Using the 2012 Oliver database, here is the top-projected-WAR starting lineup: Pos Player 2012 Projected WAR P Yu Darvish 7.0 (Wow!) C Joe Mauer 3.5 1B Albert Pujols 5.5 2B Robinson Cano 4.5 3B Evan Longoria 4.6 SS Troy Tulowitzki 5.6 LF Ryan Braun* 4.6 CF Matt Kemp 4.9 RFl Jose Bautista 3.9 —– 44.1 […]

Forty years ago today, one of the ugliest moments in the history of college basketball occurred. It’s an event that has largely been forgotten and probably would be completely forgotten if it wasn’t for the odd fact that one of the people involved in the ugliness later went on to become a Hall of Fame […]

The Internet is abuzz with the news that baseball analyst extraordinaire Mike Fast has been hired by the Astros. Mike will report to Sig Mejdal, who was made famous by Sam Walker’s book Fantasyland. They promise to be powerful contributors to the Astros’ braintrust. The press release states that Mike is a Baseball Prospectus writer, […]

It is very appropriate that Bob Didier’s 1973 Topps shows him in a defensive position. The switch-hitting Didier didn’t hit much–in fact, he never hit a home run in his six-year big league career–but he was an excellent fielder and a strong thrower. In 1969, he finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the […]

20,000 days ago, the Phillies belatedly got with the program. On April 22, 1957, in the eighth inning of an otherwise entirely forgettable loss to the Dodgers, Philadelphia inserted a young player name John Kennedy into the game as a pinch runner. Kennedy’s noteworthiness has little to do with the fact he shares a name […]

Goodbye Fausto! Hello Roberto! As reported last week, 28-year-old Fausto Carmona is Roberto Hernandez Heredia and perhaps 31 years old. There are implications here for Carmona-Heredia, for the Indians and, most importantly, for professional baseball and the uneven way it deals with international players. Since being released on bail, The Sinkerballer Formally Known as Fausto […]

A fewdays ago, longtime shortstop Orlando Cabrera announced he’s retiring from baseball after 15 seasons. When news like this happens, it’s natural to look back on a player’s career, and for me that means putting together a list of career highlights. This list includes the greatest and most memorable games Cabrera played in, his personal […]

It wasn’t particularly surprising to hear, but it’s now official. Last week, veteran infielder Craig Counsell decided it was time to call it a career, announcing his retirement. Craig Counsell in action At the very least, he made the most of his talent. Despite a career OPS+ of 79 and never appearing in 110 games […]

The Hardball Times is proud to be one of the sponsors of a brand new thing, the SABR Analytics Conference. We’re sponsoring this conference along with other well-known baseball organizations and websites such as Bloomberg Sports, Baseball Reference, Baseball Prospectus and Fangraphs. The conference, to be held in Mesa from March 15-17, is available to […]

Jorge Posada’s impending retirement has me thinking about great Yankee catchers. I’m not old enough to have seen Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra or Elston Howard in live action, but I’ve been fortunate to see both Posada and Thurman Munson up close and personal. Posada will be an interesting case for Hall of Fame discussion. His […]