The Train to Cooperstown

Keyed by Tim Kurkjian’s observation that there are no currently active starting pitchers who are locks for Cooperstown, today’s Prospectus Hit and Run is devoted to examining which active pitchers have the best shot, using both JAWS and more traditional credentials. Before digging into the names, consider the following: The Baseball Writers Association of America …

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Predictions and Projections

Happy belated Opening Day! The season is underway, of course, and I’ve been particularly busy finishing up the Fantasy Baseball Index Spring Update series, drafting a fantasy team of my own to compete in the True Blue LA league, and trying to keep my head above water at Baseball Prospectus. For starters, here’s my entry …

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V for Venditte, I for Icebox

In honor of Pat Venditte’s spring fling with the Yankees, I’ve got a One-Hopper at Baseball Prospectus, covering not only his appearance but also a history of switch-pitching: It was only one inning and change in an exhibition game, but on Tuesday the Yankees finally got a good look at Pat Venditte, the ambidextrous reliever …

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Mauer Power on the Road to Cooperstown

In the wake of Joe Mauer agreeing to an eight-year, $184-million contract extension with the Twins, I wrote a piece on Mauer’s Hall of Fame chances vis-à-vis JAWS, using his PECOTA projections to fill in the blanks because his major league career consists of five seasons and change. Amazingly, he’s already 31st in all-time WARP …

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Children By the Millions Sing for Alex Chilton (1950-2010)

When I first arrived in New York City back in 1995, I moved in with a friend of my downstairs neighbor in Providence, a guy who worked in film and video who had been flopping on friends’ couches in Hoboken for awhile and needed to solidify his situation with, like, a mailing address. A guy …

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