tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-322893712012-01-31T00:08:56.939-05:00Because let's face it: the Yankees need more coverage.Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.comBlogger411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-48558642724850072352007-01-20T14:27:00.000-05:002007-01-20T15:28:40.234-05:00

Nate Silver has finally made the 2007 PECOTA cards available for Premium subscribers. Combined with his PECOTA Does Prospects series from last year, I decided to see how some of the Yankees' young players developed the past year.We're going to be looking at three stats here. WARP stands for a player's projected wins above replacement over a five-year peak. Upside is a player's potential runs

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-39157010317872150222007-01-07T18:38:00.000-05:002007-01-07T18:56:01.733-05:00

With the signing of Eye Chart, the Yankees' regular lineup will probably look like this:L - DamonR - JeterL - AbreuL- GiambiR - RodriguezL - MatsuiL - CanoS - PosadaL - MientkiewiczThat's really the only way you can put those nine guys together without having three lefties in a row. The spacing is nice, actually: it follows a constant LLR pattern.The downside is that there's no avoiding LOOGies.

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-56971310927324352692007-01-05T16:41:00.000-05:002007-01-05T18:09:18.046-05:00

The Yankees have signed Doud Mientkiewicz to a 1-year, $1.5 million deal. I like it. Steven Goldman doesn't:There is very, very little reason for a contending team, or any other, to be interested in Mientkiewicz as a starting first baseman. Or a platoon first baseman. He might make a decent reserve. Mientkiewicz is entering his age-33 season, the point in a player's career when he is in

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-10334538255187650502006-12-29T19:18:00.000-05:002006-12-29T20:19:27.730-05:00

20. The Notorious Bettie PageWritten and directed by the same pair who did American Psycho, here we have a biopic of the infamous S&M pinup girl. Most of the film is in black & white, switching over to color only when she goes to Florida, and for the 'archived' film footage. The campiness is off the charts, right in line with Bettie Page's real-life work.19. WordplayI'm not into crossword puzzles

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-22976434562786651682006-12-28T13:50:00.000-05:002006-12-28T13:56:47.987-05:00

The Giants just signed a 28-year-old lefthanded workhorse to a $126M contract, coming off a year in which he went 16-10 in 221 innings with 151 K and 99 BB. Sound familiar? Go back six years.In 2000, the Rockies signed a 28-year-old lefthanded workhorse to a $128M contract, coming off a year in which he went 15-10 in 218 innings with 151 K and 99 BB.Zito, '03-'06: 55-46, 894 IP, 3.86 ERA, 631 K,

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-53685249409201122812006-12-27T22:15:00.000-05:002006-12-28T00:27:33.577-05:00

Ah, the year-end wrap-up posts. Because what else am I gonna write about? A couple brief points first:This is a favorite list, not "Best of..."I'm hardly a music fiend. There are bound to be a million great albums I missed (or at least three or four). In fact, I only have twelve albums in iTunes from 2006. The Pipettes - We Are the PipettesI'm obsessed with this album. The first time I heard it,

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-15935061383031908682006-12-22T10:27:00.000-05:002006-12-22T10:30:13.322-05:00

I'm not working again until 2007. My new computer should be here soon, I'm spending Christmas at my sister's, and a writing muse has suddenly hit me. All in all, things are looking up.

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-31830762823156113852006-12-18T14:23:00.000-05:002006-12-18T14:36:38.639-05:00

A couple months back, I caught Serenity on HBO. It's based on the TV show Firefly, which I'd never seen. But since it's from Joss Whedon, the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, I wanted to check it out.And you know what? It's a great flick. Absolutely loved it. I was captivated by Summer Glau, who played about 900 emotions as River, not to mention going totally bad ass twice. So when

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-83002325320649813982006-12-11T22:42:00.000-05:002006-12-11T22:47:10.205-05:00

Last time out I translated Roger Clemens's stats to the AL. As impressive as he looked, it got me wondering what Johan Santana would look like in the NL:LeagueIPHHRBBKERAFIPAVGOBPSLGAL23217824482472.773.09.210.253.349NL23215920452731.742.60.191.234.314Hot damn, that's pretty.

