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But sabermetric orthodoxy, based on complex run-scoring simulations, says that the number-two batter—who makes almost as many plate appearances as the leadoff man, but bats with more runners on base—should be the club’s best hitter, instead of the high-contact, good-bat-control, move-the-runners-over type that teams have been sticking there since t
... See moreBen Lindbergh, Sam Miller • The Only Rule Is It Has to Work
These rare birds of baseball, fluent in front office and dipped in dugout wisdom, are “perfect conduits to get a message from high theoretical guys down to guys who are just used to grinding it out on the baseball field,” San Diego Padres manager Andy Green said in 2017. “Unless that message gets translated where a guy speaks both languages, it usu
... See moreTravis Sawchik • The MVP Machine: How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players
B. J. Ryan (in 2003, with the Baltimore Orioles) and Alan Embree (in 2009, with the Colorado Rockies) were each credited with a victory in a game in which they threw zero pitches. Both relievers picked a runner off a base to end an inning before their offense plated the winning run.