2008 Cy Young Award (AL & NL)

The next installment of the Baseball Digest Daily Writers Awards is up, this time taking a look at the Cy Young award.

In the American League I took Roy Halladay over Cliff Lee backing it up with the following rationale,

For me, this wasn’t as difficult as it looked. Entering September, I was fairly convinced that Lee would be the winner. However, an article at Baseball Prospectus (free content) led me to thinking Halladay deserves more credit then he is receiving. The theory was that Halladay had faced substantially superior offensive clubs. The evidence is substantial and enough for me to take Halladay as the American League’s best pitcher.

I am disappointed that my colleagues were intending on taking Lee as the unanimous choice for AL CY before I stepped in. While the ballot is clearly close and an argument can be made for both pitchers, backing up one's argument with wins and wins on a poor team are simply not substantial in my eyes.

However, I am glad that Francisco Rodriguez didn't get much support-although any is probably too much. The reason being, there is a legitimate argument which supports that Rodriguez wasn't even a top 2 or 3 reliever in the American League in 2008.


The National League became more of a tight race then I had initially anticipated. In fact, my research was more or less done in search of my third place pitcher. After which, Johan Santana closed the gap on Tim Lincecum and allowed justification for either pitcher at the top of one's ballot.

My rationale behind picking Lincecum over Santana was the following,

When I first sat down to make my picks, I wasn’t even going to look into the numbers. I figured I knew the story and didn’t need any convincing. While my opinion didn’t change after I eventually looked at the numbers, it became surprisingly close after looking at VORP, WPA, WS, PRC, and SNLVAR. Lincecum came away on top, with Santana finishing second, and fellow Canadian Ryan Dempster completing his full circle surprise season.

I’m not shocked that Dempster isn’t getting more play in the upcoming days of Free Agency, but I am shocked that he isn’t getting much love from writers on the Cy Young ballot.

What blows my mind is that Brandon Webb keeps getting the support he does. There is no denying he is a solid pitcher. He is a work horse and extraordinarily durable. If I'm building a team, he's probably one of about 10 pitchers that I consider building around. However, the guy simply does not put up the statistics to merit being a Cy Young candidate.


As I promised with my Rookie of the Year picks, I fully intend on putting together a more substantial post for my post-season awards. Hopefully I can wait until the Rays come back from being down 3 games to 1.

2008 Rookie of the Year (AL & NL)

Over at Baseball Digest Daily each of the writers was asked to provide a ballot for the 2008 awards. The first installment saw the writers discussing MLB's 2008 Rookie of the Year. I won't spoil how the votes shook out, but I will tell you that my first place votes went to Evan Longoria and Geovanny Soto.

No major surprise there, as I do imagine that's who the BBWAA voters will pick as well. However, while Soto wasn't a difficult pick, as I began to further examine the numbers, Mike Aviles of the Kansas City Royals made a legitimate run at Longoria. Between five win and value related statistics, Aviles beat Longoria in two, with Longoria taking three.

These statistical categories helped me make my decision, but furthered the evidence of how close these two were in performance.

I will go into further detail about these picks at a later date, for now, enjoy the work of the writers at BDD.

"Come Join Us"

From Baseball Digest Daily,

Join Joe Hamrahi, Eric SanInoncencio, Bill Baer, Rob McQouwn, Michael Street, Brandon Heikoop and Brian Joseph in a live blog/chat tonight for Game 2 of the '08 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies.

The Live Blog kicks off roughly 45 minutes before first pitch at 7:45 PM. Be there for all the insights from the team and expect commentary and additional facts and stats to enhance your viewing experience (although it's doubtful anyone can hold a candle to Tim McCarver's wittiness).

Click here or on the link below to join the Live Blog. (Blog will appear in a pop-up window and start at 7:45 PM.)

BDD WS Game 2 Live Blog and Chat

I am still only tentatively scheduled to be a part of this although will be making my best effort to be there for the action. Brian has assured me that there will be ample of topics to discuss and debate. This is a trial thing for us at BDD and I certainly hope it works out, as this could be a fun and interactive way for myself, my colleagues, and baseball fans from all over to discuss the game we are all so fascinated with.

Hope to see each and everyone of you there.

MASSIVE NEWS!!!

My writing here has been slightly limited, although I hope there is a slight amount of grace given the news that was recently unveiled by Baseball Digest Daily-where I have been spending more and more time writing lately.

