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May 25, 2013
THT Essentials:
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Rich Barbieri
John Barten Kyle Boddy Brian Borawski James Gentile Matt Hunter Frank Jackson Chris Jaffe Brad Johnson Jason Linden Dan Lependorf Bruce Markusen Jeff Moore Greg Simons Scott Spratt Dave Studeman Shane Tourtellotte Steve Treder And here's the full roster. Now availableYou can now purchase the Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2013, with 300 pages of great content. It's also available on Amazon and Kindle. Read more about it here.
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About Jeff SackmannJeff Sackmann is the creator of MinorLeagueSplits.com. With Kent Bonham, he founded CollegeSplits.com, which provides data on amateur baseball to about half of the 30 Major League teams. In his other virtual life, Jeff helps people get into business school. He has written Total GMAT Math, Total GMAT Verbal, and Total GRE Math. Jeff also has an email address.Note: This page displays up to 200 articles at a time. To view a subset of a writer's work, click on one of the following years: 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Jeff Sackmann's ArticlesClick here to view an RSS feed of this writer's articles. Another look at replacement levelAugust 12, 2010On a position-by-position basis, are we doing replacement level wrong? How competitive was the 1914 Federal League?August 05, 2010A statistical look at a renegade major league yields a surprising insight into the effect of expansion. The most surprising .300 hittersJuly 29, 2010Using retrospective projections to find breakout (and flat-out weird) seasons. Free Mike HessmanJuly 22, 2010The journeyman infielder has been unfairly consigned to a career in the minors. Someone needs to let him contribute ... if it's not already too late. THT Live: Rehab assignments for minor leaguersJuly 21, 2010THT Live: Bengie Molina and the cycleJuly 17, 2010THT Live: Advanced pro debutsJuly 16, 2010THT Live: The value of situational hittingJuly 15, 2010Book review: The Eastern StarsJuly 15, 2010A new book takes a closer look at a baseball hotbed in the Caribbean. THT Live: Does every *seller* get one representative?July 10, 2010Prospect (and suspect) defenseJuly 08, 2010Checking in on midseason TotalZone defense numbers for the minor leagues. The odds of a cycleJuly 01, 2010What is the probability of a given player hitting for the cycle? A summer league near youJune 24, 2010College players, wood bats ... what more could you want? Preview: The College World SeriesJune 17, 2010Who's there, who to watch, and who's going to win. THT Live: 2010 MLB Draft by the numbersJune 11, 2010THT Live: Angel Salome: Not a catcher; not getting any tallerJune 10, 2010Sleeper watch: 2010 draftJune 10, 2010Jeff sifts through the first 10 rounds of the amateur draft looking for names you should know. THT Live: Supplemental round draft recapJune 07, 2010THT Live: First round draft recapJune 07, 2010College World Series oddsJune 03, 2010The road to Omaha runs through Monte Carlo. The college boardMay 27, 2010Jeff cracks open the spreadsheets and ranks the top college draft prospects. Beyond BryceMay 20, 2010There's plenty of draft-eligible college talent behind the plate. Jeff ranks the contenders. How many strikeouts is too many?May 13, 2010Jeff identifies an important red flag for draft day. All about college walk ratesMay 06, 2010In which Jeff beats a dead horse, wondering if it will come back to life. College catcher defenseApril 29, 2010Who is the most feared college catcher? Which 2008 Giants draft pick is better (at some things) than Buster Posey? For once, Jeff tries to answer as many questions as he asks. Across the (defensive) universeApril 22, 2010How the defensive spectrum changes from college ball to the professional ranks Prospect prizefightsApril 15, 2010What happens when college pitchers face future draftees? And what does it all mean? Mano a manoApril 02, 2010A new way to measure amateur prospects: What happens when they go head to head? Five questions: Milwaukee BrewersMarch 18, 2010The NL Central is up for grabs. Will the Crew be good enough to take it? Should Carlos Gomez hit more ground balls?March 12, 2010On the use and misuse of batted ball stats. College pitcher development patternsMarch 04, 2010Answering some questions, and asking some new ones. The young and the agingFebruary 26, 2010A first look at development patterns for college hitters College flychasersFebruary 18, 2010Defense analysis meets NCAA outfielders. Pull hitters and lopsided ballparksFebruary 12, 2010Breaking down park factors to see who benefits—and who suffers—from their home park. Power to all fieldsFebruary 04, 2010Which farmhands have it, and