JJ Cooper

We pick a Player of the Year so it isn't best hitter and it isn't "Most Valuable."

But definitions of Player of the Year can also vary.

I think this is the indy ball argument multiplied by 10.

The variance from one inning to the next seems incredibly dramatic.

MLB Postseason TV Ratings Soar As Wild Card Series Averages Record 4.6 Million Viewers Over four and a half million fans tuned in on average for Wild Card Series playoff games in 2025, marking a 64% increase in viewership from last year.

Yes, the way Nielsen measures ratings has changed a bit, but these Wild Card round numbers are truly massive.

The average Wild Card game this year bested the previous record for the best single-game viewership of the best-of-3 Wild Card format.

www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-...

Roch Cholowsky & Grady Emerson headine loaded '26 draft; MLB draft odds as AFL begins | Hot Sheet YouTube video by Baseball America

If you are a fan of a non-playoff team, we are here for you.

This week's Hot Sheet show looks ahead to the 2026 MLB Draft. We'll talk about the players at the top and who could benefit most from winning the draft lottery.

youtube.com/live/5qstLlE...

Agree or disagree, I'm happy to talk about our decision. Let me know what you think.

There have long been off days for travel. This ensures we don't go four on, four on, all four off. I personally would rather have games Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

I watched four MLB playoff games in a day just like I do every October.

IMO the massively improved pace of baseball as seen on Saturday makes the entire experience significantly more pleasurable than it was 5-10 years ago.

These up in the zone splitters are weird but they seem to be working.

Check to see if Spanish language broadcasts are over the air in your market

Clemson you fools, 28-3 is right where Bill Belichick wants you

The 2026 class is the BEST group of high school prospects since 2023 👀🔥

Here’s where the 2026 top high school draft prospects land in our latest rankings ⤵️
buff.ly/DKgJ3tL

In the past 15 years velocity has gone from being viewed as something you either had or didn't to something that is trained and developed. That is the overriding factor.

Would Xander Bogaerts’ Strikeout Have Been Overturned By ABS? The answer is a perfect encapsulation of why understanding the strike zone is difficult but important.

I updated this story to reflect new insights I learned from very smart people. Thanks to @harrypav.bsky.social and others.

That Bogaerts pitch's updated pitch plot at the mid-point of the strike zone is further below the zone than I initially thought.

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That framing process will still be a part of the game.

For instance, if next year it induced the umpire to call the pitch a strike.

1. It requires the other team risk a challenge (they only get 2 incorrect ones).
2. It could be that they other team has used up those 2 challenges = a strike.

And then if they are wrong, that brief momentary decision will be overturned and the call will be reversed.

For the purposes of who won that game that is true.

For the purposes of deciding which umpires are poor performers and which ones are excellent that is not true.

On Opening Day 2026 the zone will involve colored lines drawn on a computer screen and it will have the power to correct missed calls.

I would say the rule book is muddy on this.

The wording can be interpreted as 3d. But the rule book includes this as the graphical representation.

Would Xander Bogaerts’ Strikeout Have Been Overturned By ABS? The answer is a perfect encapsulation of why understanding the strike zone is difficult but important.

I updated this story to reflect new insights I learned from very smart people. Thanks to @harrypav.bsky.social and others.

That Bogaerts pitch's updated pitch plot at the mid-point of the strike zone is further below the zone than I initially thought.

www.baseballamerica.com/stories/woul...

Less than the correlation to having MLB success.

Schlittler is a perfect example. His risk of injury is clearly higher now that he's throwing 100 than it was when he threw 90-93.

But at 90-93, he was an org player. Now he's starring in the majors.

That's a trade any pro pitcher should make.

This is good! Two thoughts: the crossing point for ABS is mid-plate, did you adjust the data accordingly? If not, you'll find the pitch was even lower. Also, our recalibration process indicates the pitch may have been a quarter of an inch lower than recorded. So, again, even more of a ball.

Would Xander Bogaerts’ Strikeout Have Been Overturned By ABS? The answer is a perfect encapsulation of why understanding the strike zone is difficult but important.

The Cubs are moving on to the NLDS.

But there's one pitch from last night that Padres fans will remember for a long time.

Would Xander Bogaerts’ strikeout have been overturned by ABS? 🤔

We take a look: www.baseballamerica.com/stories/woul...

Thanks.

In this case I think ESPN's strike zone graphic during the pitch did a very good job. It clearly was adjusted for Bogaerts' height, as otherwise it would have displayed a pitch on the bottom of the zone.

Now the 3D zone they show at times post-pitch is useless IMO.

This is gold! A must-read for anybody wanting to understand how ABS works and how it differs from other presentations of the strike zone.

I don't know. I wondered 10 years ago if the rise was tailing off, and it hasn't.

It increased injury risks, but adding velocity also turns org arms into aces (see Cam Schlittler).

Would Xander Bogaerts’ Strikeout Have Been Overturned By ABS? The answer is a perfect encapsulation of why understanding the strike zone is difficult but important.

Would Xander Bogaerts' called strike three last night have been overturned with an ABS challenge?

Let's plot some pitches.

www.baseballamerica.com/stories/woul...

Would Xander Bogaerts’ Strikeout Have Been Overturned By ABS? The answer is a perfect encapsulation of why understanding the strike zone is difficult but important.

That's incorrect. Anything that uses the generic strike zone is incorrectly calibrated. You have to draw the zone based on Bogaerts' height.

www.baseballamerica.com/stories/woul...

Four-seam fastball velocity in the MLB postseason has climbed from 93.0 in 2008 to 96.0 in 2025.

Four-seam fastball velocity in the postseason, 2008-2025.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. Everyone is throwing harder. Not long ago, 100 mph was a rarity among relievers. We are now in an era of 100 mph starting pitchers.

www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-...

MLB Starters Are Throwing 100 MPH More Than Ever This Postseason The 2025 MLB playoffs are the postseason of the 100 mph starting pitcher. Here's why flamethrowers are already setting records.

Velocity keeps climbing year after year, but this still blows me away.

After the Wild Card round the 2025 postseason has already seen more 100 mph pitches from starters than any other playoffs of the pitch tracking era (2008-2025).

www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-...

I have gotten used to the fact that we now have pitchers who can sit at these velos but I will not cease being amazed by 100+ mph velo.