Regarding Engage With Other Owners, if your league-mates are up for it, everyone get everyone elses' cell number. The number of trades and trade conversation via texting in my two leagues dwarfs all other communication combined. So fast, so easy.
I seem to recall Skydome having the first "overhead camera." You have to get pretty high angle to see the plate over the umpire and catcher, and most stadiums probably don't have a spot for the camera at that angle, especially as newer stadiums have pushed back second and third decks from the field.
That said, if the NFL can get that tracking camera tracking all over the field, we should too. The ball will never hit the wires right?
This continues to be good work. Thank you.
Still would love to see and index of links to previous articles and positions at the beginning or end of the article though so we can flip between the articles much more easily.
Thank you for the content and commentary.
A suggestion: put links to the other lists at the beginning of the article. It makes it a lot easier for us to get to them when the series are all linked up.
Did the Nationals make any roster moves before Aug 31 to cover for Strasburg being on the 25 man roster and therefore on the post-season roster?
If the Nationals put him on the DL after his innings cap so they can use the loophole, is anyone going to remotely buy that? It'll put MLB to the test, because everyone will know exactly what's going on.
IIRC, He didn't want to move his family out west because of a medical condition with one of his kids and the treatment facilities in the area he was in. So probably still applies.
Kevin,
Do prospects ever lose their feel for their breaking stuff? With Taillon, are the Pirates risking him losing his in game feel for breaking pitches if they aren't letting him throw them in game situations?
Thanks John, for providing yet another insight into your terrible HoF voting. Please give up your vote so it doesn't count in the divisor for players percent calculation.
Off topic, but when are the rest of the tiered position rankings coming out? Unless they start coming out 2-3 per week it's going to be very deep into draft season before they're finished.
As an aside, Rathman's BP First Take's are quickly becoming one of my favorite series at BP. Fleshed out more and a bit longer and they'd be the spiritual successor to Sheehan's Prospectus Today series. And that's awesome.
(Yeah, I said it, I said the "S" word)
Others have said it, I'll say it too. The talent drain at BP, and I understand the economics, so it is what it is, just fucking sucks. Sure we can go read them all elsewhere, but it's so damn much work to follow everyone.
If commentary on Marc's departure has been done and I just can't find it (I've looked), then my apologies for what's about to follow.
Why does Goldman say "we will have a comment later today or first thing tomorrow" and then it doesn't happen? Isn't tomorrow today now?
Not the same situation as Carroll, but the same thing happened then, "we'll comment later" and there never was anything.
Either say it, or say we won't/can't comment. But the "we'll comment later" and then you don't...well, it just reminds me of when I tell my 5-year-old the same thing and then never do. It's my bad parenting; it's your bad running a business. It's off-putting to say the least.
I tried to throw away that allen wrench before because I have two complete size sets. Dad still yelled at me because I'll never know when I'll need it. But I do...never.
The scouts feedback is a good piece of the article.
And with all due respect, I agree with lemurranger. "On the Beat" has always been, to me, alot of vanilla. Reporting on what's happened or why some manager feels like their team is playing real well right now and has a chance to do some damage in their division. While that has it's place, it's not what I'm paying money for.
Best thing you can do for me John is have a once or twice weekly op-ed piece about a baseball current event. Team A (or Player B or Manager C) did Action X (and then compounded it with Action Y) and it was smart/dumb. Here's why. Back it up with stats, convince me that your point is correct. Make me care, make me get riled up and pissed that my team is doing something so stupid, or even better that the cross-bay rivals are doing something just as stupid, but getting away with it (and then winning the damn series to boot...but I digress).
Would these be an appropriate time and place to examine what the team should be looking for in the upcoming draft? Chance to somewhat highlight/discuss the area of need the team has for it's farm system.
Did I forget, or am I confused. I know the NFL has a policy regarding hiring practices to ensure minorities get interviews for positions, doesn't MLB have something similar.
If so, isn't Selig's tampering directing a team to violate that policy?
If not, well, then this was just reading practice.