Today, Joe Hamrahi, President and Founder of Basebll Digest Daily, and Baseball Prospectus officially joined in a partnership that will see Joe Hamrahi taking over as CFO of BP's parent company, Prospectus Entertainment Venture.

As per the press release,

Chicago, IL (October 10, 2008) – Prospectus Entertainment Ventures, LLC, owner of BaseballProspectus.com (BP), today announced the acquisition of BaseballDigestDaily.com from Sports Digest Daily, LLC. As a condition of the sale, Joe Hamrahi, founder and president of BDD, has agreed to become the Chief Financial Officer of PEV.

PEV’s decision to acquire Baseball Digest Daily further enhances the content offerings of Baseball Prospectus by adding some of the game’s best analysts as well as over 100 pages of baseball news and original content. In addition, BDD’s player tracker provides a platform for serious fans and fantasy baseball enthusiasts to easily monitor the progress of their teams, allowing users to manipulate and track the progress of an unlimited set of players over a customized period of time.

Hamrahi brings more than twenty years of finance and accounting experience to PEV. He is a licensed CPA in the state of New York and holds a BA in economics from Binghamton University and an MBA in accounting from Baruch College. Joe is a skilled businessman who is known and respected among major and minor league baseball executives alike.

“We are excited to add Baseball Digest Daily and Joe Hamrahi to the PEV family,” said Kevin Goldstein, PEV executive and senior writer for Baseball Prospectus. “We believe that BDD will help continue Baseball Prospectus’ reputation as the leader in baseball analysis. And positioning Joe as our CFO not only strengthens our front office, but provides us with the business leadership we need to grow the company.”

I am absolutely thrilled with this news. Not only is it good news for Joe, who went out and gave me a chance to write for BDD after minimal experience as a baseball writer, but this is incredible news for BDD and all of it's readers. Joining with such a reputable baseball research website such as BP will allow BDD to continue to grow as well as adding readership.

Onto the selfishly good news. Joe's association with BP and PEV and the subsequent BDD association with said company will not only add quite the impressive line to my resume, I will also have access to tools and databases that were never before available to me-the extent of which, even I am not sure of at this point. These tools, while predominantly utilized for BDD, will also improve the content here at TheOLIB.

This, as I mentioned, is very exciting news. I will post more when I find out the extent of my BP association-if at all! Even if I do not directly have an association with BP, the added exposure to BDD cannot be seen as a negative for me personally.

Divisional Series Predictions

Over at Baseball Digest Daily, each of the writers chimed in with their Divisional Series predictions, check out their comments here, and their predictions below:


As you can see, Timm Davis is the only other author who knows what he is talking about. Here's how I break down the Divisional Series'.

American League

Tampa Bay Rays versus the Chicago White Sox:

If Scott Kazmir had shown a little more composure this season, I would call this a sweep. However, I see him taking away the Rays home field advantage by letting his emotions get to him in game two. It was, in my opinion, a great idea for Madden to give Shields the ball for the first game. I just hope that MLB's agreement with Stub Hub doesn't ruin the Rays home field advantage.

The White Sox are a veteran team and have been here before. It is difficult to find a weak link in their lineup and this team will be running off adrenaline this series. That said, this club does not have extraordinarily reliable pitching and is somewhat weak defensively. Those are the keys to winning in October, not home runs.

Tampa Bay takes the series in five games.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim versus the Boston Red Sox:

This year, the Angels and Red Sox are in opposite positions. In 2007, the Sox had home field advantage, while the Angels were playing with a bunch of wounded soldiers. This year, the Angels, with the additions of Mark Teixeira and Torri Hunter, have a healthy lineup and are ready to make a run. Whereas the Sox have lost the home field advantage that Fenway adds, are fairly dinged up, not knowing who will be healthy and how effective they will be, and are missing one of the greatest playoff hitters of all time, Manny Ramirez.

I am taking the Angels to win two close ones in Anaheim and for Josh Beckett to not be his typical playoff savior. Angels in three.

National League

Chicago Cubs versus the Los Angeles Dodgers:

The Cubs have been the class of the National League and have one of baseball's top home records. This is as complete of a team as there is in baseball. The team and its fans expect them to win, this is finally their year...Or is it?

The Dodgers have turned things around with the arrival of Manny and are firing on all cylinders. While the club is largely inexperienced, Casey Blake's beard, coupled with Joe Torre's managerial skills are what sets this club a part.