which ones don't? Relievers in the roughJanuary 21, 2010Hunting for bullpen help in minor league starting rotations New captain, new crewJanuary 05, 2010The Pirates are bringing new meaning to the word "rebuilding." The Hall of Fame case for Alan TrammellJanuary 05, 2010When second best is more than good enough. THT Live: Four runs a game! Or more!December 18, 2009The Figgins factorDecember 10, 2009Seattle needed Chone in a bad, bad way. Where does production come from?October 29, 2009Or: How the Angels (almost) won the pennant THT Live: Quality start streaksOctober 01, 2009Pick your favorite rookieOctober 01, 2009The NL Rookie of the Year Award race is wide open. Here are the contenders. THT Live: Disco Hayes theorizesSeptember 23, 2009They want Moore?September 03, 2009Someday, the Royals will be competitive again. But when? Revisiting Bill Hall’s long-term dealAugust 20, 2009The disappointing Brewer has been DFA'd. What does that say about Doug Melvin's original decision to lock him up? THT Live: Cespedes, De La Cruz, and pray for a better rhymeAugust 19, 2009THT Live: How old is your Double-A team?August 08, 2009Treading and retreadingAugust 06, 2009How old are the players on your Triple-A affiliate? Does it matter? THT Live: W: Felix CespedesAugust 04, 2009THT Live: Midseason TotalZone MinorsAugust 03, 2009THT Live: Claudio Vargas, really?July 31, 2009THT Live: Watch out, Mark BuehrleJuly 29, 2009Dissecting the DSLJuly 23, 2009Trying to make sense out of the Dominican Summer League Fielding stats for college shortstopsJuly 09, 2009The defensive stylings of Robbie Shields, Gordon Beckham, and...Tyler Bortnick? The wrong side of 120June 25, 2009Texas closer Austin Wood isn't the only college pitcher to have endangered his arm this year. Jeff looks at the workloads of other top picks. THT Live: The (Cape League) replacement playersJune 24, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: ChampionshipsJune 22, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: Omaha day 7June 19, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: Omaha day 6June 18, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: Omaha day 5June 17, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: Omaha day 4June 16, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: Omaha day 3June 15, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: Omaha day 2June 14, 2009Extreme environmentsJune 12, 2009Jeff looks at the first five rounds of the draft and finds the players whose numbers benefited or suffered most from context. THT Live: College splits for 2009 drafteesJune 11, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: Pre-OmahaJune 09, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds: Pre-Super RegionalsJune 02, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds through day 3June 01, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds through day 2May 31, 2009THT Live: College World Series odds through day 1May 30, 2009The odds to OmahaMay 28, 2009Handicapping the 64-team NCAA bracket. Small College World Series oddsMay 21, 2009Jeff handicaps the Division II and III championships. Is Tom Mendonca the second coming of Brooks Robinson?May 07, 2009A foray into college defense stats Five questions: Milwaukee BrewersMarch 26, 2009Will the 2009 Crew get drunk with glory, or just gloriously drunk? Measuring the NAIAMarch 16, 2009How does NAIA baseball stack up against the levels of the NCAA? Why I love the World Baseball ClassicMarch 12, 2009It isn't the regular season, but it might just be better. Even smaller collegesMarch 03, 2009How does NCAA Division 3 compare to Division 1? How good is NCAA Division 2?February 17, 2009Putting small-college baseball in context. Breaking down Division 1 baseballFebruary 05, 2009Ranking schools, schedules, and conferences. Why the Brewers lost to the PhilliesOctober 08, 2008As if I really want to talk about it. Why the Brewers Will Beat the PhilliesOctober 01, 2008Trust me—this is how God wants it. The remains of the season: Brewers editionAugust 05, 2008With CC Sabathia in the fold, the Brewers are in the driver's seat in the race for the Wild Card. Will they stay on course? THT Live: College splits from day oneJune 06, 2008Yep, 14 pitchersMay 01, 2008Why Milwaukee's idea wasn't completely insane. Anatomy of the A’sApril 22, 2008Will this first-place team stick around at the top of the standings? The benefit of batting eighthApril 17, 2008How do things change with the pitcher on deck? Scouting the scoutsApril 09, 2008Jeff and Kent use college play-by-play data to check up on evaluations of amateur talent. Who should sign Barry Bonds?March 04, 2008A .900+ OPS is waiting ... will anyone make the call? Education of a pitcherFebruary 28, 2008Do college groundball rates tell us