The Philadelphia Phillies are currently alone in first place in the NL East, finally overtaking the Atlanta Braves. These two young teams have been battling each other all season, and it seems like we will have to wait until the very end of the season to see who takes the division crown. However, the Phillies … Continue reading The Mysterious Case of Jorge Alfaro
Well here we are at the "midway" point of the season (we're actually 60% through). On Wednesday, after all of the All-Star Game festivities have ended, we will enter into the darkest two days of the summer. For two days, there will be no football, no basketball, no hockey, not even any more World Cup … Continue reading Is the Rays’ Experiment Working?
We all know the feeling. It comes along with the proverbial baseball situation: your team is up to bat, 2 outs, 3-2 count, runners in scoring position. Your heart is pounding, eyes wide as you sit so far on the edge of your seat that you swear the chair isn't even there. Your hands instinctively … Continue reading It’s Not Time For Robot Umpires
The Yankees hit a lot of home runs. This is not a controversial statement. They've hit more home runs than any other team in the MLB (17 more than the second place Red Sox). What is bound to be slightly more controversial is saying that hitting so many home runs could be a bad thing. … Continue reading Are the Yankees Hitting Too Many Home Runs?
As of writing this, the Seattle Mariners are 47 - 31 on the season. This gives them the fourth best winning percentage in baseball. Not too shabby. The Mariners seem to have been born again in the month of June, quickly climbing past the Angels in the standings, and at one point even taking first … Continue reading Are the Mariners for Real?
Is Trevor Story the most improved player from last season? Well lucky for us, we have the power of data to answer that question without speculation. 2017 was less than stellar for the Rockies shortstop. He hit .239 / .308 / .457. Nothing to write home about, even with the slightly above average slugging percentage. To … Continue reading Trevor Story: Most Improved?
We all know how new statistics are born. The professional baseball quants get together in a back room and devise new ways to eliminate those dreaded traditional scouts, while their computers make all the decisions. But this begs the question, how do stats die? Well the first step, in my mind, is education. So it's … Continue reading Grounds for Execution: The Save
In the early days of the 2018 Major League Baseball season, I found myself in a usual April evening spot: solving math problems while watching the Red Sox dominate. On the verge of one of their 19 victories that month, Craig Kimbrel trotted out to the mound to start the top of the 9th inning. … Continue reading On the Rise
Rising Fastball 