http://www.baseballprospectus.com/column/prospectus_feature/ http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15122 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15122 It was classic McLain: charming, cocky, arrogant, reckless. A rebel or a punk, take your pick, and your choice likely depended on your age and your politics. Just 24 years old, McLain had played by his own rules his whole life, and as the first 30-game winner in baseball in 34 years, he could get away with just about anything. Fri, 28 Feb 2003 15:37:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15121 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15121 The phrase "a walk is as good as a hit" has echoed through our noggins since Little League. Though not exactly true, the ability to reach base without putting the ball in play is a valuable offensive weapon; advances in sabermetrics have enabled us to quantify the value of a walk and hit-by-pitch quite precisely. Fri, 28 Feb 2003 15:31:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17109 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17109 While we wait breathlessly for word from Cooperstown about the results of the new Veterans Committee balloting, the STATLG-L Internet Hall of Fame voters have spoken their collective mind here on BP. Wed, 26 Feb 2003 17:23:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17107 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17107 Between a careful analysis of what data is available, the creative use of proxy variables in estimating injuries throughout time, and the application of some principles of sports medicine, we are at least in a position to make some educated guesses about the nature of pitcher injuries. Our particular focus in this article will be the progression of pitcher injury rates by age. Wed, 26 Feb 2003 17:16:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17105 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17105 There is enough evidence to perform at least an exploratory empirical analysis of what types of skills are best accentuated by Coors Field. Fri, 21 Feb 2003 17:06:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17111 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17111 The PCL is famous for its pinball scores but there are other, better reasons to pay attention to it this year. Thu, 20 Feb 2003 17:35:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17104 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17104 Whenever "competitive balance" is debated, the debaters inevitably turn to published information about team payrolls to support their positions. This sounds straightforward. Unfortunately, "team payroll" is a fluid concept. The four most widely reported measures each use different methods and can lead to different conclusions. Wed, 19 Feb 2003 17:00:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17100 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17100 I get a lot of e-mail suggesting that baseball should use European-style relegation/promotion to encourage teams to compete. People suggest it to me in bars. I've read it in columns by otherwise sensible baseball writers. It is easily the most impractical idea anyone has proposed to solve some of baseball's problems, and I am baffled by its continued popularity. Tue, 18 Feb 2003 16:40:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17096 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17096 As pitchers and catchers report to sunny climes this week--soon to be joined by hitters, beer vendors, and spring breakers--much will be made of the battle for the five slots in the New York Yankees' starting rotation. Tue, 11 Feb 2003 16:28:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15146 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15146 No, the most contentious sports battles of February are fought not in football rinks or hockey stadiums, but in hotel conference rooms in Tampa and Phoenix, where owners and agents will square off against one another all month long in a series of arbitration hearings that will be fully nasty enough to recall the high period of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling circuit, except without quite as much hair-pulling. Thu, 06 Feb 2003 13:15:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17094 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17094 Part two of our look at the top 40 prospects. Fri, 31 Jan 2003 16:17:00 -0800 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17103 http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17103 Although the specifics haven't been laid out for public consumption, it is widely assumed that four teams would be added to the post-season mix, raising the number of participants from eight to 12. Tue, 28 Jan 2003 16:55:00 -0800