Top Stories
Negro Leagues DB Update: 1927 Negro National League
November 16, 2019 · by Gary Ashwill · Leave a Comment
As we count down to the 100th anniversary of the first Negro National League (in February 2020), we’re adding the 1927 Negro National League to the database, to accompany our work on the 1927 Eastern Colored League. Based again on the work of Larry Lester, Wayne Stivers, Dick Clark, and the Negro League Researchers and Authors Group, this update adds some big offensive seasons by the likes of Turkey Stearnes of the Detroit Stars (.353/.433/.671, with 19 home runs) and Willie Wells of the St. Louis Stars, whose 28 home runs were the most we’ve recorded by a player in a single Negro league season. The... [Read the full story]
General
Jack Spradlin: Lefty Pitcher Recalls His Professional Baseball Journey
December 1, 2019 · by Andrew Martin · Leave a Comment
Jack Spradlin was a left-handed pitcher who played at just about every possible level of professional baseball except for the big leagues. By no means was that a failure, as he had a long and interesting career playing the game that he loves. On the radar of major league teams since high school, Spradlin was a 50th-round selection of the New York Mets in 2002. He did not sign then, nor in 2004 when the San Francisco Giants took him in the 43rd round. Finally, after a strong season at USC (University of Southern California) he was taken in the eighth round in 2005 by the Washington Nationals and... [Read the full story]
Features
Negro League Great, Spottswood Poles, Honored by his Birthplace
September 3, 2019 · by Austin Gisriel · Leave a Comment
The city of Winchester, Virginia honored early 20th century Negro Leaguer, and native son, Spottswood Poles, with a plaque earlier this summer. Read More →
Hall of Fame
WAR and Win Shares and Charlie Blackmon
March 23, 2019 · by Michael Hoban · Leave a 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 Kevin Johnson · 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
Jack Spradlin: Lefty Pitcher Recalls His Professional Baseball Journey
December 1, 2019 by Andrew MartinJack Spradlin was a left-handed pitcher who played at just about every possible level of professional baseball except for the big leagues. By no means was that a failure, as he had a long and interesting career playing the game that he loves. On the radar of major league teams since high school, Spradlin was a 50th-round selection of the New York Mets... Read more of this article
THE 1941 MEXICAN LEAGUE SEASON
November 17, 2019 by Kevin JohnsonBefore the 1941 season began, the Mexican League consolidated, going from 7 teams down to only 6 teams. Although the number of Negro Leaguers decreased from 67 to 58, in percentage terms they increased from around 33% to 40% of the total player population. But this understates their impact, as in terms of At Bats, Negro League position players had... Read more of this article
No Way to Honor #42’s Memory
November 14, 2019 by Doug GladstoneThere are 626 retired men and their families who played Major League Baseball who are being denied pensions by both the league and the union representing the current players, the Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA), because of an error the union committed 39 years ago. In order to avert a threatened 1980 walkout by the players,... Read more of this article
Dale Scott: The Umpire Experience
November 2, 2019 by Andrew MartinUmpires are truly overlooked for their contributions to baseball. Their ability to arbitrate games and interpret rules is done at an amazingly high success rate. Even their humanity during times when they make mistakes, or at a minimum, decisions that not all agree with, can bring an exciting and unexpected element to the game. One of the best umpires... Read more of this article
Negro Leagues DB Update: 1930 Negro National League
October 25, 2019 by Gary AshwillCheck out the latest addition to the database, the 1930 Negro National League, based on the work of Larry Lester, Wayne Stivers, and the Negro League Researchers and Authors Group. Also part of this addition are games between NNL and eastern teams, especially the Homestead Grays, which gives a much fuller picture of the Grays’ 1930 season than we... Read more of this article
On Becoming National League Champions in 2019
October 17, 2019 by Ted LeavengoodVictor Robles squeezes the ball into his glove as the man next to me shouts, “It’s an out, baby, it’s an out,” and the stadium erupts into pure animal joy. As the fireworks erupt and the fans explode, the center field gate swings open and a makeshift stage begins to move toward the infield as though it is a leaf being carried... Read more of this article
Is 2019 the Post Season of the Pitcher?
