One of the most striking changes to the landscape of major-league baseball has been the disappearance of the left-handed starting pitcher. In the American League, left-handers made fewer than 20% of all starts last year, allowing teams like the A’s to take advantage by stacking their lineup with left-handed hitters. How dramatic is the decline?…
With the Angels and Rangers falling off the pace, there are only two real contenders in the AL West, the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners. As I write this, Seattle has just completed a sweep of the Centrum-sponsored Orioles while Oakland has taken two of three from Royals, which means the A’s are a…
I just finished your article "Russian Roulette" on ESPN.com. After reading your excellent article I began to ponder the starting pitcher/wins ratio this year. It seems every second or third boxscore has a win by a middle reliever or closer. I’ve noticed a few relievers, like Danny Graves, Jeff Nelson and Gabe White, who have…
The baseball world is abuzz with trade rumors that have a pair of thirtysomething Hispanic right fielders with good power and suspect defensive ability changing addresses. Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa could be going to Boston, Toronto, the Bronx, Queens or possibly even staying in their current cities, Detroit and Chicago. Not to be a…
"[Oakland GM Billy] Beane likes to say competing against big-market clubs like the Yankees and Indians and Rangers is ‘like using bows and arrows against smart bombs.’" — Bob Klapisch, ESPN.com, May 12, 2000. "So what’s the problem here? … First off, Cleveland is just the No. 13 media market in the U.S., which makes…
(Ed. note: Chris Kahrl is wending his way from Chicago to Washington, D.C., so Keith Law steps in for him. A new TA by Chris will be available later this week.) BALTIMORE ORIOLES Activated RHP Calvin Maduro from the 15-day disabled list; optioned RHP Gabe Molina to Rochester of the International League (AAA). [6/20] Activating…
Baseball is good any way you can get it. On TV at home, at a local minor-league park with your significant other, watching 18 six-year-olds hit off a tee in a game in which the second baseman is left-handed…it’s a great game in all its forms. But one of the best ways to enjoy the…
Rocky Mountain High Heading into action on May 27, it was shaping up to be another thouroughly mediocre season for the Colorado Rockies. The team sat just over .500 with a record of 23-22, and rivals Arizona and Los Angeles were running away from the pack in the NL West. Despite first baseman Todd Helton‘s…
MOVING TRAINS “I’m taking it to Shea Stadium. I won’t be in a cab. I won’t be on the bus. I’ll be on that train.” — John Rocker, Braves reliever, on his intention to ride the No 7 subway line he derided in his SI comments “We spoke to major league baseball. I spoke to…
The truer category of "Belles", at least by name, are the players who are having good seasons without anyone knowing. This can be because their bad start has clouded perceptions, and is hurt by the fact that these player don’t pop up in statistical leader categories until much later in the season. I’ve chosen to…
Maybe They’ll Take Bernie? The Brewers are hovering around the .400 mark, spending a second season in a lame-duck ballpark and a ninth season far, far from contention of any kind. Even a bad team usually has one or two bright lights that make watching them worthwhile, and the Brewers are no exception. Closer Bob…
A longstanding blind spot in the mainstream media is that a player who starts very hot or very cold will have his season perceived that way no matter what kind of performance follows. The obvious reason is the reliance on counting stats; a ten-homer, 30-RBI April can embed you in the league leaderboards for most…
Luis Castillo is enjoying a breakout season. The Marlins’ second baseman, still just 24 years old, is hitting .351 with 39 walks in 50 games for a stellar .461 OBP. That’s sixth in the majors and the highest OBP by a leadoff hitter. In fact, no second baseman has had a higher OBP in a…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated RHP Tim Belcher from the DL; placed LHP Scott Schoeneweis on the 15-day DL (strained rib cage). [6/16] Mike Scioscia has gotten a lot of credit for some things, like his communication skills, his confidence in Ben Molina and how he’s handled his young starting pitchers. With the lone exception of an…
The decision to allow professional baseball players to compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia brought with it a real chance that we, the greatest nation on earth, would be able to put on a basketball-style thrashing exhibition of what capitalism does for competition and athletic development. Purity of competition hasn’t been part of…
The Texas Rangers’ bullpen has a new take on an old saying this year: You scratch my back…and I’ll stab you in the back. In last Thursday’s game against the Orioles, the Rangers’ Jeff Zimmerman relieved Francisco Cordero in the seventh inning with the bases loaded, one out and the dangerous Albert Belle at the…