Are the first 10 games a precursor of things to come? Normally you wouldn’t think so since the baseball season is 162 games long. It represents exactly 6% of the total schedule. There are, however, some trends in how a team performs the last decade. ACTA Sports produced this analysis in their latest “Stat of [...]

We recently saw Ozzie Guillen traded to the Marlins for two prospects. Lou Piniella was dealt to Tampa Bay for Randy Winn back in 2003. Would the Cubs trade their star shortstop Starlin Castro for Theo Epstein? I think the answer is yes, and it involves the Mets Jose Reyes. The question of a Castro-Epstein [...]

Over the weekend I mused about whether there needs to be a better way to evaluate the effectiveness of closers. Marty Noble suggested a point system, while Tom Tango of “Inside the Book” pointed me to a piece of his that used Leverage Index to weigh performance. Yesterday, NYBD reader Birtelcom recommended Baseball Reference’s WPA [...]

The recent retirement of Trevor Hoffman brought up the old debate about the value of the save. Hoffman had 601 in total for his career, more than any reliever in the history of the game. That probably will change sometime before Mariano Rivera‘s latest two year deal expires. Regardless, Hoffman should be a first ballot [...]

What I have found amazing is some of the recent quotes by members of the baseball community when they are questioned about much of the new age ideology when it comes to statistical analysis. Let’s take a look: Mets Assistant GM J.P. Ricciardi “We never said we should get rid of scouts and just use [...]

Rival executives with a background in scouting are privately snickering at the Mets for their newfound tilt toward objective analysis. Statistical analysts and like-minded bloggers are publicly rejoicing over the Mets’ shift, as if numbers are the One True Way to baseball success. I’m calling B.S. on both. - Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal Since Moneyball [...]

I clicked through and saw that. Undervalued vets are the new OBP! RT @NYBD I agree with youless than a minute ago via webEno Sarrisenosarris Eno has an interesting point as the Giants and Rangers both had individuals on the roster that may fall into that category. Aubrey Huff didn’t sign till late in the [...]

I find it astonishing that Yankees fans take exception to the comments by Chuck Greenberg regarding their behavior during the ALCS. “I think our fans have been great,” Texas Rangers’ CEO Chuck Greenberg said on the “Ben and Skin Show” on 103.3 KESN. “I think particularly in Game 3 of the World Series they just [...]

Anyone who knows me understands two things: First, I am very stubborn in trying to prove my point, sometimes going to great length. Perhaps it’s ego, but more likely the rush of competition, any competition, brings that out in me. Second, when I believe I am wrong, I have no problem setting the record straight [...]

With the advent of advanced metrics easily available to the layman you can have some fun with numbers from time to time. Although I have been critical of the stat WAR (Wins Above Replacement) when evaluating a players true value on the field, I do believe it can help give you a sense of the [...]

Defensive statistics have been a hotly contested debate, especially at this site. Just three short years ago, when I started the radio show, the only defensive statistics I bothered to look at were errors and my mental database on range. Now every website (radio as usual hasn’t caught up) cites UZR or plus/minus when discussing [...]

I didn’t get into the whole A.J. Burnett/Jorge Posada debate because it’s way too early to talk about inter team squabbles. Could I see an issue behind the plate of Burnett struggles? Perhaps, since Francisco Cervelli is someone the pitchers like throwing to. As long as Posada produces at a high level offensively there will [...]

The discussion about closer utilization seemed to bring up the comparison about why do relievers need specialization, but pinch hitters can be used in various situations. It’s a fair point that I decided to look into. My rationale is that offense can be more uncertain than relieving situations. A manager knows he will need 3 [...]

Tom Tango shared a couple of interesting pieces that I am sure fans of his work are very familiar with. On Saturday I criticized Robert Cribb for making a statement in his piece on how the 2004 Red Sox were an example of Bill James impact of sabermetrics on a ballclub. Leaving out the debate [...]

The Blue Jays might not have a chance in the American League East this year, but they are putting the pieces in place for the future. I was glad to see Tom Tango hired by Toronto as an advisor. As you already know, Tango is an expert in the field of sabermetrics. Back in December [...]