The Dodgers need to steal one early in Chicago and hold home field advantage in Hollywood. I'm taking the Dodgers to win in three.

Philadelphia Phillies versus the Milwaukee Brewers:

With the Brewers riding high the Phillies certainly have to worry about letting one slip away. While the Phil's bullpen has been unbeatable this year, the odds are they let one slip away on the big stage that October presents.

Despite CC Sabathia's wishes, he will not be starting every game of this series. He will take the mound for game 2 and presumably for game 5. If the Brewers can hit enough to win one of the other three games, they are in. I'm pinning that victory in game 4, at home, with Yovanni Gallardo saving the day pitching in relief.

Brewers take the series in five.


There you have it, my Division Series picks.

Enjoy!

Exciting Stuff at BDD

As per BDD's press release,

Birmingham, Ala. -- With the final weekend of the season now upon us, this week's edition of Baseball Digest Daily Live highlights the teams fighting for the final spots of October baseball. Join host Eric SanInocencio as he's joined by a panel of some of the best beat writers in all of the game.

Four guests highlight an extended 90 minute version of the Saturday podcast, with content ranging from coast to coast. Listen as reporters Buster Olney (ESPN), Mark Gonzalez (Chicago Tribune), Mike DiGiovanna (LA Times) and Adam Rubin (NY Daily News) discuss nearly all of the teams sure to compete for a World Series championship.

With plenty of heart wrenching action left to be played, BDD Live will also recap the game winners and clutch hits that have seen several squads rekindle hopes of playoff glory. Your calls, emails and predictions are welcome, as the game of baseball turns its attention to their championship tournament.

To join in on the debate, dial 646-716-7728.

So join us on Saturday at 12:00 PM Eastern Time at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/baseballdigestdaily to listen to the live broadcast. You can also download the show or listen to the recording upon completion.

Or, to download this and all other podcast archives via iTunes, just do the following:
1) Open iTunes.
2) Click on the Advanced menu at the top.
3) Then click on Subscribe to Podcast.
4) Enter this URL http://www.blogtalkradio.com/baseballdigestdaily/feed and click ok.

I encourage everyone to check this out as it is certain to be one of the best BDD Live's to date.

Article of the Week for the Week of June 22 - 28

Article of the Week is running a few days behind due to the sudden media focus on the Rays. Because of that, I wanted to ensure that my voice was heard and those who continue to refer to the Rays as the SURPRISING Rays would recognize this isn't all that shocking to everyone.

Being able to reflect upon an article from the website I write for is thrilling. While the content is typically strong at Baseball Digest Daily, it is not often that an article truly sticks out. Recently, I reflected upon The Hot Stove League and analyzed the mid-point value of the three major trades. One of which included the Mariners sending a boat load of prospects to the Orioles for Erik Bedard.

One of those prospects happened to be Chris Tillman, who is one of the most exciting prospects in baseball. BDD's Paul Bugala sat down with the kid and talked baseball. A very interesting read.

A few highlights which make Tillman a very interesting longterm prospect. Tillman recognizes that he occasionally needs to pitch to contact. Tillman states,

That’s one thing I’d like to get better on is pitching to contact early in the count and not getting late in counts. Lately I’ve been walking people, so I have to go to the strikeout mentality so they don’t score runs. Pitching to contact is huge.

Furthermore, Tillman's intelligence appears to be off the charts. He discusses the 'mind games' that hitters play at Double A. Explaining this concept Tillman states,

Reading swings is a big part of it, but every now and then you’ll get a hitter who will take a terrible swing at a pitch and he’s doing it to set you up to get you to throw it again.

Pick up on these two aspects of pitching is vital to a pitchers success at the highest levels. That is, relying on the defense behind a pitcher, as well as being prepared to make changes on the fly will help Tillman as he rises through the minors and into the majors. With this type of recognition, in addition to his raw stuff, it wouldn't surprise me if Tillman made noise immediately in the majors. He is a prospect to keep track of over the next year or so.

Recent BDD Action

A couple things for everyone to take note of...

The first, I have added a link to my 'Suggested Websites' sidebar called Brandon's BDD Blog. If you head to that link, you will have more up to date access to my blogs at Baseball Digest Daily. Or, you can click here.