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-78174228693040190122006-12-10T15:17:00.000-05:002006-12-10T17:39:39.146-05:00

Now that Andy Pettitte is a Yankee again, the major question becomes, how will he adjust to the AL? There is a very obvious imbalance between the leagues, and surely Pettitte will suffer for it. But how much?There were 40 pitchers who split 2006 between the AL and NL, totaling over 2800 IP. I put their stats in both leagues side-by-side and weighted each player by the least PA. For example, Shawn

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-89621585616998069182006-12-03T12:32:00.000-05:002006-12-03T13:36:28.642-05:00

We're on the doorstep of the main event of the offseason, and there's plenty of action expected. There's pitching aplenty, the Manny Ramirez fiasco, Daisuke's negotiations, potential Barry Bonds developments, and potential trade targets as Miguel Tejada, Brad Lidge and Richie Sexson. With all these storylines, it's easy to get excited despite the Yankees' absence from any of them. Here's where

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-14682255953846522282006-11-30T13:29:00.000-05:002006-11-30T14:03:53.891-05:00

There have been 13 pitchers to record at least 3,000 strikeouts since 1957. Here, then, is the baker's dozen, along with the players they rang up the most, and the ones they faced the most without a single K.Nolan Ryan - 5714 KFavorite Victim: Claudell Washington (39 K in 102 PA)The One Who Got Away: Julian Javier (0 K in 18 PA)Roger Clemens - 4604 KFavorite Victim: Chili Davis (30 K in 922 PA)

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-16366027409478509722006-11-28T13:12:00.000-05:002006-11-28T13:38:23.111-05:00

6/27/86: Robby Thompson was caught stealing four times.9/9/98: Alex Gonzalez goes 0-for-6 with 6 strikeouts.Luis Aparicio had 129 games in which he went hitless in at least 5 AB.John Shelby, Wayne Garrett, Danny Thompson, Ron Swoboda and Tommie Agee all had an 0-for-10(!) game.16 players have had a 5-hit game without scoring or driving in a run.9/20/00: Not bad, but Ben Petrick goes 0-for-3 with

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-78044595969327966342006-11-25T23:05:00.000-05:002006-11-25T23:14:42.442-05:00

I'm beta testing the new P.I. feature at Baseball-Reference.com. So far I gotta tell you it's really cool. For instance, Mariano Rivera has recorded 199 outs on comebackers in his career. That includes four in one game on 5/15/04 against Seattle, as well as Jay Gibbons on three consecutive days (8/14/03-8/16/03). And Rivera has 135 game-ending strikeouts.Still testing this stuff out, but there's

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-66883630966252006502006-11-19T15:48:00.000-05:002006-11-19T16:32:04.191-05:00

Today brings us the first major free agent to change teams this offseason. Alfonso Soriano is heading to Wrigley Field for an 8-year, $136 million contract. You might remember two years ago, the Mets signed Carlos Beltran for seven years and $119 million. Same dollars per year, yet Soriano gets the longer deal despite being three years older than Beltran was. Compare them by age:25Beltran: .273/

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-53422899489925705912006-11-16T23:04:00.000-05:002006-11-16T23:23:36.349-05:00

I thought this was really cool: Baseball-Reference has added game logs and splits dating back to 1957. Awesomeness. So what sort of fun stuff do we find?From 1957 to 1967, Whitey Ford pitched 2161.1 innings. He allowed 20 stolen bases. Twenty. In eleven seasons. Versus 32 caught stealings. And 32 pickoffs. That's nuts. He had four separate seasons ('58, '59, '61 & '64) of at least 200 IP and no

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-22078206130996958672006-11-09T19:36:00.000-05:002006-11-09T20:06:25.417-05:00

With the World Series over and free agency still a few days away, there's not much going on in the baseball world. I figured I'd take this time to quickly go over the uselessness of wins for pitchers.Proponents of wins insist that some pitchers "know how to win" and their records supersede their ERAs. Opponents, on the other hand, say that pitchers can't control their run support. Now it occurs

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1161917124754789392006-10-26T21:34:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:28.399-05:00

A few days ago, Steve Lombardi labeled Mike Mussina "old, unreliable and pedestrian." With the Yankees' rotation in shambles, starting pitching is clearly the priority this offseason. It follows, then, that the first thing the Yankees have to figure out is what to do with their impending free agent starters: Mussina and Jaret Wright.We're not going to bother with discussing Wright. Even if he

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1161128481254259952006-10-17T19:24:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:28.337-05:00

1. Albert Pujols2. Miguel Cabrera3. Carlos Beltran4. Ryan Howard5. Lance Berkman6. Brandon Webb7. Roy Oswalt8. Brian McCann9. Chase Utley10. Chris CarpenterPujols quite simply had the best numbers of any player in the NL. He was third in average (to Freddy Sanhez and Cabrera), second in OBP (to Barry Bonds), first in slugging and first in OPS. On top of that, he's the best fielding first baseman

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1160857576825042542006-10-14T16:10:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:28.277-05:00

1. Johan Santana2. Joe Mauer3. Derek Jeter4. Grady Sizemore5. Miguel Tejada6. Travis Hafner7. Manny Ramirez8. Jermaine Dye9. Carlos Guillen10. Roy HalladayI'm totally cool with the idea that two players from the same team can be the two most valuable in the league. Minnesota is so top-heavy--only St. Louis is more reliant on its handful of stars--that they needed multiple MVP performances to make

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1160284158387034772006-10-08T00:55:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:28.213-05:00

What went right?Jorge Posada was excellent; nobody cared about his option kicking in anymore...Derek Jeter had his best year since 1999...Robinson Cano busted out in a big way...Jason Giambi's revival continued...Melky Cabrera emerged as the team's best defensive player while also hitting pretty well...Cashman orchestrated the brilliant trade for Bobby Abreu...Chien-Ming Wang stepped up...Mike

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1159893066735641192006-10-03T12:02:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:28.153-05:00

Yankees-TigersIs there anything to debate here? The Tigers have a terrible lineup (Sean Casey is batting third!), a tired rotation, and not much of a bullpen beyond Zumaya. Meanwhile, the Yankees' worst hitter (umm, Posada?) is better than anyone the Tigers have except Carlos Guillen. Yikes.Yes, Detroit has a great defense. Yes, Verlander and Bonderman are capable of being lights-out, and even

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1159806273397819642006-10-02T11:55:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:28.091-05:00

With the regular season over, it's time to look at awards. Well, maybe not, but I feel like it. So the rest of this week, I'll make myself write about all the awards and the postseason. Today we start with the most meaningless: rookie of the year.In the AL, it's all about pitching. Kenji Johjima had a great introduction to American baseball, but he is a distant fifth to the four pitchers:

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1159480098261454042006-09-28T17:37:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:28.030-05:00

Who ever said writing is easy? (That would be Steve Martin.) Well, having ignored my more important writing for far too long, I finally bit the bullet and enrolled in a course. (I had a professor who once told me he still took writing classes because it was the only way he could force himself to actually write. I laughed. Damn.)So that made me way more productive...and in the process also made me

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1158114834319678982006-09-12T22:10:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.969-05:00

Some of you may not have noticed this, but Frank Thomas is having an excellent year. He has homered in six straight games and has 10 HR & 25 RBI in his last 17 games. On the season, he's hitting .283/.396/.566 with 36 HR and 98 RBI in just 120 games. This from a guy nobody thought would stay healthy enough for 300 AB all year.Thomas signed with Oakland in January, almost as an afterthought.

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1157818570471307652006-09-09T12:03:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.908-05:00

Former major league pitcher and manager Larry Dierker writes a blog (now on the links to the right) for the Houston Chronicle. It's actually quite good, as Dierker clearly still loves watching the Astros play. Yesterday, he tackled the topic of little ball. Here now, I present the thoughts of the 1998 Manager of the Year:On bunting:When I was pitching, I was delighted when the hitter squared to

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1157144257367238782006-09-01T15:53:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.846-05:00

I've always been fascinated by Bill Bergen, a turn-of-the-century National League catcher. In 1903, Bergen hit .227/.252/.266 in 58 games. He managed 0 home runs, just 6 extra base hits and 7 walks. Remember how bad Tony Womack was as a Yankee? It still beats this monstrosity from Bergen.Why do I mention this? Because 1903 was Bergen's best season.Bergen played eleven seasons, and only once did

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1157045349301748382006-08-31T13:27:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.789-05:00

Graffiti on a wall in a Baltimore bathroom:First handwriting: Jesus is the answer.Second handwriting: What is the question?Third handwriting: Who is Matty and Felipe's brother?

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1156878456285547252006-08-29T14:22:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.729-05:00

Over at USS Mariner, Dave Cameron just put together a primer on pitching stats. It's a great explanation of why common statistics are misleading, and which newer ones are enlightening. Not coincidentally, the stats he trumpets are the same ones I used in the Clippard/Hughes/Bailey breakdowns.With that in mind, let's take a look at how the Yankees are faring this season. Courtesy of The Hardball

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1156699728959952012006-08-27T12:08:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.665-05:00

As the Yankees pile on the suck along the Pacific, we're better served taking some optimism out of the weekend. Namely, the fact that the Yankees have the best pitching prospect in baseball.Or do they? Homer Bailey has taken a huge step forward in 2006, establishing himself--along with Philip Hughes--at the top of pitching prospect lists. Identified by Bryan Smith in the spring as a breakout

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1156452436005372132006-08-24T14:58:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.604-05:00