October 13, 2019 by Ted LeavengoodWhoever said it, the old mantra that pitching wins the World Series has an early lead in 2019, even in the modern game where the home run is the attention grabber, the defining moment that lifts everyone from their seats to track the flight of the ball as it heads toward the light standard. But as the days grow shorter and sunset comes earlier, the... Read more of this article
The Mexican Leagues are Here!
October 11, 2019 by Kevin JohnsonFrom its inception in 1924, thru the 1939 season, the Mexican League was basically a league of native Mexican semi-pro players, playing for their local teams. There were a few foreign imports that played in the league during those seasons, most notably Martin Dihigo, who left the New York Cubans after the 1936 season to spend his summers in Mexico.... Read more of this article
Negro Leagues DB Update: 1929 NNL
October 8, 2019 by Gary AshwillThis week we’ve added the 1929 Negro National League to the database, where it joins the 1929 American Negro League (the east coast league) for a complete view of the black majors in that year. This update also includes the 1923 Harrisburg Giants and 1924–1925 Homestead Grays, both courtesy of Scott Simkus, along with new games for several other... Read more of this article
Boston Red Sox 2019: What Went Right
October 5, 2019 by Mike LynchThanks to social media and endless emails I receive from the Boston Globe, NESN, WEEI, and The Athletic Daily it’s clear everyone is still bewildered by what happened to a team that won a franchise-best 108 games last year, then steamrolled through the postseason only to follow it up with a third-place finish that found them 19 games behind the... Read more of this article
More Posts From General
Features
Negro League Great, Spottswood Poles, Honored by his Birthplace
by Austin GisrielThe city of Winchester, Virginia honored early 20th century Negro Leaguer, and native...
Trevor Bauer, Sam McDowell, and A Rod’s Birthday Cake
by Austin GisrielSo, in a fit of anger or frustration or both, Trevor Bauer heaved the baseball over...
How Ernie Banks Revolutionized the Position of Shortstop
by Doug Wilson*And where did those home runs come from? One of the unfortunate byproducts of Ernie...
Ryan Westmoreland: Former Boston Red Sox Top Prospect Talks Playing Career and New Focus
by Andrew MartinFor serious fans of the Boston Red Sox, Harry Agganis and Tony Conigliaro are...
From the Archives: Touring the Bases with…Jim Bouton
by Mike Lynch“You see, you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the...
More Posts From Features
Hall of Fame
WAR and Win Shares and Charlie Blackmon
by Michael HobanIt appears that WAR, in attempting to assign a single number to represent a player’s...
The BBWAA “Report Card” for the 21st Century
by Michael HobanThe CAWS Career Gauge (CCG) has ranked all of the outstanding players of the modern...
WAR and JAWS – Exaggerating Fielding Value
by Michael HobanIn an earlier post, I pointed out that Matt Chapman’s WAR value for 2018 (8.2)...
A Problem with WAR = Defensive Value
by Michael HobanMy primary research interest has always been determining which players had the best...
The Four CAWS HOF Benchmarks for Pitchers
by Michael HobanIn a previous post re Koufax and Kershaw, I mentioned one of the benchmarks created...
More Posts From Hall of Fame
Minors
Principal Park: Despite City’s Size, Ballpark Has Big Impact
by Kevin JohnsonMinor league baseball a Des Moines, Iowa, staple at same location since 1947 Submitted...
Max Watt: The Boston Red Sox’s Power Pitching Prospect
by Andrew MartinScouting is an integral part of professional baseball. Teams employ and send out...
Suns’ First Pitch Thrown By Suns’ First Pitcher
by Austin GisrielThe Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League asked the retiring sheriff of nearby...
An Interview with Boston Red Sox Prospect Nick Longhi
by Andrew MartinGrowing up rooting for a baseball team, and striving to get into position to one...
Carroll enjoys staying on his grind
by Paul GothamROCHESTER, NY – More than a decade has passed since Brett Carroll roamed...
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