The Commish Online www.thecommishonline.com
BLOG ARCHIVE: 08/01/11 - 08/31/11
08/31/11
With the San Francisco Giants failing to put together any kind of hitting (last in runs scored in MLB), the Arizona Diamondbacks have started pulling away in the NL West. If Arizona's pitching doesn't quite stack up with San Fran's (which it doesn't) and outside of Justin Upton, the D-Backs offense has also been uninspiring, how are they doing it? One unheralded reason may be the pitcher's helping themselves at the plate. As a team, the pitching staff is hitting just a shade under .200 (.197), which means they are putting the ball in play and making things happen.
Better yet, Daniel Hudson is hitting a whopping .309 with 14 RBI in just 68 PA. Need more "Moneyball" data? Three D-Backs pitchers have an OPS over .700 and that doesn't include the slumping Micah Owings who owns a career OPS of .820. Need a benchmark? Starting CF Chris Young owns a career OPS mark of .755.
What does all of this mean? Not much since each pitcher's sample size at the plate is relatively small, but as a collective whole, a "tough out" in the 9th spot could be a small advantage if Arizona somehow finds itself in the World Series with the opportunity to host up to four games in its ballpark. The All-Star Game "award" of home field advantage may seem trivial at the time, but the NL's July victory could very well be one more added advantage to an Arizona team currently enjoying an unlikely Cinderella ride to the postseason.
08/24/11
So you like the Wild Card you say? Are you sure? Have you forgotten how exciting pennant races can be when the top two teams in a league have playoff implications on the line? The Commish sets you straight with his take on the effect of the Wild Card in the latest Hot Corner. Don't miss it!
08/05/11
Just two weeks after writing about players under the Mendoza Line, Dan Uggla has surpassed it with ease. The reason? A current 25-game hitting streak. The unfortunate problem of being so bad for so long? Despite the rash of hits approaching an entire month, Uggla is STILL only hitting .215. Need some details about how and why Uggla is slowly turning his season around? BaseballAnalytics.org has got you covered.
