Here is my ESPN piece for this week.
As of today, 41 percent of the pre-season Top 300 have been disabled, demoted or designated for assignment. That's only about 10 players away from the 44 percent attrition accumulated over a full season in 2010. We are on pace for about...
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This week's BABS-enhanced ESPN piece.
Here is the stat for today:
In 2016, there were 61 pitchers from among the ADP Top 300 who spent some time on the disabled list. Just 11 weeks into this season, there are already 52 pitchers from the Top 300 who've spent some time...
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My ESPN column for the week.
Batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is one of those leading indicator metrics that can identify potential outlying performances. It is not a perfect gauge, but extremes are rarely sustainable. Pitchers' BABIPs tend to regress to something near .300. Batters' BABIPs tend to...
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This is my ESPN Insider column for the week.
There is a harsh reality we must buy into: about two-thirds of the players we draft in the first round will not earn back their draft spot. In a 15-team league, that means 10 owners will take a loss on...
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This is a special bonus ESPN Insider column for the week.
When Freddie Freeman was injured two weeks ago, his fantasy owners cried out in agony: "He's the core of my offense! What am I going to do?! My team is toast!"
As a Freeman owner myself, I felt the...
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This is my ESPN Insider column for the week.
A month ago, I wrote a column called, "No-so-bold May projections." The focus was on players whose underlying metrics pointed to a change in fortunes and a rough time frame for when those fortunes might change.
I received a bunch...
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This is my ESPN Insider column for the week.
Twenty years ago, I coined a simple aphorism: "Once a player displays a skill, he owns it." It came about from experiencing the 1996 breakout performance of Henry Rodriguez. After four nondescript seasons in the majors, Rodriguez exploded in 1997...
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This is my ESPN Insider column for the week. It was written on Monday, posted on Tuesday.
So, April is now over. Thank goodness for that. We are living in a brand new world where last year's Cy Young contenders are sporting 5.00-plus ERAs and the Colorado Rockies are in...
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Every so often, something about a player will rise to my consciousness. A hidden indicator. A revelation that wakes me up at night. I'll call these periodic posts Player Premonitions.
We'll open this new feature with a starting pitcher. Seven years ago, this pitcher won 18 games with a 2.97...
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At this time of year, everyone is out with their bold predictions. For some writers, it's an exercise in tossing spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks. At Baseball HQ, I used to conduct what I called a Longshot Caucus, which was a bit more analytically sound, linking together...
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