baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
One More Big Hit from Carlos Beltran
The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox just wrapped up the end of their American League Division Series, with Houston coming on top by winning three games to one. The fact that the series did not go the distance will suggest, in hindsight, that there wasn’t much to it in terms of drama. This would be an oversight, as anyone who watched the whole series would tell you.
By Matt Mocarsky8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Future Is Bright for Astros' Alex Bregman
Confidence. Swagger. Two things that you don't see too often in a big league rookie. Well, with Alex Bregman, it's a different story. The Astros' rookie third baseman drips confidence every time he steps in between those white lines. That confidence was evident from the get-go against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS, where Bregman homered off Chris Sale for an absolute no-doubter on the first pitch he saw from the lefty.
By Quinn Allen8 years ago in Unbalanced
From a Die Hard Fan
In 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers played the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Although Game 1 was being played at Dodger Stadium, the A's, who won 104 games that year, were the heavy favorites to win the championship. In the bottom of the 9th inning (Hey there, anybody who's a baseball fan knows this story from the back of their hand, bare with me while I recap the end of the game. I'm trying to let the newbies [Don't be mean, baseball needs as many fans as possible] in on the action. Thanks for the patience), Kirk Gibson, who didn't play for the majority of the game, came in to pinch hit with two outs and one on, and put the Dodgers down 3-2. The crowd went wild simply by his presence. With the count full, Kirk Gibson hits a home run to right field and the Dodgers won Game 1. By many historians, it is considered one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.
By Carlos Navarrette8 years ago in Unbalanced
Surprise! Only Substantial Change Will Make Baseball Games Shorter
(Data via Baseball-Reference.com) Yes, baseball games are getting longer. What that means to a non-casual baseball fan like me is nothing, really. But, it matters to MLB and the people who call the shots because they think it will continue to hurt baseball's popularity in the future. The pace of play debate has been around for a few years now and MLB hasn't been afraid to experiment and implement different rules.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Sorry Mets Fans, Firing Ray Ramirez Isn't Going to Fix Things
News broke Monday morning that long-time athletic trainer Ray Ramirez was being let go by the Mets in a host of other personnel moves. If you're at all familiar with #MetsTwitter, the responses of fans on social media shouldn't surprise you in the slightest.
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Yankees Struck Gold on Aaron Hicks
While the top prospects from the Yankees farm system quickly matriculate to the majors, one player acquired in General Manager Brian Cashman’s retool has proven himself worthy of a prominent long-term role on the club. With the arrivals of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez to the Bronx, and hot prospects like Gleyber Torres on the way, it’s easy to forget about just how good of a player Aaron Hicks has developed into. Let’s take a brief stroll down memory lane, to Baseball America’s scouting report on Hicks in 2009:
By Matt Mocarsky8 years ago in Unbalanced
Let the Twins Be a Warning to Other Front Offices
The 2017 Minnesota Twins are going to the playoffs. The same Twins team that started to give up at the deadline, moving Jaime Garcia to the Yankees just five days after he was acquired. But they pulled through and came out on top of the mediocrity that was the AL Wild Card.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Washington Nationals Pitching Staff Could Take Them Deep into Postseason
The Washington Nationals are flat out legit, and they have been for the last couple years. Regardless, they have struggled to make a deep run in the postseason. This year could be a different story. They already clinched the NL East a few weeks back, and trail only the LA Dodgers for the best record in the entire National League.
By Quinn Allen8 years ago in Unbalanced
The AL Cy Young Race Is Close as Can Be
In all honesty, I wish that we could give out two AL Cy Young awards. Why? Because to reward only one player this season would be to do a disservice to the other contender. If Kluber wins, Sale will have been robbed, but if Sale wins, Kluber will just as equally been robbed.
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
I'm Not Saying Jon Gray Isn't Noah Syndergaard...
The Colorado Rockies have had a remarkable season, posting a 84-73 record en route to, according to PECOTA and FanGraphs projections, about a 70% chance of making the playoffs this fall. This is the most success the Rockies have had since 2009, with six miserable seasons sandwiched in the middle. What makes their success this year so interesting is that they have largely been without their ace pitcher, Jon Gray.
By Matt Mocarsky8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Halo's Secret Weapon
The construction and mindset of Major League Baseball teams has changed since the implementation of the play-in wild-card game five years ago. More teams are in the mix. A club can hover around .500 for much of the season and still consider themselves playoff contenders. Front offices who realize their team is likely to compete in the play-in game can build their rosters to leverage themselves in the potential winner take-all match-up.
By Dylan Svoboda8 years ago in Unbalanced
