August 11, 2020

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From the Archives: “The Mysterious Floating Sensation”

August 11, 2020 · by · Leave a Comment 

The following was originally posted on October 6, 2008 and an abridged version appears in Baseball’s Untold History: The Wild Side published by Summer Game Books in 2017. Did he or didn’t he? That’s the question. Eddie Cicotte is widely recognized as the inventor of the knuckleball, earning his nickname “Knuckles” around 1908, his first full year in the majors. Whether Cicotte is the knuckleball’s true inventor or not—Nap Rucker, Lew “Hicks” Moren and Ed Summers have also been credited with inventing the pitch (or at least refining it)—no... [Read the full story]

General

Negro Leagues DB Update: 1924 NNL Fielding & Pitching + 1921 Tesreau Bears

July 13, 2020 · by · Leave a Comment 

A brief note on an update we made a few weeks ago. We have added: 1) Fielding statistics, full pitching statistics, and batters’ hit by pitch for the 1924 Negro National League, along with games involving one new independent team, Charlie Mills’s St. Louis Giants; 2) 1921 games between Black teams and a very good white semiprofessional team, Jeff Tesreau’s New York Bears. Playing their home games in Harlem’s Dyckman Oval, the Bears featured a number of former or future major leaguers (Tesreau himself, Larry Doyle, Manuel Cueto, Herb Kelly, Curtis Fullerton, Paddy Smith), minor leaguers... [Read the full story]

Features

NORMALIZING NEGRO LEAGUE STATISTICS

February 13, 2020 · by · 2 Comments 

Most baseball fans are familiar with the concept of ‘normalizing’ statistics. For MLB statistics, the most basic adjustment is to normalize for park effects. The simplest park normalization calculation takes the impact of a team’s park on runs scored then divides that number, either positive or negative, in half, and then that calculation is applied to a player’s OPS, ERA, wRC, etc. to get a normalized performance (usually indicated as OPS+, ERA+, wRC+). If you want to compare players from different leagues or seasons, add an adjustment for the individual league scoring... [Read the full story]

Hall of Fame

WAR and Win Shares and Charlie Blackmon

March 23, 2019 · by · 1 Comment 

It appears that WAR, in attempting to assign a single number to represent a player’s season, has a problem with fielding.   And the problem is not so much with the player’s defensive WAR score – but rather with trying to COMBINE this score with the offensive WAR.   A very good or very poor fielding score appears to seriously distort the player’s total WAR score. As an example, Matt Chapman had a great fielding season at third base in 2018 and his situation illustrates quite well why WAR does a relatively good job of evaluating his offensive value (oWAR) and his defensive value (dWAR)... [Read the full story]

Minors

Principal Park: Despite City’s Size, Ballpark Has Big Impact

June 30, 2018 · by · Leave a Comment 

Minor league baseball a Des Moines, Iowa, staple at same location since 1947 Submitted by Steve Dunn Located at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers in Des Moines, Iowa, Principal Park and its two predecessors have hosted professional baseball since Friday, June 20, 1947. One of the more unique games in minor league history was played nearly 61 years later at Principal Park on Saturday, June 14, 2008. With widespread flooding in central Iowa, the Iowa Cubs and Nashville Sounds played a Triple A Pacific Coast League game that drew an official attendance of zero. “The only other... [Read the full story]

General

Negro Leagues DB Update: 1924 NNL Fielding & Pitching + 1921 Tesreau Bears

July 13, 2020 by

A brief note on an update we made a few weeks ago. We have added: 1) Fielding statistics, full pitching statistics, and batters’ hit by pitch for the 1924 Negro National League, along with games involving one new independent team, Charlie Mills’s St. Louis Giants; 2) 1921 games between Black teams and a very good white semiprofessional team,... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (June 15th)

June 15, 2020 by

Friday, June 15th – In the final game of the series, the Birmingham Black Barons play the Cleveland Tigers at Luna Park. Birmingham has taken 3 of 4 from the ‘new look’ Tigers.Here are the starting lineups: Birmingham Black Barons (17-17) Geechie Meredith, RF Charles Wesley, 2B George McAllister, 1B Roy Parnell, CF Chuffy Alexander,... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (June 14th)

June 14, 2020 by

Thursday, June 14th – The Memphis Red Sox at the Chicago American Giants, in Schorling Park for a double header. Chicago comes home after having lost the last 8 of 9 on the road in Birmingham and Kansas City. The American Giants raise their World Championship banner for 1927 in pre-game ceremonies.Here are the starting lineups for Game #1:Memphis... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (June 12th)

June 12, 2020 by

Tuesday, June 12th – The Chicago American Giants visit the Kansas City Monarchs at Muehlebach Field:Here are the starting lineups:Chicago American Giants (13-15)1. Jelly Gardner, CF2. Stanford Jackson, 3B3. Jim Brown, C4. Reuben Jones, RF5. Pythias Russ, SS6. John Hines, LF7. Charlie Williams, 2B8. Lemuel Hawkins, 1B9. Owen Smaulding, PKansas City... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (June 9th)

