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Baseball Notes for May 13, 2013

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Andrew Martin

Baseball in just about any context is a good thing. During the regular season, the attention of fans is typically riveted to the on-field action, but there are many fascinating nuggets of baseball awesomeness hidden all over in the form of its history. You just have to know where to look to find them. To help you on your way to discovering some of the delights from baseball’s past, I have dug up some items that should both engross and entertain.

Baseball is a game that can be enjoyed as much in the moment as it can be in projecting its future and discovering its past. Without further ado, let’s see how well I can do at putting the historian in “Baseball Historian.” (more…)

Filed under: Digging Deep - Analysis | Tagged: Boston Red Sox, Frank Robinson, Ken Griffey, Otis Nixon, Steve Carlton | Leave a Comment »

Random Questions With Former Phillies Catcher Dave Watkins

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Andrew Martin

Many baseball players have the singular goal of doing whatever it takes to reach the major leagues. Even after a lot of work and time, it only pays off for a small percentage. While it didn’t last long, Dave Watkins was one of the lucky few who got to reach baseball’s summit.

Watkins, a catcher and outfielder, was signed by the Detroit Tigers as a 19-year-old free agent in 1963. He only lasted one year in the low minors with Detroit, despite hitting .294 with 18 home runs. Following that season he was taken in the first-year draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, the organization with which he would spend the remainder of his professional baseball career.

Life wasn’t all about baseball for Watkins. In 1967, the Reading Eagle reported that the prospect spent his offseason studying biology at Kentucky Wesleyan. (more…)

Filed under: Down and Dirty - Interviews | Tagged: Andy Seminick, Dave Watkins, Don Sutton, Interview, Mike Ryan, Philadelphia Phillies, Steve Carlton, Tim McCarver, Vic Roznovsky | Leave a Comment »

By The Numbers

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Daniel Marino

Just a few interesting numbers: (more…)

Filed under: Digging Deep - Analysis | Tagged: Paul Konerko, Steve Carlton, Starlin Castro, Randy Johnson, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, George Brett, Don Kessinger, Graig Nettles, Felix Millan, Joe Torre, George Stone, Roger Metzger, Ron Hunt, Bert Campaneris, Leroy Stanton, Dan Meyer, Carl Yastrzemski, Ed Whitson | 1 Comment »

Pitch Counts Don’t Add Up and Tommy John Surgeries Are Unnecessary

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Daniel Marino

I will be in the minority here, and many will disagree with my sentiments and theories, but I believe pitch counts are a total farce. I believe Tommy John surgeries are performed when two weeks of rest would be a sufficient alternative.

Pitch counts were created by greedy agents who want their meal tickets to pitch as few innings as possible. What if I told you that I believe pitch counts could actually harm a pitcher and cause the needless surgeries? Do I have medical records to justify my belief? No, I do not. Am I a doctor? No, and I don’t even play one on TV. However, I have questions that I will ask for those of you who disagree with my theory. (more…)

Filed under: Digging Deep - Analysis | Tagged: Bob Gibson, Fergie Jenkins, Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, Pitch Counts, Ron Herbel, Stephen Strasburg, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Tommy John | 3 Comments »

Best Regular Season Finishes

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Michael Schwartze

The final standings of the baseball season often come down to the last month of the season. Which ever team is hotter typically comes out on top. With every late season run by a team, there are also notable players that are doing their best to help their team win. To find out which players have had the best finishes to a season, I used the Fangraphs’ splits and found the five best WAR performances in the last month of the season. The stats date back to the 1974 season because Fangraphs does not provide season splits for earlier years.

I have listed the top 5 performances, by both fielders and pitchers based on the players’ WAR in the final month of the season. I am aware that there are allegations behind some of these players but nonetheless these players really performed well.

Batters:

Rank/Player	Year	WAR	PA	Triple Slash	HR	RBI
1. Barry Bonds	1992	3.4	136	.392/.537/.833	11	27
2. Richard Hidalgo	2000	3.3	124	.477/.532/.953	11	32
3. Barry Bonds	2001	3.2	117	.403/.607/1.078	16	25
4. Alan Trammel	1987	2.8	147	.417/.490/.677	7	20
4. Amos Otis	1978	2.8	125	.411/.476/.701	6	29

Pitchers:

Rank/Player	Year	WAR	IP	ERA/FIP	K	BB
1. Roger Clemens	1987	3.1	59.2	1.51/1.61	70	13
2. Pedro Martinez	1999	2.9	42.0	0.86/0.78	71	6
3. Steve Carlton	1982	2.7	64.0	1.83/1.70	75	11
4. Dwight Gooden	1984	2.6	42.0	1.29/0.53	62	10
4. J.R. Richard	1979	2.6	58.0	1.24/1.40	69	15

Filed under: Digging Deep - Analysis | Tagged: Alan Trammel, Amos Otis, Barry Bonds, Dwight Gooden, J.R. Richard, Pedro Martinez, Richard Hidalgo, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton | 1 Comment »

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