Went to two Yankees-Rays games this week and they couldn’t have felt more different, nor could my writeups pertaining to them. On Monday, I sat in the pressbox as the team welcomed Joe Torre and Don Mattingly back to Yankee Stadium for the first time since their unseemly departures and unveiled their massive, ostentatious monument …
Off to a hot start this week, with two pieces at Pinstriped Bible and two more at Baseball Prospectus along with a chat: • It’s been a grim stretch for the Yankees in losing seven of eight and temporarily surrendering first place, but Curtis Granderson’s resurgence has been something to write home about: It was …
It’s been awhile since I checked in here. I took a vacation to see my folks in Salt Lake City, caught a couple of minor league games in the process — the first two I’ve seen in Utah since the late 1980s — dropped a couple of Pinstriped Bible entries, and farmed the Hit List …
At Pinstriped Bible, I’ve got a look at the Yankees’ backup catcher situation, the post-trade deadline success of the bullpen and the trials and tribulations of Javier Vazquez, who hasn’t lasted five innings in any of his last three starts. From the bullpen piece: The Yanks spent the first half of the season largely fumbling …
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve once again been invited to appear on the Fox 5 Sports Extra with Duke Castiglione. It’s the second time this season I’ve done so; I joined him back in March, where I got to show off the latest copy of the Baseball Prospectus annual. The spot airs Sunday at …
Continue reading ‘Friday’s Child: Headshots and Coups de Grâce’ »
Another busy week at Baseball Prospectus. On Wednesday, I examined the Hall of Fame’s announcement of new voting procedures to consider manager, executives, umpires and long-retired players — basically a rebranding of the unloved Veterans Committee in any of its forms, including the expanded format one which begat us hearing that Reggie Jackson didn’t think …
Continue reading ‘Friday’s Child: The Trade Deadline Approacheth’ »
Defense is a slippery beast to get a handle upon. As my Baseball Prospectus colleague Colin Wyers points out, the current generation of defensive metrics — such as Ultimate Zone Rating, Plus/Minus, and BP’s own Fielding Runs Above Average — aren’t as objective as we’d like to believe due to questions about the quality of …
Last week, in the wake of Armando Galarraga’s near-perfecto, I took a stab at explaining the recent spate of no-hitters and perfect games. Today’s Prospectus Hit and Run examines the myriad claims that we’re in the midst of a so-called “Year of the Pitcher.” As usual, my first impulse is to debunk such claims. Scoring …
Well, that was quite a week of baseball, so much so that I didn’t get a chance to update this blog amid all of the happenings, particularly due to Ken Griffey Jr.’s retirement and Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game. Running down what I gots: • On Wednesday, amid a three-game series between the two teams, I …
As promised, here’s my in-depth look at what’s ailing the Mets, who did manage to take two out of three during the CitiField leg of the Subway Series. From the part about the pitching staff: The front of the rotation is essentially sound. Johan Santana is pitching about as well as he did prior to …