One of the great things about baseball is that no matter how many games you’ve seen, there’s always the chance that you’ll see something you’ve never seen before. What’s true at the game level is equally true at the seasonal level: each season, there is that delicious possibility that some team will do something–or have…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed RHP Mark Petkovsek on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 5/17 (virus). [5/22] Recalled RHP Brian Cooper from Edmonton. [5/23] So far, the rotation is safe from Ken Hill and Tim Belcher; they both need more time to recuperate from their injuries. In some ways, bringing Brian Cooper up for the fourth spot…
We’re probably long past the issue of whether or not the pennant races were corrupted by the introduction of divisional play in 1969. We’re also beyond questioning whether they were harmed by the strike, lockout or industry-wide flight from having a postseason in 1994. So let’s bury the past and move on to the latest…
While the Braves occupy their familiar place atop the division, winning a league-best 70% of their games, the rest of the division features a resurgent Montreal, a Mets team playing well over .500, a Marlins team playing a little under .500 and an ugly Phillies team that would be in the league’s cellar if not…
To my mind, the biggest story in the National League so far is the struggle of the Houston Astros. The three-time NL Central champs are in last place this season, with the second-worst record in the league (moving up from worst just last night). The team ERA is 14th in the league, and even after…
Raves for Rafael (And the Braves) Barely a month ago, I wrote that the Braves were taking a needless risk in rushing Rafael Furcal straight from A ball to the major leagues. While the financial ramifications are still going to crop up down the road, it is fairly obvious that from a talent standpoint, Bobby…
Yesterday’s light slate of games gives me a chance to step back and see what’s interesting around the AL. NL fans, take heart: I’ll cover your turf Wednesday. When baseball realigned in 1994, one of the major objections that was raised was the possibility of an under-.500 team winning one of the four-team divisions. In…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed RHP Jason Dickson on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 5/15 (tendinitis – hip); purchased the contract of RHP Brett Hinchliffe; transferred RHP Tim Belcher from the 15- to the 60-day DL. [5/19] It looks like the Angels rushed Jason Dickson back to no good end. Coming on the heels of losing Ken…
Read the material here at BP.com for any length of time and you’ll notice certain themes running through the writing. One of the ones we’re known to pound incessantly is the idea that pitchers, especially young ones, need to be handled carefully. Rany Jazayerli’s Pitcher Abuse Points system is an outgrowth of that belief and…
THOSE WACKY CUBS FANS “A fan came down and hit one of our guys [Chad Kreuter] in the back of the head. Literally punched him in the back of the head when he wasn’t looking. And he took his hat. That’s how the whole thing started.” — Todd Hundley, Dodgers catcher “I was worried. I’m…
Running with the Pack For better or worse, "parity" has been a buzzword in the NFL for the last decade or so. It’s the result of league rules that reward poor performance with a creampuff schedule that enables perennial sad sacks to sign Arena League quarterbacks and win the Super Bowl. Baseball’s economic disparities and…
Taking advantage of the Yankees’ complete inability to put runs on the board, the Red Sox moved into first place in the AL East this week. While the 1999 wild-card team was often referred to–OK, mostly by me–as a two-man team of Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, the 2000 version is showing considerably more depth…
No, I’m not predicting anything, just taking a look at some of the things to watch for around baseball this weekend. The race is on to see which bullpen will actually spontaneously combust first, that of the Orioles or the Cubs. The Cubs have been victimized by their relief core for the entire season, and…
One of the more regular complaints about the staff of Baseball Prospectus is that we’re prospectaholics. It’s a fair charge, because I know that we as a group, and myself in particular, are hard-core believers in the idea that minor-league performance can tell us how well players can play at the major-league level. What we…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed SS Gary DiSarcina on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 5/9; recalled 2B Trent Durrington from Edmonton. [5/11] Placed LHP Kent Mercker on the 15-day DL (cerebral hematoma). [5/12] Outrighted C Bret Hemphill to Edmonton. [5/15] Optioned 2B Trent Durrington to Edmonton; purchased the contract of 2B Keith Luuloa from Edmonton. [5/16] Hats…
As everyone now knows, Tuesday night’s Cubs-Dodgers game was notable for more than just Don Baylor’s new formula for losing ballgames–leave the starter in to die. It also introduced America to what has been a long-term problem at Wrigley Field: lousy security and half-assed attempts by the Cubs’ organization to dodge responsibility for it. Just…