There have been many attempts over the years to quantify defense. Despite claims that current stats describe 60% of fielding, it’s my opinion that little progress has been made. However, a new technology is coming which will soon change everything.

Game of Chance

Game of Chance 20: Fielding Statistics

Spring is the time for guessing which players will have that long-awaited breakout season, which teams will surprise everyone and win a pennant, which ones will completely fall apart, and anything else that might happen in a baseball season. But calling them “predictions” doesn’t make them any better than “guesses,” even when the experts are talking.

Game of Chance 19: Predictions

Is Ty Cobb’s .366 lifetime batting average really an unbreakable record? What about Barry Bonds’ 762 career home runs? Or Nolan Ryan’s 5714 strikeouts? And will anyone ever hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season?

Game of Chance 18: The Unbreakables (Part Two)

The breaking of records is often surrounded by controversy. We have a tendency to defend the past as somehow superior to the present. Which of baseball’s great records are unbreakable because a player was extraordinary? And which because the game has changed? What records are the most interesting to think about?

Game of Chance 17: The Unbreakables (Part One)

In 1972 Steve Blass suddenly lost the ability to control his pitches. Thirty years later, the same thing happened to Rick Ankiel. We expect professional athletes to be stoic, unaffected by danger and injury, but the culture of baseball can have profound consequences on the performance of even the most elite athletes.

Game of Chance 16: Tough Guys

Right from its beginnings in the 1800s, baseball has been accompanied by a barrage of numbers. Why are statistics so important to baseball? Why did they develop so naturally, and why have they remained so fascinating for so long? What makes baseball different from football, basketball, and hockey?

Game of Chance 15: Why Baseball Has Statistics

In the past month two pitchers have been pulled from games while in the process of throwing a no-hitter. In general, pitchers today don’t throw as many pitches as they used to. What’s the deal with pitch counts? Do they really help keep pitchers healthy? Or do they prevent them from building the endurance they need to have long careers?

Game of Chance 14: Pitch Counts

Derek Jeter is often referred to as the second best shortstop ever. Is this accurate? Where does Jeter fit among the greats?

Game of Chance 13: The Legend of Derek Jeter

Speed is an exciting part of baseball, but how important is it for an offense to have fast players? Whitey Herzog had a lot of success with fast teams, but Earl Weaver and many others have had success with slow-running power-hitting teams. Is there a place for the traditional leadoff hitter in today’s game?

Game of Chance 12: Speed (Part One)

Every year the Mets’ payroll is one of the highest in baseball and their results are mediocre. What’s going on? What are the problems and what do Mets fans have to look forward to?

Game of Chance 11: Taking Stock: The 2010 Mets

Luck plays a huge role in baseball, more than most people realize. In fact, baseball players behave a lot like coin flips, and are subject to the same laws of probability. How much do stats actually tell about a player’s ability?

Game of Chance 10: Luck (Part One)

Why do we care if a batter hits .300 or a pitcher wins 20 games? How have these arbitrary milestones become so important to baseball fans? And, more importantly, how do they affect the players and the game itself? Is there a better way to quickly summarize a player’s accomplishments?

Game of Chance 9: Milestones

A recent ESPN article claimed that Barry Bonds was a more dominant home run hitter than Babe Ruth, and rewrites the all-time home run leader list with the use of some flawed math. I explain how to use z-scores to determine which players are actually the most dominant, and how to compare dominance across eras.

Game of Chance 8: Dominance

Carlos Beltran returns to centerfield for the New York Mets tonight while Jose Reyes sits out. The Mets injury management over the past two seasons has been abysmal. Also: the “get it right” argument in support of instant replay is based on a misunderstanding about the role of umpires and how the rules are enforced. Is instant replay more for the fans than for the game?

Game of Chance 7: Correct vs. Fair

There have been some surprising performances in the first half of 2010. Are they flukes or for real? A closer look at all-stars Martin Prado, Arthur Rhodes, Yovani Gallardo, Corey Hart, and Jose Bautista.

Game of Chance 6: First Half Flukes?

Game of Chance is a weekly podcast about baseball stats, history, and culture which puts current events in a historical context and constantly questions what we think we know about the national pastime.