Tyler Clippard has been getting a lot of hype lately, with some Yankee fans wanting to lump him in with uberprospect Philip Hughes. But does Clippard deserve it? Let's compare the two, by age:18Clippard: (Rk); 43.2 IP, 2.89 ERA, 6.8 H/9, 11.5 K/9, 1.0 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9Hughes: (Rk); 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 7.2 H/9, 14.4 K/9, 0.0 BB/9, 0.0 HR/9Okay, that was irrelevant.19Clippard: (A-); 149.0 IP, 3.44 ERA,

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1156181895277533122006-08-21T13:26:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.544-05:00

Since I basically missed all of the first three games of the series in Fenway, last night was my first taste of Pennant-Clinching Weekend. A few quick thoughts, as it's all I have time for.Why, why, why do teams bunt against Mariano Rivera? I've said it before: you can't center the cutter and Mo is the best-fielding pitcher in the game. That David Ortiz was the lead runner makes Francona's

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1155847074740170022006-08-17T16:31:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.483-05:00

Say you stand by your manTell me something I don't understandYou said you love me and that's a factThen you left me, said you felt trappedWell some things you can explain awayBut my heart aches in me till this dayDid you stand by meNo, not at allDid you stand by meNo wayAll the timesWhen we were closeI'll remember these things the mostI see all my dreams come tumbling downI won't be happy without

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1155767090635792592006-08-16T18:21:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.425-05:00

So much for writing everyday. Eh, I had a good run.Busy weekend equated to virtually no baseball-viewing, so I have nothing to comment on. Instead, I had two barbecues, a softball championship & the Second Annual August iPod Crisis. So yeah.I do want to add that video iPods are really cool. The screen is totally bitchin'.

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1155153633690085992006-08-09T15:34:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.368-05:00

I'm still recovering from last night's disastrous double feature--The Ice Harvest and the Yankees back-to-back. I'm still trying to figure out which was worse.Baseball first: handing Mariano Rivera a lead and not getting the win always sucks. Okay, so we know he isn't perfect--the guy got beat by Tony freaking Womack in the biggest game of his career after all--but it's still genuinely surprising

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1155065735887284442006-08-08T15:32:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.308-05:00

For those of you interested, here is the list of sinkerballers used in the study, as well as the nonsinking control group:Sinkerballers---------------Doyle AlexanderPete AlexanderElden AukerSteve BarberChris BosioNelson BrilesKevin BrownTex CarletonDean ChanceCurt DavisDick DonovanDick DragoDock EllisDick EllsworthJeff FasseroBob FriendMike GarciaDave GoltzMike HamptonBill HandsMel HarderJim

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1155059073844245382006-08-08T12:08:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.251-05:00

Part One: In which we set the stagePart Two: In which PECOTA takes the spotlightAppendix: List of sinkerballers and control groupWe have thus far examined the careers of pitchers who possess a statistical similarity to Chien-Ming Wang. Now it's time to get to the crux of the matter: today we're taking a closer look at sinkerballers.First, we need to identify sinkerball pitchers throughout history

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1154984721124622292006-08-07T16:41:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.194-05:00

Part One: In which we set the stageWe're in the middle of discussing what will become of Chien-Ming Wang's career. A cursory examination of his profile reveals nothing definitive--and not much positive, to be honest.Today we're putting aside our own biases and looking at a more objective examination of Wang's future. Nate Silver's PECOTA system is custom-made for the task. For those not familiar,

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1154911102631182042006-08-06T20:33:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.135-05:00

There was a recent discussion over at Baseball Think Factory regarding the nature of Chien-Ming Wang’s success thus far. His statistical line is quite improbable to date. Consider: of 90 pitchers in the majors who have enough innings to qualify, Wang is 90th in strikeout rate, 25th in walk rate, 1st in home run rate, and 3rd in groundball percentage. The formula is obvious: groundballs and

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1154889704654277162006-08-06T14:38:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.073-05:00

Melky just hit a solo shot in the fourth inning. I'm convinced he's going to be a better hitter than Robinson Cano.In an unrelated note, is Sal Fasano the goofiest-looking runner in baseball? What's more, he just hit a groundrule double and looks winded standing on second. Poor guy.Long post on Wang upcoming...

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32289371.post-1154885331170188642006-08-06T13:22:00.000-04:002006-10-29T11:14:27.000-05:00

While enjoying a tasty Newcastle Brown Ale last night, I decided to start my own blog. It's partly to get out my thoughts on the Yankees (and baseball, in general), partly to have an outlet for my writing, and partly to subdue my hatred of the word 'blog.'I have a folder of Excel spreadsheets sitting in My Documents. Over the coming weeks, I'll delve into it in an effort to write about all those

Anthonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16578961583822498350noreply@blogger.com0