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May 22, 2013
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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 available
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About John WalshJohn 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.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 John Walsh's ArticlesClick here to view an RSS feed of this writer's articles. The Compassionate UmpireApril 07, 2010John measures the strike zone and learns about the nature of umpires. Philosophy of batting leadoffMarch 03, 2010Twenty-five years ago Bill James predicted that baseball would wise up and figure out what kind of player should bat leadoff. Was he right? THT Live: The Mets are hitting the wrong wayMarch 01, 2010The Babe at Fenway and other home run storiesNovember 16, 2009Wherein we learn about Ruth's difficulties hitting the long ball in Boston and Ott's easy time at the Polo Grounds, with some bonus material on The Splinter and The Clipper. A story of Mickey and JackieJuly 29, 2009Mantle and Robinson meet in the 1952 World Series. I think. THT Live: Incredibly, more on double playsMarch 24, 2009The worst thing a batter can doMarch 20, 2009The second half of John's investigations of batsmen grounding into double plays, including the best and worst rally-killers of the last half century. Five questions: New York MetsMarch 18, 2009Should Mets fans be hopeful or worried about the upcoming season? Beyond OPS: filling in the gapsFebruary 25, 2009A look at something that OPS overlooks. Or, why Miguel Tejada is not Grady Sizemore. THT Live: Outfield Arm Stats UpdatedFebruary 05, 2009Best outfield arms of 2008January 22, 2009John gives his annual report on outfield arms. We find some new names at the top of the list and some familiar ones at the bottom. Yaz v. Manny (Part 2—defense counts)December 18, 2008Wherein 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. MannyDecember 10, 2008Wherein 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 controlDecember 01, 2008How much control does a pitcher really have? Perhaps not as much as we're led to believe. Virtual chat transcript: John WalshNovember 24, 2008John answers questions from all over. The inside change-up: courage or folly?July 28, 2008Conventional 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. THT Live: A Smart Guy on PITCHf/xJuly 23, 2008Three things Keith Hernandez taught me about pitchingJune 30, 2008Keith Hernandez, in his 1993 book Pure Baseball, has some very good stuff on pitching. Hit ‘em where they ain’t—if you canMay 15, 2008The supposed art of place hitting. How fast should a fastball be?April 21, 2008Which 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 everApril 03, 2008You can already feel your shoulders slump. THT Live: Outfield Arms StatsMarch 31, 2008Five Questions: New York MetsMarch 18, 2008Can the Mets live up to expectations in 2008? Searching for the game’s best pitchFebruary 26, 2008Who throws the best pitch in baseball? You, too, can be a scoutJanuary 28, 2008Can the average Joe be a successful scout of major league talent? Yes! THT Live: More outfield arms resultsJanuary 18, 2008Best outfield arms of 2007January 07, 2008John digs into play-by-play data to unearth the best (and worst) outfield arms of 2007. As usual, there are some surprises. THT Live: The Most Feared Hitter in BaseballJanuary 03, 2008Fastball, slider, change-up, curveball—an analysisDecember 20, 2007Analysis of the four workhorses of the pitcher's arsenal: fastball, slider, change-up and curveball. Butterflies are not bulletsNovember 27, 2007John tries to pin down the elusive knuckler using Pitch f/x data. The advantage of batting left-handedNovember 15, 2007Left-handed batters on average hit for higher averages than right handers. The reasons for that may surprise you. Don’t blame PedroNovember 01, 2007An investigation of Pedro Martinez in 2007. Pitch Identification TutorialSeptember 19, 2007Everything you need to know about identifying pitches using pitch-f/x data. Squaring it upSeptember 04, 2007Is it better to swing at a strike than a ball? Yes. How much better? A lot. The eye of the umpireJuly 25, 2007John investigates the accuracy of umpires' eyes. He employs a million-dollar pitch-tracking system instead of an eye-chart. Strike Zone: Fact vs. FictionJuly 11, 2007Did you know that right-handed batters have to defend a bigger strike zone than lefties? Schilling’s aching shoulderJune 26, 2007Another use for detailed pitch data: investigating the ailing shoulder of Curt Schilling. In Search of the SinkerJune 06, 2007John 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 StepMay 24, 2007Not all ground balls are created equal. Infield Defense — Back to BasicsMay 09, 2007All these defensive systems making your head spin? John looks at infield defense in a simpler way. Going the Other WayApril 24, 2007John looks at the history of hitting to the opposite field. Are hitters using the opposite field more now than in the past? THT Live: Walking HomeApril 04, 2007Five Questions: New York MetsMarch 28, 2007Thoughts on the Mets winning another division title in 2007. Or not. Boston’s Most WantedFebruary 28, 2007John Walsh tells us which batters would benefit most from a move to Fenway Park. Best Outfield Arms of 2006February 15, 2007The best and worst outfield arms of 2006. Making the Most of Fenway ParkJanuary 25, 2007A look at who benefits from the Green Monster and who doesn't. Americans Defeat Nationals in Pitchers’ DuelJanuary 11, 2007The 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 ItJanuary 03, 2007A look back at the Soriano-Wilkerson trade. Under the RadarDecember 06, 2006John looks at some pretty good performances in 2006, some you might not have heard much about. The Most Democratic PitcherNovember 17, 2006A look at Chien-Ming Wang and what the future might hold for him. So, Kenny, What Next?October 24, 2006Ruminations on a World Series off day. Out of Thin Air—the New CoorsSeptember 25, 2006A look at the changes in baseball at altitude in 2006. Pondering FrancoeurAugust 28, 2006A look at the essence of Jeff Francoeur, wherein we try to ascertain what his future holds. Confessions of an RBI FanaticAugust 07, 2006John has a look at the much-maligned Run-Batted-In. Mid-Term Report Card: New York MetsJuly 19, 2006A look at where the Mets have been in 2006 and where they are going The Search for Baseball TruthJuly 06, 2006A sort of baseball Q & A, with some other stuff thrown in. Baseball Smarts: The Best Percentage Players in the GameJune 21, 2006John borrows an idea from Bill James and has a look at the best and worst percentage players in the game. Statistical CuriositiesMay 31, 2006Strange and unusual happenings in the world of baseball. Small Ball Who’s WhoMay 26, 2006John has a look at small ball offenses in 2005. Which teams were playing small ball and which weren't? Endangered Species: The Three-Base HitMay 10, 2006Where have all the triples gone? Lefty Catchers II: The People SpeakApril 24, 2006Some more thoughts on left-handed catchers, most of them from reader e-mail. Top 10 Left-Handed Catchers for 2006April 06, 2006John ranks this year's crop of left-handed catchers. Then he tries to understand why there aren't any. Five Questions: New York MetsMarch 23, 2006It's been a while since the Mets made the playoffs. That might be changing. More Guns in the Outfield: Center and Left FieldMarch 15, 2006The best arms of 2005: center and left fielders. Time’s ArrowMarch 08, 2006A look at the 2005 season from a (very) different perspective. Cannons and Popguns — Rating Outfield ArmsFebruary 21, 2006John has a look at the best (and worst) outfield arms. Three-and-OhFebruary 14, 2006A 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, 2006John concludes his study on how much that speedster on first base disrupts the pitcher, if at all. Base Stealer Intangibles (Part 1)January 30, 2006Does a proficient base stealer on first base distract or disrupt the pitcher? Can Batters Successfully Modify Their Batting Approach?December 07, 2005A follow-up to John's sacrifice fly study Do Batters Try to Hit Sacrifice Flies?December 02, 2005John answers the age-old question. | ||||