Part One (Introduced by Bill James in 1987, the Ken Phelps All-Star Team is a way of acknowledging players who, based on their performance in the minor leagues, deserve a chance to play in the majors, but who have not received the opportunity. In Part Two of his three-part series, Jeff Bower looks at the…
I have been staring at my laptop for about three hours, trying to write a column. Or even just a paragraph. A sentence, perhaps. Any string of words about baseball that seem mildly interesting. Nothing’s coming, and I have a good idea why: I’m not getting to watch as much baseball as I usually do….
This week’s question comes from Brian Canfield: While watching my beloved Rangers’ Rob Bell get shellacked by the Yankees, it occurred to me that the season that Alex Rodriguez is having is even more impressive when you realize that he doesn’t get to hit against the Rangers’ pitching staff. Conversely, the stats of the Mariners,…
So the Braves went out and got themselves a "new" first baseman last week, in the person of 40-year-old Julio Franco, who hasn’t played in the majors since 1997 (well, except for one at-bat in 1999). He comes in with sterling recent credentials, if you believe that the Mexican League is, as advertised, a Triple-A-level…
(Editor’s Note: The promised "Heaven on Earth" feature has not been completed yet, but will run next week. Really. For now, this is a conversation that took place on Thursday, September 6 between Gary Huckabay and two long suffering citizens of Red Sox Nation. The three of us watched the 1978 one-game playoff together at…
A quick look at the achievements we’ll be tracking over the next 3 1/2 weeks: Barry Bonds: Bonds needs 12 home runs to break the single-season record of 70. The Giants have 22 team games left, and it’s safe to assume that Bonds will be playing in every one until the Giants’ fate is determined,…
"The Brewers, realizing they’d better get more pitching if they’re going to contend in the future, nearly traded outfielder Jeromy Burnitz to the Mets for pitcher Glendon Rusch." — Bob Nightengale, USA Today Baseball Weekly, August 8-14, 2000. Thank God Dean Taylor doesn’t go to Bob Nightengale for his baseball expertise. Nightengale’s musings aside, the…
Much ado is being made in the baseball press these days about the high cost of draft picks, and the increasing probability that some sort of draft cap or rookie cap will be put in place in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Lords of the Realm and the MLB Players Association. While…
Last night’s performance by Bud Smith really illustrated for me one of the difficulties of being a major-league manager. Smith, as you probably know, no-hit the Padres last night in just his tenth major-league start, becoming the second Cardinal rookie in three years to throw a no-hitter (Jose Jimenez in 1999). The hard part for…
Of the many talents Bill James has a baseball writer and analyst, his ability to inform and entertain in a light-hearted, insightful way has to rank near the top of the list. In his 1987 Baseball Abstract, James introduced one of his most memorable concepts, the "Ken Phelps All-Star Team." For those of you too…
Tell me again about hope and faith. Before the season–heck, before every season–the irresponsible among the baseball media like to tell us that half to three-quarters of the teams in baseball have no hope of contending or reaching the playoffs. Most readers of Baseball Prospectus know that this isn’t true, regardless of their opinions on…
2001 NL MVP "Guys work out all year round now. We have personal trainers–we all do. Guys don’t want to go on breaks. The game has changed…. When we came in the game, a second baseman was a 4-foot-2 slap-hitter. Now you have second basemen that hit 40 home runs. I don’t know what they’re…
Let me admit up front that this week’s article is a little short on the analysis. I’m heading off to Atlanta for a family reunion this weekend, but didn’t want to leave our readers without any kind of AFTH fix to get them through the holiday weekend. So accept my apologies if this doesn’t meet…
I have shamefully little credibility on the following topic, less so than I do on Paul Wilson or on speaking French or on dunk techniques. So read the following with a salt shaker by your side, and for some history, check out this piece from last year, or this one from earlier in 2001. (Dear…