baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
Unbalanced Trade Deadline Series: Yu Darvish
It’s almost the time where the Rangers are all but done. In an AL Wild Card race that is still as crowded as hipsters at a cold brew coffee shop, the Rangers find themselves outside the race despite being 3.5 games back. Competing is a long shot because of the quality of the teams that stand in front of them and it’s hard for anyone to envision jumping up and catching the Yankees or Rays when your starting pitching is suffocating your chances. The farm system is barren and they have to capitalize on trading pieces while they can, retooling at the least.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Chris Sale Is on the Cusp of History
I am touching sacred ground here, but Chris Sale is approaching 1999 Pedro Martinez levels right now. The fellow Boston righty strikes out a lot of people as you are well aware, I’m sure. He’s also incredible at not walking batters either. This year, he’s posted a K% of 36.1% and a BB% of 4.7% for a K-BB% of 31.4%. Were the season to end today it’d be the second highest single season mark (amongst starters) of all time, only behind 1999 Pedro Martinez (33.1% K-BB%).
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Zack Greinke and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year
Zack Greinke had one of the most dominating stretches in baseball history with the Dodgers. In his three-and-a-bit years with the Boys in Blue, Greinke went 51-15 (that’s a .773 W-L%!) with a 2.30 ERA, 2.97 FIP, and a 1.027 WHIP. In his 2015 season, he went 19–3 with a 1.66 ERA — the lowest in a single season since Greg Maddux pitched to a 1.63 ERA in 1995.
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
Lonnie Chisenhall: Flyball Connoisseur
Flyballs. It’s the sabermetric and baseball buzzword for the year and for good reason. Flyballs can transform careers, making players into offensive juggernauts. But there is always a breaking point and a balance to be found for each and every player.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
This Is What the Dodgers Were Built For
(All stats through 6/18)* Pitchers are ever so delicate beings. There is nothing that should be expected when it comes to pitcher durability. Even the best of them, like Clayton Kershaw, break down or catch some bad luck from time to time.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Rookies to Watch in 2017
It’s finally that time of the year — baseball season. There’s a handful of rookies in both the American and National League that are sure to make an impact at the big league level in 2017. Let’s take a look at a few of these future stars.
By Quinn Allen8 years ago in Unbalanced
So About That Cubs Dynasty
The 2016 Cubs were something remarkable. For everything that the World Series brought to Cubs fans, I’m sure it meant so much more when talk of a dynasty was present from both traditional and saber analysts. And why not? An incredibly young core of position players headlined by the reigning league MVP and a 103 win season is freaking amazing.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Adam Eaton is Not a Centerfielder (Or a closer, for that matter)
This offseason, after their trade proposal for Chris Sale fell through, the Washington Nationals decided to pull the trigger on a different deal with the White Sox: OF Adam Eaton in exchange for SP Lucas Giolito, SP Reynaldo Lopez, and SP Dane Dunning.
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
Andrew Triggs: The Most Underrated Pitcher on the Most Underrated Staff
For most of you reading this I’m sure the last time you said anything about the A’s, you put your GM hat on and concluded that the Josh Donaldson trade wasn't a good one after he won the MVP award. Wow what a great analysis there, you should work in baseball! Or you noticed that Khris Davis hit 42 HRs last year and thought “Huh, neat,” and moved on with your life.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
Breaking Down the WBC: Pool D
The “World Series” is a misnomer — the final round of the MLB playoffs only determines the best team in America/Canada. The true “World Series” is the World Baseball Classic, where the top baseball teams from all across the globe compete.The WBC isn’t like Olympic Baseball, where only the best amateurs compete — instead, countries draw on the best professional talent tied to the nation and assemble powerhouses of teams to compete with one another.The first round of the WBC consists of four pools of four teams who compete in a round robin tournament. The top two teams from each pool move onto the next round. For the next week, I’ll be ranking each WBC team, pool by pool, to see who might be best poised to make it to the next round. Teams are sorted from 1st to 4th by their ability to contend in the WBC. I’m looking at the final pool, Pool D, having reviewed Pool A, Pool B, and Pool C already.
By John Edwards8 years ago in Unbalanced
Building a New Future for Baseball
Every year we debate how baseball must adapt to save itself from dying and draw a wider audience. Pace of play comes to the forefront, and for good reason, as the casual fan can grow tired of sitting through a 3+ hour game, and there are sensical ways to change the game. I am a big fan of the two-minute clock for between innings, but when I hear talk of the 20-second pitch clock and automatically putting a runner on 2nd in extras, I cringe. Major League Baseball doesn’t need rule changes, it needs to embrace the true talent of its players.
By Owen McGrattan8 years ago in Unbalanced
