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February 10, 2012
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All-Star Game Articles
Following are the one hundred most recent articles for the category
All-Star Game
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02/10/2012: Recapping a swap-filled winterby Jeff Moore02/10/2012: A baseball card mystery: Ontiveros and Schmidtby Bruce Markusen02/10/2012: A dynasty ranking follow-upby Josh Shepardson02/09/2012: Forecasting Princeby Myron Logan02/09/2012: The Homestead exemption act of 1992by Frank Jackson02/09/2012: Fun with numbersby Nick Fleder02/08/2012: Making the leap upby Derek Ambrosino02/08/2012: Against replay in baseballby David Wade02/08/2012: BOB: Oakland dealt setback in pursuit to keep Athleticsby Brian Borawski02/08/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 10: 1966-67)by Steve Treder02/08/2012: 20,000 days since Herb Score’s injuryby Chris Jaffe02/07/2012: A baseball card mystery: Bill Sudakis and the strange lightby Bruce Markusen02/07/2012: 20,000 days since Hank Aaron’s worst gameby Chris Jaffe02/07/2012: Did you know we had a mock draft?by Brad Johnson02/07/2012: State of the system - Arizona Diamondbacksby Jeff Moore02/07/2012: Rockies building a troubling rotationby Troy Patterson02/07/2012: Money and winsby Dave Studeman02/06/2012: Super at the right timeby Joe Distelheim02/06/2012: Let there be news - Volume 7by Brad Johnson02/06/2012: 10 things I didn’t know about one-hittersby Chris Jaffe02/06/2012: This week in (fantasy) baseball: 1/30-2/5by Karl de Vries02/06/2012: Would the Nationals consider holding back Strasburg?by Brad Johnson02/03/2012: Card Corner: 1972 Topps—Bob Vealeby Bruce Markusen02/03/2012: Supplementing the dynasty rankings (Part 2)by Jeffrey Gross02/03/2012: 10,000 days: 500th homer for Mr. Octoberby Chris Jaffe02/02/2012: Edwin Jackson finally signsby Matt Filippi02/02/2012: THT Forecasts - 2012 fantasy price guidesby Greg Tamer02/02/2012: The all-month team: Februaryby Richard Barbieri02/02/2012: We will, we will (mock) youby Nick Fleder02/02/2012: How are wins, attendance and payroll all related?by Dan Lependorf02/01/2012: Are you mocking me?by Derek Ambrosino02/01/2012: Why Oliver Loves Yuby Brian Cartwright02/01/2012: Reflections after a long offseasonby Chris Lund02/01/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 9: 1965-66)by Steve Treder01/31/2012: A baseball card mystery: Ken Holtzman’s 1974 Topps cardby Bruce Markusen01/31/2012: The new golden age of catchingby Troy Patterson01/31/2012: 10,000 days since Carlton becomes Phillies win leaderby Chris Jaffe01/31/2012: The Verdict: Hardball Times mock draft analysisby Michael Stein01/30/2012: Let there be news - Volume 6by Brad Johnson01/30/2012: Juan Pierre, Domonic Brown, and plansby Brad Johnson01/30/2012: Dave Duncan, the 1982 Mariners and lost gloryby Paul Francis Sullivan01/30/2012: This week in (fantasy) baseballby Karl de Vries01/30/2012: What was I thinking?by Ben Pritchett01/28/2012: THT mock draft 2012by Ben Pritchett01/27/2012: Outfield assist of another kindby Bojan Koprivica01/27/2012: In the old days, the game was more excitingby Max Marchi01/27/2012: Supplementing the dynasty rankings (Part 1)by Jeffrey Gross01/27/2012: 30th anniversary: The Ryne Sandberg tradeby Chris Jaffe01/27/2012: Cooperstown Confidential: thinking about Al Smithby Bruce Markusen01/26/2012: Closer watchby Paul Singman01/26/2012: Jack Morris: the winningest pitcher of the 1980sby Bobby Mueller01/26/2012: Marshall McDougall’s greatest gameby Frank Jackson01/26/2012: Players I’ll avoid this yearby Dave Shovein01/25/2012: It’s THT Dispatchby Dave Studeman01/25/2012: THT Forecasts - 2012 Oliver projected-WAR starting lineupby Greg Tamer01/25/2012: Another Fielder for Detroitby THT Staff01/25/2012: AL West: offseason check-inby David Wade01/25/2012: Ask Oliverby Derek Ambrosino01/25/2012: BOB: Astros ponder new lookby Brian Borawski01/25/2012: 40th anniversary: Dave Winfield and the NCAA basket-brawlby Chris Jaffe01/24/2012: Fast goes Astroby Dave Studeman01/24/2012: The greatest eye in baseballby Troy Patterson01/24/2012: A baseball card mystery: Bob Didier and Cleon Jonesby Bruce Markusen01/24/2012: 20,000 days since the Phillies integrateby Chris Jaffe01/24/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 8: 1964-65)by Steve Treder01/23/2012: Carmona points out an MLB inequityby Mat Kovach01/23/2012: