Joe Posnanski is an optimistic guy. If you follow the Royals–or any part of the Kansas City sports scene–you already know this. Joe Posnanski sees the world through a different shade of glasses than most people do. Where you and I see the Carolina Panthers, 1-15 on the year, he might see the 1989 Dallas…
BASEBALL PROSPECTUS 2002 When will I recieve my copy of Baseball Prospectus 2002? –Many People Baseball Prospectus 2002 will arrive in our publisher’s warehouse on Tuesday, February 5. From there, it will be sent to resellers and on to you. To aid in comparison, we’re four days behind the timetable for last year’s book, so…
In the National League, now that it appears the Cardinals are on their way to having a privately-constructed stadium, only the Marlins and Mets remain in older stadiums that beg to be torn down. The Marlins are in the same boat as the Devil Rays, in that they stink and have bad relationships with local political powers. And the Mets? Sure, the Yankees and Mets would both like new stadiums, but the sheer cost and difficulties associated with getting that kind of project underway makes it unlikely.
After the two parks open in 2004, there’s one new stadium coming in St. Louis and then it would seem we’re not going to see anything else for a long while. A more interesting question: Will these new, baseball-only stadiums have the lifespan that their multi-use parents did, or will they last as long as the old parks like Fenway and Wrigley Field, the models these new kids looked to for inspiration?
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five At last we’ve reached the bottom line. The table below ranks the 30 major league clubs from most to least profitable, net of revenue sharing. Team Income frombaseball operations 2001 revenuesharing Income frombaseball operationsafter revenuesharing Milwaukee Brewers $14,385,000 $1,744,000 $16,129,000 Seattle Mariners $34,266,000 ($18,791,000) $15,475,000…
One of the best things about creating and growing Baseball Prospectus is that I get to work with people I greatly respect, and with whom I sometimes fervently disagree. Yesterday’s Daily Prospectus contained a paragraph that drew my attention immediately, and made me bounce to the keyboard to craft a response. I hope that Joe…
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m writing these columns as a result of a conversation I had with Rany Jazayerli about a month ago. One of the best points Rany made was that we, as fans, don’t have much invested in how the owners and players carve up the money generated by Major League Baseball. Does…
Right at the end of 2001, I had a long phone conversation with Rany Jazayerli, much of which was about the economics of baseball. Rany is my best friend on our staff, the guy who brought me into Baseball Prospectus. He is also one of the smartest people I know, which is why his viewpoints…
Japanese baseball performance should, in theory, be as translatable as performance from any baseball league in the United States. The process has had its challenges, though: the data is not as easy to find, and much of what is available is in a language and a character set that I can’t read. (I still don’t…
BACKING AWAY "There’s no doubt in my mind that relocation is coming. It’s just a question of when. I’ve always said that we need to solve the basic problems, and when we solve the basic problems we can then turn our attention to relocation." —Bud Selig, Commissioner of Baseball "I’d have to say that given…
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four The black hole of MLB’s financial disclosures is titled "National and Other Local Expenses." This category includes all operating expenses other than those associated with players on the 40-man roster. Legitimate expenses in this category include salaries for managers, coaches, and scouts; signing bonuses for draftees and…
Let me start with a mea culpa. In my last column, I reported that the Royals’ acquisition of Michael Tucker was potentially disastrous because it would take away playing time from Mark Quinn and Dee Brown. In particular, I was concerned about Brown’s future with the club, as he is out of options and it…
The week in quotes, featuring Gary Carter, Theo Epstein, J.P. Ricciardi, and more.
Another Hall of Fame election has come and gone, and the post-mortem columns look pretty much the same as last year. They lament the fact that Gary Carter has to wait another year, that Bert Blyleven and Rich Gossage got stiffed again, and that a decent candidate got dropped from the ballot. (Actually, I’m surprised…
Just when you thought you had a handle on the influx of Japanese players, along comes Kazuhisa Ishii. Last week, the Dodgers won the rights to negotiate with Ishii, a 28-year-old left-hander, in the same process by which the Mariners acquired Ichiro Suzuki last season. They paid $11.26 million for the privilege, and are optimistic…
This week’s question, 2002’s first, comes from Jesse Alson-Milkman: Is there any pitcher in the history of the game who has had his strikeout rate fluctuate as wildly as Mariano Rivera has? In 1996, Rivera pitched 107 2/3 innings, striking out 130 men. By 1998, he’d dropped to a low of 36 strikeouts in 61…