Yankees evened the series up at 1 each last night, behind some excellent pitching.
- Burnett pitched a great game. He looked really sharp, and the Phillies didn't have a good real answer for it.
- Pedro Martinez is one of the best pitchers I've ever seen. Even with diminished velocity, he baffled the Yankee hitters for the better part of 6 innings, only a few minor mistakes. Otherwise a very well pitched game, but just not quite enough offensive support to help him.
- Mariano Rivera remains one of the best late inning relievers of all time. His team needed 2 innings from him, and he delivered yet again. So money.
Saturday's matchup is somewhat of a let down in comparison to the previous 2 pitching matchups. Pettitte has been one of the best postseason pitchers in the past, and his matchup against Cole Hamels could potentially be really good, or potentially be a slugfest.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Prospect Research
I currently play in one long-term fantasy baseball keeper league, so it is in my best interest in this league to keep current on all the information I can find about top prospects.
Prospects are a bit hard to gauge, for a number of reasons:
- You are trying to project what a player will do in future, against better competition, based on either what you see, or what he does against inferior competition.
- Scouting plays a large portion of determining what can be done with a player. A player that is 25 isn't going to have as much potential to grow from their current level as a player who is 19.
- Rankings for players can be subjective (I personally like to look if a team has been good historically at developing prospects of certain positions.
- Players still have a mental aspect to them. Why do certain players thrive in the spotlight (like a Derek Jeter), when others melt under its pressure? Why do certain players work harder than others?
Remember, the draft is no guarantee of talent. The best player in the game, Albert Pujols, was drafted in the 13th round. There have also been two different players who were taken #1 overall, who never played a day in the major leagues (Brien Taylor (NYY), Matt Bush (SD)). So while the draft will help to show some of the higher end talent, that doesn't mean that there still won't be players from the lower rounds that will play their way into the Majors.
Statistical analysis has gotten better at quantifying which players are likely to do well in the majors, and which players are likely to improve. But some of it is still a bit of guess work. That said, these guys are considered by many to be excellent sources for prospect information.
Baseball America
Minor League Baseball
John Sickels
Prospects are a bit hard to gauge, for a number of reasons:
- You are trying to project what a player will do in future, against better competition, based on either what you see, or what he does against inferior competition.
- Scouting plays a large portion of determining what can be done with a player. A player that is 25 isn't going to have as much potential to grow from their current level as a player who is 19.
- Rankings for players can be subjective (I personally like to look if a team has been good historically at developing prospects of certain positions.
- Players still have a mental aspect to them. Why do certain players thrive in the spotlight (like a Derek Jeter), when others melt under its pressure? Why do certain players work harder than others?
Remember, the draft is no guarantee of talent. The best player in the game, Albert Pujols, was drafted in the 13th round. There have also been two different players who were taken #1 overall, who never played a day in the major leagues (Brien Taylor (NYY), Matt Bush (SD)). So while the draft will help to show some of the higher end talent, that doesn't mean that there still won't be players from the lower rounds that will play their way into the Majors.
Statistical analysis has gotten better at quantifying which players are likely to do well in the majors, and which players are likely to improve. But some of it is still a bit of guess work. That said, these guys are considered by many to be excellent sources for prospect information.
Baseball America
Minor League Baseball
John Sickels
Game 1 Thoughts
Congrats to the Phillies for winning game 1 last night. Some thoughts from the parts of the game I watched...
- Cliff Lee looked really sharp. The Yankee hitters didn't see to have a very good feel for what they want to do up there. 10 Ks will do that.
- Sabathia seems to have less control tonight, but made it work.
- Umpiring controversy in the 5th, but thankfully they got that call right.
- Chase Utley is a simply amazing player. 2 HRs last night. Hopefully everyone is getting a feel for how good he really is.
- ESPN provided a really interesting stat: Lee was the first pitcher to have 10 K, 0 BB, and 0 ER in a World Series start. He was also the first to have 10 K and 0 BB in a World Series game 1 in 106 years.
I had hoped it would be a good pitching matchup, and was definitely not disappointed. Sabathia pitched well enough to win on most days, but ran into the buzzsaw that is Cliff Lee.
- Cliff Lee looked really sharp. The Yankee hitters didn't see to have a very good feel for what they want to do up there. 10 Ks will do that.
- Sabathia seems to have less control tonight, but made it work.
- Umpiring controversy in the 5th, but thankfully they got that call right.
- Chase Utley is a simply amazing player. 2 HRs last night. Hopefully everyone is getting a feel for how good he really is.
- ESPN provided a really interesting stat: Lee was the first pitcher to have 10 K, 0 BB, and 0 ER in a World Series start. He was also the first to have 10 K and 0 BB in a World Series game 1 in 106 years.
