What’s the over/under on the chance that this statement’s accurate?

Featured Game
Chicago Americans (2) at Detroit (2) | 19:05 ET
• After the AL West, the AL Central is actually the closest real playoff race, with 5.5 games separating division-leading Detroit and Chicago.
• Here’s another thing that separates Detroit and Chicago: socioeconomic indicators.
• Which, that’s a joke.
• But also, it’s not a joke.
• Just like all jokes, really.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: White Sox Television, on the loudest possible volume.

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Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.3.

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Jokes.

Featured Game
St. Louis (3) at Milwaukee (7) | 16:10 ET
• Cardinal prospect Brandon Dickson makes his first major-league start tonight, is one reason to watch this game.
• Note, please, that the author made finger quotes while using the word prospect with regard to Dickson — on account of he’s 26, is why.
• His numbers at Triple-A Memphis this season: 157.1 IP, 7.09 K/9, 1.83 BB/9, 1.26 HR/9.
• Expect him to be a control-oriented pitcher with ground-ball rates in the high-40s.
• Also expect Bob Uecker to pleasure your ears and mind on the Brewers radio feed (a.k.a. the other reason to watch this game).

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Brewers Radio.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.4.

Read the rest of this entry »

Preliminary rosters for this year’s Arizona Fall League — i.e. the epicenter of prospect mavenry in the United States — were announced Tuesday. An equally preliminary glance around the internet reveals the absence of any sort of list of AFL-bound players sorted by major-league team — which, that seems like a helpful thing.

Below, I’ve included just such a list. Also, for the greater convenience of the baseball nerd, I’ve linked each player to his FanGraphs player page. Three 2011 draftees — Milwaukee’s Drew Taylor Jed Bradley, Seattle’s Danny Hultzen, and Tampa Bay’s Mikie Mahtook — have made no minor-league apperances yet, and thus have no player pages here at the site.

This year’s AFL teams (with home park in parentheses) are as follows:

MES: Mesa Solar Sox (Mesa Hohokam Park)
PEO: Peoria Javelinas (Peoria Sports Complex)
PHX: Phoenix Desert Dogs (Phoenix Municipal Stadium)
SLT: Salt River Rafters (Salt River Fields at Talking Stick)
SCO: Scottsdale Scorpions (Scottsdale Stadium)
SUR: Surprise Saguaros (Surprise Stadium)

In addition to the table below (which is best viewed not on Internet Explorer), roster data is available as a Google Doc here, for Maximum Sortability™.

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The most recent acquisition by the Getty Museum.

Featured Game
Los Angeles Americans (5) at Seattle (0) | 22:10 ET
• The Angels’ playoff run remains interesting enough to render the Mariners watchable.
• In case you missed it, Mike Trout did disgusting things to the baseball last night.
• He also hit two home runs.
• (Wocka. Wocka.)
• Starters: Dan Haren (194.2 IP, 20.4% K, 3.5% BB, 43.1% GB, 81 xFIP-) at Felix Hernandez (200.1 IP, 23.7% K, 7.5% BB, 48.0% GB, 79 xFIP-).

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Mariners Radio, I guess. (Anyone have thoughts on Angels Radio? I’m not familiar with it.)

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.6.

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This Angels fan is like, ¿Dónde está Mike Trout?

Featured Game
Los Angeles Americans (6) at Seattle (0) | 22:10 ET
• The attentive reader will note that, somehow, Jerome Williams is responsible for what is
• Williams, since his return to the majors: 9.1 IP, 20.0% K, 0.0% BB, 31.3% GB, 2.98 SIERA, 3.01 xFIP, 75 xFIP-.
• He also has, inexplicably, an 18.8% swinging-strike rate. (League-average is somewhere around 8-9%, depending on role.)
• In other news, Mike Trout hasn’t started either of the last two games, despite looking very good since his recall.
• Here’s the average Halos Heaven comment on the matter: “Argh.”

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Mariners Radio.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.1.

