Newsletter: Sunday, May 27, 2012
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CHAT WITH DOUG THORBURN AT 2:00 P.M. ET
BP's pitching mechanics expert drops in for his inaugural chat. Stop by during
your lunch hour or pop a question into the queue ahead of time at the link
below.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=931
BASEBALL PROSPECTUS 2012 APP NOW AVAILABLE
At long last, the Baseball Prospectus 2012 annual app is now available for the
iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Follow your favorite MLB teams and players
throughout the season with Baseball Prospectus analysis that includes team
overviews, player assessments, detailed stats, and 2012 projections for over
2000 players. All of that and more for just $4.99 if you purchase it in the
next two weeks. For more information and to access the download page, click
the link below.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16776
BROOKS BASEBALL NOW AT BP
The outstanding PITCHf/x work of Dan Brooks, Harry Pavlidis, and co. is now
available through BP. For more details on the integration of Brooks Baseball,
see the post by Joe Hamrahi linked below:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16721
BALLPARK EVENT TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Join your favorite BP writers and industry insiders at our upcoming ballpark
events. For more information and to purchase tickets, click the links below.
June 2 at Citi Field:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16645
June 16 at Angel Stadium:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16646
June 24 at Rangers Ballpark:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16718
SUBMIT A QUESTION TO THE RESEARCH MAILBAG
Got a burning baseball question you want answered? Submit it via email to
Bradley Ankrom (bankrom@baseballprospectus.com) and we'll do our best to find
the answer. Our research staff will select its favorite questions from the
batch and feature them in the mailbag the following week.
CLUTCH PERFORMER 2012 NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINT
Do you prefer a hard copy of the supplement to the 2012 annual to the PDF
version? If so, you can get it now from Amazon for just $5. Click below for
the details and purchase link.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16345
PLAYOFF ODDS AVAILABLE DAILY
The season is underway, and our playoff odds report is now updated to account
for the double wild card. Check it out here:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/odds/
BASEBALL PROSPECTUS 2012 NOW AVAILABLE
The initial orders of BP's annual have all been shipped, and it is now
readily available. More details on contents and a link to purchase can be
found here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/products/bp2012/
BASEBALL PROSPECTUS 2012 UPDATE NOW AVAILABLE
In case you haven't had your fill of PECOTAs and player writeups, we have
more coming your way in the supplement to this year's annual. The supplement
includes brand-new comments on players who did not make the initial edition,
as well as corrections to managerial and rookie leaderboards. For more
information, click below.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16285
KEVIN GOLDSTEIN'S ORGANIZATIONAL RANKINGS AND TEAM PROSPECTS INDEX
Wondering which team has the top farm system in the league? Need to know more
about that prospect your team just added via trade? Looking for a deep
sleeper in your upcoming fantasy draft? Kevin Goldstein's organizational
rankings, which include links to each team's Top 11 list, have all the
answers you need.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16208
KEVIN GOLDSTEIN'S TOP 101 PROSPECTS LIST
Is Bryce Harper or Matt Moore the top prospect in baseball? Which team has
the biggest collection of top 101 talent? Is your team's future in better
shape than those of its division rivals? Kevin Goldstein answers all of those
questions in his Top 101 Prospects list.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16020
BEST OF BASEBALL PROSPECTUS BOOKS NOW AVAILABLE
Looking for the perfect gift for any baseball fan? Look no further than the
newly released Best of Baseball Prospectus books, including the top stories
and features from your favorite BP authors. Click the link below for more
information and to purchase the books in either PDF or paperback form.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15681
COT'S CONTRACTS NOW AT BASEBALL PROSPECTUS
Do you want to know just how bad Barry Zito's contract is, or just how
team-friendly Evan Longoria's is? Are you wondering how much service time
your team's young stud has logged? Or, do you just want to pay tribute to the
immortal Cot Tierney? You'll find all of that and more on Jeff Euston's Cot's
Contracts site, which is now part of the BP family.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/
For more information on how to use the database, see Dave Pease's explanation
below.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15774
BP PODCAST EPISODE 93: MINIATURE DONKEYS ARE GREAT
After a brief hiatus, we return with an action-packed show (ok, we just talk a
lot). After going on an email-inspired rant about the current state of
baseball content on the internet, we delve into the game itself and discuss
everything from Josh Hamilton's crazy run to Stanford righty Mark Appel to the
lack of power prospects to the current state of the Arizona and Colorado
systems. Then it's special guest time and a serious discussion about baseball
and race with Doug Glanville in what is one of my favorite interviews in the
history of the show. As always, we end with the goofy stuff, and as always, we
thank you for listening and hope you enjoy.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16947
BP FANTASY PODCAST EPISODE 4: TWO OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITES
Jason Collette and Paul Sporer discuss underrated players and run
environments, among a host of other topics, on this week's fantasy podcast.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16969
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: MAY 25
The Thursday Takeaway
Entering yesterday’s game against the Braves, Reds leadoff men had combined
for a .164/.202/.270 triple slash—and that was after rookie shortstop Zack
Cozart homered in each of the first two games of the series and went 2-for-4
on Wednesday. Twenty-eight teams’ number-eight hitters had logged a better OPS
than the Reds’ number-one batters’ 472 mark. And though the overall stat line
of their leadoff men is still awful, after completing a four-game sweep of the
Braves, the Reds appear to have both hit their stride and solved their once
fatal flaw.
