State of Pitching (Part II): The Rise of the ‘Opener’
Part II of a three-part series (see Part I) What Happened to Innovation in Baseball? As we saw in the first part of this essay, the pitcher role has been evolving in the past five years. We saw that, in …
State of Pitching (Part I): The Rise of the ‘Opener’
The Art of Pitching—A Brief History When the National League opened for business in 1876, teams began with small rosters of perhaps 11 or 12 players on the entire team. And those who were starting pitchers pitched when they were …
Ferocious Uppercuts (Part III): Baseball Needs Many MORE Carlos Santanas
Part III of a three-part series (See Part I, Part II) Today, teams rely on analytical information to make player decisions so they can avoid chasing home-run hitters they shouldn’t. Like Albert Pujols or Chris Davis. The effects of age on …
Ferocious Uppercuts (Part II): Swinging for the Fences and Big Money
Part II of a three-part series (See Part I) Even though free-agency technically began in 1969 when Curt Flood was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies and refused to report, his defiance eventually led to a Supreme …
Ferocious Uppercuts (Part I): In the Beginning, Babe Ruth Swatted, Loudly
Sometimes I don’t understand MLB. It seems to be unable to see the timelessness and beauty of its game being despoiled by the unprincipled, ferocious uppercuts. Uppercuts that either result in a fly ball soaring over the wall, or more …
Giancarlo Stanton Was Not What the Yankees Needed
Last year the Yankees weren’t expected to make the post-season. But they surprised everyone, won the wild card game, beat Cleveland in the Division Series—winning the final three games of the five game battle—and advanced to the American League Championship …
The Man Who Changed Baseball
Most baseball fans have heard the name Branch Rickey, but they’re unaware just how much he was responsible for the modern game of baseball. Perhaps they’ve even seen pictures of his ministerial glare. The quintessential taskmaster. But behind the conservative …
Keep Your Eyes on the Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays have not lost very many games in the second half of the season. As a matter of fact, they have the fourth best record in the American League since the All-Star break (see chart below). They …
You Want Speedier Games? Limit Pitching Changes—Part II
This is the second installment of a three-part series taking a look at baseball’s pace of play. See Part I. Last May 2017, Brett Gardner of the Yankees dug into the batter’s box in Wrigley Field, amidst the creeping shadows deepening …
You Want Speedier Games? Limit Pitching Changes—Part I
This is the fist installment of a three-part series taking a look at baseball’s pace of play. See Part II. In many ways baseball seems like it hasn’t changed since it established its modern rules in the 1880s. Since the …