I had hoped it would be a good pitching matchup, and was definitely not disappointed. Sabathia pitched well enough to win on most days, but ran into the buzzsaw that is Cliff Lee.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
World Series Preview and Predictions
The World Series starts tonight in New York, and for many baseball fans outside of the Philadelphia and New York markets, it's of little importance. Myself included. I am interested, however, in some of the storylines.
Game 1: C.C. Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee
The last 2 AL Cy Young winners face off tonight, and both have been pitching extremely well during their teams' run into the World Series. Lee is in his first postseason, having posted a miniscule 0.74 era in 24 innings. He is working on 9 days rest, having pitched last in Game 3 of the NLCS. Sabathia has compiled a 3-0 record in this postseason, with a nearly-as-miniscule 1.19 era in 23 innings. Probably going to be the matchup of the series, in my opinion.
The return of Pedro to Yankee Stadium
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel made a very astute decision by sending Pedro Martinez to start game 2 in Yankee Stadium. Pedro has been one of the most successful big game pitchers of the last 20 years, and should have no problem adjusting to the limelight associated with it. Yankee fans love to hate this guy, regardless of whether or not he is no longer a member of their hated rivals.
Which Cole Hamels will show up?
Will we see the one that went 3-0 last year in the postseason and lead his team to a world championship, or will we see the one that has pitched in the NL playoffs to this point (11 ER in 13.7 innings)? The Phillies will need last year's version to show up for them to have a good chance of winning this series.
Is A-Rod going to finally become a champion?
It is no secret how much A-Rod wants a World Series championship, and personally I am pulling for a Phillies repeat. I find it hard to feel sympathy for him because he doesn't have a championship. One look at his bank account causes that.
My Hope: 4 game sweep for the Phillies
My Actual Prediction:
Game 1: Phillies 2-1
Game 2: Yankees 7-4
Game 3: Phillies 6-4
Game 4: Yankees 5-3
Game 5: Phillies 8-2
Game 6: Phillies 6-5
Phillies win 4-2
Sources: Baseball Reference
Game 1: C.C. Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee
The last 2 AL Cy Young winners face off tonight, and both have been pitching extremely well during their teams' run into the World Series. Lee is in his first postseason, having posted a miniscule 0.74 era in 24 innings. He is working on 9 days rest, having pitched last in Game 3 of the NLCS. Sabathia has compiled a 3-0 record in this postseason, with a nearly-as-miniscule 1.19 era in 23 innings. Probably going to be the matchup of the series, in my opinion.
The return of Pedro to Yankee Stadium
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel made a very astute decision by sending Pedro Martinez to start game 2 in Yankee Stadium. Pedro has been one of the most successful big game pitchers of the last 20 years, and should have no problem adjusting to the limelight associated with it. Yankee fans love to hate this guy, regardless of whether or not he is no longer a member of their hated rivals.
Which Cole Hamels will show up?
Will we see the one that went 3-0 last year in the postseason and lead his team to a world championship, or will we see the one that has pitched in the NL playoffs to this point (11 ER in 13.7 innings)? The Phillies will need last year's version to show up for them to have a good chance of winning this series.
Is A-Rod going to finally become a champion?
It is no secret how much A-Rod wants a World Series championship, and personally I am pulling for a Phillies repeat. I find it hard to feel sympathy for him because he doesn't have a championship. One look at his bank account causes that.
My Hope: 4 game sweep for the Phillies
My Actual Prediction:
Game 1: Phillies 2-1
Game 2: Yankees 7-4
Game 3: Phillies 6-4
Game 4: Yankees 5-3
Game 5: Phillies 8-2
Game 6: Phillies 6-5
Phillies win 4-2
Sources: Baseball Reference
Welcome Aboard
I follow baseball. It is probably the one activity that takes up the majority of my free time. And I am starting this blog because I am hoping it will serve as a useful outlet for all my thoughts, research, and ramblings related to baseball.
I...
- Follow the Oakland A's (my hometown team)
- Follow the Chicago Cubs (the team of my wife, my in-laws, my wife's whole family, my parents - I'm surrounded!)
- Follow in passing all the other teams in the Major Leagues
- Play fantasy baseball, including one multi-year league
- Follow minor league players, specifically prospects
- Read most any baseball book I can get my hands on
I'm not entirely sure how this is going to play out, but hopefully it will be interesting.
I...
- Follow the Oakland A's (my hometown team)
- Follow the Chicago Cubs (the team of my wife, my in-laws, my wife's whole family, my parents - I'm surrounded!)
- Follow in passing all the other teams in the Major Leagues
- Play fantasy baseball, including one multi-year league
- Follow minor league players, specifically prospects
- Read most any baseball book I can get my hands on
I'm not entirely sure how this is going to play out, but hopefully it will be interesting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