The 6-3 win over the Braves on Thursday gave the 25-19 Reds their first
division lead of the season, as they pushed past the Cardinals, who lost a
10-9 nailbiter to the Phillies. Perhaps more significantly, though, the hole
at the top of manager Dusty Baker’s batting order is that much closer to being
plugged.
Cozart, who came into the season as one of the leading candidates for National
League Rookie of the Year honors, began the just-finished four-game series
with a pedestrian 672 OPS. That has since improved to 727—thanks to a 7-for-16
effort with the aforementioned pair of home runs—and the 26-year-old is no
slouch in the field either (http://tinyurl.com/7swvprw). Cozart has cemented
himself as Baker’s every-day shortstop, and if he can sustain some of this
recent offensive surge, the persistent leadoff issues may not plague the Reds
much longer.
Yesterday, Jack Moore wrote on ESPN’s Sweet Spot blog
(http://tinyurl.com/6r8gkva) about the Reds “getting production from all
over.” Before the past four games, that all over had one glaring exception—and
that one exception may have been keeping the Reds behind the Cardinals for the
first month and a half of the season. If that’s the case, Cozart’s continued
success may be the key to Cincinnati’s push for the third Central division
title in franchise history.
What to Watch for This Weekend
The calendar still reads May, but this Memorial Day weekend may be highlighted
by an early battle for National League East supremacy, with the 26-18
Nationals visiting the 26-20 Braves. Tim Hudson—who is an outstanding 14-3
with a 2.05 ERA in 23 career starts against the Nats—will try to set the tone
for Atlanta in the opener tonight (7:35 p.m. ET).
***
Injuries have wreaked havoc on many a roster during the first two months, and
the Marlins are the latest victims of the bug. Ozzie Guillen’s team will be
without the services of outfielders Emilio Bonifacio and Austin Kearns for a
while, and the front office is said to be looking for help via trade or the
slim free agent pickings
(https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/205781798846873601). Keep an eye on
the news to see if a move will be make this weekend.
***
Mark Buehrle may have darted from the American League Central division just to
escape Melky Cabrera, but the major-league hits leader followed his favorite
pitcher to the senior circuit, and the two will square off on Saturday (4:10
p.m. ET). Melky is 17-for-27 lifetime against Buehrle, with four doubles, two
homers, and only one strikeout. No hitter who has faced Buehrle more than 25
times has a better OPS than Cabrera’s 1.630.
***
Buehrle’s fellow crafty lefty, the A’s Tommy Milone, is still up to his
dazzling tricks at the Coliseum, where he remains a flawless 4-0 with a 0.60
ERA and no home runs allowed. The Royals, White Sox, Tigers, and Angels have
tried and failed to solve the 25-year-old in his home park; now, the Yankees
will get their turn on Sunday afternoon (4:05 p.m. ET). Look for Derek
Jeter—who still leads all big leaguers with an obscene .510 batting average
against southpaws—and Curtis Granderson, whose five big flies off lefties are
tied for the major-league lead, to lead the way.
***
More lefties? Sure, why not. If you find yourself bored on Memorial Dayx, kick
back and watch the White Sox-Rays game (3:10 p.m. ET), where two of the
league’s best young southpaws will match wits. It’s Chris Sale against Matt
Moore at the Trop. What better way to spend your day off?
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Adam Sobsey--@sobsey (https://twitter.com/#!/sobsey)
Doug Thorburn--@dougthorburn (https://twitter.com/#!/dougthorburn)
Dan Turkenkopf--dturkenk (https://twitter.com/#!/dturkenk)
Jason Wojciechowski--@jlwoj (https://twitter.com/#!/jlwoj)
Colin Wyers--@cwyers (https://twitter.com/#!/cwyers)
Geoff Young--@ducksnorts (https://twitter.com/#!/ducksnorts)
NEW BASIC CONTENT
Tater Trot Tracker
Trot Times for May 25
by Larry Granillo
The tater trots for May 25 (and the previous two days: Hunter Pence bests the
usual suspects, Todd Helton and Chris Davis have a race.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=17161
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