Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
Mike Trout: Pull Hitting Monster
Surprise! Mike Trout is still the best player in baseball. He’s missed a month due to injury and is still a strong candidate to comeback and win the AL MVP award in a year when Aaron Judge is mashing everything into orbit and Jose Altuve’s hitting is more unbelievable than the fact that Houston’s mascot Orbit is supposed to be an alien (how is this an alien?!!?). Trout’s line this year is .328/.450/.719 with a 17.1% BB% and 20.4% K%, good for a 203 wRC+ over 240 PA. Given, we are not dealing with a full season of Trout but we are already seeing multiple changes in Trout’s approach at the plate.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Dodgers: Kings of Weak Contact
The Dodgers have been the best pitching staff in baseball this year. They lead the league in fWAR amongst starting and relief pitchers, and they’ve been rolling through teams. They do all the things you would expect an elite staff to do. They strike out a great deal of batters (25.4% K%) and don’t walk many, either (7.1% BB%), giving them the third best K-BB% in the league.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
It’s Time to Start Giving Zack Godley Your Attention
Earlier in a post I wrote as the D-Backs were looking more and more like legitimate contenders, I highlighted Zack Godley as someone who was having a good deal of success. The Arizona rotation is strong. Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray are great, but Zack Godley has continued to fly under the radar.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Hero That Golden State Needed: The Three Sides To Every Story
There are plenty of phrases Warriors’ fans could have chanted after the re-signing of NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant: the boys are back in town, the whole gang’s here, we are putting the band back together, etc. The point being, the reigning NBA champions are set for another run at a title. After a flurry of free agent movement, the dust has already seemed to settle in the Bay Area. The Champs have brought back every free agent piece of their own that they deemed important, and even some that were not their own (see Swaggy P).
By Kenneth Wilson8 years ago in Unbalanced
Lindor Versus Correa Versus Bogaerts: Battle of the Elite Shortstops
There’s quite the disparity between the best three shortstops in the AL and the rest of the shortstops in the league. In 2016, Francisco Lindor was worth 6.3 fWAR, Carlos Correa was worth 4.9 fWAR and Xander Bogaerts was worth 4.7 fWAR — then the next closest AL SS was Troy Tulowitzki, worth only 2.8 fWAR. That’s quite the gap between tier one and tier two for AL shortstops.
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
Robbie Grossman or Joey Votto?
First off the answer is Joey Votto regardless of whatever question I was going to ask. But lets play a little game. Can you tell me which of these two players is Robbie Grossman based on these plate discipline numbers from this year?
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Brewers, White Sox, Angels, and Starting a Rebuild on the Cheap Bullpen
We’re coming up on trade season once again, and it’ll soon be time for teams to overbuy on rentals or role players. We’re also coming across the midst of a bullpen revolution when teams are using relievers more than ever.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
A California Case Study: Mining for Gems in the Golden State
Back in the 1800’s, California was all the rage as news of a “gold rush” spread like wildfire. Almost two centuries later, they are still “mining” in the “Golden State” but the gems aren’t actually made of rock, as opposed to venture, technological, and human capital. Although prevalent in multiple regions of the state, the area most known for these particular phenomena are The Bay Area and/or Silicon Valley. The millionaires and billionaires of “the valley” found and continue to find their treasures every day. The Golden State Warriors got their man when they plucked Steve Kerr from the booth, only to have him lead them to a title. While staffed with possibly the worst assembly of talent in the league, can the San Francisco 49er’s do the same?
By Kenneth Wilson8 years ago in Unbalanced
Aaron Judge: Major League and Small Town Folk Hero
On Sunday, Aaron Judge did this: View on Twitter That ball left the bat at 118.6 MPH and traveled a projected 495 ft. It’s tied with a Kris Bryant bomb for the second longest HR in the Statcast era (since 2015 when these estimates were taken), but Giancarlo Stanton’s record holding 504 ft HR was aided no doubt by the elevation at Coors Field. Regardless, this is something that human beings shouldn’t be able to do, and adds on to the folk hero status that Judge holds. This is just the day before Judge set the record for the hardest hit ball in the Statcast era:
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
