Nyjer Needs Some Love

After two whopping suspensions, dumping on Nyjer Morgan at this point should be half the distance to the goal for egregious piling on.  The guy needs some love big time.  So pardon me while I swim against the tide of the conventional wisdom–a concept born and raised here in Washington, DC. I will start at […]

Late Summer Concerns of a Yankee Fan

This summer, I’ve finished up a master’s degree and changed my relationship status to “married.”  I haven’t had a ton of time to watch my beloved Yankees, but I have observed as they’ve compiled the best record in the majors, along with the best run-differential in the league.  They’re in first place in the AL […]

Aroldis Chapman’s Fantastic Pitch f/x

The last time I tried to copy and paste a graph from Texas Leaguers Pitch f/x database, the information didn’t translate.  Let’s see if this works. Here is supposed to be the side angle of Aroldis Chapman pitches from his Major League debut two nights ago.  Notice the excellent tumbling, downward action of his offerings. […]

Is Robinson Cano Less Aggressive This Season?

Robinson Cano’s career has been a battle of improvement. And, for the most part, it has been extremely positive. After nearly winning the batting title in 2006, and hitting .306 in 2007, things looked pretty good for Cano. But, once he hit .271 in 2008, the Yankees needed an answer. The answer was Cano’s aggressiveness. […]

Stephen Strasburg: It Was Bound To Happen

Almost three months ago, Nationals Stadium was filled for the first time in it’s existence. Not because the Nationals were playing well, but because the most sought after prospect in baseball, Stephen Strasburg, was set to make his debut. The day was June 8, 2010. The opposing team was the Pittsburg Pirates. If the uniforms […]

In the Best Interests of Baseball?

What exactly does the leaking of financial information about six teams by Deadspin.com seek to change at the end of the day?  In 2006–in the name of competitive balance–Major League Baseball, Inc. set in place a system to share revenues from the richest teams–those whose markets will always remain demographically enhanced–with the poorest ones.  Upsetting […]

Player of the Fortnight vol. 3

It’s been a few weeks since we handed out any hardware, so we’re excited to present our third edition of Players of the Fortnight. (All stats courtesy of the inestimably valuable Fangraphs.)

A-OK without A-Rod? Not quite.

The Yankees placed Alex Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list Saturday. The move is looked at as a precautionary one; the Yankees want to make sure that the injury does not turn into a bigger problem as we approach the playoffs. With a win on Saturday, the Yankees improved to 11-0 when Alex Rodriguez is not […]

Touring The Bases With…John Castino

John Castino was selected co-rookie of the year (with Toronto’s Alfredo Griffin) in the American League for 1979 after batting .285 with eight triples. Due to the tie, the voting process (and point system) was changed in 1980. Castino hit .302 in 1980 and led the American League in triples in 1981, but back problems […]

Touring the Bases With…Dick Bosman

Dick Bosman is the minor league pitching coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rays, rated the best young organization in the game.  Much of that is derived from the unbelievable pitching talent Dick has the pleasure to work with.  Here are his thoughts on his pupils. TL.  The Rays have the lowest runs per game allowed […]

If the Granderson trade never happened…

As CC Sabathia and the Yankees beat up on Justin Verlander and the Tigers Tuesday night, a very interesting battle occurred within the war. Austin Jackson, an outfielder who was developed in the Yankee system, hit a home run on the first pitch thrown by the Yankees ace CC Sabathia. The inning later, Curtis Granderson, […]

The Kaline: Establishing a Mendoza Line For Hall of Famers

Introduction The purpose of this study is to establish a Mendoza Line for Hall of Fame hitters. After looking at the lifetime statistics of current Hall of Famers, Al Kaline began to stand out from the crowd. His .297 batting average, 3,007 hits, and 399 home runs seemed to be benchmarks for elite hitters. This […]

Taking the Challenge, Both Harper and the Nationals

Bryce Harper’s new teammates challenged the young man to fish or cut bait in the days before the August 16 signing deadline.  Stephen Strasburg said, “If he doesn’t want to play here, we don’t want him here.”   Ryan Zimmerman was almost as skeptical, saying in effect that he saw more maturity and character in […]

Touring The Bases With…Anna Petersen

Anna Petersen is the Community Relations Coordinator for the West Michigan Whitecaps located in Comstock Park, Michigan. They have been a class”A” Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers since 1997. Seamheads:  Did you ever expect to have a career in baseball? Anna Petersen: In all honesty, I was probably the last person expected to have a […]

Touring The Bases With…Brent Mayne

Catcher Brent Mayne was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round (#13 overall) of the 1989 amateur draft and made his major league debut only a year later, rapping an RBI single off Twins pitcher Scott Erickson in his first major league at-bat.  Mayne spent 15 seasons in the big leagues with […]

The Yankees’ future is grid-locked

Remember a couple of months ago when Stephen Strasburg was ready to advance to the majors? The anticipation was as high as ever before: Nationals Stadium was sold out within hours of the announced date of his debut. It seemed as though the world of the Washington Nationals was waiting for the future to thrust […]

Touring the Bases With…Dave Baldwin

The confrontation between batter and hitter defines baseball.  No one understands the scientific dynamic of those opposing forces better than Dave Baldwin, late sixties bullpen stalwart for the Washington Senators, a geneticist and engineer who studies batters and pitchers as mechanical and neurological entities.  His insights are fascinating and offer some important instructive insight into […]

