Skills

We might not recognize Marlon Byrd (OF, CHC) when he reports to Mesa, Arizona for spring training. According to mlb.com, the Cubs centerfielder has combined intense martial arts workouts with a dietary program that has helped him slim down from the 255 pounds he weighed at the end of 2011 to a svelte 215 today ...
Feb 3 2012 12:00am
This column is the first of two parts that examines which relievers are in line should an incumbent get hurt, traded or replaced and discusses potential scenarios. Arizona through Florida this column; Milwaukee through Washington next column.
Feb 2 2012 12:00am
[FREE] If you don't get a top-eight catcher, a massive gap exists until replacement-level. While others overvalue positional scarcity to draft backstops too early, we reveal the ideal targets in the middle and end of your draft by comparing ADP's to our BaseballHQ.com projections.
Jan 30 2012 12:00am
Assigning gains or losses after a player move is a bit of a mug’s game. The change in home ballpark affects only half the games, after all, and we have to consider such other factors as lineup differences, new managers and teammates, even weather.
Jan 27 2012 12:00am
While he wasn’t guaranteed a rotation slot in spring training, Brandon McCarthy (RHP, OAK) took advantage of an opportunity and made a positive impression. It was more than just his home park that led to the solid performance.
Jan 27 2012 12:00am
It's easy to fall in love with strong half seasons. It's also easy to read too much into them. After all, the midpoint of the season is an arbitrary cutoff, and there are bound to be performance swings between any few months of data. That said, many starting pitchers who surge down the stretch often are better speculations than others. Let's take a look at the SP whose BPV increased the most between the first and second halves of 2011:
Jan 20 2012 12:00am
Hart's power breakout of 2010 carried over to 2011 and his 2H numbers suggest he still has room to grow. The trade-off in the last two years for this added pop has been waning opportunities on the bases and that trend may continue. With Prince Fielder likely gone and Ryan Braun facing a 50 game suspension, Hart will find himself in the middle of the order as the Brewers will be more reliant on his bat than his legs.
Jan 20 2012 12:00am
Will Pujols rebound as he switches leagues? ... Albert Pujols' (1B, LAA) 2011 production slipped to its lowest level since 2007. What should we expect as Pujols switches leagues for the first time?
Jan 13 2012 12:00am
Friday the 13th. Perfect for discussing the frightening Orioles, White Sox, Twins, A's, Reds and Astros bullpens.
Jan 13 2012 12:00am
Should we invest in Rafael Furcal? ... When the Cardinals signed Rafael Furcal (SS, STL) to a two-year deal this offseason, the first question the fanalytic community asked was "Would we have done the same thing?" General Manager John Mozeliak said Furcal's "leadership and experience was very evident during the pennant race and into the postseason." That may be true, but his mixed bag of skills suggest we take another look ...
Jan 6 2012 12:00am
Last month, the Batting Buyers Guide examined hitters who had very poor seasons in 2011, looking at which of them might be most likely to “regress to the mean” of their weighted average performance from 2008-10. As with last time, we started by finding the batters whose 2011 seasons varied sharply from their norms, this time by doing far better than their norms suggested.
Jan 6 2012 12:00am
We might not recognize Marlon Byrd (OF, CHC) when he reports to Mesa, Arizona for spring training. According to mlb.com, the Cubs centerfielder has combined intense martial arts workouts with a dietary program that has helped him slim down from the 255 pounds he weighed at the end of 2011 to a svelte 215 today ...
Feb 3 2012 12:00am
This column is the first of two parts that examines which relievers are in line should an incumbent get hurt, traded or replaced and discusses potential scenarios. Arizona through Florida this column; Milwaukee through Washington next column.
Feb 2 2012 12:00am
[FREE] If you don't get a top-eight catcher, a massive gap exists until replacement-level. While others overvalue positional scarcity to draft backstops too early, we reveal the ideal targets in the middle and end of your draft by comparing ADP's to our BaseballHQ.com projections.
Jan 30 2012 12:00am
Assigning gains or losses after a player move is a bit of a mug’s game. The change in home ballpark affects only half the games, after all, and we have to consider such other factors as lineup differences, new managers and teammates, even weather.
Jan 27 2012 12:00am
While he wasn’t guaranteed a rotation slot in spring training, Brandon McCarthy (RHP, OAK) took advantage of an opportunity and made a positive impression. It was more than just his home park that led to the solid performance.
Jan 27 2012 12:00am
It's easy to fall in love with strong half seasons. It's also easy to read too much into them. After all, the midpoint of the season is an arbitrary cutoff, and there are bound to be performance swings between any few months of data. That said, many starting pitchers who surge down the stretch often are better speculations than others. Let's take a look at the SP whose BPV increased the most between the first and second halves of 2011:
Jan 20 2012 12:00am
Hart's power breakout of 2010 carried over to 2011 and his 2H numbers suggest he still has room to grow. The trade-off in the last two years for this added pop has been waning opportunities on the bases and that trend may continue. With Prince Fielder likely gone and Ryan Braun facing a 50 game suspension, Hart will find himself in the middle of the order as the Brewers will be more reliant on his bat than his legs.
Jan 20 2012 12:00am
Will Pujols rebound as he switches leagues? ... Albert Pujols' (1B, LAA) 2011 production slipped to its lowest level since 2007. What should we expect as Pujols switches leagues for the first time?
Jan 13 2012 12:00am
Friday the 13th. Perfect for discussing the frightening Orioles, White Sox, Twins, A's, Reds and Astros bullpens.
Jan 13 2012 12:00am
Should we invest in Rafael Furcal? ... When the Cardinals signed Rafael Furcal (SS, STL) to a two-year deal this offseason, the first question the fanalytic community asked was "Would we have done the same thing?" General Manager John Mozeliak said Furcal's "leadership and experience was very evident during the pennant race and into the postseason." That may be true, but his mixed bag of skills suggest we take another look ...
Jan 6 2012 12:00am
Last month, the Batting Buyers Guide examined hitters who had very poor seasons in 2011, looking at which of them might be most likely to “regress to the mean” of their weighted average performance from 2008-10. As with last time, we started by finding the batters whose 2011 seasons varied sharply from their norms, this time by doing far better than their norms suggested.
Jan 6 2012 12:00am

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