Latest Stories
Most recently published stories 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 McGrattan7 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 Edwards7 years ago in Unbalanced
Devils At the Deadline
There was a lot of back-and-forth discussion in the Devils community about what New Jersey’s trade deadline approach would be. On the one hand, they don’t seem good enough to be a serious playoff contender. On the other hand, the playoff race in the East has been open, and even with just 62 points the Devils sit seven back of Toronto for the second wild card spot. There could be solid arguments for either buying or selling.
By Kyle Vandenberg7 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 McGrattan7 years ago in Unbalanced
The Slippery Slope That Is the Start of Lonzo Ball’s Career
There are some years where the first few picks of the NBA Draft are already a foregone conclusion. Whether we see a three person, two person, or even one person draft where only the top pick is the real crown jewel of the draft, we often know how the draft will start. This year, Markelle Fultz is pretty much already buying season tickets at Fenway and bringing up the score “28–3” once a day, as he’s destined to go to Boston. At one point it looked like Lakers’ pick at No. 2 was already written in stone, but Lonzo Ball has been going downhill ever since he lost in the Sweet 16.
By Dan O'Shea7 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 McGrattan7 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 Allen7 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 McGrattan7 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 Edwards7 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 McGrattan7 years ago in Unbalanced
Which NBA Finals Stars Deserve Their Own Team?
It’s hard to figure out what’s more disheartening at this point in the common NBA fan’s life- the fact that there’s no meaningful basketball on until the end of October, or that we just finished a relatively unentertaining NBA Finals that will likely feature the same matchup for the next few years. While you dive into NBA Classics or binge on 30 for 30s, you could console yourself with the thought that these teams might not actually feature the same rosters as early as next year.
By Dan O'Shea7 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 Edwards7 years ago in Unbalanced