The 2023 Texas Rangers: Meeting, and Exceeding, Expectations
Here in mid-May, the 2023 Texas Rangers find themselves atop the AL West. In fact, they have occupied first place (solely or in a tie) for the entire season to this point. For fans...
How Meaningful are Opening Day Starts, Really?
Baseball, perhaps more than all other American sports, values tradition. That emphasis on existing conventions is part of what makes baseball special. However, a predisposition to doing things “how they’ve always been done” makes...
Looking Beyond the Defensive Spectrum
When I think of the defensive spectrum in baseball, sometimes I picture a baseball diamond-shaped table disrupted by constant tremors. In the center of that table are many orb-like objects (marbles, beans, very small...
Where on the Diamond do Defensive Statistics Agree?
Defensive metrics in baseball can be tricky to really grasp. Fortunately, as defensive metrics have become more popularized over the last handful of seasons, it has been correspondingly easier to at least contextualize them....
The Major Leagues, Arriving and Staying
Just days before the conclusion of the 2022 regular season, Stephen Vogt announced that he would retire at season’s end. By all accounts, Vogt is a popular, well-respected person and (now former) teammate. On...
Let’s Make a New Three True Outcomes Metric
Last month on June 9th, the Yankees had a good win against the Twins in Minnesota. Down 7-3 early in the contest, the Yankees went on to score 7 unanswered runs to win 10-7....
The Final Step: Hitting in the Major Leagues
Few things are so exciting as a promotion. A promotion generally represents a lot of time, energy, and focus devoted to a role. While all promotions are special, there is a legitimate argument to...
Who is Leveraging, or Squandering, their Sprint Speed
The premise of this blog post can be summarized in a couple questions: (1) what is the relationship between player sprint speed and player value on the base paths and (2) which players are...
A Brief Investigation of Spiked Curveballs
This post is all about curveballs; specifically, those that are spiked. Of course, unavoidably, all types of pitches get spiked at least once in a while, but curveballs likely end up in the dirt...
The Intersection of Batted Ball Angles and Direction
Over the last handful of years, metrics like average launch angle and pull% have made their way into increasingly broad and casual baseball discussions. And for good reason; those metrics are quite interesting and...
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