tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51550158274373167572024-03-17T20:00:45.734-07:00Joe Sheehan NewsletterUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-30046582237194356552024-03-14T07:10:00.000-07:002024-03-14T07:10:23.298-07:00Newsletter Excerpt, March 14, 2024 -- "Season Preview 2024: 2023 Report Card"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div><b>Jacob deGrom under 11.5 wins (-120) (W)<br />Luis Castillo over 11.5 wins (-115) (W)<br />Blake Snell over 10.5 wins (-115) (W)</b><br /><br />Betting deGrom unders has put gamblers’ kids through college the last couple of years. <br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-5052437485965491562024-03-13T07:20:00.000-07:002024-03-13T07:20:01.698-07:00Newsletter Excerpt, March 13, 2024 -- "Season Preview 2024: Electric Youth"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>Young players are taking over. The weighted average age of all hitters last year, as calculated by Baseball Reference, was 28.0. That’s the second-lowest figure since 1979.<br /><br /><u>These Kids Today... (lowest average age, hitters, 1980-2023)</u><br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier;">2019 27.9<br /><b>2023 28.0</b><br />2018 28.1<br />2022 28.2<br />2017 28.3 </span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-72445702869782128812024-03-12T13:05:00.000-07:002024-03-12T13:05:26.742-07:00Newsletter Excerpt, March 12, 2024 -- "Reading Through Rotowire"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>With a generous nod towards Juan Soto, Cole and Judge are the Yankees. The two accounted for 42% of the team’s bWAR last year, 29% over the last three years. Losing one of them would be disastrous, and any missed time by either chips away at their chances in the crowded AL East and AL wild-card races. It’s rare for any team to have an important week in March, but this is becoming one for the Yankees. <br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-87577563434538224232024-03-11T11:57:00.000-07:002024-03-11T11:57:30.065-07:00Newsletter Excerpt, March 11, 2024 -- "Sometimes a Fantasy"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>You have to take three catchers in the best-ball format, so I would reach a bit for <b>Danny Jansen</b> in the 21st and 22nd rounds. Because catcher playing time can be fraught, having three starters gives me the best chance at avoiding zeroes and even negative weeks. Jansen has 32 homers in 549 PA over the last two seasons. <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-85090750176879618742024-03-11T11:53:00.000-07:002024-03-11T11:53:01.738-07:00Newsletter Excerpt, March 10, 2024 -- "Gary Huckabay"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>Thirty years after Gary and his hand-picked group published the first BP annual, the site continues on as a place for great baseball writing and analysis. We spent a lot of time talking about BP’s legacy Saturday, but the takeaway from the day is that Baseball Prospectus is still building one. <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-86834942527096615892024-03-04T11:58:00.000-08:002024-03-04T11:58:28.450-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, March 4, 2024 -- "Zack Wheeler and the Phillies"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>As we head into the 2024 season, the Phillies are more complete than they have been since the 2000s, projected to be average or better at the plate, in the field, in the rotation, and in the bullpen. (Sidebar: Unit rankings for all four phases will be a part of the 2024 season preview series, starting late next week.) Some of that rating relies on Rojas hitting enough to hold the center field job, keeping Schwarber’s glove in his locker, and you can pick at the bench and the team age as well. Still, this looks like the third-best team in the NL, if a bit behind the Braves in the East.</div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-39589580926865854722024-03-02T08:55:00.000-08:002024-03-02T08:55:01.506-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, March 2, 2024 -- "Matt Chapman Signs"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>In the bigger picture, though, this is just exacerbating the Giants’ bigger problem. They keep missing out on the best players in free agency, which isn’t entirely their fault, but then they spend a lot of money on these average, maybe average-plus players to fill in the gaps. Last year, it was Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto and Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling. This year, it’s Chapman and Jordan Hicks and Jorge Soler, plus a trade for Robbie Ray. To repeat a phrase, it’s movement, but is it action? <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-87416395185524075342024-03-01T09:19:00.000-08:002024-03-01T09:19:26.998-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, March 1, 2024 -- "The New Rules, Reprised: Epilogue"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"When you evaluate the rules changes from a marketing perspective, they were wildly successful, with 90% of that being the pitch clock. Fans liked it, the media liked it, the players mostly signed on to it, and we didn’t have any nightmares, any playoff games decided on clock violation with a 3-2 count and two outs in the ninth inning." <br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-2429390847844012742024-02-29T06:50:00.000-08:002024-02-29T06:50:21.371-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 29, 2024 -- "The New Rules, Reprised: Basestealing"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>We can see the impact of these changes in one small table:<br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier;"> SB CS <br />2022 2486 811<br />2023 3503 866<br /><br /><b>Diff +1017 +55</b></span><br /><br />The new rules helped add more than a thousand steals at a 96% success rate. Those aren’t really stolen bases, those are buy-one-get-one-free bases. <br /></div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-46408382865547079342024-02-27T09:40:00.000-08:002024-02-27T09:40:34.023-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 27, 2024 -- "The New Rules, Reprised: The Pitch Clock"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>Why did it work? I was wrong about the players. I expected far more resistance from the players to the new rule set, to being rushed, and it never happened. Oh, there were occasional complaints, but by and