Griffey To Choose Braves Over Mariners?

Optimism about Junior’s much anticipated return to the Seattle Mariners may have just been crushed.  According to a news source close to Braves officials, free agent Ken Griffey Jr. has supposedly agreed to terms with the Atlanta Braves. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is also reporting that Griffey and Braves general manager Frank Wren met Monday night in Orlando. Wren and Griffey’s agent were apparently scheduled to meet this afternoon to finalize a deal.

An official announcement has not yet been made by either parties. It is believed that both the Seattle Mariners and the Braves made similar offers to try and lure the outfielder.

As of now, it looks as though Griffey will be sharing the left field position will Matt Diaz. Even though Griffey who just turned 39, is coming off of serious knee surgery, his bat against right handed pitchers may be more valuable to the Braves than we think.

On April 4, 2008, Ken Griffey, Jr. passed Reggie Jackson for 16th on the all-time list after driving in his 1,702nd RBI. Two days later, in an 8–2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Griffey hit his 594th career home run and his first of the 2008 season. The two-run homer pushed him closer to becoming the sixth player in history to reach 600-home runs.

More to follow….

When Judging Players, Join The 21st Century

You can calculate batting average. You can recognize when a player commits an error. You know all about Runs Batted In or, as they’re more commonly referred to, “RBIs”. In the old days, that was about all you needed to know to hold a conversation about the best and worst players in the major leagues. Today, that just doesn’t cut it. Enter terms like OPS, BABIP, LOB%, win shares, UZR, etc. If you have no idea what any of that means, you are quickly becoming a minority.

From Bill James to fangraphs.com to Tom Tango to baseball-reference.com to the next name or organization out there in the world, there are almost unlimited places to go to learn all about the new wave of baseball statistics. What does all this stuff mean? Without doing a full analysis, I’ll give an explanation.

The most obvious issue with the recognizable statistics is the fact that they don’t take enough available variables into account. You’d probably recognize that 40 homeruns at Coors Field in Colorado isn’t quite as impressive as 40 homeruns at Petco Park in San Diego, but in terms of statistics, how much less impressive is it? These are questions advanced statistics attempt to answer.

Batting average is probably the most common statistic used to rate a baseball player. It shouldn’t be. All that batting average tells you is what percentage of the time a player turns an at-bat into a hit. What about walks? What about extra base hits? Which pitchers did he face? What stadium was he in? Statistics like OPS and wOBA will take things like these into account and come up with more accurate numbers.

Now you should have an idea of what I’m talking about, so let’s try a test. The topic will be Earned Run Average (ERA). Pitcher A sports a 10-5 record and a 2.50 ERA at spacious Petco Park with the league’s 3^rd best defense behind him. Pitcher B sports a 6-7 record and a 3.00 ERA at Coors Field with the league’s worst defense at his back. Which is better? If you answered Player A simply because of his lower ERA and better win-loss record, you’d be making a mistake. Pitcher A might not be the wrong answer, but you selected him for all the wrong reasons. Questions like “What is each player’s BABIP and LOB%?” need to be asked. Another is “how many runs would’ve been scored against the two pitchers had they been playing at a neutral park with league average defenses behind them?” A statistic like FIP can help answer that question.

There are tons of statistics out there, several of which overlap each other. Your best bet is to sit down, study them, and determine which ones, in your opinion, best rank players from top to bottom. This is by no means a perfect science and statisticians and baseball fans alike are developing better methods every day.

Next time you have a free couple of minutes, take the time to learn a few of these statistics. The conversion to the days where you hear them on ESPN and in the newspapers is coming faster than you think.

List Of The 72 Unsigned Free Agents Still Remaining

With less than a week before teams begin their Spring Training rituals 72 free agents still remain unsigned across the league. Here is a list formulated by RBI Magazine of the remaining free agents still on the market- separated alphabetically (first name) and by notability.

Very Notable:

Adam Dunn, Ben Sheets, Bobby Abreu, Eric Gagne, Joe Crede, Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez, Moises Alou, Orlando Cabrera and Will  Ohman.

Notable:

Brad Wikerson, Braden Looper, Corey Patterson, Damion Easley, Dennys Reyes, Greg Maddux, Jason Isringhausen, Jay Payton, Juan Cruz, Julian Tavarez, Kevin Millar, Mark Grudzielanek, Mike Timlin, Miguel Cairo, Orlando Hernandez, Orlando Hudson, Paul Byrd, Pedro Martinez, Rich Aurilia, Sean Casey and Tom Glavine.

Somewhat Notable:

Joe Beimel, Brendan Donnelly, Brian Shouse, Chad Fox, Chris Gomez, Doug Mientkiewicz, Emil Brown, Frank Thomas, Garret Anderson, Gary Bennett, Ivan Rodriquez, Jamey Wright, Jeff Kent, Jim Edmonds, Jon Lieber, Juan Encarnacion, Keith Foulke, Kenny Rogers, Livan Hernandez, Luis Ayala, Luis Gonzalez, Luis Rivas, Matt Wise, Mark Mulder, Mark Sweeney, Pablo Ozuna, Paul Lo Duca, Ramon Martinez, Ray Durham, Ricardo Rincon, Ron Villone, Rudy Seanez, Sal Fasano, Scott Elarton, Sidney Ponson Todd Jones, Toby Hall.

