Astros Show Some Signs of Improvement in August

Before finishing the month of August with a disappointing five game losing streak, the Astros had shown some signs of being competitive.  Though the team’s record in the month was only 8-21, the Astros led in 22 of their 29 games.  That they only won 7 of these games pinpoints the team’s most glaring of […]

“The Greatest Game Ever Pitched” At 50

Today is the 50th anniversary of a pitching duel I chronicled in a book called “The Greatest Game Ever Pitched.” On July 2-3, 1963, 42-year-old Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves and 25-year-old Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants staged a 16-inning, 428-pitch clash that might still be going if it weren’t for a […]

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 […]

There’s Optimism Over Red Sox Newfound Mound Speed

The guy I like best from Red Sox spring training is the guy who brought the stopwatch to the bullpen. Maybe it was Manager John Farrell or Pitching Coach Juan Nieves. I don’t care. But someone brought the stopwatch as a teaching aid for Red Sox starting pitchers, and that person deserves a Duck Boat […]

Clearing The Bases

With the season being a little less than 50% over we’ve decided to take a look at players who have played below expectations so far this season.  Once again I’m not looking to choose players that no one expected much out of anyway, but players who many thought would at the very least have a […]

Clearing The Bases

With the season being a little less than 50% over we’ve decided to take a look at players who have played above expectations so far this season.  Now I’m looking at players who have the best value.  I know Joey Votto is having an MVP like season, but he was selected in the 1st or […]

‘Fun to Watch’ Double Play Duo Helps Spark ‘Relentless’ Wichita to 13 Wins in Last 14 Games

It is not always easy to find just a word or two that describes a successful baseball team, but Kevin Hooper says he has found himself frequently using “relentless” in describing the Wichita (KS) Wingnuts he manages.  I have a feeling a second word to describe the American Association team that has run off 13 […]

Get Used to It Mr. Strasburg

On the same afternoon when I watched Mike Pelfrey pitch eight innings of one-run ball only to see the bullpen (aided by a muffed fly ball) blow a 4-1 lead and cost him the victory, I saw that the same thing happened to Stephen Strasburg. That is, he left the game as the potential winning […]

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. […]

Bob Lazzari’s Baseball Predictions

Yes, it’s that time of the year, folks–the obligatory crapshoot better-known as making MLB predictions.  Here’s how they’ll finish in 2012…… AL EAST N.Y. Yankees T.B. Rays Boston Red Sox Toronto Blue Jays Baltimore Orioles AL CENTRAL Detroit Tigers Cleveland Indians K.C. Royals Minnesota Twins Chicago White Sox AL WEST L.A. Angels Texas Rangers Oakland […]

Dealing with the Red Sox Starting Pitchers

More details keep emerging about the hijinks of the top three pitchers in the 2011 Boston Red Sox starting rotation. Just when fans think it can’t get any worse, it does. Although the 2012 season is a ways off, it feels impossible to think right now about how the Red Sox can handle this situation […]

Clearing The Bases

The 2011 World Series is upon us with the Texas Rangers representing the American League, not a shock, and the St. Louis Cardinals doing the same for the National League, quite a shock.  The Rangers were considered the best all around team in the AL for most of if not all of the season.  Yes […]

Win a Copy of the iOOTP App for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad!

My good friends at Out of the Park Developments have given us three free copies of their iOOTP app to give away to you, our loyal readers.  All you have to do to qualify is subscribe to our Seamheads Outsider Baseball Bulletin e-zine and you’ll be automatically entered into three drawings, to be held at […]

Terry Francona Deserved Better

I will not argue with anyone who says that the Red Sox made the right move by parting ways with former manager Terry Francona following the nightmarish end to the 2011 regular season. However, with allegations surrounding his departure starting to come out in the media, I have begun to bristle at the way the […]

“All In” – Starting Pitchers and the Hall of Fame

With the induction of Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame in 2011, every starting pitcher in the second half of the 20th century who has HOF numbers is now in Cooperstown. Let me be a bit more precise.  According to the CAWS Career Gauge, every starting pitcher whose career began after World War II […]

Clearing The Bases: Starting Pitchers

Clearing The Bases                                                                                                                                          March 30, 2011 By George Kurtz Once again Starting Pitching is generally an area I will select later on in my drafts as I’m a big believer in loading up on hitting early on.   Sure I would love to have a top notch starter to anchor my staff, but I’m not willing […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: NL West – San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres (2010 record: 90-72) Notable additions: SS Jason Bartlett, 1B Jorge Cantu, RHP Aaron Harang, 1B Brad Hawpe, 2B Orlando Hudson, CF Cameron Maybin, SP Dustin Moseley, C Gregg Zaun Notable subtractions: 2B David Eckstein, RHP Jon Garland, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, CF Tony Gwynn Jr., SS Miguel Tejada, C Yorvit Torrealba, RHP Chris […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: NL West – Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks (2010 record: 65-97) Notable additions: 1B Russell Branyan, LHP Zach Duke, RHP Armando Gallaraga, RHP David Hernandez, 3B Melvin Mora, OF Xavier Nady, RHP J.J. Putz Notable subtractions: 1B Adam LaRoche, 3B Mark Reynolds, RHP Brandon Webb Arizona is an organization that is floundering, always taking a step to one side and then […]

Starting Pitchers: Judging Their Careers

How do you judge whether a starting pitcher had a Hall of Fame career?  Obviously, there are many fans who will have different opinions on this question.  And many of the answers may be influenced by which team the fan supports.  But is there a completely objective way to answer this question? Yes, according to […]

MLB Preview, 2011: Red Sox Rank Best in Positional Analysis of the AL East

A few weeks ago, I initiated a series of articles analyzing and ranking the starters for all of the clubs in the American League East. The series concluded with the belated publication of my analysis of the DH’s on Friday. So, now it’s time to rank the organizations within the division on the relative strength […]

The Class of 2010 – the New Hall of Famers

At the beginning of the 2010 baseball season, there were eight active major league players who had already earned obvious Hall of Fame numbers during their careers.  Here are those players: Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter, Jim Thome, Jason Giambi and Mariano Rivera. By the end of the 2010 […]

Yankees Should Avoid Using Burnett in the Postseason

Since 1920, 391 Yankees pitchers have had a seasonal ERA of at least 5.30. Of all those pitchers, no pitcher has been allowed to pitch as many innings as A.J. Burnett. Why? Because Burnett is on a five-year deal, and he is making $16.5 million this season. Essentially, he is here to stay and the […]

Mexican Leaguers Give Major Boost to Already Potent Bluefish; York and Somerset Also Go Outside League for Pitching

It appears successful baseball managers such as Butch Hobson, Sparky Lyle and Andy Etchebarren may want to book a little time in Mexico before the next Atlantic League season.  At the least, they should brush up on their Spanish. While the playoffs are far from over with the unpredictability of five-game series, one team has […]