large, the players, and especially the pitchers, just...played faster. Why they couldn’t have done it without the clock remains a mystery, but there is little question that putting them on the clock sped them up in a way that shaved close to a half-hour off game times. <br /></div><div> <br /></div><div>The pitch clock worked. The games were shorter and fans were happy about it. The players accepted the change, and the ones who objected were...handled. I was wrong. <br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-14071683951655681782024-02-26T13:31:00.000-08:002024-02-26T13:31:01.722-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 26, 2024 -- "The New Rules, Reprised: Defensive Positioning"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>The shift is an effect, not a cause. The cause is pitchers are witches, and everything about the modern game begins with that point. Mandating that teams play bad defense because you don’t want to address the pitcher issue is an embarrassment to the game’s leadership and a disservice to the fans. <br /></div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-74244504228323747552024-02-25T10:29:00.000-08:002024-02-25T10:29:24.982-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 25, 2024 -- "Cody Bellinger Signs"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>Just noodling on one potential lineup...<br /><br />Ian Happ LF<br />Christopher Morel DH<br />Cody Bellinger CF<br />Seiya Suzuki RF<br />Michael Busch 1B<br />Dansby Swanson SS<br />Nico Hoerner 2B<br />Yan Gomes C<br />Nick Madrigal 3B<br /><br /><br />That puts Tauchman on the bench, and likely PCA and Davis in Triple-A. You can season to taste, but that looks like the nine men who will start for the Cubs on Opening Day. Throw in the homegrown pitching depth that will lengthen the staff, and the Cubs look like the NL Central favorite. <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-71885726844508835842024-02-22T10:53:00.000-08:002024-02-22T10:53:35.789-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 22, 2024 -- "Broken Senga Piece"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"The uncertainty as to when Senga might return makes it hard to predict exactly what the cost to the Mets will be. Senga is projected as a three-win contributor by Steamer and ZiPS, a little less than that by PECOTA. If he is healthy in three weeks and on the CitiField mound in May, he’ll retain most of those projections. The specific injury, though, makes it hard to be optimistic. Kyle Wright suffered a capsule injury and went from winning 21 games to pretty much losing two years of his career. Brandon Woodruff will miss all of 2024 following anterior capsule surgery." <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-58156457652249427212024-02-21T10:54:00.000-08:002024-02-21T10:54:02.248-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 21, 2024 -- "Most Interesting Camps"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"It’s a fascinating camp beyond the frustration over their inaction. The Red Sox have some very exciting outfield prospects in Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela. Were Alex Cora to play those two with Jarren Duran, the Sox would have one of the best defensive outfields in baseball. Tyler O’Neill complicates that alignment, of course. In the infield, Trevor Story might be playing for his career after two seasons lost to injury. Vaughn Grissom, acquired for Chris Sale, takes over at second base. Neither member of that keystone combination is guaranteed to be a viable option; they combined for 0.1 bWAR last year."<br /></div><div> </div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-69109573529225106052024-02-20T09:32:00.000-08:002024-02-20T09:32:08.666-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 20, 2024 -- "Catching Up"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>After two weeks of position-player rankings in the Newsletter that didn't lend themselves to excerpts, we're back with a more conventional Newsletter, and excerpt, today.</div><div><br /></div><div>To get once-a-week free editions of the Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, email freesheehannewsletter@gmail.com.</div><div> </div><div>Today's excerpt:</div><div> </div><div>"Rendon’s remarks made him baseball’s main character for the day, which made me think about the conundrum players face when talking to the media. We want them to be honest, but perhaps not too honest. There are 1200 players on 40-man rosters, and I guarantee you Rendon isn’t the only one who sees playing baseball as a job and not much more. Many players, most even, do love the game, but baseball is no different than any other career in that sometimes, you end up doing it because it’s what you’re good at and it’s where you can make the most money." <br /></div><div> </div><div> <br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-8445140445261430332024-02-06T10:20:00.000-08:002024-02-06T10:20:27.769-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 6, 2024 -- "Royal Witt Cheddar"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"Even if you just consider it a 7/148 contract, it’s a very good one for the team. They get the meat of Witt’s career, his next seven seasons through age 30, for less than market value. They get to hold a press conference this week and point to Witt and say, 'Royals fans, you can get invested in this guy. Buy the jerseys. Come to the park. Tell your kids. (p.s. Vote to give us money.)' They’ve bought a level of credibility that all the Hunter Renfroes and Adam Fraziers weren’t going to provide. " <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-81772882305910819732024-02-04T14:20:00.000-08:002024-02-04T14:20:27.616-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 4, 2024 -- "The White Sox"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"In four decades, Reinsdorf has rarely invested in the team. They did run some top-five payrolls in the wake of the 2005 title, but over the last decade, the White Sox have had more bottom-ten payrolls (four) than top-ten (one). Cot’s has them 23rd for 2024, and more than 10% of that money is going to Andrew Benintendi on what is both a) an overpay and 2) the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history. Reinsdorf’s unwillingness to act like the steward of a $2 billion asset that received a large public subsidy, and instead run his team like the Middle-Class Pirates, is the biggest reason the