'Bill James Handbook Walkoff Edition' Is Out
PLUS: DETROIT CONSIDERS OFF-SEASON OPTIONS
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Highway robbery: NL Silver Slugger winner Bryce Harper hit 11 HR with 45 RBI and posted an .873 OPS in 89 games as a DH this season, while Marcell Ozuna hit 40 HR with 100 RBI to go along with a .918 OPS in 142 games as Atlanta DH . . .
After losing manager Craig Counsell, the Milwaukee Brewers have signaled a major shake-up, with every rostered player — even star pitcher Corbin Burnes — available in trades . . .
As Monday’s non-tender deadline approaches, the field of veteran free agents is certain to expand, but insiders wonder whether the 30 clubs will top last winter’s record $3.7 billion spending spree (for 140 free agents) . . .
If the New York Mets want to join the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies as a three-headed monster in the National League East, they may have to outbid their divisional rivals for free-agent pitchers Marcus Stroman and Sonny Gray . . .
Needing a third-base coach to replace Ron Washington, now managing the Angels, the Braves could bring in a former manager — maybe one-time Atlanta catcher David Ross or ex-Angels pilot Phil Nevin — although Houston batting coach Troy Snitker, son of Braves manager Brian Snitker, is also on the short list.
Leading Off
Oh, No! Bill James Handbook Produces Final Annual: Walk-off Edition
By Dan Schlossberg
Say it ain’t so, Joe. After 34 years, the best-designed, best-written, and most comprehensive baseball annual has rounded third and headed for home.
The information-packed paperback, which featured year-by-year player records, projections for the next season, and even the odds against future 300-game winners, will always occupy a place in the game’s literary Hall of Fame.
Its final version is called the Bill James Handbook Walkoff Edition but ditches the stats for stories, including a half-dozen penned by the legendary sabermatrician himself. There’s also a Q & A with James an essay on his impact, and pieces on shifts, defense, and the red-hot rookie class of 2023.
Writer Rob Neyer, a regular contributor, has all 34 Bill James Handbooks, including the 1989 first edition called the STATS 1990 Major League Handbook.
Published by ACTA Sports, the book concedes that the instant information provided by Baseball-Reference, Baseball Almanac, FieldingBible.com, and other sites has made the Bill James Handbook obsolete. Things change every second these days but typography — no matter what handsome font it takes — just sits still.
On the other hand, looking up the record of a player, listed in alphabetical order, is so much better in print form than it is online. Maybe that’s just me but hey, I’ve been doing this (covering baseball) for more than half-a-century.
Perhaps the best part of the new book, aside from the James essays, is the Baseball Glossary. It explains it detail many words from the still-relatively-recent analytics lexicon, from runs created to win shares, and should foster better understanding among fans still learning the nuances of the science.
Bill James, perhaps the godfather of analytics, has been writing about baseball since 1975 and even spent some time as Senior Baseball Operations advisor to the Boston Red Sox.
Sports Info Solutions, which produced the contents for the book, provides accurate, in-depth, and timely information, including cutting-edge research and analysis, designed to educate teams, officials, media members, and fans.
To order the 252-page, $24.95 paperback, visit www.actapublications.com.
Here’s The Pitch weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn relies heavily on the Bill James Handbooks and appreciates their role in expanding baseball knowledge. He covers the game for forbes.com, Memories & Dreams, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, and other outlets. Dan’s email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Cleaning Up
Detroit Tigers’ Free Agency Primer
By Joe Underhill
Eduardo Rodriguez is out, Javier Baez is in.
The two Detroit Tigers with opt-out options have made their decisions, and neither is surprising. Rodriguez is inclined to potentially double the remaining money on his Tigers deal. Baez wasn’t going to get close to the $98 million he still had on his contract.
The team has already made one move, trading for veteran outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha. Canha give manager AJ Hinch a right-handed bat and has been an above-average hitter for the past six seasons, posting strong OBP and an OPS+ above 108 every season since 2018.