Career highlights: Orlando Cabreraby Chris Jaffe01/23/2012: Players I like more than you doby Ben Pritchett01/23/2012: Let there be news - Volume 5by Brad Johnson01/23/2012: Ten least-likely guys to break up a no-hitterby Chris Jaffe01/22/2012: Craig Counsell career highlightsby Chris Jaffe01/20/2012: Thinking big in Big D in 1950by Frank Jackson01/20/2012: Card Corner: 1972 Topps: George Hendrickby Bruce Markusen01/20/2012: The extra 2 percent: A fantasy market inefficencyby Josh Shepardson01/19/2012: Evaluating a strange offseason in San Diegoby Myron Logan01/19/2012: On Edgar Martinezby Richard Barbieri01/19/2012: Searching for sleepersby Nick Fleder01/18/2012: SABR Analytics Conferenceby Dave Studeman01/18/2012: BOB: Mets owner scores another win in courtby Brian Borawski01/18/2012: Is Jorge Posada toast as a righty hitter?by George Szabo01/18/2012: Can you really play it safe?by Derek Ambrosino01/18/2012: A baseball card mystery: Thurman Munson and who?by Bruce Markusen01/18/2012: 10th anniversary: Randy Winn’s greatest shotby Chris Jaffe01/17/2012: 10,000 days since Buddy Bell walk-off slamby Chris Jaffe01/17/2012: The virtual 1958-68 Giants, Reds, and Cardinals (Part 7: 1963-64)by Steve Treder01/17/2012: Some thoughts on Moscosoby Lucas Apostoleris01/17/2012: The Toronto Blue Jays quirkiest pitching staff since 1994by Chris Lund01/17/2012: The Verdict: snake versus auction draftby Michael Stein01/16/2012: PED injustice and the Hallby Mat Kovach01/16/2012: THT Forecasts: Players’ comments…rollout!by Greg Tamer01/16/2012: Ye believe in me, believe also in Mike Stantonby Ben Pritchett01/16/2012: Let there be news - Volume 4by Brad Johnson01/16/2012: The possible upcoming Cooperstown ballot apocalypseby Chris Jaffe01/16/2012: 10th anniversary: Rangers sign Chan Ho Parkby Chris Jaffe01/14/2012: Is there an asterisk in Brandon’s future?by Steve Treder01/13/2012: The Yankees’ finest hourby Nick Fleder01/13/2012: Fantasy Chat - 1/15/12by Nick Fleder01/13/2012: Cooperstown Confidential: Why Bob Howsam isn’t in the Hall of Fameby Bruce Markusen01/12/2012: On Ryan Madson: Parsing Boras’ commentsby Greg Simons01/12/2012: Dynasty rankings 2012 follow-upby Nick Fleder<< Click here to return to the category list. |
![]() July 12, 2011Quiz results: All-Star GameWith mere hours to go before first pitch in the 2011 All-Star Game, the polls are closed (well, not really—you can vote, but it's too late to be counted in the "official" tally).Here are the most up-to-date results of the question that asked about tonight's game: Who are you rooting for? Percentage AL 46.9% NL 53.1%Unlike the last Pop Quiz, which asked what to do with the DH, where the NL-style pitcher batting dominated the voting, this poll was quite close. However, in the end, the National League gets the slight edge. (And, no, I didn't stuff the ballot box.) Regardless, I think we can all hope for a good, tight game—and no tie! Posted by: Greg Simons July 11, 2011Oh boy, the home run derby is hereRight up front, I don't enjoy the Home Run Derby. I find it rather boring, lacking a certain level of competitiveness that I associate with baseball.But to be honest, just because I don't like it does not make it a bad thing.* There is a buzz around it. A noticeable buzz. While surprising to me, one has to appreciate when something creates a buzz for baseball, right? *Yes, unlike some folks that like to jibber-jabber about baseball, my personal preference about something does not specifically mean it is bad. But I want to like the Home Run Derby. So, here are two thoughts of mine of what to change: I will talked about, until I can't talk any more, the need for Duane Kuiper and Steve Stone to do the announcing. There is a fun bit of irony there that lets people know baseball doesn't always have to take itself so seriously. Kuiper is a good announcer in his own right, and Stone is going to be better than just about anybody ESPN would put behind the microphone. But a Kuiper/Stone combo would have a limited appeal, I understand that. It is easy to fix though. Invite radio and TV announcers from different teams to take a turn calling parts of the derby. Sprinkle in a few ex-players who are currently in announcing to provide color commentary and let them talk about famous home runs they hit or gave up. There are enough announcers to make this a rotational setup and keep things fresh. Spread the field out a little more by