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About John Walsh

John Walsh is a research physicist who, despite living 4000 miles from Fenway Park, remains an avid fan of the Red Sox. He welcomes questions and comments via e-mail.


Choose year:  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004

John Walsh's Articles

Yaz v. Manny (Part 2—defense counts)

December 18, 2008
Wherein we continue our comparison of two Red Sox greats: Carl Yastrzemski and Manny Ramirez. Will Carl's defense overcome Manny's superior bat?

Yaz v. Manny

December 10, 2008
Wherein we examine the relative claims to second-best Red Sox left fielder ever, taking into account hitting, baserunning, catching the ball and throwing the same.

Taking control

December 01, 2008
How much control does a pitcher really have? Perhaps not as much as we're led to believe.

Virtual chat transcript: John Walsh

November 24, 2008
John answers questions from all over.

The inside change-up: courage or folly?

July 28, 2008
Conventional wisdom has it that the changeup should never be thrown inside. John has a look to see if there is any wisdom in the conventional wisdom.

Three things Keith Hernandez taught me about pitching

June 30, 2008
Keith Hernandez, in his 1993 book Pure Baseball, has some very good stuff on pitching.

Hit ‘em where they ain’t—if you can

May 15, 2008
The supposed art of place hitting.

How fast should a fastball be?

April 21, 2008
Which is the better pitch: an 87-mph fastball on the outside corner or 96 down the middle? John has a look using (of course) PITCHf/x.

The worst pitches ever

April 03, 2008
You can already feel your shoulders slump.

Five Questions: New York Mets

March 18, 2008
Can the Mets live up to expectations in 2008?

Searching for the game’s best pitch

February 26, 2008
Who throws the best pitch in baseball?

You, too, can be a scout

January 28, 2008
Can the average Joe be a successful scout of major league talent? Yes!

Best outfield arms of 2007

January 07, 2008
John digs into play-by-play data to unearth the best (and worst) outfield arms of 2007. As usual, there are some surprises.

Fastball, slider, change-up, curveball—an analysis

December 20, 2007
Analysis of the four workhorses of the pitcher's arsenal: fastball, slider, change-up and curveball.

Butterflies are not bullets

November 27, 2007
John tries to pin down the elusive knuckler using Pitch f/x data.

The advantage of batting left-handed

November 15, 2007
Left-handed batters on average hit for higher averages than right handers. The reasons for that may surprise you.

Don’t blame Pedro

November 01, 2007
An investigation of Pedro Martinez in 2007.


Pitch Identification Tutorial

September 19, 2007
Everything you need to know about identifying pitches using pitch-f/x data.

Squaring it up

September 04, 2007
Is it better to swing at a strike than a ball? Yes. How much better? A lot.

The eye of the umpire

July 25, 2007
John investigates the accuracy of umpires' eyes. He employs a million-dollar pitch-tracking system instead of an eye-chart.

Strike Zone: Fact vs. Fiction

July 11, 2007
Did you know that right-handed batters have to defend a bigger strike zone than lefties?

Schilling’s aching shoulder

June 26, 2007
Another use for detailed pitch data: investigating the ailing shoulder of Curt Schilling.

In Search of the Sinker

June 06, 2007
John shows how you can identify different pitch types using data from MLB's Enhanced Gameday. He then digs deeper into the sinker and wonders how anybody can throw the pitch.

Infield Defense, Part 2 — The Next Step

May 24, 2007
Not all ground balls are created equal.

Infield Defense — Back to Basics

May 09, 2007
All these defensive systems making your head spin? John looks at infield defense in a simpler way.

Going the Other Way

April 24, 2007
John looks at the history of hitting to the opposite field. Are hitters using the opposite field more now than in the past?

Five Questions: New York Mets

March 28, 2007
Thoughts on the Mets winning another division title in 2007. Or not.

Boston’s Most Wanted

February 28, 2007
John Walsh tells us which batters would benefit most from a move to Fenway Park.

Best Outfield Arms of 2006

February 15, 2007
The best and worst outfield arms of 2006.

Making the Most of Fenway Park

January 25, 2007
A look at who benefits from the Green Monster and who doesn't.

Americans Defeat Nationals in Pitchers’ Duel

January 11, 2007
The American League is becoming the premier league in MLB. Not only for its hitters, but it turns out AL pitchers are superior as well.


We Blew It

January 03, 2007
A look back at the Soriano-Wilkerson trade.


Under the Radar

December 06, 2006
John looks at some pretty good performances in 2006, some you might not have heard much about.

The Most Democratic Pitcher

November 17, 2006
A look at Chien-Ming Wang and what the future might hold for him.

So, Kenny, What Next?

October 24, 2006
Ruminations on a World Series off day.

Out of Thin Air—the New Coors

September 25, 2006
A look at the changes in baseball at altitude in 2006.

Pondering Francoeur

August 28, 2006
A look at the essence of Jeff Francoeur, wherein we try to ascertain what his future holds.

Confessions of an RBI Fanatic

August 07, 2006
John has a look at the much-maligned Run-Batted-In.

Mid-Term Report Card: New York Mets

July 19, 2006
A look at where the Mets have been in 2006 and where they are going

The Search for Baseball Truth

July 06, 2006
A sort of baseball Q & A, with some other stuff thrown in.

Baseball Smarts: The Best Percentage Players in the Game

June 21, 2006
John borrows an idea from Bill James and has a look at the best and worst percentage players in the game.

Statistical Curiosities

May 31, 2006
Strange and unusual happenings in the world of baseball.

Small Ball Who’s Who

May 26, 2006
John has a look at small ball offenses in 2005. Which teams were playing small ball and which weren't?

Endangered Species: The Three-Base Hit

May 10, 2006
Where have all the triples gone?

Lefty Catchers II: The People Speak

April 24, 2006
Some more thoughts on left-handed catchers, most of them from reader e-mail.

Top 10 Left-Handed Catchers for 2006

April 06, 2006
John ranks this year's crop of left-handed catchers. Then he tries to understand why there aren't any.

Five Questions: New York Mets

March 23, 2006
It's been a while since the Mets made the playoffs. That might be changing.

More Guns in the Outfield: Center and Left Field

March 15, 2006
The best arms of 2005: center and left fielders.


Time’s Arrow

March 08, 2006
A look at the 2005 season from a (very) different perspective.

Cannons and Popguns — Rating Outfield Arms

February 21, 2006
John has a look at the best (and worst) outfield arms.

Three-and-Oh

February 14, 2006
A look at what happens when the count goes to 3-0, with a digression on a couple of very short ballplayers, both real and fictional, and some reflections on baseball's Unwritten Code.

Base Stealer Intangibles (Part 2)

February 06, 2006
John concludes his study on how much that speedster on first base disrupts the pitcher, if at all.

Base Stealer Intangibles (Part 1)

January 30, 2006
Does a proficient base stealer on first base distract or disrupt the pitcher?

Can Batters Successfully Modify Their Batting Approach?

December 07, 2005
A follow-up to John's sacrifice fly study

Do Batters Try to Hit Sacrifice Flies?

December 02, 2005
John answers the age-old question.

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