baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
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.
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedThe D-Backs Are Sneaky Good
If you haven’t paid attention to the D-Backs this year, you should now. The NL West playoff odds currently look like this:
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedNolan Arenado Is the Best Third Basemen in the MLB
There are many talented players that patrol the hot corner in baseball: Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, and Adrian Beltre, amongst many others. But Colorado Rockies’ third basemen Nolan Arenado is the best of the best. This guy does it all. He absolutely rakes at the plate, and makes highlight reel plays on a weekly basis.
Quinn AllenPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedWho Is the Culprit Behind #RallyDildo?
On Friday, Cinco De Mayo, the New York Mets had every reason to be celebrating — they had just completed their biggest come from behind victory of the year, overcoming a 6 run deficit to beat the Miami Marlins. Someone, however, on the Mets must have partied a little too hard, because that night, parties unknown placed a large, black, curved, ribbed sex toy in backup catcher Kevin Plawecki’s locker (WARNING: NSFW images to follow):
John EdwardsPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedHunter Strickland and Bryce Harper Got Into a Fight and it Was Equal Parts Hilarious and Disappointing
First off the Nationals won the game 3–0, but who cares because you came here for a good ol’ fashioned fight! Before we get into it I just want to make clear that I will NOT get into any discussion on bat flips vs respecting the game or whatever you want to call that argument. And I don’t want to give out or hear your stupid takes on how Buster Posey is a terrible teammate for not stopping Harper.
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedBreaking Down the WBC: Pool A
The “World Series” is a misnomer — the final round of 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. Up first? Pool A.
John EdwardsPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedAce Mentality: Kershaw, Sale, and Scherzer
It’s been a wonderful year for Tier 1 pitchers. Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale, and Max Scherzer are all seemingly at the top of their game — and they’re damn fun to watch.
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedOptimizing the WBC
The World Baseball Classic is having one of its best tournaments ever. From surprise contender Israel to dramatic extra-inning victories, with a healthy bit of rules drama sprinkled in for good measure, there’s been no shortage of entertainment. And as a dedicated baseball fan, I’ve been following almost every game (hey, it beats fake baseball where shit like this happens).
John EdwardsPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedWhite Sox Prospect Michael Kopech Has Electric Stuff
Michael Kopech is just 21 years old, but he has the fastball of some of the best pitchers in the big leagues. The Texas native was taken by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2014 draft, and was acquired by the White Sox in the Chris Sale trade in the off-season.
Quinn AllenPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedIs the AL Wild Card Race Bringing Out More Fans?
The AL Wild Card race has been a crazy mess of ups and downs and teams going in and out. The two-team system that has been in place since 2012 was designed to make more teams try and compete and hopefully drive up attendance for those teams that are still in the hunt. If there were ever a time to know if the model is working, it’d be now when eight teams are competing for the second wild card spot in the AL.
Owen McGrattanPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedMiguel Montero Cost Miguel Montero His Job, Not Trea Turner
Miguel Montero had quite the fall from grace. After a very rough night behind the plate, allowing 7 steals by the Nationals (including 4 by rising Nationals superstar Trea Turner), Montero gave a very candid post-game interview, blasting battery-mate Jake Arrieta on his slow delivery:
John EdwardsPublished 7 years ago in UnbalancedCharlie Blackmon Goes Golfing
Baseball players have been known to have a fondness for golfing. After all, it’s just like baseball, except nobody’s trying to throw the ball past you. Famous baseball golfers include Yoenis Cespedes, John Smoltz, and, as we now know as of last Thursday, Charlie Blackmon.
John EdwardsPublished 7 years ago in Unbalanced