Clearing the Bases — 108 Days Until Pitchers and Catchers edition

The curtain came down on the 2005 season rather abruptly, with the White Sox sweeping the Astros 4-0 in the World Series and claiming their first World Championship since 1917. Despite the sweep, it was a riveting if not particularly well-played series, with the four games decided by a total of six runs, and three …

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Pell Mel (Well, Well, Well)

If you’re a frequent reader of this space, you know that the buzzards had been circling Yankee pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre long before he made his departure official last week. Stottlemyre’s sacred-cowness within the Yankee organization was a drum I’ve been banging since last fall, and I certainly wasn’t the only one. The Yankees’ slow …

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One Man’s Ballot, 2005 Edition

As promised, here’s the ballot I cast in the Internet Baseball Awards. Most of my choices are informed by various metrics at Baseball Prospectus, among them Value Above Replacement Player (VORP), Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP), Support Neutral Lineup Adjusted Value Above Replacement for starting pitchers, Reliever Expected Wins Added, and the recently introduced Win …

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