Beyond the Box Score

In September 2008, a journeyman utility player of whom most baseball fans had never heard was starting to see some regular playing time. He was a player whose usefulness was more or less based entirely on his defensive versatility. But as the season wound down, he suddenly started hitting the tar out of the ball. Had you checked the monthly...

Mar 28, 2013, 2:00 pm EDT via beyondtheboxscore.com

As spring training crawls to an end, teams are finally naming winners in positional battles. On Tuesday, several teams made roster decisions, with Rick Porcello, Luis Mendoza, Blake Beavan, and Brandon Maurer all securing rotation spots. The most remarkable move of the day, though, was the Blue Jays decision to send Ricky Romero to the minors and name lefty J.A....

Mar 28, 2013, 1:00 pm EDT via beyondtheboxscore.com

Previously on Beyond the Box Score Can Halladay Rebound in 2013? A Case Study Using Dan Haren, PITCHf/x, and FIP by Dan Rozenson | Beyond the Box Score2012 was one of the worst seasons in the otherwise brilliant career of Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay. Halladay, who turns 36 this season, missed nearly two months due to injury and posted his...

Mar 28, 2013, 8:00 am EDT via beyondtheboxscore.com

It's tough to decide what's been more interesting to follow this spring: Biogenesis being sued by Major League Baseball with Commissioner Bud Selig leading the charge, or the New York Yankees dropping like flies. Regardless of how either of those situations play out, I'm just happy that we are now a mere six days away from Opening Day. Previously on...

Mar 25, 2013, 8:00 am EDT via beyondtheboxscore.com

Notable Numbers 59: The number of runs saved above average the Blue Jays’ defense had last year, according to Baseball-Reference’s Defensive Runs Saved metric. A big chunk of this was due to aggressive shifting, including swinging third baseman Brett Lawrie between first and second against pull-happy lefties. Will the Jays continue to shift aggressively under new manager John Gibbons? 79.4%:...

Mar 20, 2013, 11:00 am EDT via beyondtheboxscore.com

I've read a number of dissenting opinions in recent months on the Toronto Blue Jays daring offseason acquisition of Cy Young winner and best-selling author R.A. Dickey. A number of Dickey's detractors have cited concerns over his age and his transition to a far more dangerous division and league. If Dickey does manage to perform well for the duration of...

Mar 4, 2013, 9:00 am EST via beyondtheboxscore.com

I'm going to make this short and sweet, because I have to a work a 12 hour shift at the hospital tomorrow. Read the links, be awesome. Must-Reads on Beyond the Box Score The Anatomy of a Whiff: Changeups by Glenn DuPaul | Beyond the Box ScoreGlenn continues his series on whiffs, this time analyzing the factors that go into...

Mar 4, 2013, 8:00 am EST via beyondtheboxscore.com

A lot has been made of Ricky Romero and his sinker during the past week. First, Brandon Morrow gives him a Brooks Baseball rundown of his decreased usage of the pitch last season. Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs then showed how he really just had an uptick in sinkers during 2011, with '12 around '09 and '10 levels. Finally, on Wednesday,...

Mar 2, 2013, 12:00 pm EST via beyondtheboxscore.com

Last season there were some incredible starting rotations throughout major league baseball. With the majority of free agents signed (sorry, Lohse!) the top teams have their rotations set, for the most part anyway. In this piece I'm going to list who I think will be the top five rotations this next season. Feel free to debate in the comments, or...

Feb 28, 2013, 2:00 pm EST via beyondtheboxscore.com

Today's Sabersphere will look at GRIT, a super-awesome formula created by our own Max Weinstein, some players who could use platoon-mates, and Ricky Romero and his sinker. Yesterday at Beyond the Box Score True "GRIT": Quantifying the Game’s Grittiest Players and Teams. - Beyond the Box ScoreDoes grit equate to wins? Is it even possible to quantify such a qualitative...

Feb 28, 2013, 8:00 am EST via beyondtheboxscore.com