including prospects. Why not have a minor leaguer battling the boys in the bigs? This would allow many fans more of an opportunity to see some of the talent in the pipeline than the Futures Game. It would also spark some competitiveness. Why not make it a three team competition, including the retired players that might want to take part? The Future, The Present, The Past. Imagine a final round of David Ortiz, Bryce Harper, and Ken Griffey, Jr. Even if you have only two teams, make each have to include a minor league player and a retired one. There will be a added sense of excitement. Posted by: Mat Kovach July 15, 2010Were the All Stars really throwing that hard?If you watched the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, you may have noticed a lot high-nineties fastballs zipping from pitcher to catcher. At one point Fox put up a graphic listing the fastest fastballs of the night:Pitcher Speed (mph) Price 100 Verlander 99 Johnson 99Some people wondered, particularly with David Price, whose average fastball speed this year is 95 mph, whether the Fox speed gun was "hot". I believe that Fox was actually getting its pitch speed data from PITCHf/x rather than a radar gun since the speeds that Fox reported match up very well with the speeds in the PITCHf/x data for the game. Rather than looking at peak speeds, let's look at the average fastball speed for every pitcher who threw in the game. Pitcher Speed (mph) Verlander 99 Price 98 Wilson 98 Johnson 98 Thornton 97 Broxton 97 Jimenez 97 Valverde 96 Wainwright 95 Kuo 95 Hughes 95 Bailey 95 Capps 94 Lester 94 Bell 94 Halladay 93 Soriano 93 Lee 92 Pettitte 91That's a lot of mid and upper-nineties fastballs! Of the 272 pitches thrown, 190, or 70 percent, were fastballs. The average fastball speed in the game was 96 mph. Wow. Was the PITCHf/x system reporting pitch speeds accurately in the All-Star Game? The simple answer is, as far as I can tell, yes. Many of the pitchers were definitely recording faster speeds than they had throughout the season. In addition to the aforementioned Price, Justin Verlander, Josh Johnson, and Adam Wainwright were each measured as bringing their heat two to three mph faster than during the season. The average fastball for all pitchers in the game was measured at one mph faster than the same pitchers threw during the season. The initial inclination would be to say that the PITCHf/x camera system in Angel Stadium was out of calibration such that it was measuring pitch speeds about one mph too fast. That sort of error is not unheard of. However, we should also not be surprised if starting pitchers threw their fastballs harder than usual in short one or two inning stints or if the emotion of the confrontation with All-Star batters on a national TV stage was enough to give well-rested pitchers a little extra zip. I don't know a simple way to determine whether either of those things are true, although we do see that the pitchers with the biggest boosts to their fastball speed were all starting pitchers. The average fastball speed boost relative to the regular season was 1.5 mph for starters and 0.4 mph for relievers. Moreover, there are a couple things that I usually check when making adjustments to pitchers' fastball speed data in PITCHf/x. The first is the drag coefficient calculated from the PITCHf/x data. This is a physical constant that is dependent on things like the physical characteristics of the baseball but independent of a lot of other things, like the ballpark. The drag coefficient measured by the PITCHf/x system on Tuesday night was very close to the average expected value of 0.36. The other thing I check is the average fastball speed of pitchers in a given game relative to their season average. But instead of simply doing it for a single game, as reported above, I do it for multiple games and look for trends. The average fastball speed recorded by PITCHf/x in Angel Stadium this year has actually been 0.8 mph less than the average fastball speed for the same set of pitchers pitching in other ballparks. So, if anything, the "gun" in Angel Stadium has been a little cold in 2010. (I don't know whether the PITCHf/x system was recalibrated immediately prior to the All-Star Game, such that any bias in the data from earlier in the season would be irrelevant to the data collected Tuesday. We'll know more about that after we get data from the Angels' first homestand after the break.) Fastball