At the end of January, I introduced the latest hitter version of xHR/FB, featuring the Statcast fueled metric, Brls/BBE (barrels per batted ball event). I failed to discuss the pitcher side of the ledger, but their barrels against are tracked too, of course. While I haven’t performed any sort of analysis or run a regression, I have to assume that just like for hitters, Brls/BBE allowed by pitchers are going to correlate rather highly with their own HR/FB rates. Unlike for hitters though, it’s probably very inconsistent from year to year, which is why I never bothered to look into it.

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Another month, another Grind. Welcome to June muchachos. Spell check thinks I should change that to mustachios.

AGENDA

1. Old Meta
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. Hitters to Use
5. SaberSim Says…
6. TDG Invitational Returns!

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Many of you don’t know this, but I made on to the field at an Astros game:

SWEEEEP!#AstrosWin 17-6! 40 runs scored this series! 22 wins in May! Seven straight! Win streak! pic.twitter.com/G6ARSSCUuo

— Houston Astros (@astros) May 31, 2017

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Ever since Matt Bush took over the closer’s role for the Rangers in mid-April, I haven’t spent much time on him in this space. I haven’t had to — he has been automatic. Through his first 15 appearances as closer, Bush had not allowed an earned run and was 6-for-6 in save opportunities.

The string of earned run-free innings and converted saves ended on Wednesday night. Bush was one out away from his seventh save, protecting a 4-3 lead against the Rays, when Kevin Kiermaier took a first-pitch fastball over the wall in right-center. That was the only baserunner Bush allowed, so despite the blemish on his stat line, he still has a 1.37 ERA and an 0.97 WHIP on the season. Read the rest of this entry »