The Pittsburgh Pirates trace their beginnings to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, one of the American Association’s original teams in 1882. The Alleghenys joined the National League in 1887 and adopted the Pirates nickname in 1891. When the National League contracted from twelve to eight teams in 1900, Barney Dreyfuss acquired a controlling interest in the Pirates and brought to Pittsburgh many of the best players from his former club, the now defunct Louisville Colonels. Included was the gentleman at left, the legendary Honus Wagner.

The Pirates are the fourth of the original NL clubs in our Mount Rushmore series. Your task is to choose the four players who best represent this franchise. Have fun!

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Happy Thanksgiving! This post is for voting and discussion in the 78th round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round adds to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1909. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

In one of the closest and latest-decided elections in Circle of Greats history, Joe Gordon just edged out his contemporary Lou Boudreau, and slugger Harmon Killebrew as well, each by a single vote. Gordon becomes, just barely, the 77th inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats.  More on “Flash” Gordon, and the voting, after the jump. Continue reading →

Following up from an earlier post on starting pitchers, this post looks at 2014 results for relief pitchers for metrics provided by Pitch FX, the measurement system used by MLB to track every pitch thrown in every major league game. Part 1 looks at reliever results based on pitches thrown in the strike zone and outside of it. Part 2 will look at results based on pitch type, movement and velocity.

Using PitchFX data available at FanGraphs.com, I’ve compiled a series of tables and charts highlighting the 2014 pitching leaders in a variety of statistical categories. Some of the results will make a lot of sense but others may be more surprising. Take a look after the jump.

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The Cincinnati Reds trace their origins to an independent club formed in 1881 that became a charter member of the American Association in 1882, before transfering to the National League in 1890 (an earlier NL Cincinnati Reds club was the progenitor of the AA club, but is considered a separate franchise owing to a year’s gap in the operation of the two entities). More popularly, the Reds identify themselves with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, formed in 1866 and a member of the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) from 1867 to 1870, the latter two years operating as a fully professional club.

The Reds are the third of the original NL clubs in our Mount Rushmore series. Your task is to choose the four players who best represent this franchise. Have fun!

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This post is for voting and discussion in the 77th round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round completes the addition to the ballot of those players born in 1910. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

Whitey Ford may have been the most avidly discussed candidate we’ve had in the Circle of Greats voting, but he has ultimately prevailed, in his 25th round on the COG eligible list. Ford becomes the 76th inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats.  More on Whitey, and the voting, after the jump. Continue reading →

Alvin Dark, a star shortstop and a World Champion as player and manager, died Thursday. Obituaries ran in the S.F. Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, the N.Y. Times, and many others. Here is a stats-centric look at his baseball career.

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Our readers may be aware that COG balloting has been temporarily suspended in the middle of the 1910 round. To tide us over until Part 2 of that round, here’s a quiz involving players born in 1910 and who also share the distinction of a certain seasonal batting accomplishment. What might that be?

Not much interest in solving this one, so I’ll cut to the chase. These are the only players born in 1910 to have a season with matching double-digit totals for walks and RBI and who also played, at some point in their careers, on the same team as another such player. More after the jump.

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Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks

The Cubs are the second of the original NL clubs in our Mount Rushmore series. Your task is to choose the four players who best represent this franchise that has operated continuously since the NL was founded in 1876. Have fun!

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