speed data is interesting, but we don't always know how accurate it is. In this case, although I can't give an official Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, I don't see any convincing reason to believe that the speeds that Fox (and PITCHf/x) reported were juiced. Posted by: Mike Fast June 25, 2010Could all this Strasburg noise be for nothing?Today, Dave Cameron weighed in on the whole "Should Stephen Strasburg go to the All Star Game" debate. That got me thinking, if Strasburg is elected, will he even play? Here's what I had to say in the comments over at Fangraphs.Are we sure Strasburg would even pitch if elected? The Nats are holding a considerable cash cow in Strasburg and he happens to be on a pretty strict innings/pitches cap. I would think the Nats will try very hard to persuade him not to alter his routine so he can pitch the 5th inning of a game he’ll be going to for the foreseeable future. Most importantly, Strasburg is already lined up to start somewhere between July 9th and 11th depending on how the Nationals juggle the rotation. The All Star Game is the 13th. It's hard to imagine Strasburg climbing the mound in Anaheim on short rest after how carefully the Nationals have nurtured him. Perhaps the Nats would embrace the opportunity to get their money maker in front of the national audience and skip/shorten his last start. So what do you guys think? Will Strasburg be available to pitch? Will the Nationals attempt to convince him not to pitch? Will he play regardless of his team's wishes? To me, this is a much more interesting question to pursue. I think that people get caught up in these notions of what the All Star Game is and isn't. I'd have to guess that if it's about anything, it's the league showing appreciation to the fans by putting the most interesting and exciting players from each league on display. Right now, Stephen Strasburg is probably the most interesting and exciting player in baseball. He makes my cut. Posted by: Brad Johnson July 09, 2009Trackman BaseballThe Trackman Baseball system makes its public debut for the All-Star home run derby in St. Louis. ESPN is calling its implementation of the Trackman feature "Ball Track". Trackman is a portable Doppler radar system already in use for tracking golf ball trajectories and now being deployed in baseball.The Doppler feature of the radar measures the radial velocity of the ball relative to the radar detector by looking at the frequency shift of the reflected signal relative to the emitted signal. An array of three detectors arranged orthogonally is used to gather phase information from the reflected signal. The difference in the phase of the reflected signal between a pair of detectors can be used to determine the angle to the ball in that dimension. Thus, with two such pairs of detectors, the angle to the ball in two dimensions can be measured. This can be accomplished most optimally with three detectors, with one pair in a line at a right angle to the other pair. If the initial distance between the ball and the radar is known (for example, by measuring the distance from the radar to home plate by some other means), by combining the two angles and the radial velocity information, the exact position of the ball is established in three dimensions. In addition, a unique feature of this system is that radar reflections from the spinning stitches on the ball can be used to determine the spin rate by measuring the separation of the sideband peaks produced by the signals off the stitches. That's probably more than most of you want to know about how the system works, but I'm guessing a few physics nerds out there are as jazzed by the possibilities of this system as I am. Many thanks to Dr. Alan Nathan and a few other folks who will remain nameless for their explanations of the Trackman system. You can see a cool graphic of the Doppler returns from a batted ball in a presentation (7 MB Powerpoint, see slide 37) by Alan Nathan on the subject of the physics of baseball. The bottom line is that this system can be used to reconstruct the full trajectory of a batted ball. It gives us a direct measurement of spin magnitude that we can't get from HITf/x or PITCHf/x. It's nice to see this system getting some public air time. Hat tip to JBrew at Beyond the Box Score. Thanks also to Alan Nathan for some corrections to my initial post. Posted by: Mike Fast Click here for more THT Notes. | ||||