The last week was a busy one for me as BDD, and one that I am definitely proud of. Here are the stories that I reported:

• WEEI in Boston reported that Curt Schilling will undergo season ending surgery.
• Taking credit with first reporting the story to the interweb, FAN 590 in Toronto reports that manager John Gibbons and much of his staff will be fired. The replacements were later reported as the coaching staff from the early 90s. An interesting move by the Jays.
• Blogger Awards were given out. MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year were voted on and reflected upon for the American League up to June 15th.
• King Felix hits a dinger and leaves game with an injury. This looked extremely serious and the star power of Hernandez seemed to be worthy of reporting. New reports suggest Hernandez will not miss a turn in the rotation, but at the time, the injury looked significant enough to set him down for some time.
  

As I mentioned, it was a relatively busy week reporting baseball news for Baseball Digest Daily. It makes it easy when there is a lot of news to report.

Recent BDD Action

A couple things for everyone to take note of...

The first, I have added a link to my 'Suggested Websites' sidebar called Brandon's BDD Blog. If you head to that link, you will have more up to date access to my blogs at Baseball Digest Daily. Or, you can click here.

Next up, with more time, and summer in full gear, I have been able to sit down and watch more ballgames. With that has come the ability to report more news. Over at Baseball Digest Daily I have been reporting injuries as I come across them live and give my opinion/understanding of the injury as it occurs. Here are my most recent entries:

• Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano leaves game with 'right shoulder discomfort'.
• Victor Martinez leaves game early with reported elbow injury. Obviously we have more information now, and Martinez has since gone under the knife.
• The injury woes continue for JJ Putz as he leaves the game with what was later diagnosed as a hyper-extended right elbow.

As you can see, I have been reporting these findings the second they occur. Baseball Digest Daily is rapidly growing and I am thrilled to be apart of such an outstanding website. Additions to the site seem to be happening weekly, the most recent of which is a weekly Radio show, Thursday's at 6pm EST. The first of which will be tonight, Thursday June 19, 2008, check it out.

Finally, this is post #99 of The Outsiders Look. While things here have been sporadic and several of the series' which I was incredibly excited about have faded, I am glad to see that the readership has grown. While I am not in need of my own server anytime soon, having regular readers definitely keeps my motivation high.

With that said, is there anything that you the reader wish for me to add? Anything I should return to doing?

As always, thanks for reading!

Aha!

This won't be filed under 'Article of the Week' as it really isn't an article. It is just something that made me laugh out loud over a bowl of Cookie Crisp.

Courtesy Geoff Young of Baseball Digest Daily

I don't really have any words to accompany this...

Miguel Cabrera: .278/.354/.461, 9 HR, $11.3 million
Jorge Cantu: .291/.341/.524, 14 HR, $0.5 million

Let's not even talk about Dontrelle Willis...

But let's take a look at it from a more neutral standpoint. From the statistical reference that accounts for league and ballpark adjustments as well as a little bit of clutch, The Hardball Times' Win Shares.

According to the Win Shares measure, which also takes into account defensive play, Cabrera has 6 WS and Cantu has 5.

In other words, for $10.8M you too can earn an extra win. That sounds about right.

Blogger Poll - American League Awards for Week 7

Before I get into the Blogger Poll Awards I want to take this moment to let everyone know that H2O's 'seven years in the making' album Nothing to Prove will be released on May 27th. AOL.com however, is allowing free streaming of the album, go check it out!

Over at Baseball Digest Daily I reflect upon my voting and the voting of my colleagues for this week's Blogger Poll for the American League. Baseball Happenings hosts the votes and has a collection of charts and graphs for your viewing pleasure.

My first place votes when to Kevin Youkilis, Cliff Lee and Jacoby Ellsbury. Of which, only Youkilis was not the consensus winner among voters. Keep in mind that these votes are given as if the season were to end on that day.

The Instant Replay Debate

I offer up a respone to Bill Chuck's recent assertion that it is time for MLB to implement instant replay. Check it out over at Baseball Digest Daily. Feel free to leave comments or questions here or on the BDD board.

Blogger Poll - National League Awards for Week 6

Over at Baseball Digest Daily I reflect upon my first vote at Baseball Happenings. Last week's vote was a poll for the National League up to May 10th, 2008. Check out my reflection at BDD and then flip on over to Baseball Happenings to see how my votes compared to those in the baseball community.

