that are on target for the triple milestones of a .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs and pitchers on target for 20 wins, 200 strikeouts and an […]

NJBM Kids’ Hot Korner: Sam McDowell

Hey baseball fans! I just put up my latest post in the Kids’ Hot Korner section of New Jersey Baseball Magazine. This one is about Sam McDowell, a pitcher on the Indians in the 1960’s and 1970’s. If you want to read more about Sam, just click here. Check back in a couple of days for more of […]

The Daily Stream: #WhoYagot

It is Saturday and today I am taking a second look at my daily transaction leagues and seeing where I need to make up some ground and in what categories I need to target. I like to first do this on Wednesday or Thursday and then look again on Friday night or Saturday morning. Something […]

We Declare Peace on War

The 2013 Major League Baseball season begins Sunday night. In preparation for another exciting campaign, the founders at 60ft6in.com has introduced a new pitching metric called Pitcher Evaluation ACE (PEACE). This new tool compares each pitching season to the average historical season. The structure of PEACE is similar to Factor12. However, adjustments have been made to account for […]

The Glory Days: Six Pitchers with Hall of Fame Credentials

Okay, I’m just going to throw some numbers out there for you. They are pitching numbers, the heart of them etched in the 1960s and 70s. Before we start, keep in mind that three of the six pitchers statistically chronicled here are in the Hall of Fame. (a) 14 years, 209-166, 2.95, 49 shutouts, 3432 […]

Bob Gibson’s 1968 Season Is Overrated

The 1968 MLB season featured the greatest pitching statistics in the live ball era (since 1920).  However, thanks to the Factor12 (F12) Rating on 60ft6in.com, baseball fans can delve deeper into the statistical minutia and uncover the real truth. Bob Gibson 1968 F12:   22-9 / 1.12 ERA/ 0.85 WHIP / 28 CG / 13 SHO / 304.67 IP […]

An Interview with Minnesota Twins Prospect B.J. Hermsen

Although the Minnesota Twins often seem to find success no matter how flashy their roster or how little they spend in free agency, there is little doubt that they are currently in rebuilding mode. In particular their pitching staff is in dire need of an infusion of talent. The team hopes that some answers can […]

Jim Neidlinger: No Regrets

The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have had a string of legendary pitchers during their existence, earning accolades, World Series victories, and Hall of Fame enshrinements. Many young hurlers have imagined themselves being part of that group upon signing with the Dodgers’ organization, but few have accomplished such lofty goals. During the summer of 1990, Jim Neidlinger […]

Someone Please Tell Cole Hamels Older Isn’t Necessarily Better

With one pitch and a few poorly chosen words, Cole Hamels proved two things on Sunday; older is not necessarily better, and there are no intelligence requirements to make $15 million a year. As reported in a story by ESPN, Hamels hit Washington Nationals super rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch and then proudly told […]

A Flood of Riches

The rain is falling in Washington and it will mean that there is no chance to sweep the Marlins today. There is nothing cloudy or damp, however, about the superlatives being used to describe the Washington Nationals pitching staff. It is dedicated Nationals fans who are most aware of what it all means as they behold […]

Clearing The Bases

I love to play fantasy sports, whether it be baseball, football, or hockey, but I do understand that it’s just a game and not the most important thing in life.  That’s not to say that I’m not a more pleasant human being when my teams are doing well.  I do have a tendency to go […]

Factor12 Top12 Last12

Over the last twelve MLB seasons, there have been some legendary pitching performances.   The Factor12 Rating is able to quantify each successful season or failure.  Where does your favorite pitcher rate against the competition? Since 2000, there have been 7569 pitching seasons. Of these occurrences, only 12 times has a pitcher recorded an F12 Rating over 33.000. […]

DEFINING GREATNESS: A Hall of Fame Handbook

One third of the players in the Hall of Fame do not have the credentials to be there.  Or, to be more precise, 35% of the 20th century major league Hall of Famers do not have the performance records (on the field in the regular season) to merit a place in Cooperstown. After the BBWAA […]

When Is The Fan Going To Think About These Things?

“They are governed by private associations or corporations by a minimum number of promoters or sports clubs or both classes, to promote, sponsor and organize a sport and will boost programs of public and social interest”. The above is the concept of “League”, so it cannot include the Negro Leagues as this kind of association—simply […]

An Interview with Texas Rangers’ Prospect Cody Buckel

Since Nolan Ryan became president of the Texas Rangers in 2009, they have become known as one of the tightest run organizations in baseball; combining savvy roster building with cultivating a deep farm system. Because of Ryan’s Hall of Fame pedigree as a pitcher, he has added pressure to develop a stable of dominant young […]

The Day of the (Starting) Pitcher

So we’re one day into the new baseball season, and most of what we’ve seen is great starting pitching. Even though the Mets moved in the outfield fences at Citi Field, the Mets and Braves managed to scratch out one puny run between them. Kyle Lohse didn’t allow a hit to the Marlins until the […]

Audio Interview With Chattanooga’s Aaron Miller

On April 3rd, I had an opportunity to interview Chattanooga Lookouts pitcher Aaron Miller. He was a first round selection in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft. Prior to the 2011 season, Aaron was ranked as one of top ten pitchers in the Dodgers organization. This interview focuses on the injury he suffered last year and […]

The Factor12 Rating Returns

The Factor12 Rating (F12) is an analytic measurement utilizing league average performance to compare the value of all MLB pitchers on 60ft6in.com. F12 consists of the following twelve statistics incorporating every aspect of pitching. Innings Pitched (IP); Strikeouts Minus Walks (SO-BB); Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP); Earned Run Average (ERA); Walks plus Hits per Innings Pitched […]

Thinking About Jamie Moyer at 49

Jamie Moyer is old enough to have helped prompt the Chicago Cubs to trade Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland A’s in the spring of 1987, when Moyer was a rising prospect displacing Eckersley as a starter, and to have been traded along with Rafael Palmeiro to the Texas Rangers for Mitch Williams before the 1989 […]

Mariners Win With Montero Trade Too…

Last night saw the rare exchange of top young players, when the New York Yankees traded catcher/designated hitter Jesus Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi to the Seattle Mariners for pitchers Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. So far the reaction seems to be focused on what a terrific deal this was for the Yankees, and how […]

Produced Before Steroids: Happy Felsch’s Great Clouts in 1914

Oscar “Happy” Felsch was a Milwaukee boy who came to the American Association Brewers in August 1913, after playing with the Milwaukee/Fond du Lac Mollys of the Wisconsin-Illinois League. In the W-I League Felsch had hit .337, including 10 home runs, in 49 games—mostly as a shortstop. He only managed to hit .183 in for […]

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 […]

Guillen Es La Mejor Adquisicion (Up To Now, Guillen Is The Best Acquisition)

Todo lo que los Marlins puedan hacer para la venidera temporada, está en las manos de Ossie Guillen: los jugadores de disciplina probada, como Gaby Sánchez o Logan Morrison; o los considerables en el rango de “mala influencia”, como Hanley Ramírez o José Reyes. Se ha filtrado que Ramírez no quiere jugar en el campocorto […]

Catching Up With Former Yankee Johnny James

If there is anything more difficult in baseball than making it to the major leagues, it is making the roster of a successful team. Thus imagine the upward climb that pitcher Johnny James had as he worked his way through the New York Yankees farm system in the 1950’s, the golden age of the game’s […]

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