Adam Everett gets caught stealing (Bill Richardson/BDD)
BDD Offers -
New Article: The Most Productive Hitting Streaks Since 1957, by Dave Rouleau
New Series: The Baseball Research Journal Project, by Dave Rouleau
The Rising Fastball (Detailed pitch analysis: part I), by Jonathan Hale
Hot Stove Cool Down: Team Vie for Remaining Free Agents, by Craig Brown
Beyond the Diamond: January 17th, by Pete Toms
How to Build a Loser: a Case Study, by Rob McQuown
Home Runs and the Power of Perception, by Geoff Young
Legal Analysis of Clemens vs McNamee, by lawyer Gordon Berger.
The Bloggers Roundtable - Chicago Cubs (the White Sox are on the deck)
BDD's Big League Futures, our minor league department, is now up-and-running and even has a news feed on our main page. Original material is produced by Jim Pratt and Dave Rouleau.
You can hear the latest edition of the BDD Radio Show, with Jim Callis and a Phillies beat writer, Scott Lauber.
Join the Baseball Digest Daily Facebook group!
All Baseball Transactions Tuesday
- Joe Posnanski shares some stories he heard at the St-Louis Baseball Writer's Diner, where he accepted a prize on behalf of Buck O'Neil.
"Line of the night has to go to Tony La Russa, who was talking about his loving relationship with baseball writers. He was saying that despite his reputation as anti-media, he chose to be there at the Baseball Writers dinner rather than accept another invitation.
"I should say," La Russa said, "that my other option was to go hunting dogs and cats with Scott Rolen."
Speaking of LaRussa, the manager is upset that Adam Kennedy skipped the Card's Fan Fest.
"Missing the three-day Warmup that ended on Monday, La Russa said, was a mistake. La Russa said he didn't know Kennedy wasn't going to attend before he saw the schedule for the event, then said he left a phone message with Kennedy saying, "You've got to get here."
"I'm not ticked, I'm disappointed because this is a team thing," La Russa said. "He's made a mistake by not being here."
- Tom Verducci analyzes starting pitcher endurance and its implications on a winning team.
- Here is some info on the deal Rays starter James Shields is rumored to have signed with the AL East club.
"The new deal could pay Shields more than $38-million over the full seven years, the Times has learned. Plus there are incentive clauses that could push the total value to more than $40-million. The guaranteed portion of the deal - the first four seasons and a buyout of the options - is believed to be worth about $12-million."
The 26-year-old really came into his own last season, throwing his devastating change-up 30% of the time and able to do so for strikes. He also throws a low-90s fastball, a cutter and a curve.
His MO is throwing strikes and not giving the free bases (74 walks in 339.2 IP in the majors). His great change of speed on his throws give him the ability to strike out a lot of batters, but he will need to throw the ball lower in the zone more consistently in order to reduce his home run allowed (28 in 215 IP last season), although to be fair, he improved on that front from the 2006 season when he allowed 1.30 HR/9.
He dominates both lefties and righties, giving them access to first base only 29% or less last year. He also ranked third in the majors in WHIP (1.107) among qualified pitchers, second in strike outs to walk ratio (5.11) and third in walks per nine innings with 1.51.
- Chuck Knoblauch has been subpoenaed to give a deposition after he failed to answer an invitation to give one voluntarily.
- White Sox general manager talks to Murray Chass about his team chances in the AL Central and a host of other topics.
- Beyond the BoxScore studies the production of first basemen in 2007.
- Chuck D's take on the Mitchell Report and baseball players today:
"MT: Speaking of steroids…sup with the Mitchell Report?
Chuck D: Mike, let me tell you man…First let me say that I've been going around cursing Roger Clemens. The reason why I've been cursing Roger Clemens–and I don't give a damn if Roger Clemens did steroids or not–is because I've been saying for a long time he's been making a mockery of the game by switching and flipping teams. Roger Clemens has been more of a disgrace to baseball than Pete Rose.
How the fuck are you gonna say "I'll think I'll play with Houston…nah I'll play with the Yankees."? You can't flip flop teams. Free agency messed the fans faith up. The fans can't say nothing because this is thirty years later. Once upon a time fans felt sorry for the ballplayers because the owners were making all the money. Now it's flipped the whole other way.
The ballplayers have no loyalty to the game–just to the money.
People say, "That's the way sports is." So. I don't have to connect myself with that.
Before you even talk about steroids with him, you gotta talk about the damage he's done to the game. So all that talk about Barry Bonds going to jail–not only getting him on steroids, but getting him because he lied to the court? That's some bullshit man.
You have players that steroids didn't do a damn thing for. Steroids didn't do a damn thing for Andy Pettitte. Matter of fact, if it was up to me…take some more of them shits until you pitch right! (Laughter)
You know, reading books like Jim Bouton's Ball Four growing up talking about greenies and all kinds of other shit all in the dressing room. How can I look at steroids being a threat? Once this brotha like Barry Bonds ever got a hold of them–rubbing in the creme–then all of the sudden it's "Oh, your not fair". They were saying it anyway because he's been better than anyone else for years."
- Kevin Towers, GM of the San Diego Padres, will stay with the club through at least 2010 after he signed an extension with the West Coast franchise.
Here are the ten best trades he made.
- All teams in 2007 had at least one pitcher that started 30 games or more. You can analyze the list here.
- Five steps to follow if you want to start collecting baseball cards again.
- Maury Brown argues that it is nearly impossible, unless you work in the Finance department of MLB, to judge the value added ($) by one player.
"Books and articles have been written with large sections devoted to placing a figure on this Star Power dynamic. They roll a laundry list of revenue streams into the conversation… merchandising, television, radio, increase in repeat season-ticket purchases, increased concessions, all based upon deriving a figure based on some model (which is rarely revealed) to create some monetary figure. This may sell books, and may make articles that get read, but the problem is, the figures are derived from some overly simplistic model, or created from inaccurate data. The reason it sells is no one questions the methods or figures. Since there is little published on topic, most assume that the mysterious model is correct, and takes it as truth."
- With the economy slowing down in the United States, how can this affect the game of baseball? Shawn of Squawking Baseball talks about the subject in 'Baseball's Bear Market'.
The Nerd Zone
Ever wondered the top 5 innings pitched in a single season in the history of the game (from 1901)?
Ed Walsh - 464 IP (CHW, 1908)
Jack Chesbro - 454.2 IP (NYY, 1904)
Joe McGinnity - 434 IP (NYG, 1903)
Ed Walsh - 422.1 IP (CHW, 1907)
Vic Willis - 410 (Boston Beaneaters, 1902)
Last season, C.C. Sabathia threw the most innings (241), one of 38 pitchers to reach the 200 IP plateau.
Ed Walsh pitched 886.1 innings between 1907-1908, sandwiched between two seasons of 278 and 230 innings pitched. In 14 season in the majors, he averaged 270.3 innings thrown, 158 strikes and 56 walks.
His best season came in 1910: 369.2 IP, 242 H, 52 ER, 5 HR, 61 BB, 258 K, 1.27 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP.
Here's a quote attributed to Sam Crawford, found on Baseball Almanac: "I think the ball disintegrated on the way to the plate and the catcher put it back together again. I swear, when it went past the plate it was just the spit." - Outfielder Sam Crawford (1965)"