Category: Baseball
May 20–26 FanGraphs Power Rankings: Expert Analysis of MLB Teams
Several preseason favorites are sliding down these rankings as we barrel toward the third month of the season, while other clubs — most notably the Guardians — are continuing their surprisingly strong starts. This season, we’ve revamped our power rankings. The old model wasn’t very reactive to the ups and downs of any given team’s…
MLB Commissioner Shares Most Recent Update on Automated Strike Zone Technology
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) The minor leagues have been working with the automated strike zone, also known as “ABS” or simply “robo” umpires, for a while now. They have used different versions of it depending on the park and league, but the concept is the same: helping eliminate the human factor (umpire mistakes) with…
Improved Pitch Speeds Result in Decreased Hitting Performance
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Statcast’s new public repository of bat tracking data has been out for a few weeks now. Like every number manipulator with a sense of curiosity and middling technical skills, I’ve been messing around with the data in my spare time, and also in my working time, because messing around with data…
Bryce Harper Opens Up About Ejection From Friday’s Game
(Photo by Alysa Rubin/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images) Bryce Harper’s Philadelphia Phillies are off to a sensational start to the season and have the best record in baseball at 37-15, though his ability to help them on Friday night was short-lived as the Phillies fell, 3-2, to the Colorado Rockies after Harper’s first-inning ejection. Harper was bummed…
Analysis of Jurickson Profar’s Performance
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports As I write this before the start of play on May 23, we’re just about a third of the way through the season, and I don’t think we can avoid it anymore. Jurickson Profar is batting .339 with a 178 wRC+. Jurickson Profar ranks 10th in baseball with 2.2 WAR. Jurickson…
Ronald Acuna Jr. Endures Challenges in Early MLB Career
(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) In July 2021, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. He missed his team’s World Series run and was limited in the 2022 campaign. He then recovered and won the NL MVP award in 2023. Unfortunately, his 2024 season will now be marked…
Tanner Houck Joins the Splitter Revolution
This is the year of the splitter. In 2024, 3.1% of all big league pitches thrown have been splitters compared to 2.2% in 2023, a year-over-year increase of 41%. Aficionados of the split-fingered fastball include former NPB stars like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga, longtime MLB users like Joe Ryan and Fernando Cruz, and an…
Philadelphia Phillies begin the week in a familiar spot
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of MLB’s best teams for a few weeks now. Even though they lost their most recent game, they remain elite and have won seven of their last 10. They still have the best record in MLB at 38-16 so yes, in case you were…
Xander Bogaerts Experiences Setback with Shoulder Fracture Amidst Challenging Season
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Xander Bogaerts‘ first season as a second baseman hasn’t gone as planned. He’s struggled mightily at the plate thus far, and while he’s fared better defensively, on Monday he suffered a fracture in his left shoulder while diving for a ball. He could miss a couple of months, leaving the Padres…
Juan Soto Opens Up About his Upcoming Free Agency
(Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) Juan Soto’s New York Yankees tenure has gotten off to a tremendous start after he was acquired in an offseason trade with the San Diego Padres, and he is putting together an early case for AL MVP in a contract year. As hot as Soto has been at the plate,…