Baseball Prospectus Archives Now Free. Let the Anti-Angel Spelunking Begin!

by mattwelch on May 23, 2011 5:37 PM PDT

All, a great reference, Baseball Prospectus, which is a paid site, has now freed its whole post-1996 archives older than one year. This is a pretty amazing document dump of original/received stathead wisdom from the Internet 1.0 and 2.0 days. It's also a tasty opportunity to double-check what a lot of us felt at the time was a pro-Beane, anti-Angels slant.

I've only now started looking, but one of my early faves was this blast from May 18, 1998:

the Angels have the most overrated leftfielder in baseball in Garret Anderson, and Darin Erstad's speed and defense are completely wasted at first base. If the Angels ship Anderson's butt to any team dumb enough to take him (Danger, Herk Robinson, danger!), they can move Erstad to left field, Hollins to first base, and bring up Troy Glaus, improving their defense at 2 positions and getting a huge lift to their offense at the same time.

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Hey! I meant this as a Fanshot! Anyway.....

by mattwelch on May 23, 2011 5:40 PM PDT reply actions

ah-oh

you may be hearing from DOV soon…
Anyway, were they basing their Anderson take on statistics or his laziness or both?

by Raaddad on May 23, 2011 6:15 PM PDT up reply actions

Now I know what i'll be doing when the house is asleep tonight. looking at BP.

My wife won’t believe me, i’ll have to tell her I was really surfing for porn, then she’ll buy it

How come when players go to Texas they revitalize their careers? could it be the roids?

by Sinatrasratpack on May 24, 2011 8:10 AM PDT up reply actions

I like that idea about bringing up that Troy Glaus kid. We should do that.

"...the error of age is to believe that experience is a substitute for intelligence." - Lymon Bryson (1888-1959) pulling a Nostradomus on Torii Hunter's baserunning ass.

by Stirrups on May 23, 2011 6:38 PM PDT reply actions

wait.. bringing up a for sure thing 3b with power. Better not he'll only be a flop

How come when players go to Texas they revitalize their careers? could it be the roids?

by Sinatrasratpack on May 24, 2011 8:09 AM PDT up reply actions

He strikes out too much

He’ll just wind up another Wood or McPherson.

"That boy is our last hope" - Obi Wan Scioscia, as Francisco Rodriguez left for the Mets. "No, there is another" - Yoda Reagins.

by RallyMonkey5 on May 26, 2011 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions

Spec-freaking-tacular!

Thank you for the heads-up!

"If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base." ~Dave Barry

by LAASurfin on May 23, 2011 11:14 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks, Matt

I haven’t been this excited about a document dump since my first FOIA request was approved for declassification.

by Suboptimal on May 24, 2011 1:08 PM PDT reply actions

Joe Sheehan Article 3/1/2002

www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1358

“Well, whaddaya know? There are Angels fans.
Before Tuesday, I thought they were a myth, some kind of Disney creation that didn’t really exist. Turns out, there are actually people who care about this team, and they have some pretty strong feelings about their chances this year.

They’re wrong, but they’re devoted. Not unlike Scientologists."

Jeff Mathis = sure fire 1st ballot Hall of Fame inductee

by YouthofToday on May 24, 2011 7:32 PM PDT reply actions

Joe Sheehan

Concluding paragraph in the piece:

“If the Angels were in a weak division, they’d be a serious contender based on their pitching and the idea that things could break right offensively. Unfortunately, they’re in deepest, nastiest division in baseball, fighting three of the top six or seven teams in the American League. Coming in with an 81-win team and hoping for the best works in the NL East. In the AL West, it’s just not enough.”

Jeff Mathis = sure fire 1st ballot Hall of Fame inductee

by YouthofToday on May 24, 2011 7:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Awesome find

by mattwelch on May 25, 2011 8:26 AM PDT up reply actions

Joe Sheehan 8/5/2002

After blasting the Halos for the Erstad extension he concludes with:

“It’s not about winning in Anaheim: it’s about looking good and saying the right things. That’s why they’ve gone to the postseason three times in my lifetime, and have never won a series in October.”

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1586

Jeff Mathis = sure fire 1st ballot Hall of Fame inductee

by YouthofToday on May 24, 2011 7:35 PM PDT reply actions

If the 2002 Erstad signing happened today

It would be highly praised on sites like Fangraphs. At the time not too many people tried to quantify Erstad’s defense. The skillset works – below average offense and all-world defense in a key position – if it can be maintained. But it worked out pretty bad because he got hurt.

"That boy is our last hope" - Obi Wan Scioscia, as Francisco Rodriguez left for the Mets. "No, there is another" - Yoda Reagins.

by RallyMonkey5 on May 26, 2011 8:15 AM PDT up reply actions

Don't forget his phenomenal baserunning, too

I am convinced that somehow Erstad hurt his legs enough to sap his power but not enough to hurt his defense (except when he was too hurt to play). Proving my conviction is another matter.

But yeah, pretty amazing and somehow gratifying how much WAR likes everything else he did.

by mattwelch on May 27, 2011 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions