Readers critique BP’s Tout Wars team, go below the belt for an injury question, and challenge the notion of set rotation roles.
The American League East is moving slowly from a 2-3 configuration to a 2-1-2,
as the Toronto Blue Jays put together not just a good team, but an
organization that will sustain success. The division will be 3-2 by 2005, but
for now, it’s the same rivals dueling for supremacy.
Outfield defense is, at first glance, one of the easier things to measure. If there’s a fly ball and an outfielder catches it, they get at least one out, which is recorded statistically as a putout. But outfielders will almost never get a putout on a ground ball–the best they can do is pick it up and throw it to someone who will touch the base, or tag the runner. Can something that easy provide useful information?
The Red Sox have 682 first basemen, the Reds revamp half their bullpen a week before Opening Day, the Rockies’ three non-Helton infield spots could be the best collective bargain in baseball, and the Pirates choose one set of jounreymen over another for the back end of the pitching staff.