There are lots of ways to present numeric information. In addition to just handing someone a big stack of numbers, you can create charts or graphs until the cows come home or the Tigers score five runs in a game–whichever comes first. In many circumstances, there will be some sort of an industry standard, and if you choose to diverge from that standard, you can bet that some of your very valuable time is going to be spent justifying your deviation from the norm. That’s what’s been going on in the baseball media and front offices for nearly a quarter century now–trying to change the norms of what information is used to evaluate players.
There are 30 teams in MLB, 25 players per team, for 750 roster spots total. We put out a book with about 1,600 players in it. You’d think we’d be able to cover those 750 roster spots, but no, every year MLB teams manage to find players we didn’t cover and give them uniforms on Opening Day. Right rude of them, we think. So here’s what we’ve been able to dredge up on the 37 guys we’ve identified as being on an Opening Day roster but not in Baseball Prospectus 2003.
A box score’s value is greater than the sum of its roto points. Weather, crowd size, umpiring crew, pitcher abuse, baserunning blunders, ball/strike and groundball/flyball ratios, substitution patterns, clutch hitting, clutch pitching–with enough time and a high enough geek quotient, you could nearly recreate an entire game from a box score.
Last Thursday night Minnesota beat Detroit 3-0 in front of less than 9,000 customers, a quick, two-hour game that produced a nice line for Kyle Lohse but not much else for the highlight reels. It’s a box score you could scan in seconds if you were looking for roto events. But if you spent some time with it you could figure out nearly as much of what happened as if you had been there.
Keith Scherer kicks off the first in a weekly series looking at box scores from the past seven days. In his review of the boxes, he’ll scan for trends and tendencies, using the names and digits you see in agate type every day.
The Braves hit yet another setback on the mound, A.J. Burnett takes a step closer to returning, and the Angels experience the other side of “baseball luck.”
From Mark Prior to Greg Maddux to Rich Harden, Joe Sheehan discusses the
performances of stud starters–present, past and future.
I recently wrote an article on teams that have improved by 20 or more Equivalent Wins (EQW) in a single year, EQW being wins adjusted to a 162-game season. In modern non-strike seasons, EQW and wins are generally equivalent, but this simple measure allows us to compare shorter seasons more equitably. If you want to better understand the concept, just read the first few paragraphs of the
The Padres should be more worried about their young third baseman than the Angels should about theirs, Kevin Millwood’s comeback could give the Braves an even greater sense of longing, and the Royals eagerly await Carlos Beltran’s return, first place or not.
What’s the best pitcher in the world worth?
Let’s imagine for a moment that Pedro was right now putting his 2004 services up on the open market. Of course, that’s not what he’s doing–but indulge me for a moment.
The Snakes bury John Patterson, the Red Sox sort through a batch of soft tossers, the Marlins vie for a 25-catcher roster, and the Devil Rays solve all their problems by grabbing Al Martin and Damion Easley.
Mark Verstegen founded Athletes’ Performance in Tempe, Az. in 1999. Previously a coach at Washington State University, Verstegen also worked as Assistant Director of Player Development at Georgia Tech, where he built and implemented performance programs for football, men’s basketball and golf. He started the International Performance Institute in Bradenton, Fla. before moving to Arizona. Athletes’ Performance’s clients include numerous NFL players, professional golf, tennis, and basketball players, multiple amateur athletes, and an array of Major League Baseball players, including Nomar Garciaparra, Pat Burrell, and Adam Dunn. Verstegen recently chatted with BP about training methods for baseball players, the importance of injury prevention for athletes, and the challenges facing young athletes.
It’s a good week. I’ve got the MLB Extra Innings package, and after a long day of tinkering and swearing, my TiVo can now record up to 220 hours of baseball. I’ve seen so much fine baseball I feel like I’m in a pleasure coma–being able to sit down and watch NL teams I hardly ever got to see, while knowing that every Mariners game will be archived for my off-season amusement.
Monday, the Red Sox picked up the option on Pedro Martinez’s contract.
The move, which Martinez had been agitating for since last winter, guarantees
Martinez $17.5 million in 2004.
To understand just how far through the looking glass we are on this issue,
consider the headline on ESPN.com’s baseball page: “Red Sox finally pick
up Pedro’s 2004 option.” Finally. An option with a deadline
of November 5 gets picked up on April 7, and the word used to describe this is
“finally”?
Derek Jeter talks dislocation and David Cone returns to the majors. Sammy Sosa on his 500th home run and George W. Bush. Bud Selig credits revenue sharing with Anaheim’s World Series win. Mike Hargrove on old saws and exercise equipment, and Kevin Youkilis talks about other types of tools.
Will Carroll looks at the status of usual suspsects Ken Griffey Jr. and Todd Helton, tallies up more injury concerns for the owie-ridden Cards, and worries about Darren Dreifort and Brad Penny lasting the year.
For the second time in five days, Joe Sheehan explores the options available
to a team losing a star to a dislocated shoulder. Plus, the Disar Awards
return!