Matt DiFilippo at Seamheads.com re-examines some statements (h/t Baseball Think Factory) made by the writers of Baseball Prospectus over the years that ended up a little wide of the mark. Here are a few of my favorites: On Hanley Ramirez, before his monster rookie campaign (.292/.353/.480 at age 22) with the Florida Marlins: There’s no indication that he is ready for the major leagues, but the Marlins are apparently going to let him try. On Jimmy Rollins, in 2004 (three years before he won the NL MVP): In any event, his power and speed both appear to be dissipating, and without those he won’t hold a starting job for long. On Chase Utley, before the 2005 season (in which he hit .291/.376/.540): Utley is not going to be a star, but second... [Read more]

What to watch on a Friday? Yankees at Red Sox, 4:05 p.m. PT — You’ll be watching this one whether you want to or not. It’s what pays the bills, eh? Chien-Ming Wang goes against Clay Buccholz. Angels at Mariners, 7:10 p.m. PT — Jered Weaver and Felix Hernandez… Vlad and Ichiro!… Monkeys and mooses (meese?)… This one’s got it all. Here’s your game of the day. Padres at Dodgers, 7:40 p.m. PT — Jake Peavy and Brad Penny hook up for the second time in a week. The big story — at least among people who don’t know much about baseball — is a mysterious substance that appeared on Peavy’s hand in their previous meeting. You’re better than that, though; you recognize... [Read more]

My latest article at Hardball Times asks whether San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman is as ineffective in non-save situations as some folks seem to think he is. Enjoy! [Read more]

As you may know, I’ve been contributing articles to Baseball Digest Daily for a while. Now I’m heading over there to blog, too, which is very cool because, well, they’re very cool. I’ll be here at Knuckle Curve until April 15, at which time my esteemed colleague Stephen (of Hoops Fantasy fame) will assume control. I’m an “all-of-the-above” kind of guy, so my suggestion would be to keep coming here for Stephen’s stuff, visit me at Ducksnorts to get your Padres fix, and come over to BDD to get whatever the heck it is I’ve been giving you here. I won’t say goodbye, because I’m not leaving y’all. I will thank the good folks at b5media for letting me use this space to babble... [Read more]

More games? Okay, if you insist: Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 p.m. PT — Hiroki Kuroda looked outstanding in his North American debut. I expected the funky delivery that is characteristic of pitchers who come over from Japan, but the velocity caught me by surprise. He was pumping 93-mph fastballs against the Padres. Micah Owings gets the call for Arizona. He dominated the Rockies in his first start of ‘08 (although he only went 1-for-4 at the plate, LOL). Wasn’t there talk that the Snakes might stick Owings in the field at some point? I think that’s crazy, but it would be pretty cool — you know, in the same way that handlebar moustaches are cool. Reds at Brewers, 5:05 p.m. PT — Like offense? Josh Fogg and... [Read more]