Reporting + analysis

Baseball pitches in 2023: A modern field guide to MLB's diversifying arsenals

Winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors’ 2023 explanatory reporting contest, this deeply reported, visually helpful explainer leveraged my expertise to guide baseball fans through the rapidly evolving modern world of pitching.

Does the search for a starting pitcher now start in the bullpen?

In a season where Reynaldo Lopez, Michael King and Garrett Crochet sparkled as starters, this reported feature broke down the forces reshaping the winding road to pitching excellence.

A new wave of high-tech pitching machines can throw like any MLB ace

A news-breaking deep dive, this report illuminated a high-tech revolution that was changing how hitters practiced in the major leagues.

How the not-so-subtle art of chucking it right down the middle is helping MLB pitchers get ahead

A finalist for SABR’s 2024 award in Contemporary Baseball Analysis, this feature explained the breathtakingly simple philosophy behind some of the game’s sharpest pitching.

The Replacement Player: Inside the hunt for talent on the margins of MLB rosters

Delving into the landmark idea of replacement players, this story explored the real people whose trials and tribulations swing seasons.

How Vertical Approach Angle, or VAA, is helping MLB pitchers understand the shape of their arsenals

Don’t let the acronym scare you. This story explains the burgeoning language pitchers and coaches are using to shape their games.

He's throwing a what? The 'sweeper' is MLB's latest pitching weapon

This ahead-of-the-curve feature enlightened baseball fans about the origins of a new pitch that popped up around the majors and inspired waves of Google searches.

Joey Votto Approaches Nirvana

Deploying insights from a new form of data, this analysis detailed the Cincinnati Reds star’s signature skill in satisfying fashion.

The Infielders Are Not What They Seem

Tracking a significant trend in team behavior, this report reset the understanding of positional norms.

Columns + essays

The Phillies are Dave Dombrowski's 5th World Series team. Should more teams play his version of Moneyball?

A finalist for SABR’s 2023 award in Contemporary Baseball Commentary, this column made the case that short-term thinking and targeted spending had become one of baseball’s famed market inefficiencies.

In baseball’s October blame game, direct your ire toward a person, not the ‘analytics’ bogeyman

Arguing against the short-sighted tendency to blame numbers instead of the people who employ them.

2023 Arizona Diamondbacks essay: From the Shadows Emerged

Originally printed in the 2023 Baseball Prospectus Annual, this essay on desert organisms and learning to thrive on limited resources was republished online when it proved prophetic during a World Series run.

In a thrilling Field of Dreams Game, MLB finds a simple formula for success

Reacting to a moment where MLB seized the spotlight with a rare nationally televised regular season game, this column advocated for more of the approach that birthed that special event.

Back to the Future: Jacob deGrom Returns to the World Built in His Image

On Jacob deGrom, back from injury, and a pitching world that has accepted the risks required for elite performance.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens off the ballot, the Baseball Hall of Fame is in trouble

As two contentious baseball legends dropped off the Hall of Fame ballot, this column argued for a more nuanced rendering of a complicated history.

The Padres and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year: How San Diego can be good at baseball but bad at winning

What stood between the 2023 Padres and meeting expectations? A veritable comedy of bad luck, bad timing and general weirdness.

Envisioning a Mike Trout ‘breakout’ season

A theoretical, math-infused journey to a magical one-percent outcome.

Lists + special features

Ranking MLB’s top 25 free agents, from Shohei Ohtani to surprise impact additions

A deeply researched annual dive into the free agent class, formatted to offer analysis and contract projections, updated with reactions to the eventual signings.

Ranking MLB's rebuilding teams: Success can take many shapes, so who failed the best?

Acknowledging the reality that progress can mean something different than winning, this annual ranking assessed the promise of baseball’s also-rans.

Who’s That Guy? 13 players who could vault to stardom in October

An annual feature I devised at Yahoo Sports, this listicle gives fans a glimpse into the less-heralded names they’re about to learn when contenders leap onto the playoffs’ national broadcasts.

MLB heat check: Who has exceeded expectations, and who has fallen short?

Gauging team seasons through a proprietary, not-very-serious metric of fan happiness known as BAE.

Podcasts, radio + video