"Now the Red Sox will turn to phenom Jonathan Papelbon. Long-term, Papelbon will be in the rotation."
Fixed it for you.
This is a great chance for the Rangers to make a bad decision, let's hope they don't.
The fact the Yankees have lost so much to the DL makes one realize just how much their payroll dwarfs everyone elses. If they're average in absolute dollars, aren't they above average (better) than most if considered as a percentage of payroll?
It's an ESPN article, i.e., BP Lite. We went through a slew of these last year too. It's nice for BP to generate the traffic for the site and membership, I'm sure it helps keep our membership fees down.
But...
Maybe we can mark these on the front page so we know ahead of time. Much like the premium articles have the little BP symbol by them, maybe these can have a little dunce cap or something?
Russell,
Nice article.
I read the comments above and am a bit confused why we're discussing was it a good signing or a bad? I thought the point of the article was to examine a commonly held point of view (losing hampers player development) and go at it with some sort of expertise instead of armchair psychologist. I'm trusting Russell that he has some sort of experience to bring to the discussion when he says "Well, I’m not an amateur." If he doesn't, well, then shame on him and boot him out of here for implying such. I'll allow that the main thrust isn't quite clear though.
In the State of Prospectus thread, pizzacutter (aka, Russell) asked what we're asking for iin the comments. Well, for me, this is actually kind of it. Ahh, irony. Statistically informed? Yep. Attacks an issue from a new angle? Yep. Some humor? Yep (if a bit light on it).
I'm working my ass off to give the new folk a chance. Frankly, a (not so) little piece of BP has died as each of the old vanguard have left. This article at least gives me some hope. It isn't the best piece of BP writing I've ever read (that's not an indictment of Russell, it's mad props to some of the brilliant writing we've been lucky to experience here), but it's the kind of writing/analysis I come here for.
I don't think CK is stopping the TA, at least, that's not what I read. She's not filling the website editor-in-chief role anymore and is solely a writer.
I wrote something that was considered and tried to be balanced. Something about Joe leaving not being the last straw, but possible the straw before the last straw. But then the comment submission ate my comment and it poofed (not the first time this has happened!). So maybe it was the last straw.
Tarakas somewhat made the same point I was trying to make right above. Too many of the former, too few of the latter. I really hope the new writers are good at the informed opinion piece, because really, after 10 years of BP being my go to fix for baseball writing, the former just doesn't do it for me anymore.
(this time cut-n-pasted just in case...)
Hasn't Pudge's career been dogged by pitchers wanting to pitch to the other guy on staff? If I'm remembering correctly, then that's not the Miyagi you're looking for.
I know plenty of people who could easily handle statistics like that. But they can't get over the talk-radio mindset of homerism, so-and-so just needs some playing time, Mr. 5th Outfielder just hasn't been given a chance, etc. etc. etc.
It's not just grasping the statistics, it's overcoming 100 years of sportswriting.
I really think you're wrong on this one Joe regarding Riccardi not wanting to trade the duo to the Red Sox and the Yankees. If I'm in Riccardi's shoes, the BoSox and Yanks are the FIRST teams I trade them to.
Here's why: for the next 15 months, they (BoSox/Yankees) have Halladay. The Jays aren't going to be competative in those 15 months regardless of the package they get. After those 15 months though, any prospects they have and that they land in the deal are possibly going to be coming into their own and the Jays will be on the upswing. This is at the exact time that anchor of a contract to Wells is further weighing down the BoSox and Yankees.
The Blue Jays play screw your neighbor where the kill-shot hits at just the perfect time.
These articles aren't much fun. They get you all riled up about how badly something needs to change. You leave thinking its a great idea. And...nothing, the rule in question won't change.
Isn't a better solution to resign Jeter and assign him to a utility role where he's still getting 400AB a year filling in all over the place? Hitting like he'll be hitting at that point in his career is more than acceptable for your supersub. Now...do the Yankees have the guts to force Jeter to do his best Tony Phillips impression so they can still get the 3,000th hit in a Yankees uniform?
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