I’m elated to announce that I’ve been elected to the… no, wait a minute, wrong speech. I’m elated to announce my debut on Baseball Prospectus with this piece on the Hall of Fame today. Not only does it place a piece of my work in the company of some of the game’s elite analysts, it marks the first time I’ve gotten paid for writing about baseball. How cool is that? I’m a little giddy, but this has been in the works for several weeks, and I’m pleased not only that it’s come to fruition, but that I managed not to jinx things along the way.

While Baseball Prospectus is a premium site, my piece — which analyzes the hitters on the 2004 Hall of Fame ballot from the standpoint of the advanced metrics found on BP’s Davenport Translated Player Cards — is a freebie, so you can head on over and check it out. I have a follow-up piece on the pitchers in the works; it couldn’t beat the announcement of the voting results, alas, but I hope that it will remain relevant.

Furthermore, I hope that this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with BP (and no, it won’t mean the end of things here, I promise). In a recent interview, Will Carroll described his own elevation to the ranks by saying, “BP is the Yankees of baseball writing and I’m proud to wear pinstripes.” Well, me too, even if I’ve only been recalled from Columbus for a handful of at-bats and have yet to win a starting spot.

Now if you’ll excuse me, the solid gold Porsche that I’ve received in payment is about to get a parking ticket…