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Desmond Jennings just keeps doing this kind of thing.

It’s probably about time, reader, that we had a conversation about Desmond Jennings — on account of, as you’ll notice below, Jennings has claimed the top spot on the Player NERD leaderboard. That is, in the words of someone who unnecessarily repeats adjectives, a “big, big deal.”

Let’s use this edition of Leaderboards of Pleasure to further our understanding of Jennings, hm?

• First of all, here are some numbers that will interest the baseballing nerd. On the season so far, through 153 plate appearances, Jennings has made these stats a thing: .354/.440/.646, .470 wOBA, 205 wRC+, 8 HR, 14-for-19 SB, 2.3 WAR.

• It’s important to note that Jennings UZR is actually -1.8 — which is to say that Jennings’ WAR isn’t inflated artificially by that.

• One thing that is inflating Jennings’ impressive line is his BABIP. It’s currently at .413. ZiPS suggests that something like .333 is more reflective of his his true talent. Slash12’s xBABIP calculator suggests .323.

• Question: What would Jennings’ line look like if normalized for BABIP? Answer: Still quite good. Using the FIB calculator Bradley Woodrum’s introduced last week, we find that (figuring a .330 BABIP) Jennings should hit like this:

• In conclusion, Desmond Jennings is good.

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This is something Aaron Hill can still do, apparently.

Featured Game
Colorado (5) at Arizona (8) | 21:40 ET
• Despite their probably more compelling playoff implications, neither the Angels’ nor Giants’ games are particularly watchable tonight.
• On account of it would necessitate watching the Mariners and Cubs, is one reason.
• Another is how the author, personally, is Angels-ed and Giants-ed out at the moment.
• What’s that, my fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Terry? I can’t make a verb out of Angels and Giants?
• Sorry, lady. Appears as though I just did.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Diamondbacks Television?

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.5.

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Like Paul Scheer on that one episode of Parks and Rec, the Angels KaBoom-ed It last night.

Featured Game
Los Angeles Americans (6) at Texas (7) | 20:09 ET
• After last night’s Angel victory — which included five Angel home runs — these two teams are separated by just two games in the AL West.
• Per Cool Standings, the Angels’ and Rangers’ odds of making the postseason are 29.7% and 71.0%, respectively.
• Notable thing: of all the players from last night’s game, Ranger (and former Angel) Mike Napoli actually had the highest WPA, at .137.
• He did also have an error and passed ball, too.
• Finally, Mike Trout Watch. Last night: 5 PA, 0 K, 0 BB, 1 HR. Since re-recall: 20 PA, 2 K, 1 BB, 2 HR.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.4.

Read the rest of this entry »

Photo courtesy author’s personal space camera.

Featured Game
Los Angeles Americans (5) at Texas (7) | 20:05 ET
• AL West Watch: after last night’s game between the two teams (an 11-7 Ranger win), the Angels are 3.0 games behind the Rangers in the AL West.
• Playoff Odds Watch: per Cool Standings, the Angels’ and Rangers’ postseason odds are at 79.6% and 21.2%, respectively.
• Mike Trout Watch: (since his recent promotion) 16 PA, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 HR.
• Hurricane Watch: hurricane-y?
• Author Watch: generally vertical.

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Rangers Radio.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.9.

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“What is art?” no tolerable person ever asks.

Featured Game
Los Angeles Americans (5) at Texas (7) | 20:05 ET
• A lot of people don’t know that, when he wrote the first draft of his “Drugs sell themselves” joke, Chris Rock actually first used “Friday night’s Angels-Rangers game” instead.
• He was like, “Angels-Rangers sells itself.”
• “It’s not an encyclopedia. It’s not an effing vacuum cleaner.”
• “You don’t really gotta try to sell Angels-Rangers,” etc.
• I mean, why would I lie about this?

MLB.TV Audio Feed: Rangers Radio.

Also Playing
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.1.

Read the rest of this entry »