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The Verducci Effect: 11 Pitchers 25-And-Younger Who May Get Injured or Regress in 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

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The Verducci Effect: 11 Pitchers 25-And-Younger Who May Get Injured or Regress in 2011

The Verducci Effect has become a popular phenomenon within baseball circles in recent seasons. While young hurlers such as Tim Lincecum and Felix Hernandez have bucked this trend in recent years, its worth noting the risk and effect it may have on pitchers in 2011.

More than 10 years ago under the advice of former pitching coach Rick Peterson, Tom Verducci developed this rule of thumb: 25-and-younger pitchers should not increase their workload by 30 innings or more from one season to the next. Pitchers who are pushed past this limit are subject to an injury or regression in the following season.

Not surprisingly, the results have generally supported this theory…

Thank You For Supporting Fantasy Baseball Insiders!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

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Thank You For Supporting Fantasy Baseball Insiders!

Yesterday was a historic day. Not because it was the 90th anniversary of the U.S. Senate voting against joining the League of Nations, nor because it was the 33-year anniversary of the first recorded snowfall in Miami.

Rather, yesterday we experienced the highest single-day of traffic in the 11-month history of Fantasy Baseball Insiders…

A Dinger Dilemma: Will David Ortiz’s Home Run Derby Success Lead To a Second-Half Slump?

Monday, July 12, 2010

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A Dinger Dilemma: Will David Ortiz’s Home Run Derby Success Lead To a Second-Half Slump?

Most baseball fans believe success in the Home Run Derby translates to a power outage in the second half of the season. Josh Hamilton in 2008 comes to mind, but it would be foolish to make assumptions based on that one particular instance.

To answer this presumption, I tallied the first and second half home run totals of each Home Run Derby winner since 2000. The results may surprise you.

The following table shows the pre and post All-Star Break at-bat per home run rate (AB/HR) of each player in the season they won the Home Run Derby. (Note: an AB/HR rate of 14.0 simply means the player hit a home run once every 14 at-bats.)…

Why a Low BABIP Doesn’t Necessarily Signal a Good Buy-Low Candidate

Monday, June 28, 2010

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Why a Low BABIP Doesn’t Necessarily Signal a Good Buy-Low Candidate

The term Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) has become one of the most popular stats among fantasy managers in recent years. To put it simply, BABIP measures the number of batted balls that fall safely for a hit (excluding home runs).

According to The Hardball Times Glossary, the exact formula for BABIP is: (H-HR)/(AB-K-HR+SF).

The major league average for BABIP is usually around .300. Last year it was .299. Through nearly three months this season, its .298…

Why Adding Closers Is Better Than Drafting Them

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

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Why Adding Closers Is Better Than Drafting Them

Closers are the most overrated players in fantasy baseball. The good ones deliver strong contributions to one category, but generally pitch less than five innings per week.

During drafts, I usually ignore the position until the late rounds. Despite this strategy, my teams are usually very strong in the saves category. In fact, my teams have finished first, first and second in saves over the last three seasons in my 10-team roto keeper league…

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