The trade for Canha seems unlikely to be the only move the Tigers will make this off-season.
Detroit is at an important junction in its roster construction with several prominent young players on the cusp of making the majors and a roster that is already full of young players trying to find their way. There is a seeming glut of outfielders and holes at second and third base as well as in the rotation and theoretically at DH.
The Tigers have young players in Colt Keith (second) and Josh Jung (recently moved to third), Justyn-Henry Malloy (outfield), and Dillon Dingler (catcher) close to the majors and are unlikely to go after the top position players until they know how their young players are going to shake out. Where they are likely to add to the roster is in the pitching department.
With Rodriguez’s opt-out, there is an obvious hole in the Tigers rotation and the Tigers collectively are very young in the rotation, so there is a need for at least one probably two starters to help balance the work loads of young pitchers and pitchers returning from injury. It’s too early to completely rule out a reunion with Rodriquez, who seemed to enjoy his time with the Tigers, and there are other options that fit the mold of what team President Scott Harris seems to be looking for.
Some targets the Tigers might consider on one year deals:
Lucas Giolito, left-handed starter. Giolito had a good start to the year which then fell apart; he had an ERA+ of just 65 with the Angels and then somehow pitched even worse with the Guardians. So why would the Tigers want to sign him? Because the Tigers have been able to help pitchers get better. Just ask Michael Lorenzen.
A one-year deal would let Giolito rebuild his resume to hit free agency again next season.
Kyle Gipson, right-handed starter. Gibson is an inning-eating mid-to-back-of-the rotation arm at this point, but just having a guy you can count on to pitch competitively every five days while helping to mentor the younger pitchers is valuable.
Jack Flaherty, right-handed starter. Flaherty is another player who may be looking for aone-year bounce-back deal. He is still relatively young at 28 years old and is looking to recapture the form that made him a Cy Young candidate in 2019.
Injuries have derailed Flaherty so a one-year deal with some pitching gurus could help him refine his approach and pitch uses.
Some targets the Tigers might consider on two-year deals:
Eduardo Rodriguez, left-handed starter. The Tigers are familiar with E-Rod and werereportedly talking with his representatives about restructuring his contract prior to his opting out.
Keeping him will probably require another five-year pact with a total value between $90-100 million.
Seth Lugo, left-handed starter. Lugo would be an interesting addition to the rotation as he would slot towards the middle/back of the rotation but would provide the veteran presence with some higher potential upside even though he is 34. He is probably looking for a deal in three-year range worth $36-$45 million.
In addition to rotation help, expect the Tigers to add to their bullpen, but the majority of those deals will probably be minor-league free agents with invites to spring training.
While fans may want to see the Tigers make a splash in free agency, this is probably not the year for that to happen. Expect the Tigers to make smaller deals and then look at the trade market to supplement their team.
Joe Underhill is a diehard baseball fan and fan of the city of Detroit. Joe currently writes for www.tigstown.com. You can follow Joe on Twitter @TransplantedDet.
Timeless Trivia
“It’s a lot to digest. I am not sure what’s more shocking — where he landed or how much he got.”
— Major-league executive reacting to Craig Counsell’s signing as Cubs manager
This is not the first time the Cubs have pilfered a pilot, with Chicago hiring Joe Maddon away from Tampa Bay before the 2015 campaign . . .
The Cubs remain the only team to operate without a manager, preferring a rotating College of Coaches for five years in the ‘60s . . .
David Ross, bounced as the boss at Wrigley Field, could resurface as manager in Milwaukee or third base coach in Atlanta — assuming Ron Washington returns to managing . . .
Hard to believe the Mets are paying rookie manager Carlos Mendoza $4.5 million over three years — after Counsell got $40 million over five years from the Cubs.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.
The bridges are still burning in Queens from the fires Marcus Stroman set on his way out the door as a Met