In an effort to get back in the habit of writing more, I decided to produce what I hope will be a reoccurring series of blog posts where I can talk about multiple topics in a shorter format. This post you are reading now is the first of that series. I have seen a few other sites I read do something like this
(Prospects365, Pitcherlist to name two) and I think it is a great idea. Ideally, it would be a weekly series, but we will see how this goes. Maybe there will be a theme to the thoughts, maybe there will not. This time, there is (Spoiler Alert, it is about previous topics I covered). Let’s get right to it!
I Thought: MLB Walks to Strikeouts
The topic, MLB walk to strikeout ratio, that finally pushed me to start this blog in the first place continues to be something I focus on. You can read all the previous articles I have written on the subject here, here, and here. It turns out creating a good set of relevant tags for your posts is relatively easy to do and definitely helpful in driving traffic to a website. I receive on average one visitor a day who finds my article(s) on the topic from a search engine. While it may not seem like a big deal, it is very encouraging to see and definitely makes me want to continue work on this topic and my website in general. Recently I made a few minor improvements to my Tableau dashboard and I am working on a major update as well. As for the topic of BB/K ratio, I have a few ideas to continue the series of articles and hopefully I end up completing them.
II Thought: Follow up on my Patrick Wisdom Article
I wanted to take some time to follow up on the only other article I had written this year back in January. At the time, I took a look at the new Texas Ranger, Patrick Wisdom, and how I was hopeful he might carve out a role as the everyday third basemen for the Rangers this year. Unfortunately, they signed Asdrubal Cabrera the day after I posted it which definitely hurt his odds. That said, he did get the call up early when injuries struck, but unfortunately, he did not take advantage of his limited playing time and was sent back down. His Statcast metrics have not been as good as last year in a short sample and his AAA season to date has been sub par. So far, this was a poor call, but its possible he can turn it around whether this season or next. Cabrera and Logan Forsythe are only on one year deals. Additionally, I want it to be known I made Wisdom my final pick in my 50 round NFBC Draft and Hold league this year. Was it a good pick? Probably not. Could that change? Hopefully, though probably not, but I wanted to follow my own recommendations.
III Thought: My 2018 New Years Resolution to Read Daily
Roughly a year ago, I wrote about how one of my new years resolutions was to read from print medium daily. At the time I wrote that, I had basically accomplished my goal. However, as the year went on, I realized the idea of having to read every day was less enjoyable as it became a stressful goal to try and complete it. While I did not complete the goal as intended, it definitely lead me to read more and be aware that I want to read more. I still tracking my reading progress this year and while I am definitely not reading every day, I am still getting through books on my reading list. Two interesting baseball books I have read this year include Big Data Baseball and The Only Rule Is It Has To Work (highly recommend this one).
One more thought on making a yearly goal with a daily component: I realized doing something everyday for a year can be done, but you must make it a priority and not make it too large in scope, otherwise it will be difficult to actually finish the goal. I would recommend starting with a smaller time frame, such as a month or three months, to build the habit and determine if it is something you actually enjoy before committing to a larger period of time.
IV Thought: Fantasy League Updates
Prior to the 2018 season, I wrote briefly about all the fantasy leagues I was in as well as my very accurate end of season predictions (worth skimming for a good laugh). This year I did not write such an article so I figure now is as good a time as any. I am still playing in the same five leagues as last year with the only addition being an NFBC Draft and Hold league this year. I first tried an NFBC league back in 2017 and while the draft is a bit stressful, I actually was a point shy of taking second in my league. While we are almost to the half way point in the season, I have been having quite a bit of success overall this year. Both my dynasty league teams are having strong years. I am first in the AL only redraft league, after a disappointing second place finish last year. I am also swapping between the first and second spot in my NFBC league standings daily, though it is too early to get complacent and assume that is where I will finish. I will most likely be donating my
entry fee to the winner for a second year in a row in Tater Chasers, a home run only roto league.
As for my home league, the H2H/Roto hybrid, I am off to the worst start I have had since the inaugural year back in 2013. As we added new more active owners over the years, the level of competition has risen and while that is good for the league (my viewpoint as its commissioner), it is horrible for my chances of winning (my viewpoint as a team owner). As of right now, I am dangerously close to placing last in either format and as a result, would have to watch a terrible baseball movie and write a paper on it. Weirdly, I would totally have fun doing that, but it is the principle of the matter that I cannot be the loser of this league. Will I avoid punishment and climb to a money finish? Find out the next time I write about it (or just ask me in the comments below or on twitter)!
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Original post on IVthoughts.com.
IV Thoughts 