I handled the game recap for last night’s Red Sox game against the Yankees. The Sox offense scored 10 tens for the fifth time this season, and Rick Porcello overcame some first inning troubles to put in a solid start. The Red Sox are now above .500 in the second half, and in general are a fun team to watch on a nightly basis.
Read my notes from the game at BP Boston: Game 157 Recap: Red Sox 10, Yankees 4.
This week at Beyond the Box Score I have an article about pitchers’ performance as hitters. For the most part pitchers cannot hit and represent an automatic out in National League (NL) lineups. But there are a few cases of pitchers who succeed when standing in the batter’s box. Two that stand out in today’s game are Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants and Zack Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers. These two also happen to be elite level pitchers, so they really present a more complete package to their teams than other top pitchers. With the statistics presently available we can determine how much value pitchers are adding (or subtracting) on the offensive side of things. In a few cases, like for the two mentioned above, it has a substantial effect. Considering this value shakes up the rankings a bit.
I should note that I don’t think we should take these few examples of pitchers that hit decently as evidence against implementing the designated hitter in the NL. Doing so is a rule change that I think is overdue and should be implemented as soon as possible. Generally, fans are watching baseball to see people who are the best in the world at the game, or at least parts of the game. With that in mind, sending a player who can actually do some damage while at the plate (i.e., a designated hitter), instead of someone who is just doing it because he has to (i.e., most pitchers) will be better for the game.
My article does not focus on the DH in the NL issue, I just felt I would bring it up here. Rather, my article is more of a fun look at Madison Bumgarner’s hitting ability. Check it out: Madison Bumgarner is more than just a great pitcher.
I had another Weekend Preview piece at BP Boston on Friday. I should have posted it here before the weekend, as it is somewhat out of date now, but it is still worth checking out. In my preview I focused on how important the weekend was for the Red Sox, given that a sweep or even series win would have really put them back into the mix in the American League East. Losing two of three, as they did, was certainly less than ideal.
You can check out what I thought about the pitcher match-ups, the Yankees’ lineup, and an prospective overview of what to expect in the series here: Weekend Preview: Red Sox vs. Yankees, Part III
I had my third Weekend Preview piece up at BP Boston on Friday. I should have posted it here before the weekend, as it is somewhat out of date now, but it is still worth reading. In my preview I focused on how strong the Blue Jays’ offense is and then they scored 31 runs in the three games in Boston. The Red Sox are a complete joke, but that should not take away from what the Blue Jays are doing right now. The Jays are on a nice roll, pummelling teams night in and night out. The pitching and defense is still suspect but their offense can carry them.
You can check out what I wrote about the pitcher match-ups, the Blue Jays’ lineup, and a general overview of what I thought people should expect in the series in my preview here: Weekend Preview: Red Sox vs. Blue Jays, part III.
I expect that even non-baseball fans heard that a baseball player was signed to a 13-year $325 million deal this week. When you see that a human being is going to get paid $325 million to play a game you probably take notice. That baseball player is Giancarlo Stanton, the tremendous Miami Marlins outfielder. I expect that a number of fear-mongering journalists have suggested that this contract is yet anther reminder that baseball is dying. But the reality is that a contract like this demonstrates not that baseball is dying, but rather that it is thriving. And here is the real kicker: this contract makes sense. Hear me out.
This week at Beyond the Box Score I looked into players that have seen their home run totals decline in each of the last two seasons. As you may know, power (specifically home runs) has been trending down for the last 10-15 years, leading us into a low run environment (on average teams are only scoring ~4.1 runs per game). For those of us that enjoy a 2-1 pitcher’s duel, this is great news. But for those that enjoy a 9-8 slugfest, this is terrible news. For my article, I looked at the decline in home runs and six players who have seen their home run totals slip by at least 5 from 2012 to 2013, and again from 2013 to 2014.
In some cases the HR total change comes as a result of a change in home ballpark (e.g., Robinson Cano), while in others there is a slight change in batted ball outcomes (i.e., more groundballs, fewer flyballs). But in all cases there was a drop in home run to flyball (HR/FB) rate. A reduction in HR/FB rate can be indicative of an aging slugger, which fits with the players that are identified in my article.
You can read the whole thing here: Consecutive Seasons of a Power Decline.
Chris Teeter 