Christmas Comes Early To Anaheim, Miami

Posted by Stransky on Dec 9, 2011 in Featured Story

AP Photo

by Jan Stransky | @janstransky | jstransky@fieldofignorance.com |

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

1B Albert Pujols: $254 million over 10 years
RHP C.J. Wilson: $77.5 million over 5 years

Let’s start with the Angels. Undoubtedly, their most recent signing instantly pushes the franchise into title contention. However, is Albert Pujols worth the approximately $25 million per year that the Angels are paying him? His career average is .328. He averages 123 R, 600 AB, 42 HR, 126 RBI, an OBP of .420, and .617 SLG. It doesn’t take much explaining to understand that Pujols, and his career stats over 11 years, make him one of the greatest players to date. However, when considering the contracts of other high-caliber players, the Angels overspent on Pujols, and are taking a considerable risk.

An Outlook on Chavez Ravine

Posted by Mumy on Dec 1, 2011 in Featured Story

AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

by Seth Mumy | smumy@fieldofignorance.com |

Although most Dodgers fans, myself included, agree that signing a player like Prince Fielder would help resurrect the franchise immediately, it’s not going to happen. Of course if it did, season ticket sales would skyrocket and the team would finally have the big bat it’s missed since Manny was downing women’s fertility drugs. However, by the time the Dodgers are sold, the 2011 free agency bonanza will be over and any new owner will simply not be able to do anything about it. The only possible way for the Dodgers to land Prince Fielder is if Frank McCourt shrewdly decides that signing him would greatly increase the value of the franchise and its price tag in the upcoming auction, a move that could forever alter his legacy as the team’s owner.

With the Dodgers locking down runner up MVP Matt Kemp to the biggest contract in Dodger history (8 years/$160 million), they have secured the face of the franchise for nearly a decade. It’s scary to say that $20 million dollars a year seems to have come at a bit of a hometown discount. After all, last off-season the Washington Nationals signed Jason Werth to a ridiculous 7 year/126 million-dollar deal, which will pay Werth $21 million dollars guaranteed when he turns 38. $20 million for Matt Kemp, a player Jason Werth could never be, is beginning to look like a bargain. So the Dodgers can take a very quick sigh of relief and check Kemp off their long to-do list.

Comparing Fielding Awards

Posted by Behr on Nov 3, 2011 in Featured Story

I like to talk. I like to talk a lot. Most of the time, I have things worth saying. Sometimes, it just flies right over people’s heads. Regardless of what I’m saying, how I’m saying it never comes out quite perfect. Doesn’t matter whether I’m talking baseball or chatting with a babe from the SU Volleyball team (which, come on folks, it’s clear there isn’t much of a difference for me at this point), the chances I exactly what I want to say are not high.

However, this is not the case with statistics.

Elite Defenders is one of many projects already underway at FoI that allows statistics to speak for both us and speak up for themselves. I’ve sat down with my buddy Tom Barrile countless times this semester, arguing for hours on end whether or not baseball is the superior sport over football (obviously, as everyone deep-down knows, it is). What we CAN’T ARGUE is the number of television viewers that watch the MLB postseason compared to the NFL playoffs.