June 9, 2020 by

Saturday, June 9th – The Memphis Red Sox visit the Detroit Stars at Mack Park. Detroit is on a 7 game NNL winning streak and still has hope of catching St. Louis for the first half pennant. Memphis has signed Heavy Johnson after he was released by Cleveland.Here are the starting lineups:Memphis Red Sox (13-14)1. Henry Harris, SS 2. J.C. McHaskell,... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (June 4th)

June 4, 2020 by

Monday, June 4th – No Games ScheduledHere are the Negro National League Standings (1st half)St. Louis Stars (16-3)Detroit Stars (20-8)Chicago American Giants (12-9)Memphis Red Sox (13-14)Kansas City Monarchs (10-11)Birmingham Black Barons (11-15)Cuban Stars (West) (4-10)Cleveland Tigers (4-20)Eastern Teams RecordsBaltimore Black Sox (11-6)Hilldale... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (June 3rd)

June 3, 2020 by

Sunday, June 3rd – In a battle for the 1st half pennant, the Detroit Stars host the St. Louis Stars at Mack Park.Here are the starting lineups:St. Louis Stars (16-2)1. Cool Papa Bell, CF 2. Willie Bobo, 1B3. Willie Wells, SS4. Mule Suttles, RF5. Wilson Redus, LF6. Dewey Creacy, 2B7. Clarence Palm, C8. John Henry Russell, 3B9. John Williams, PDetroit... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (May 27th)

May 27, 2020 by

Sunday, May 27th – The Kansas City Monarchs begin a series versus the Chicago American Giants at Schorling Park. The scheduled initial series game on Saturday was rained out. Jelly Gardner is back in the lineup for Chicago after being out with a leg injury, but Jim Brown is on the bench with an injury.Here are the starting lineups:Kansas City Monarchs... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (May 26th)

May 26, 2020 by

Saturday, May 26th – The New York Lincoln Giants continue their series versus The Hilldale Club at Hilldale Park. Hilldale won the first game 5-1. New York has now withdrawn from the ECL, along with the Cuban Stars (East). The league is scrambling to add the Havana Red Sox and 2 more teams, but within a week the ECL will be dead. With the Lincoln... Read more of this article

Negro Leagues Game of the Day on This Date in 1928 (May 24th)

May 24, 2020 by

Thursday, May 24th – The New York Lincoln Giants visit the Hilldale Club at Hilldale Park. Here are the starting lineups:New York Lincoln Giants (5-4)1. Willie Gray, CF 2. John Henry Lloyd, 2B3. George Carr, 1B4. Charlie Mason, RF5. Bill Riggins, 3B6. George Scales, SS7. Julio Rojo, LF8. Charlie Spearman, C9. Connie Rector, PHilldale Club (3-2)1.... Read more of this article

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Features

NORMALIZING NEGRO LEAGUE STATISTICS

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Most baseball fans are familiar with the concept of ‘normalizing’ statistics.... 

Major League Equivalencies for The Negro Leagues

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Major League Equivalents (MLEs) are a series of calculations designed to take non-major... 

Negro League Great, Spottswood Poles, Honored by his Birthplace

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The city of Winchester, Virginia honored early 20th century Negro Leaguer, and native... 

Trevor Bauer, Sam McDowell, and A Rod’s Birthday Cake

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So, in a fit of anger or frustration or both, Trevor Bauer heaved the baseball over... 

How Ernie Banks Revolutionized the Position of Shortstop

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*And where did those home runs come from? One of the unfortunate byproducts of Ernie... 

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Hall of Fame

WAR and Win Shares and Charlie Blackmon

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It appears that WAR, in attempting to assign a single number to represent a player’s... 

The BBWAA “Report Card” for the 21st Century

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The CAWS Career Gauge (CCG) has ranked all of the outstanding players of the modern... 

WAR and JAWS – Exaggerating Fielding Value

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In an earlier post, I pointed out that Matt Chapman’s WAR value for 2018 (8.2)... 

A Problem with WAR = Defensive Value

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My primary research interest has always been determining which players had the best... 

The Four CAWS HOF Benchmarks for Pitchers

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In a previous post re Koufax and Kershaw, I mentioned one of the benchmarks created... 

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Minors

Principal Park: Despite City’s Size, Ballpark Has Big Impact

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Minor league baseball a Des Moines, Iowa, staple at same location since 1947 Submitted... 

Max Watt: The Boston Red Sox’s Power Pitching Prospect

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Scouting is an integral part of professional baseball. Teams employ and send out... 

Suns’ First Pitch Thrown By Suns’ First Pitcher

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The Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League asked the retiring sheriff of nearby... 

An Interview with Boston Red Sox Prospect Nick Longhi

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Growing up rooting for a baseball team, and striving to get into position to one... 

Carroll enjoys staying on his grind

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ROCHESTER, NY – More than a decade has passed since Brett Carroll roamed... 

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