Possible Retirees:

Curt Schlling, Mike Mussina and Nomar Garciaparra.

Mets Need Santana Miracle

[RBI Magazine] – With two games remaining in 2008, the Mets will need Johan Santana to have nothing short of a stellar performance today as New York hosts the Marlins at Shea. Today’s game could have a historical impact on the organization as well as deciding their playoff fate as New York enters a “must win” situation. If the Mets fall to the Marlins, their playoff hopes are almost certainly shattered and Sunday will be the last game ever scheduled to be played at Shea Stadium.

The worst night for the Mets, last night, may have buried New York’s chances once again. The Phillies won a crucial game against the Washington Nations as the Mets lost to the Brewers. With the Phillies now two games up on the Mets in the NL East, the “Fightin” Phils can clinch their division with a win or a even a New York loss. So who woke up before the end of September? Phillies.

In the Wild Card, the Mets trail the Brewers by a single game. With a Brewers win and a Mets loss, the Mets can kiss October goodbye and say farewell to 44 year-old Shea Stadium on Sunday. With a Mets win however, playoff hopes and dreams will still be kept alive, but as we all know the odds of October baseball will still not be in their favor. The probable pitcher for Sunday’s game looks to be Oliver Perez. 

RBI Magazine will be in attendance at both Shea Stadium and Citizen’s Bank Park as the 2008 playoff picture unfolds. 

Who Will Wake Up Before September Ends?

[RBI Magazine] – The month of September has proven itself as one of the most crucial times during the 8 month Major League baseball season. Playoff contenders filter their way to the top of their respected divisions and try to preserve or advance into the top position. September 2008 has all ready begun to show which teams have the power to be a playoff contender.

The National League East has no other teams but the Phillies and Mets duking it out once again game-by-game. The Mets are showing resiliency as the Phillies offense begins to pick up. Rollins, Utley and Howard have improved their swing and ended their hitting slumps while the Mets continue to stay hot. New York has won 20 out of the last 27 games and 6 of the last 8 games. However, their are two sides to every story. Injuries are still holding the Mets talented reserves hostage as the DL still plagues Billy Wagner. Surprisingly, the Mets are 21-8 with Wagner on the DL.

Delgado has been the man so far for Mets in late August and now September hitting the ball in key situations and forcing runs across the plate. As long as the Mets do not have an internal collapse like last year’s team, the Phillies will need a huge spark to blow past the Mets and preserve 1st place in the NL East.

Expectations have never soared higher in the American League East. The underdog Tampa Bay Rays have dominated the American League for the last few months in search of their first AL East Championship. To accomplish such a great feat, the Rays will have to knock out the “Green Monster” at Fenway Park this week, as they travel to Boston for a critical 3 game series against the Sox. You can see game three on Wednesday night baseball (ESPN) with Josh Beckett taking on Andy Sonnanstine at 10 p.m. EST. The Red Sox trail the Rays by 1.5 games as they will try to force a momentum swing in the American League East.

Out in the AL West the Angels have stolen any possibility for any competition. As of right now this second, the Angels may be the best team in the American League, leading the second place Texas Rangers by 17 games. With 19 games remaining, the Rangers will need an angel from above to come within even 5 games of the guys in sparkling pajamas.  J.P from Angels In The Outfield must be happy as it looks like “It could happen” for the Angels in September and October of 2008.

Now let’s talk snakes. The Arizona Diamondbacks bring a trio of venomous pitchers to the mound including Brandon Webb, Dan Heran, and “The Big Unit” Randy Johnson. A solid rotation like this will be tough to beat as the month of September comes to a close. The D’Backs recently added Adam Dunn to the now stellar offense. Dunn has 36 home runs and 89 RBIs so far in 2008. The D’Backs trail the LA Dodgers by 1.5 games in the NL West. Will they be able to slither into 1st place by the time September comes to a close? RBI Magazine thinks so. Watch for Dunn and the venomous trio to be a baseball power house come October.

As we all know history will always stand in the way of the Cubs and their chances at a World Series run. This year however, could be different. Mark DeRosa is having a career year contributing 20 jacks and 83 RBI so far this season. Chicago leads the Brewers by 4.0 in the NL Central. The Brewers, with 20 games remaining, need to find a spark or hope that history will repeat itself for the Cubs.

So what team will wake up before September ends and take over top spot in their respected division?

RBI Magazine wants to hear your predictions!!

