Monthly Archives: March 2013

Announcing the High Heat Stats Player Quiz!

I’m very, very sorry to announce the High Heat Stats Player Quiz, as whatever free time you had is about to be sucked up.

This quiz is totally free (at some point you might have to watch a video ad when you begin a new session).

To learn more about the quiz, go to the quiz page. Note that you can reach this page from the button on the navigation bar at the top saying “Player Quiz”. From there, there’s a link to launch the actual quiz.

Thanks to Sean Lahman for the use of his database, and to Aaron M. for coding this to my specifications.

Go crazy, folks!

Opening Day Starters

Throughout the winter months, this site has been primarily devoted to history.  We’ve dissected Hall of Fame cases, debated the relative merits of Circle of Greats candidates, and mulled over the value of the stats we use to measure value.  With meaningful baseball on the docket for tomorrow, let’s get back to the present.

Thirty men will take the mound in their teams’ first tilts of 2013, each representing said team’s greatest hope.  Someday we’ll dissect the Hall cases of eight to twelve of these guys, making sure to properly adjust for parks and eras and defenses.  But tomorrow is not about objective analysis and advanced metrics- it’s about baseball.  Let’s celebrate (after the jump) by slicing and dicing the 30 opening day starters by their rankings in a few categories, some more meaningful than others.

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COG 1957 Results: Coors Light-Air Skeptics Dog Walker, Elected Anyway

In a closely contested election that sparked much sharp discussion — even lapping over into a whole separate thread — Larry Walker ultimately prevailed (in his 11th appearance on a COG ballot).  Larry becomes the 13th player inducted into the Circle of Greats. The voting also concluded in startling fashion as last-hour voting pushed two holdovers and one newcomer off future ballots by the slimmest possible margin. More on the former Montreal Expo Walker, and the voting, apres le saut Continue reading

First Day Dominance: Best Opening Day “Game Scores”, By Franchise

“Game Score” is a Bill James invention that assigns a formula-based number to every start by a starting pitcher, based on his innings pitched, runs and hits and walks allowed, and strikeouts racked up, during that particular game. For more detail on the Game Score formula you can check here: Game Score – Wikipedia .

The idea behind Game Score is to have a single number that summarizes the level of “dominance” a starter achieved during his appearance. A Game Score of 100 might be achieved with, say, a complete-game one-hitter with two walks and 17 Ks. In contrast, a zero Game Score might be a one-inning start giving up nine runs on seven hits and three walks with no Ks. After the jump, the highest Opening Day Game Scores achieved for each franchise since 1916. Continue reading