Moonshot

Why Are There No Black Catchers?

by Robert Arthur and Daniel R. Epstein 7/31

Image credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Baseball has some of the most extreme positional disparities in sports.

Moonshot: What Can Trevor Bauer’s Pine Tar Experiment Tell Us About Drag?$

by Robert Arthur 7/24

Image credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Adding sticky stuff to a baseball may have counterintuitive effects.

Moonshot: Physicists Have Discovered A New Kind of Pitch MovementB

by Robert Arthur 7/17

The seams affect more than just spin axis.

Moonshot: Why a 60-Game Season will be Chaos$

by Robert Arthur 7/10

Image credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Sixty games might be enough to measure team true talent in a normal season, but this season is anything but normal.

Moonshot: Racial Bias Shapes Which Players Make The Majors

by Robert Arthur 7/02

Image credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

A statistical analysis of promotions shows that White players have a huge advantage.

Moonshot: The Rangers’ Stadium Deal Is A Travesty$

by Robert Arthur 6/26

Image credit: throwabillion.com

A new documentary about the park reveals some horrors.

Moonshot: A Humble Proposal for a Fun 2020 Season$

by Robert Arthur 6/19

Image credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

When championships are random, let’s get weird.

Moonshot: A Lost Season Could Sink MLB’s Attendance, Or Have No Effect At All$

by Robert Arthur 6/17

Image credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s hope we don’t find out.

Moonshot: Baseball Ought to Confront Its Own Racism

by Robert Arthur 6/05

Image credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

A long and ugly history has left deep scars on the game.

Moonshot: Twitter Is Divided In The Battle Between Players And Owners$

by Robert Arthur 5/29

Image credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

As frustrations mount, neither union nor ownership seems to have a decisive advantage in the court of public opinion.

Moonshot: What A Taiwanese Juiced-Baseball Scandal Can Tell Us$

by Robert Arthur 5/22

Image credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Other leagues are having quality control problems as well.

Moonshot: MLB’s New Reopening Plan Has A Lot Of Problems$

by Robert Arthur 5/15

Image credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

And there are no obvious solutions.

Moonshot: How To Collude Without Malice$

by Robert Arthur 5/08

Image credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Algorithms are one the greatest dangers facing the players’ union.

Moonshot: It’s Better To Start The MLB Season Too Late Than Too Early$

by Robert Arthur 5/01

Image credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Too early could result in a cancelled season instead of a shortened one.

Moonshot: Different Sign-Stealing Scandals Demand Different PunishmentsB

by Robert Arthur 4/24

Image credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

But what makes one more egregious than the other?

Moonshot: What the Crack of the Bat Can Tell Us$

by Robert Arthur 4/17

Image credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

A loud sound is less important than a sharp one.