Pythagorean Win/Loss, Luck, and Why the Rays Will Lose the Division

Like most baseball fans this year, I’m captivated by the surge of the Tampa Bay Rays. How can you not be? Coming into this season their highest win total in history was 70 games. They’ve already surpassed that and we haven’t even finished August yet! It’s become pretty evident that Joe Madden’s young team filled with quality starting pitching and exceptional young bats is here to stay.

But will they win the division? Will they make the playoffs? No and yes respectively, and here’s why.

As of this writing (August 20), the Rays are 77-48, 4.5 games ahead of the Red Sox, and appear to be cruising to a division title with a little less than a quarter of the season remaining. Both have comparable remaining schedules – each team’s remaining opponents have the exact same average record of 66-58. So what would lead one to conclude that the Rays are going to choke lose the division lead? A little known statistic to casual baseball fans called Pythagorean Win/Loss.

Coined by Bill James, Pythagorean Win/Loss (also pythW-L) is an estimate of what a teams win/loss record should be based upon the runs they’ve scored and the runs they’ve given up. If a team has a better win/loss record than their pythW-L, they’ve likely been getting “lucky” and are likely to become “less lucky” for the remainder of the season in order for both records to match up accordingly. At the end of a season, Pythagorean Win/Loss is surprisingly accurate (usually within a few games) so in most instances a team winning more games than their pythW-L is likely to incur a losing streak to regress them back to the mean.

Unfortunately the Rays seem to be one of those “lucky” teams. Their pythW-L is 70-55, 7 games worse than their true record (this is often referred to as a luck of +7). The Red Sox, on the other hand, have a pythW-L of 75-51, 2 games better than their record of 73-53 (luck of -2). That 9 game swing would flip the Rays 4.5 game lead around to the Sox, putting them firmly in control. Couple that with untimely injuries to Carl Crawford, Troy Percival, and Evan Longoria, and it seems likely that the Rays magical season could end without a division crown.

The good news? Their pythW-L still puts them 3 games ahead of the Twins for the wild card, so there’s a good chance we’ll see the Rays in the playoffs regardless. And so what may appear to be a collapse in the eyes of many will simply be two very good teams playing exactly as they should be.

Of course, the pythW-L isn’t a perfect predictor of the future and has definitely been wrong from time to time, even over the course of a full 162 game schedule. For instance, last years Diamondbacks finished a whopping 11 games better than their pythW-L. The 2006 Indians were a -12 in the luck category, finishing with a record of 78-84 despite a pythW-L of 90-72. Talk about bad luck!

One thing IS for sure: numbers and predictions are fun, but they’re no replacement for real thing. This stretch run in the AL East should be fun to watch!

 

About the Author

Adam McFarland is the founder and co-owner of TastefullyDriven.com – a contemporary e-commerce site that sells premium home gym equipment, shaving & personal care products, home care products, nutritional supplements, and other products to help improve your everyday life. He also writes for the Tastefully Driven Lifestyle Blog, a blog that covers sports, politics, technology, health & fitness, personal improvement, and more.

Baseball Hall of Fame rejects Barry Bonds record-breaking ball

The tale of a “juiced” record breaking homerun ball….

According to miscellaneous sports Reuters, the Baseball’s Hall of Fame and Museum has turned down an offer to display Barry Bonds’ record-breaking 756th home run ball after being unable to reach a lending agreement with its owner Marc Ecko, the museum said.

Supreme Court Rejects MLB Fantasy Licensing Fees

One thing is for sure, MLB players make a lot of money! Unfortunatley, they present a valid point when it comes to Fantasy Baseball Companies using their names to generate a profit. However, the Supreme Court did not agree.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Major League Baseball and its players association, leaving intact a ruling that lets a fantasy-sports company use players’ names and statistics without paying licensing fees.

According to the AP-Without comment, the justices declined to hear the case involving a segment of the $1.5 billion fantasy sports industry in the United States, in which participants manage imaginary teams based on the real-life performances of professional players.

The lawsuit involves C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing Inc., a Missouri company unable to obtain a license from a subsidiary of Major League Baseball to use players’ names in C.B.C.’s fantasy baseball games.

The Missouri company sued, saying it did not need a license to continue to sell its fantasy baseball games on its Web site.

Fantasy sport leagues now generate roughly $500 million a year worldwide in fees, advertising and other revenue, according to Jeff Thomas, president of the 150-member Fantasy Sports Trade Association.

Should athletes be entitled to a monetary cut of revenue in return for their names and talent being used to make a third party profit? What do you think? RBI says no!

Five Best Records in MLB…. Who and Why?

An article written by the bleacher report.

In a division in where the Mets, Phillies, and possibly the Braves were supposed to battle it out, the Marlins are winning with a team salary of $22.65 million. 

Do you know what other teams have chosen to do with that kind of money?  Let’s start with the Yankees.  We all know that Alex Rodriguez is making more money this year than the whole Marlins squad, but did you know that Jason Giambi was too? 

Giambi is scheduled to collect $23.48 million this year.  That is crazy! 

What would a team like the LA Dodgers do with $22.65 million? I’m glad you asked. 

Nice article guys!!