anything? Can the 1986 Brewers be salvaged?October 24, 2007If this column only answered that question, it would be a short one. Exodus in the Bronx?October 17, 2007Forget about Joe Torre—the Yankees have bigger things to worry about. Should the Brewers exercise Jenkins’s option?October 11, 2007It's nine million bucks, but a tougher decision than you might think. Voteless wondersOctober 05, 2007Here are six players who should get strong consideration for end-of-season awards ... but won't. Triple-A pitchers, under the microscopeAugust 15, 2007Pitch-by-pitch data for prospects, suspects and Adam Pettyjohn. Triple-A, one pitch at a timeAugust 08, 2007Jeff digs into minor league pitch-by-pitch data, starting with Triple-A batters. Deadline draft picksAugust 01, 2007Should you trade away the future for the present...and the future? On the bubbleJuly 18, 2007Four teams with some soul-searching to do between now and July 31. Fixing the DerbyJuly 11, 2007The Home Run Derby is boring and broken. Jeff has the solution. StreakingJune 27, 2007Jeff dives into the numbers and determines which expansion-era teams were streakiest. Race to the bottomJune 22, 2007Who'll enter the history books as 2007's worst team? The Nats are the frontrunners, but Jeff finds some stiff competition. Round TwoJune 20, 2007Jeff takes an in-depth look at the past, present, and future of the unheralded second round of the amateur draft. Early ReturnsJune 13, 2007Jeff looks at the first picks in the 2006 amateur draft and considers how this year's class will look in June 2008. THT Live: Draft SplitsJune 08, 2007Ping!June 06, 2007Jeff takes in the NCAA Division III Championships...and loves every minute of it. The $7 Ballpark BrewskieMay 31, 2007How MLB bleeds you out of your last dollar, and why it might be a good thing. The Case for a Quicker HookMay 25, 2007An immodest proposal designed to make middle relievers work for their money. The 27-Man RosterMay 23, 2007Jeff looks at how teams can get creative with their active rosters, and whether the rules ought to be tightened. Roger ThisMay 18, 2007The Yankees made a multi-million dollar gamble, and it's anybody's guess how it will turn out. Better BrewersMay 09, 2007Is Milwaukee leaving wins on the table by keeping Ryan Braun in the minors? The New InefficiencyMay 04, 2007Maybe Shannon Stewart wasn't such a bad signing after all. Legends Among Us: American League Position PlayersMay 02, 2007Here a Yankee, there a Yankee... The Best College Hitters, So FarApril 27, 2007It's a jungle out there, but Jeff and Kent boil it all down to one number worth watching. Legends Among Us: National League Position PlayersApril 25, 2007The Hall of Famers tomorrow ... today! Legends Among Us: American League PitchersApril 13, 2007Picking up where he left off on Wednesday, Jeff looks at the future Hall of Famers taking the mound in the junior circuit. Legends Among Us: National League PitchersApril 11, 2007There are probably 50 or 60 future Hall of Famers playing the major leagues right now. Jeff tries to figure out who they are. No One’s FantasyApril 06, 2007Finding truly useless regulars isn't as easy as it looks. Who Are These Guys?April 04, 2007The Washington Nationals have to field a starting rotation, whether they want to or not. Jeff takes a look at who they dug up. Five Questions: Milwaukee BrewersMarch 28, 2007In 2006, the Brewers were a sleeper team that never woke up. Will they finally stop hitting the snooze? The All-Star Game That Shouldn’tMarch 21, 2007Jeff takes a look back at the 2002 Midsummer Classic. It was a wild scene, even before Bud Selig got involved. Baseball’s Deepest Starting RotationsMarch 16, 2007Which teams are best built to withstand the inevitable pitching injuries? Jeff takes a look. What’s the Deal With Mark Redman?March 14, 2007The 2006 All-Star finally has a job. Jeff wonders why it took so long and tries to figure out whether he deserves it. The Best Benches in the National LeagueMarch 09, 2007The Brewers are No. 1 in Jeff's heart. Coincidentally, they also top this list. The Best Benches in the American LeagueMarch 07, 2007The Los Angeles Angels top this list of teams with the deepest rosters in the junior circuit. 