Position: SP 2015: 31 G, 183 IP, 3.10 ERA, 3.89 DRA, 20.3% K%, 7.7% BB% When teams make boneheaded, knee-jerk trades in the hope that they’ll see some short-term upside, it’s really easy to cheer for the other side. That’s why I’ve always been a fan of Scott Kazmir. Once a Mets’ top pitching prospect, Kazmir was […]
Author: Carlos Portocarrero
Upgrading the Run Defense: A Team Effort
A few years ago, I decided to prank my wife for her birthday. She’d been complaining about how bad her camera was (a previous gift from yours truly—and most definitely not a prank) and she wanted something that took better pictures. Which meant—hint, hint—a new camera. So her birthday rolled around and she opens her card […]
Baez in for Russell: Is He Ready?
Is Javier Baez ready? This was supposed to be the year that Baez “finally” answered that question. After getting a taste of the big leagues in 2014 and struggling mightily, 2015 would be the year he showed the world how his awesome tools would translate into major-league success. Then tragedy struck. His beloved sister passed away and […]
Seven Surprises from the 2015 Cubs Season
The Cubs have already surprised a lot of knowledgeable people by winning 97 games and making the playoffs this year. How did they do it? A lot of it was pretty predictable: Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant led the offense, while Jon Lester put together a very good season after a rocky start. But a lot of […]
Baseball Stats and Being a Fan
The boom in baseball sabermetrics has been great for baseball fans who aspire to get as close to the game as possible. We long to be in the dugout to witness the amazing feats that only the best baseball players in the world can pull off. We’d love to be high stepping next to Pedro Strop […]
Junior Lake is Going to Make It—Here’s Why
Junior Lake is no different than any other prospect: the experts marvel at the potential, but wonder if the player will be able to take that fabled “next step” and become a productive major leaguer. That next step typically involves polishing any existing skills until they’re major-league ready while making adjustments at each level of […]
Poised for a Second Half Surge—Weather Permitting
I grew up in Guatemala, and even though it’s nowhere near as hot as everyone always assumes it is, we definitely don’t have freezing temperatures. At most, you’d grab a sweater because at night it could get “a little chilly” (aka, 55 degrees). Then I went to college in Boston, and my dad gave me […]
Game 78 Recap: Marlins 2 Cubs 1
Top Play (WPA): It’s the top of the sixth and despite some issues with his control, Jason Hammel has managed to limit the Marlins to just one run. There are two down and the game has been a thrilling battle of struggling offenses. Then former-Cub minor leaguer Justin Bour comes to the plate. I remember Bour […]
Players are Human: On Quantifying Makeup and Personality
We’ve heard it countless times: baseball is a game of adjustments. Regardless of how talented a player is, he’s going to have to adjust at the big-league level if he wants to remain successful. Take Anthony Rizzo, for example. In 2012 he tasted his first bit of success in the major leagues. The following year […]
Game 57 Recap: Cubs 12 Tigers 3
Top Play (WPA): It’s the top of the third with runners at the corners—yet another scoring opportunity for the Cubs. And while they’ve already gotten a run in the second inning, that pit in our stomachs is already acting up. From starting the game with a leadoff triple and not getting anything out of it to […]