Let’s see…the last time The Daily Prospectus appeared, Alex Rodriguez was an underpaid Mariner, Florida was just another big state with 25 electoral votes, the St. Louis Rams were on their way to becoming a dynasty and Mario Lemieux was a retiree. The world…she sure do spin fast these days, eh? In our little corner…
PEOPLE SKILLS "I can’t be satisfied with coming back to the Pirates and being a bench guy, not after what I did last season. I think the Pirates have to realize that. I’m not asking the Pirates to give me anything. I feel you should earn everything you get in this game. I feel I…
When Baltimore Ravens owner Heartless Art Modell stood at the podium in Tampa Bay Sunday night and said that the Vince Lombardi Trophy belonged to the people of Baltimore and the state of Maryland, he wasn’t kidding: they paid for his stadium, his team, and arguably his salary and the increase in his net worth,…
On Tuesday, Baseball Prospectus announced its Top 40 Prospects for 2001. The driving force behind that list is Rany Jazayerli, but the good doctor gets input from everyone on the BP staff. Below is a sampling of the discussions that took place in December, when the list was being compiled. Rany Jazayerli: Here is my…
This week, Baseball Prospectus 2001 will be released to bookstores nationwide. As always, the book will contain our list of the top 40 prospects in baseball, as compiled by Rany Jazayerli, along with Jazayerli’s commentary on each player. To celebrate the release of the book, for the first time ever we are announcing our Top…
Intro Voros McCracken’s article here on the BP website has generated a tremendous amount of attention, including at least two columns by Rob Neyer on his ESPN.com gig. Voros’s research, as presented in the article, contains the remarkable result that “major-league pitchers don’t appear to have the ability to prevent hits on balls in play.”…
Talk of records that ought to be set in 2001 revolve around topics we know well. Rickey Henderson ought to set the records for walks and runs scored, barring some sort of blackballing scheme. Barry Bonds is basically a lock to hit his 500th home run (six to go), and Sammy Sosa his 400th (14…
NOT GETTING HIS DUE It seems obvious to me that the attention Dave Parker receives in comparison to other players, and particularly to Jim Rice, has much to do with where they played. When Parker was the focal point of his team it was when he played for the Pirates. I think it’s fair to…
After allowing it to lay dormant for five months, Bud Selig dusted off the report of his Blue Ribbon Committee and announced plans to implement some of the changes it suggested. The one that received the most attention was the so-called competitive balance draft. As presented by Selig, the draft would allow the teams with…
“You’re insane.” That’s generally the response I get when I present the information you’re about to read. I’ve been accused of being the “epitome of ‘pseudo-stat fan’ gibberish.” I’ve even been accused of being Aaron Sele writing under a pseudonym. I’m not entirely sure why my little way of doing things stirs the emotions of…
Mike Neill was a key player on the United States baseball team in the 2000 Olympics, the team that defied most predictions by beating Cuba to win the gold medal. Neill led the competition in runs scored (11), walks (eight), and home runs (three), including a dramatic game-winning home run in the 10th inning to…
Let’s play Name That Player. Today’s HOF-eligible mystery player was an outstanding hitter over his long career, finishing with 339 homers (65th on the all-time list), 526 doubles (27th), and 4405 total bases (35th). He is the career leader in Equivalent Runs among all eligible players not yet in the Hall of Fame. He was…
Bob turned on the television one fine August day to find that the hated New York Yankees were in town to play the Twins. He called his son John into the room to let him know the game was on. "Who’s that?" asked John, as a Yankee hitter lumbered to the plate. "I’m not sure,"…