This Circle of Greats vote is not to induct anyone into the Circle, but only to select two players who will be restored back on to the main ballot after having been previously been dropped from eligibility. This second “redemption round” (we also held one after the 1960 round of voting) gives voters a chance to reconsider past candidates that have been rejected. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading
Tim Raines emerged from a very close election as the 22nd inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. After the lead in the voting swung back and forth for much of the week, Raines nudged out Tony Gwynn with some late gains over the last couple of days. More on Tim, and the 1950 round of voting, after the jump. Continue reading
Clearing the decks, getting ready for Tuesday’s full slate:
@Dodgers 3, Giants 1: Creo que este chico va a hacer. (translation) We can’t help noticing everything about Yasiel Puig, including his strikeout-to-walk ratio (17/3) and his tendency to swing at the first pitch (41%, or half again the MLB average). But as to the latter, there’s no one right approach. And this table of 2013’s highest 1st-pitch-swing rates suggests that an aggressive approach suits talented hitters just fine (see right-most column):
“Please don’t be long … please don’t you be very long” — I’m hoping the topic’s not moot by the time you finish!
(1) Since 1969 and before Toronto’s current streak, there were 66 one-season streaks of at least 11 wins that had a chance to be extended.* Those teams went 30-36 bidding for game 12.
* The 1970 and ’71 Orioles each won their last 11 games of the year and are not included in this count.
Wish I could follow ’em all … Anyway, if it streaks, it leads.
@Blue Jays 13, Orioles 5: Strafing Freddy Garcia for a 9-0 lead after 3 innings, Toronto went on to a season high in runs and tied the club record with their 11th straight win, moving 5 games from 1st place. Josh Johnson faded late, but earned his first win in 8 tries for the Blue Jays. Edwin Encarnacion led the 14-hit assault with his 21st HR and 4 RBI, giving him 63 for the year. Toronto’s is the longest winning streak since Detroit won 12 in September 2011.
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Rangers 6, @Cardinals 4: What began as a slugfest wound up as an odd sort of pitchers’ duel. It was 4-all in the 2nd, and none would have thought it could stay so to the 9th. Derek Holland yielded 4 doubles and 4 runs in the first 2 innings, then pitched 5 no-hit innings. Cards starter Tyler Lyons gave back a 3-run lead in the 2nd after walking Holland and Kinsler with 2 outs, but erstwhile trashman Joe Kelly shouldered the yoke and plowed straight to the 7th, logging a career-best 5 scoreless innings.
The three most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S., by far, are the New York, Los Angeles and Chicago areas. The smallest of the three, the Chicago metro area, had a 2012 population estimated at about 9.5 million people, about 40% more than that in the fourth largest metro area, the Dallas/Forth Worth/Arlington area.
These three giant metro areas have been continuously represented by a total of six major league franchises since 1962. Over that time, these six jumbo-market teams have, looked at collectively, been relatively successful, especially in recent years. The six teams as a group have not had a collective winning percentage below .500 in any full regular season since 1999, and have been collectively over .500 in 34 of the 51 seasons from and including 1962 through and including 2012. Their best years as a group have been 2008, when the six franchises produced a collective .564 winning percentage, followed by 1985 (.558), and 1998 (.554). More after the jump. Continue reading
Seemingly lost amid all the story lines about Bryce Harper’s knee, Stephen Strasburgh’s right arm, and the Nationals disappointing .500 season in general has been the ascension of Jordan Zimmermann into the circle of elite pitchers. Zimmermann’s dominance over Major League hitters may not be as overpowering as a guy like Clayton Kershaw or as flashy as a pitcher like Felix Hernandez, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. Instead, Jordan Zimmermann suffocates the life out of an opposing lineup by relentlessly pounding the bottom corners of the strike zone with a fastball that hums and a slider that slices. He invites, no he implores batters to hit weak ground outs into guys who know how to flash the leather and he knows how to put a hitter away once he gets the opportunity.
Thursday’s outing against a potent Colorado lineup was just another brilliant start in a season full of them. Zimmermann threw first-pitch strikes to 23 of the 31 batters he faced and in a display of pinpoint accuracy he delivered strikes on 85 of the 112 pitches he threw (76%). The last time a Nationals’ pitcher threw at least 85 strikes it was back in 2005, the franchise’s inaugural season in Washington when Esteban Loaiza needed 128 pitches to get the job done. That barrage of perfectly located pitches by Zimmermann generated 16 outs in a row at one point and a season-high 9 strikeouts for the Nationals’ righty.
Pirates 5, @Reds 3: Two down and tied in the 7th, it was Tony Cingrani‘s 3rd time working out of the bullpen, all in this 4-game series, and his 3rd time facing Pedro Alvarez. The Pirate slugger had whiffed in key spots on Monday and Wednesday, a total of 7 pitches.