Alex Rodriguez hit his 9th HR of the season tonight, and more importantly, his 250th of his career. Only Foxx got to 250 at a younger age. He’ll be 27 in July, and he’s already 1/3 of the way to Aaron’s record. It’s conceivable that he’ll have 450 HR by his 30th [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:51 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 30, 2002
Watch Out Monty:
Bob Montgomery wrote me about Ichiro’s improved selectivity:
I wanted to comment on something you wrote today, specifically: “It seems
plate discipline can be taught. Imagine how good Ichiro will be if he learns
to take pitches in the dirt and over his head.”
I think maybe he already has.
Some observations:
Ichiro’s walks last year: 30
He is currently on [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:39 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 30, 2002
Hillenbrand’s Defense:
I was just watching the Orioles-Red Sox, and Melvin Mora just laid down a bunt for a base hit. Hillenbrand was playing back of the bag, and didn’t try to make a play. NESN then showed a wide angle replay, and it struck me that Hillenbrand should have made a better effort. [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 7:34 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 30, 2002
Soriano and Hillenbrand:
On April 1st, I commented that Soriano was not the Yankees best choice for a leadoff man. However, Soriano has put up a great leadoff OBA of .385. He’s walked more, drawing four. That’s still not a lot, but he didn’t get his fourth walk until June last year. I don’t [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 3:44 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 30, 2002
Muser Fired:
Rob Neyer is much closer to this situation, so read his column for a Royals fan’s take on the firing. According to ESPN.com, this is the first time 4 managers were fired in April. Of course, it’s not really a fair comparison. Baseball seasons, for most of baseball history, didn’t start until [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 3:23 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 29, 2002
Winning Percentage:
The distribution of winning percentages looks anything but normal right now. Here’s the histogram. The label represents the center point of the values.
.300 XXXXXX
.400 XXXX
.500 XXXXXXX
.600 XXXXXXXXXXX
.700 XX
In other words, there are thirteen teams playing better than .550 ball, and 10 teams playing less than .450 ball. If winning percentages were normally [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 3:20 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 29, 2002
Red Resurgence:
Sometimes stats don’t tell you anything. Sometimes they point right to the answer. The Cincinnati Reds are in first place in the NL Central today, and in fact have the third best record in the NL. And yet, when I look at the hitting and pitching, they look like a .500 team. [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 11:22 am | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 28, 2002
Family Emergency:
Sorry I haven’t written for a few days. My mother is very sick and I needed to spend time with my family. I should be back to commenting tomorrow.
Posted by David Pinto at 6:05 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 25, 2002
Popping the Cork:
ESPN reports that Omar vizquel says in his biography that all of Albert Belle’s bats were corked. Somehow, this is a big deal. Albert isn’t going to be swinging a corked bat anytime soon, and did anyone really think his bats weren’t corked? Of course, the sad thing is that Albert was [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 1:54 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 25, 2002
Tino Walks:
I know a lot of people who were sorry to see Tino Martinez leave the Yankees. This was, of course, an emotional reaction, not a logical one. Tino peaked for the Yankees in 1997. He set career highs in AB, Runs, Hits, HR, RBI and Walks in 1997. He then [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:46 am | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 24, 2002
More on Defense and Triples:
David de la Fuente has a different take on my triples comment concerning outfield throwing arms:
I enjoyed your Strat-O-Matic post, a game I played for several years in
HS and college. But I, along with most major league scouts (of which I
am not one, just a copy editor for a major metro daily), would disagree
with your [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 9:09 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 23, 2002
Picking up the Pitching:
Pirate hitters have responded. They have 6 hits and 6 runs in the second inning to erase a 3 run Dodger lead.
Posted by David Pinto at 7:57 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 23, 2002
Wild Thing:
Jimmy Anderson was a bit wild in the first, walking 2 and hitting 2 batters. He’s down 3-0. The Expos just made an error to let two runs in. Maybe these teams can’t take the pressure of all the good publicity they’ve been getting.
Posted by David Pinto at 7:34 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 23, 2002
Crying Wolf:
You have to wonder if Randy Wolf’s elbow is okay. He’s striking out people, but his ERA is high. In the first inning tonight, he’s given up 2 hits and 3 walks, including a grand slam to Deivi Cruz.
Posted by David Pinto at 7:30 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 23, 2002
Nice Review:
Eric Olsen of Tres Producers writes this nice review of my blog. Thanks, Eric!