Sox are in this mess." <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-13263393740345127342024-02-02T09:01:00.000-08:002024-02-02T09:01:00.931-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, February 2, 2024 -- "Brewers/Orioles Trade"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"The era of big tanking is over, mostly because MLB reduced the benefits of being very bad. What we’re seeing now, though, is something harder to get a grip on, something more insidious. Good teams, teams with reasonable chances to win a division, are valuing future wins more than present wins. The Brewers didn’t have to trade Corbin Burnes. They did anyway." <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-45331747364798949922024-01-31T11:38:00.000-08:002024-01-31T11:38:16.160-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, January 31, 2024 -- "Rogers Centre"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"I wonder whether the smaller outfield was a factor here; with the fences in the gaps moved in from seven to 16 feet, outfielders had less ground to cover, and were perhaps better able to steal hits. It’s hard to separate this, however, from the Jays’ personnel improvements; they added Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho specifically to, well, steal hits. One year of games just isn’t enough to tease out whether it was the park or the players." <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-10144916323947799052024-01-30T12:17:00.000-08:002024-01-30T12:17:21.427-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, January 30, 2024 -- "Transactions Catchup"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"There were 11 position players 31 and older, in all of baseball, who were worth at least three bWAR last year. There were 14 in 2022, 21 in 2021, 12 in 2019. The extent to which baseball has become a twentysomethings’ game cannot be exaggerated. All of these contracts I’ve been picking at, Hoskins and Hunter Renfroe and Jeimer Candelario and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez...all of them have in common betting on players in their thirties in a league where above-average players in their thirties are going extinct. It’s why I keep questioning Matt Chapman’s value, too." <br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-16126764607180661722024-01-25T09:11:00.000-08:002024-01-25T09:11:25.281-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, January 25, 2024 -- "The Disappearing Starter"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"The last couple of years, just two pitchers under 24 have thrown even 150 innings in the pros. Those 16 pitchers on BP’s Top 101 averaged 92 1/3 innings last year. The group from ten years ago, even with those teenagers on it, averaged 114. MLB teams, really the entire business, took the lesson of Pitcher Abuse Points -- stop overworking your youngest arms -- and overlearned it. They’re now trapped in a cycle where they just pitch everyone less, and pitchers still get hurt, so they pitch them less, and they still get hurt, and now the top prospects in baseball are working less than Jeff Bezos’s hair stylist...and they still get hurt." <br /></div><div> </div><div> <br /></div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-17319104685038196572024-01-23T18:11:00.000-08:002024-01-23T18:11:53.769-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, January 23, 2024 -- "The Voting"<p> </p><p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"Looking ahead, you’ll have 1,237 ballot slots open up next year (Beltre, Helton, Mauer, Sheffield, one-and-dones), and just one obvious Hall of Famer coming on in Ichiro. CC Sabathia, who will have strong support, also becomes eligible. Felix Hernandez seems like someone who sticks around for a few years, maybe Dustin Pedroia as well. By and large, though, it will be a good year for holdovers to pick up votes from those voters who look to fill out their ballots." <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-81219955622458549762024-01-22T13:53:00.000-08:002024-01-22T13:53:53.641-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, January 22, 2024 -- "The Giants"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"Farhan Zaidi has gone into the last two winters with a good plan. When he hasn’t been able to execute that plan, though, he’s driven off the road, squandering money on the worst kinds of free-agent signings and trades. The Giants have lost ground, not just to the Dodgers, but to the Diamondbacks. This is a critical year for them, as if they don’t succeed, they may face both a front-office overhaul and the need to start over around Webb, Luciano, Harrison, and the rest of a pitching-heavy farm system." <br /></div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-5448289227009756242024-01-19T11:15:00.000-08:002024-01-19T11:15:15.812-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, January 19, 2024 -- "AL West and NL West Reset"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"One thing that keeps surprising me is how many teams have simply taken the winter off. The Astros have added one major leaguer -- backup catcher Victor Caratini -- and a handful of fringe arms to fill out their Triple-A staff (former National and Dodger Wander Suero might be the highlight here). They haven’t lost too much, either; Martin Maldonado was gone once Dusty Baker retired, while Michael Brantley also retired after just 57 PA last year and Hector Neris is testing free agency after a 1.71 ERA/3.83 FIP season." <br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155015827437316757.post-50691793115651625292024-01-16T08:52:00.000-08:002024-01-16T08:52:11.936-08:00Newsletter Excerpt, January 16, 2023 -- "The Snellinger Principle"<p><i>This is a preview of the </i>Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter<i>, an e-mail newsletter about all things
baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the
field from the perspective of the informed outsider.</i></p><p>
<i>You can subscribe to the newsletter for <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VVBXD7W7SFJJC">one year for $79.95</a> using your PayPal account or major credit card.</i><br /></p><div>
--</div><div> </div><div>"The Snellinger Principle is related to this idea. It says:<br /><br /><i>"If giving a player a huge contract would have been ridiculous a year ago, it’s probably still ridiculous now. "</i><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com