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The first week of the season is in the books and there are a few things that stand out. Chris Davis is a dangerous man with the bat and probably related to Paul Bunyan somewhere down the line, the Pittsburgh Pirates have scored a total of eight runs on the season, and the Boston Red Sox are, how you say, playing good baseball.
Previously on Beyond the Box Score
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Late Major League Debuts - By Lee Trocinski - Beyond the Box Score
We like to think that impact players often get to the big leagues in their early twenties and those who don't aren't worth following. Lee compiles some very interesting information regarding the impact players who made their major league debuts later than most. -
Cashman can fix the Yankees - By Ben Horrow - Beyond the Box Score
The New York Yankees had a forgettable winter and had already lost numerous key contributors to injury before the regular season even began. Ben seems to think, like Ken Rosenthal, that the Yankees are in a position to make moves to get better at the deadline. -
Stealing, Bunting, and Mike Trout - By Matt Hunter - Beyond the Box Score
Matt breaks down the decision to try to bunt the great Mike Trout over to second base as opposed to have him attempt to steal it. Can't say I disagree with Matt's thought process here and the decision to bunt with Trout on first was a bit of a head scratcher. -
BTB Podcast #48 - Nap City, Trick - With Blakey Murphy and Bryan Grosnick - Beyond the Box Score
In case you haven't been tuning in regularly to the BtBS podcast it's something definitely worth checking out. They recently changed things up a bit by releasing two shows a week now and having a two person team. Blake and Bryan do a great job talking about the game and giving their analysis of what's been happening.
Around the Sabersphere
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The Worst of the Best: The Week’s Wildest Swings | By Jeff Sullivan | FanGraphs Baseball
Go figure, the baseball season is well under way with its first week and we get an onslaught of GIFs to rummage through. Jeff put together a piece about the wildest swings and then another on the wildest pitches. I chose wildest swings because there's some funny stuff in here. Talk about getting fooled. -
Major achievements in minor league ball | By Frank Jackson | The Hardball Times
An interesting piece by Frank on 'Bullet' Bob Turley and the Texas League in 1951. He makes a great point about how we read about the major league career of a professional baseball player upon their passing but people don't write about what they did to get there. I say well done Frank and I look forward to reading more from you. -
Baseball Prospectus | By Zachary Levine | Skewed Left: Beating Yu Darvish
Zach looks at the various ways available to try to beat Yu Darvish and his results are pretty interesting. Granted, it's Yu Darvish and even if you could devise the perfect strategy against him his stuff is still so good that it may not matter all that much.
Around SB Nation
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Braves DL Freddie Freeman with Oblique Strain - By Matt Sullivan - MLB Daily Dish
Freddie Freeman reportedly wasn't told of the decision to place him on the DL until after he was actually placed there. I'm not sure if teams routinely talk to a player about being placed on the DL before they do but either way Freeman seems to have a serious beef with the way his situation was handled by the Braves. -
40 years later, ranking the greatest Designated Hitters - By Rob Neyer - Baseball Nation
This was a fun read by Rob because it gives us a little history on the Designated Hitter rule and breaks down who he considers to be the best over the 40 years since its inception. The fact that the guy at the top of the list isn't in the Hall of Fame (yet, hopefully) really says something about how some voters still view the position. -
The designated hitter is coming - By Grant Brisbee - Baseball Nation
Celebrating the DH and its 40 years of existence is kind of neat -- sort of like me discovering that there is a yogurt flavor out there that doesn't completely suck (it's blueberry). Grant pretty much sums up how the DH rule will impact those on both sides of the argument if/when it's adopted by the National League. -
This Week In GIFs: Whatcha doin' there, professional athletes and their fans? - By Jon Bois - SBNation.com
Who doesn't enjoy some quality time with GIFs? No, I'm being serious. Finding a few golden nuggets that you can play over and over again while laughing just as hard each time is the best time waster out there. I love the fan waving the bat around like the Mad Hatter. -
Back In Blue: Season Premiere of Blue Jays Video Podcast - Bluebird Banter
This is pretty cool. A live, weekly video podcast covering a specific team -- in this case it's the Toronto Blue Jays. I've actually been wanting to do something like this with my weekly podcast but my co-hosts are hesitant to show what they look at to a live audience. Oh well. This was fun to watch and I hope Nick, Reid, and Andrew keep it going strong all season long. I think this is something that other pod-casters, who put together high quality shows, should look into doing for their listeners.
Outside the Sabersphere
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Bird Talk - A Baltimore Orioles Centric Show - By Lance Rinker
Since I've mentioned podcasts and videocasts I guess it wouldn't hurt to a do a little shameless-ish self-promotion. It is my first time after all.Bird Talk is a weekly podcast focusing on the Baltimore Orioles and Major League Baseball. Each new show also brings with it a new guest who spends time answering questions and talking with the guys about the Orioles and baseball. Widely considered the best local Orioles show around. Producer/Host: Lance Rinker Analysts: Kevin Ebert and Tucker Blair