10,115 Things We Didn’t Know Last MonthMarch 02, 2007In many ways, college baseball is uncharted territory. Kent and Jeff will be your guides. Five American League Bullpens in FluxFebruary 28, 2007Jeff ignores writerly advice and writes about what he doesn't know. Five National League Bullpens in FluxFebruary 23, 2007It's that time of year: We're talking about baseball all the time, but we don't know much of anything. Meet the Bench PlayersFebruary 21, 2007Every tragedy has a face. Win Shares Above Bench isn't a tragedy, but it does have some faces. THT Live: On the Radio in Austin, TexasFebruary 19, 2007Ranking OrganizationsFebruary 16, 2007Who has the best farm system? Jeff puts on his beanie cap and figures it out. Risk vs. UncertaintyFebruary 14, 2007Or, Ramon Ortiz vs. Matt Garza. Introducing College SplitsFebruary 09, 2007Kent and Jeff bring a new baby into the world...and it's a big one. Planning Ahead in MilwaukeeFebruary 07, 2007The Brewers signed Bill Hall through 2010. Deals like this one are signs of the times, so Jeff takes a closer look at the trend. THT Live: NYC SABR Chapter Meeting on SaturdayFebruary 06, 2007The Class of ‘08February 02, 2007Will next year's free agent options be more appetizing than this year's? Average Is as Average DoesJanuary 31, 2007Or is it? UnlistedJanuary 26, 2007What we need to do if we really want to compare prospects Ben Sheets is AwesomeJanuary 24, 2007In 17 starts last year, the Brewers ace made history. LaRoche for GonzalezJanuary 19, 2007And the winner is... Another Look at Starting RotationsJanuary 17, 2007This time, Jeff uses actual starters! Is Scott Schoeneweis Any Good?January 12, 2007Somebody must think so—besides Scott Boras, that is. Steve Garvey Gets No RespectJanuary 10, 2007Sure, but does he deserve any? Free Agents (Still) Worth WatchingJanuary 03, 2007The big boys are signed, but the cupboard isn't bare. More Fun With Rotation NumbersDecember 29, 2006What we talk about when we talk about starters. How Good Is Your #4 Starter?December 27, 2006Hint: Probably not as good as you think. Holding the RunnerDecember 22, 2006Which minor league pitchers best controlled the basepaths in 2006? The Mid-Rotation Starters of Your DreamsDecember 20, 2006Jeff Suppan and Barry Zito are the best pitchers left on the market. A handful of teams have some soul-searching to do. Minor League GunsDecember 15, 2006Which young catchers best controlled the running game in 2006? Issues of National ConcernDecember 13, 2006Jim Bowden has been uncharacteristically silent this winter. Jeff wonders what it means for his team's future. Rule 5 RecapDecember 08, 2006Five notable selectees and one interesting strategy in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. Is Adam Kennedy the Steal of the Offseason?December 06, 2006Jeff looks at the market for free-agent second basemen. Whither Bill Hall?November 29, 2006The Brewers have started a game of musical chairs, and their best hitter may be the odd man out. Anatomy of the OutfieldNovember 22, 2006How good is an average center fielder? Matsuzaka MadnessNovember 15, 2006Is $50 million the new $13 million? Jeff wonders what it all means for Barry Zito, the Red Sox and Japanese baseball. Projecting Akinori IwamuraNovember 08, 2006If he comes to the states, it's far from clear how he'll perform. Jeff looks at all the possibilities. Putting a Price on MatsuzakaNovember 01, 2006How much is Japan's best pitcher worth? World Series: Cardinals vs. Tigers: Carpenter DominatesOctober 25, 2006With or without the help of foreign substances, Chris Carpenter shuts down the Tigers. THT Live: World Series Probabilities After Game 2October 22, 2006World Series: Cardinals vs. Tigers: St. Louis Grabs Game 1October 22, 2006Reyes pitches into the ninth, and the Cardinals hit like they're healthy. Projecting the World SeriesOctober 21, 2006Bring your pocket protector, and we'll figure out who'll win this thing! NLCS: Mets vs. Cardinals: Jeff Suppan, Series MVPOctober 20, 2006Behind Suppan's arm and Molina's bat, the Cardinals advance to the World Series NLCS: Mets vs. Cardinals: Let’s Play Seven!October 19, 2006Maine is memorable, and the Mets force a final game. NLCS: Mets vs. Cardinals: Weaver Gets RevengeOctober 18, 2006With their bullpen back on track, the Cardinals are one win away from the World Series. NLCS: Mets vs. Cardinals: Jeff Suppan Masters the MetsOctober 15, 2006Steve Trachsel implodes as Suppan excels. NLCS: Mets vs. Cardinals: St. Louis Strikes BackOctober 14, 2006Billy Wagner creates postseason heroes wholesale. NLCS: Mets vs. Cardinals: Glavine Wins the OpenerOctober 13, 2006Glavine and Weaver duel into the sixth, but one Carlos Beltran swing is all the Mets need. NLCS Preview: Mets vs. CardinalsOctober 11, 2006Subtract Pedro and El Duque, add a competent Jeff Weaver, and this series is closer than it looks. NLDS: Cards vs. Pads: Boomer Goes BustOctober 06, 2006Behind a strong outing from Jeff Weaver, the Cardinals take a 2-0 series lead. NLDS: Cardinals vs. Padres: Pujols winsOctober 04, 2006Jake Peavy lost another Game 1. Eight Ugly OptionsOctober 04, 2006Looking forward to when executives will just say no. Francisco Cordero, Deadline StealSeptember 27, 2006Is Coco one of baseball's best closers? Jeff takes a look. Rebuilding, the Marlin WaySeptember 21, 2006Four teams that could benefit from a fire sale. | ||||