Pressing Matter: A-Rod’s pursuit of 600

Watching Alex Rodriguez swing for his 600th home run has been a frustrating experience. “Strikeout, groundout, popout” seems to appear in the box score every night. As he approaches plate appearance number 50 since home run number 599, it has become more and more evident that A-Rod is pressing. Here are four of Alex’s five […]

Something Rotten in the State of Maryland

Mike Rizzo traded Matt Capps and Cristian Guzman for prospects and kept Adam Dunn.  His team and his fans are both happy and the team is playing hungry again.  Andy MacPhail failed to move Luke Scott or Ty Wiggington but hired Buck Showalter to make sense of it all.  Still, something in Baltimore just doesn’t […]

The story of Joba Chamberlain: Frustration, frustration and more frustration

Believe it or not, Yankee fans can be frustrated too. Hard to believe considering they have won 27 championships and are in the playoff race year in and year out. But occasionally, Yankee fans find something to complain about, something to criticize. And once you get Yankee fans going, there is no stopping them. This […]

Can Dan Haren be the game-changer the Angels need?

The Angels swooped in to acquire one of MLB’s best in Dan Haren. Seamheads writer Jess K. Coleman wonders if he can he the season-changer that the Angels need.

Dunn can be a big difference maker

What would you say if I told you that your team has just acquired Adam Dunn? You would probably sigh and say something like, “we better prepare ourselves for a lot of strikeouts,” or “another classic hit or miss player.” While those two things may be very true, Adam Dunn can be a very valuable […]

LETTERS FROM QUEBEC Induction Day at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame: Part One

It was a month ago, on a sweltering June 19, that the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum introduced four new members to its ranks. Joining such former inductees as Gary Carter; Joe Carter; Andre Dawson; Tony Fernandez; Ferguson Jenkins; Jim McKean; Tip O’Neil; Jackie Robinson; and Larry Walker were two recently retired ball […]

Player survey: Who is the most overrated player in baseball?

187 Major League players were surveyed to answer the question: who is the most overrated player in baseball? Keep in mind that when determining whether a player is overrated or not, evaluation is not the sole factor; public opinion also needs to be weighed in. As determined by the players, here are the top five […]

Touring The Bases With…Ken Henderson

“The press started to build me up pretty heavily, and the thing that they used to write quite often was that I was the next Willie Mays, which I don’t think was the right thing to do. I don’t care if a player is black or white, it doesn’t make any difference, there was nobody […]

Touring the Bases With…Milt Wilcox

Milt Wilcox, a righthanded hurler from Hawaii, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1968 amateur draft, a draft that included Tim Foli, Thurman Munson, Bobby Valentine, Greg Luzinski, Gary Matthews, and Bill Buckner.  Coming straight out of high school, Wilcox began his career in the Rookie League before moving […]

Renteria, Beltre also have shot at Hall

After exploring Johnny Damon and his chances at making the Hall of Fame, I thought it would be interesting to find out if any other players have a chance at accomplishing the ultimate baseball goal. Surprisingly, there are many players that appear on the same lists as sure Hall of Famers such as Derek Jeter […]

Johnny Damon is going to the Hall of Fame

On Tuesday, Johnny Damon recorded the 2,500th hit of his career. To many peoples surprise, it became evident that Johnny Damon, when it is all said and done, will have Hall of Fame numbers. If Damon matches his first half numbers in the second half, the 36 year old will end his 16th season with […]

Beware the Derby

The participants have been announced for the 2010 Home Run Derby. Among the participants are Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers and Robinson Cano of the Yankees. The Tigers and Yankees are both wrapped up in tight races in their respective divisions, and these two players are significant, essential pieces to their teams. Other participants include […]

History’s Biggest All-Star Snubs

Every year around this time, the talk amongst the fans, media, and bloggers centers on All-Star Rosters. No matter who is selected or left off, there are always those who are not going to be happy. Although one thing is for sure, it always makes for a great discussion. With all this talk about Joey […]

It’s Not Just a Year for the Pitchers

A lot has been written this year about the resurgence in domination by pitchers. It’s true that it has been a good year for pitchers but hitters have not completely disappeared although it may seem that way when a player like Omar Infante is selected for the All-Star Game. Last year, only 5 players batted […]

The year of fear. Not pitchers.

Take a moment right now to look back on the 2010 baseball season so far. About half a season has gone by, and the excitement has been inspiring. But, to be fair, every season has it’s share of excitement. However, in 2010, the accomplishments have an interesting twist. Consider the following list of some accomplishments […]

All-Decade Single-Season Wins Above Replacement Team: N.L. 1900-1909

When my friend Dan Hirsch turned me on to his fantastic new web site, The Baseball Gauge, not only did I immediately bookmark it and add it to my blogroll, but it’s been open on my browser for about a week now.  I just can’t seem to get enough!  Dan’s site is all about Win […]

Talking With Jack Perconte About Comiskey Park, Municipal Stadium, and the Kingdome

Last year I looked up the story of the first game at the original Comiskey Park on July 1, 1910. Months later I talked with Jack Perconte about his time playing for the Mariners in the mid-’80s to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Kingdome’s implosion this March. I realized that Jack closed his career […]

Touring The Bases With…Heather McKeating

Heather McKeating is the Group Sales Director for the Norfolk Tides located in Norfolk, Virginia.  They are an Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. SEAMHEADS: When did you start working for the Norfolk Tides? HEATHER: I started working for the Tides when I was sixteen.  I went to my first baseball game, an afternoon game with […]

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