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Last week, we discussed the term “clutch” and whether it means anything when looking at a team or player’s numbers with runners in scoring position. We found that “clutch” is more abstract, based on our natural instinct to place greater value on certain players who we perceive to perform better in certain situations, but in reality, it is meaningless. …
Continue Reading →Paul Goldschmidt has already indicated that if he were invited to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby, he would say he wasn’t interested. But would it hurt Goldy’s swing if he did participate, given that he’s an all-fields hitter?
I don’t want to put words in Goldy’s mouth — in my opinion, when this story “broke” yesterday, everyone was …
Continue Reading →Jeff’s post last week about how bad the Diamondbacks have been with runners in scoring position got me thinking. He explained that there is no such thing as clutch hitting. I wholeheartedly agree. I wondered if good relievers could make a team’s pitching more clutch. My idea was that better relievers would hunker down, especially in close games, and it …
Continue Reading →Are the Diamondbacks a “clutch” team at the plate? I know their record would seem suggestive on it’s own, but humor me for a moment. If they were a clutch team, what would that look like? It’s generally accepted that clutch teams, or better yet, a clutch player, would come through in high leverage situations with an unusually high frequency. …
Continue Reading →Mark Trumbo, A.J. Pollock, Cody Ross, and Gerardo Parra were supposed to man the outfield this season. As anyone who has ever done anything knows, things don’t always go according to plan. Mark Trumbo broke his foot near the end of April and has been out ever since. A.J. Pollock got hit on the hand by a …
Continue Reading →Back in the good old days of the balanced schedule, teams played other teams in their league about equally, regardless of whether they were in the same division. The quality of one’s opponent can change drastically depending on the starting pitcher, but even though three-game series aren’t a perfect match with five-man rotations, it’s hard to say that the old …
Continue Reading →When the season began, Trevor Cahill and Randall Delgado made up two-fifths of the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation. By mid-April both had been relegated to the bullpen. Cahill was likely on a short leash after an inconsistent 2013 campaign. Similarly, the club indicated that they did not envision Randall Delgado as a starter; he was not projected to crack the rotation …
Continue Reading →More than a third of the season is in the books now, and the D-backs have played a majors-leading 59 games. The team’s offense has been at least decent, but despite better pitching numbers in May, the D-backs have allowed 4.95 runs per game, easily the worst in MLB. The pitching staff has definitely struggled, but might there be more …
Continue Reading →Thanks in part to playing a majors-high 56 games (thanks, Australia), the D-backs are actually tied at 13th for runs scored in the majors so far this year. Switch to runs scored per game, and the team ranks just 21st in the bigs and 8th in the NL. That’s not bad, but it clearly has not been enough to carry …
Continue Reading →The Diamondbacks were terrible in the home run department last year. They tied for 25th in baseball in home runs hit in 2013 and were 23rd in home runs allowed. You don’t need any reminder of this if watched much D-backs baseball in last year, it was literally painful to watch. Giving up a lot of homers isn’t nearly as …
Continue Reading →Even in a subpar season in which they rank just 26th in the majors in on-base percentage and 29th in walks (worst in the NL), the D-backs have had plenty of base runners. The D-backs have the worst base running marks in the National League, however, and being more aggressive could pay serious dividends in propping up the …
Continue Reading →Earlier this month, the Diamondbacks called up Evan Marshall from Triple-A. Since being called up, he has been placed in a variety of high-leverage situations and succeeded at a high level: in 8.2 innings, Evan Marshall has yet to give up an earned run. This level of run prevention is not sustainable, but Marshall clearly has the chance to become …
Continue Reading →Even before Adam Eaton was traded for Mark Trumbo, we knew that on base percentage wasn’t the highest priority for the Diamondbacks. Trumbo’s .297 career OBP in the majors would be somewhat below average this season, and Adam Eaton’s career OBP in the minors was a mind-blowing .449. It would be foolish to think Eaton could match that in …
Continue Reading →A.J. Pollock is becoming quite the weapon at the plate. As you’ve probably noticed, his production has been way up over the last few weeks as he’s sporting a .315/.364/.546 line for the Diamondbacks. His 148 wRC+ is tied for first (with Paul Goldschmidt) on the team and tied for 11th in the National League (min. 140 PA’s). Considering …
Continue Reading →Addison Reed had an excellent season last year — even better than it appeared, maybe. His 3.79 ERA was nothing to be ashamed about, but his 3.17 FIP suggests he was better than that. As an extreme fly ball pitcher, Reed’s story will always be about his home run to fly ball ratio, which, until this season, had been lower …
Continue Reading →Last week, we explored the performance of the Diamondbacks’ position players this season compared to their preseason projections. Never one to leave you hanging, it’s time that we apply the same methodology to the pitching staff. The necessary caveats were in the previous post, but I’ll remind the reader that these projections are updated to reflect the performances …
Continue Reading →@ryanpmorrison
Congrats to @OutfieldGrass24 on a beautiful life, wedding and wife. He deserves all of it (they both do). And I cou… https://t.co/JzJtQ7TgdJ, - Best part of Peralta’s 108 mph fliner over the fence, IMHO: that he got that much leverage despite scooping it out… https://t.co/ivBrl76adF,
RT @OutfieldGrass24: If you're bored of watching Patrick Corbin get dudes out, you can check out my latest for @TheAthleticAZ. https://t.co/k1DymgY7zO, - Of course, they may have overtaken the league lead for outs on the bases just now, also...
But in 2017, Arizona ha… https://t.co/38MBrr2D4b,
- Prior to the games today, there had only been 5 steals of 3rd this season (and no CS) in the National League. The… https://t.co/gVVL84vPQ5,
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- RT @OutfieldGrass24: Dynasty question: Daniel Espino, Emerson Hancock, and Quinn Priester. Gotta cut one. Who should it be?,
- Dynasty question: Daniel Espino, Emerson Hancock, and Quinn Priester. Gotta cut one. Who should it be?,
- Just finished The Sopranos. Late to the party, I know. Gotta say, this isn’t one I’m likely to rewatch.,
- Old friend alert https://t.co/AMp9iNKENL,
RT @DefectorMedia: MLB owners have a lot of power to influence the public’s perception of the CBA proceedings, and they’re willing to… https://t.co/SMs2XAFAtF,
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