For each pitcher from 1993-2011 with at least 5,000 Batters Faced, I've added up the average growth in run expectancy per NIBB. The average increase in RE for an NIBB over that period was .323 runs, which jives with Tango's findings here. There were 175 pitchers in the sample, with a standard deviation of .013. The pitcher who gave up …
Will a salary cap come to baseball because of these new billion dollar tv contracts?
Over the last couple years the Angels, Rangers, Astros and Padres have each signed billion dollar contracts with a network. The Dodgers appear to be on the verge of signing the most lucrative contract of them all. It’s rumored to be worth between $6-7 BILLION over 25 years. For the mathematically challenged, that’s about $240-280 million per year. We’ve already …
Cubs interested in Brandon McCarthy and Yunel Escobar
The Cubs are reportedly one of the teams interested in A's free agent Brandon McCarthy. There's a lot of competition though. The A's have been in contact with another of their free agents, starter Brandon McCarthy, but expected that there would be strong competition for the right-hander and they're right: The Chronicle has learned that among the clubs already expressing …
The Hall of Fame is worthless
Who knows what happens with the voting for this year's class, but I think it's a safe bet that at least a few of the guys more than deserving of getting in will not. In the end, this is what we can say about the Hall of Fame. The position player who is arguably the best player of all-time will …
Obstructed View Hall of Fame Survey
Aisle 424 suggested we have a Hall of Fame survey that includes all 37 players on the ballot. We figured it might be fun so we've set one up. We're using the same rules: pick no more than 10, 75% required to enter. Here is a helpful link from B-Ref that brings together all of the HOF candidates' stats on …
Barry Bonds: "I do really care" about the hall of fame
"I do really care," Bonds said. "I may say I don't, but I do really care. I've been through a lot in my life so not too many things bother me. Making the Hall of Fame, would it be something that's gratifying because of what I've sacrificed? Sure. Baseball has been a big part of our lives. We've sacrificed our …
Microsoft smart glasses and baseball
I happened to see this article this morning on the BBC app and thought it was interesting enough to highlight here. Microsoft has patented some smart glasses similar to what Google and every other tech company is working on. As the graphic shows, it could be used to display baseball statistics, but I would think it could be more useful …
OV's Free Agent Frenzy
We figured we may as well have a free agent contest this offseason. The winner will get 5 free subscriptions to Obstructed View along with bragging rights for a full calendar year. I took the top free agents from this article. I took out Dan Haren because I can't imagine his option not being exercised. Here are the top 15 …
AL Scout on A-Rod: I can't believe anyone would be interested
AL scout on arod: "I can't believe anyone would be interested." #114MIL plus #30MIL in milestone HR bonuses — Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) October 19, 2012 Every single year we hear about this. Player makes lots of money. Same player isn't worth what he's paid. Not even close. People say this player can't be traded. Every. Single. Year. Yet every single …
ALDS Series Preview: A’s vs. Tigers
The A's came from about a billion games back to win the AL West thanks to the Rangers cubbing the final month or so of the season. That's not to say the A's backed into the playoffs. They won 94 games, which was just one back of the AL leading Yankees. The Tigers fell back in the AL Central early …