Posted by David Pinto at 1:41 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 23, 2002
Team Chemistry:
Sometimes Rob Neyer makes me feel redundant. Here’s a column about effect of Lofton’s leaving on the Cleveland clubhouse. Basically, the Indians say they have better chemistry without Kenny’s music blarring. Rob points out, correctly, that the Indians did pretty well with Lofton being a cancer in the clubhouse.
I don’t know how [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 11:12 am | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 23, 2002
Humility:
In this game recap of last night’s KC win, Paul Byrd shows he’s a team player.
“I’d like to take credit and say I’ve thrown some gems, but our offense has scored early and made it easier for me,” said Byrd, who combined a good, hard slider with an assortment of screwballs. “I had good location.”
In [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 10:17 am | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 21, 2002
1-7, Triple:
When I was in college, I caught the Strat-O-Matic Baseball bug. It’s a simulation game, and a lot of fun to play. One year we played with the 1979 cards. I had Bob Watson have a tremendous season for me that year. You would roll three dice, two red and one white. [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 8:39 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 21, 2002
Walk this Way:
Yankees drew 12 walks today. An even dozen. Can you imagine being a fan watching this game? Even if I were rooting for the Yankees, I’d be screaming at the pitchers to throw the ball over the plate. I hope Buck Martinez sits his staff down and tells them they can’t [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 8:19 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 20, 2002
The Rookie:
Just saw this movie tonight. It’s the first G-movie I’ve seen in years that wasn’t a children’s movie. Good plot, good acting, nothing gratutitous. Makes one wonder why they can’t make movies like this all the time. See it if you haven’t.
Posted by David Pinto at 9:29 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 20, 2002
Gammons on Contraction:
Peter Gammons has an excellent article on the Twins, Expos and contraction. He brings up important integrity issues; if the Expos are still in the race come summer, will MLB let them expand the payroll and take on a couple of veterans who could help them win? A must read.
Posted by David Pinto at 9:27 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 20, 2002
Tough Luck for Ted:
With 2 out in the 7th, Lilly gave up a solo HR, tieing the game 1-1. Torre pulled him. He can’t get the win, but he and the Yankees have to be real happy with that outing.
Posted by David Pinto at 4:35 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 20, 2002
Expos Win!
The Expos beat the Mets 7-5 today. The Buy the Expos group was supposed to be at the game today, and the attendance was over 11,000, so it looks like they swelled the crowd. Expos are now tied with the Mets for first place in the East. A win tomorrow would put [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 4:31 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 20, 2002
Ted Lilly:
I’m watching Ted Lilly pitch for the Yankees today, and I really like what I’m seeing. Last year he would have moments of brillance, but he would always tire around the 4th or 5th, and walks and HR would kill him. Alberto Castillo is catching, and Jim Kaat has lots of praise for [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 4:26 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 19, 2002
Patterson:
Remeber what a bust Corey Patterson was in spring training? On the Baseball Direct Scoreboard site, you can get STATS, Inc. listings for players, including News and Notes. This was written about Patterson in March:
3/15/02 3:17 PM CT
Manager Don Baylor has been backing off his early-spring statement that
Patterson will start in center [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 5:39 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 19, 2002
Good Griffey News:
Here’s a positive report that Griffey will be back by the end of the month. Good news for him and for the Reds. Looks like he’ll come back against the Giants, so if Bonds’ hamstring holds up, that will be a fun matchup.
Posted by David Pinto at 12:13 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 19, 2002
Steve Cox Injured:
Wouldn’t that be a better title than the one the St. Petersburg Times uses?
Posted by David Pinto at 8:38 am | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 19, 2002
Does the Manager Matter?
Ross Newhan reports on the firing of Davey Lopes, a Dodger favorite:
There were no creative options for Lopes, once a catalytic leadoff man with the Dodgers, and no future for either batting coach Rod Carew, replaced by Gary Matthews, or pitching coach Bob Apodaca, replaced by Dave Stewart.
Former Dodger Eric Young was signed as a [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 8:30 am | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 19, 2002
On-base + Slugging:
This is a simple stat that gives you a quick one-number comparison of players. Just add on-base and slugging together. Those that do both well rate high, those that do both poorly rate low. It’s not perfect, but it does correlate well with measures like runs created.
Everyday I get an E-Mail from [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 8:15 am | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
April 18, 2002
Everyday Eddie:
Guardado has settled very nicely into the closer role for Minnesota. He’s 7 for 7 with a perfect 9th today (struck out the side). That gives him 13 K in 8 innings, with only 3 hits and 4 BB (I love to see more K than hits + BB). Torii Hunter now [...]
Posted by David Pinto at 8:50 pm | Baseball | Permalink | Comments Off
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