In Keeping Busy...Blogging Baseball Digest Daily Recap

Over at Baseball Digest Daily I report two happenings from the baseball world (well, not really 'world', more Northern baseball in America. Even that is a stretch, maybe Northern, but east of the Mississippi baseball in America).

In the first report, I discuss the Yankees decision to move Ian Kennedy down to Triple A. In my opinion, this is the beginning of the end of Kennedy's big league Yankee career. I simply do not see how a pitcher with his stuff can get by in the Majors, especially in New York.

The second report is in regards to 'drastic' change #1 by the Detroit Tigers in designating Jacque Jones for assignment. Obviously this is a relatively minor move, but it is the first of what I envision as some big changes occurring in Detroit. That is, I can't see the Tigers not making more moves after Leyland called for 'drastic' changes.

A Can of Prosthetic Worms

At Baseball Digest Daily, I write and reflect upon an article at ESPN the Mag regarding athletes with prosthetic body parts.

Check it out and feel free to leave a comment at BDD. This is now the third entry I have done on performance enhancing issues. The first was based on a scientific procedure which cleaned the blood in ones body where I questioned whether the issue with steroids was that they provided an unfair advantage over historical achievements, or if it is a social matter. The next entry discussed PED's in academia where I questioned why we as a society would not want our scientists, doctors and/or researchers to utilize these brain drugs in order to possibly create an otherwise unthinkable cure.

Baseball Digest Daily Blog Entry

Over at Baseball Digest Daily I write a blog with a reaction and reflection upon Benedict Carey's March 9th article on Brain Enhancement. Go check it out!

The Return of...Chatter from the Bleachers

There's a new trilogy, a new best trilogy.

Over at Baseball Digest Daily, "Team 1" was asked the following questions:

Question 1: BP's PECOTA system has projected the Yankees to win 97 games without any moves. And it's projected Boston to win 90. Yet, most people believe the Red Sox are the clear favorite, to the point that one ESPN.com writer this winter suggested that the 2008 Boston Red Sox may go down as the best team in history. What's really going to happen in the AL East in 2008, and why?
AND
Question 2: What is your opinion on costly closers and relievers? Is it worth it? How would you, as a GM, handle your pitching staff when it comes to signing them? Would you invest elsewhere and rely on your farm system? Explain.

For further details on Question 1, take a look at my Division by Division Preview of the AL East. I make some bold predictions with each of my predictions, but I truly will be surprised if Tampa Bay doesn't really challenge for first in the division. A lot of people are saying it won't happen until Davis and Price are full timers with the club, but I see a team that is currently good enough, combined with enough top notch prospects to make a lot of noise.

Swing over to BDD to check out my responses.

Feel Good Story

No, this isn't about a player fighting an addiction on his way to becoming a minor star and technically this is more bad news then good. But every once in a while something bad happens in order for something good to occur.

At Baseball Digest Daily I reported the story about Scott Rolen fracturing a finger. I was not the first, but over at Brew Crew Ball they sourced my report.

Sometimes, it's the little things in life that make a difference.

A Preview of Things to Come....

With the baseball season just around the corner, I figure it is a good time to get things organized and present you with a plan of action going forward.

First, the third issue of Fantasy Fridays should be up at Baseball Digest Daily in a day or so. I will also make sure that my response to BDD's Chatter from the Bleachers are in on time and linked here, with a little further explanation.

Additionally, the second Take a Chance on Me article will be up at The Fantasy Baseball Generals shortly. Also at FBG, each of the writers will be involved in a round table discussion concerning all things fantasy. I'm excited for the first edition to be posted, which should occur in the next couple of days.

However, with that, it has gotten be away from, well, what enabled me the opportunities to write for two great websites. And that is writing articles for The Outsiders Look. That said, I will keep on track and begin writing with regularity here. Up next will be division by division previews where I will take a look at each club, what they did during the off season and my bold predictions for 2008.

Once the season has started I will have two additional series' to add to my current lineup of Fantasy Fridays and Take a Chance on Me. The first, will come out on Mondays and focus on all things in the Minor Leagues. I will pick a player of the week, as well as discussing each major league farm system-a week by week review. The next article will be a return of my Under the Radar column, where I will take a look at happenings around the league that went, you guessed it, 'under the radar'.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy.

"Alright #6!"

Via Baseball Digest Daily - Brock for Broglio names Baseball Digest Daily as the #6 baseball website.