Moneyball Disciples Aim to Upend Japan Baseball for Second Year
The former bankers who used statistical analysis of undervalued players to lead the Yokohama DeNA BayStars to a stunning upset in last year's Japanese baseball championship aim to show that it wasn't a fluke.
As fans whet their appetite with this week's games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Yokohama is honing its indicators which predict how well a pitcher will perform at any given moment.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"Really tough day" for Fabio Quartararo as Yamaha struggles at Aragon MotoGP
The low-grip Aragon track was a prime suspect to expose the deficiencies of Yamaha's YZR-M1 machine and unfortunately for Fabio Quartararo and the Japanese manufacturer the issue was in the spotlight. There was no shortage of sympathy for the luckless Frenchman whose Yamaha machine snapped and jumped seemingly on the exit of every corner around the track during Friday practice. Advertisement To add insult to injury, Quartararo's Yamaha was joint-slowest through the speed trap, almost 10 km/h (6 mph) slower than Brad Binder's KTM. The inability to put power down on the tarmac was undoubtedly a key factor in the speed difference. With frantic gesticulation while out on track, it was clear that Quartararo wasn't pleased. He left the garage as soon as the session was over, preferring to cool down before he dived into the debriefs. At least Quartararo could see the funny side when he spoke to the media, as he hops from one end of the grid to the other this weekend. 'We almost made the pole position on the other side [at the back of the grid],' joked the Frenchman initially. 'A really, really tough day especially with the soft tyre. We don't understand what really happened with electronics and stuff but not the best day and especially [since] we don't understand why. 'The problem is that you never know when to expect it and in our case, it is not the best when you are on the bike fully in angle and you never know if you're going to lose it on the edge or on the exit and I didn't make any lap. The four laps I did was all cutting and making mistakes so we will have to find a solution.' Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images Advertisement When quizzed on the set-up of the bike, Quartararo was adamant that this was not the issue. 'The set-up is good," said the 2021 MotoGP champion. "We have to just understand why when we change rubber it completely changes our bike, and our electronics become crazy.' Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli was equally disappointed in the session understanding the problem suffered by his riders as Quartararo and Alex Rins finished the Friday in 18th and 15th respectively. 'They are suffering the same problem, it's the rear grip,' Meregalli said. 'They are losing the rear a lot. Every time they try, they lose the rear. So they have to try to understand how to at least reduce the slide and improve the performance. Advertisement Read Also: Aprilia 'would have won more races' with Jorge Martin as it works to fix rift Pramac ride 'on the table' as Toprak Razgatlioglu eyes switch to MotoGP Ai Ogura withdraws from Aragon MotoGP following Silverstone crash 'You know at the beginning of the session I was a bit more optimistic, especially after FP1 but for sure the increased temperature [meant] the grip dropped down even more than before. Honestly I did not hear any comment because Fabio left to go and get changed but I think it was very easy to understand.' There's a lot of work for the Yamaha team tonight to go over the data to see why the soft tyre is causing so many problems. Quartararo will be praying they find a golden fix for the bike's woes. To read more articles visit our website.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Dodgers' Max Muncy Remains Possible DFA Candidate as Trade Deadline Looms
The Los Angeles Dodgers have shown this season they are ruthless when it comes to doing what is best for the organization. Longtime Dodgers Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes were released last month after multi-year spells in Los Angeles. The Dodgers cited doing what was best for the team as the rationale for moving on. If Los Angeles holds true to its word, third baseman Max Muncy may be the next to go as the trade deadline nears. While he had a strong game Wednesday night, it's been a rough season overall. "No one has needed more resilience this season than Muncy, who suffered through a woeful opening month on both sides of the ball and was beginning to feel the ire of a ruthlessly demanding fan base," wrote Jack Martin for the Los Angeles Times. Muncy got off to a slow start this season, hitting just .194 at the end of April and barely bumping it above the Mendoza line at the end of May by hitting .220. His average currently sits at .226, but he's struggling to be consistently produce for the Dodgers. Even though his bat is a step above what it was at the beginning of the season, his defense is still lackluster. "He's had to go through some adversities, and it certainly hasn't been linear for him, whether it be the defense or the droughts offensively and kind of hearing noise from the outside," Roberts told reporters. "But he's built a nice hard shell in the sense of, just really trying to put his head down and keep the blinders on and trying to focus on whatever situation is at hand at the moment." As much as putting your head down and focusing on the moment is good for Muncy, the Dodgers can't continue to trot him out to third base every day and just wait for him to improve. There's a reason Los Angeles is reportedly keeping an eye on Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon. The Dodgers know an upgrade is necessary to push for back-to-back World Series titles. Time is ticking for Muncy to turn it around, and it seems as if the end of July is his deadline as well as the trade deadline. More MLB: Tigers Predicted to Acquire Two-Time All-Star Infielder From Blue Jays Related Articles Dodgers Fans Get Disappointing Update on Trade Deadline PlansMets Make IL Decision on Francisco Lindor After Broken Toe Vs. DodgersMets Tagged As Trade Destination For AL East All-Star OutfielderHow to Watch Mets vs Dodgers Series Finale: Live Stream MLB Thursday, TV Channel 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Trade Proposal Would Send Sandy Alcantara to the Cubs for Two Prospects
With the injuries to his rotation at the top of his mind, Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer has narrowed his focus to trading for starters. There are many options on the market, but in the ever-grinding rumor mill, Marlins' former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara stands out from the crowd. Truth be told, Alcantara rumors have been swirling endlessly since the offseason. The 2022 Cy Young award winner is pitching to a shocking 7.89 ERA this season, giving up an MLB-worst 50 earned runs this season. Normally, clubs would look the other way from trade candidates with these numbers, but when you're talking about a guy who threw to a 2.28 ERA in the workhorse load of 228.2 innings just a few years ago, it makes you wonder what a change of scenery can do. For now, any club willing to take the risk for a potential ace will need to view Alcantara as both a change of scenery and a buy-low trade candidate. But what is the wager for such a gamble? In a trade pitch from ClutchPoints, MLB analyst Bailey Bassett proposes sending Alcantara to the Cubs for Jefferson Rojas (Cubs' no. 5 prospect) and Jonathon Long (Cubs' no. 12 prospect). "Alcantara has been horrible this season, but that could bode well for the Cubs," Bassett wrote. "Now is the perfect time to buy low on the pitcher who still has the potential to return to form as one of the best hurlers in baseball. "While it isn't a guarantee that Alcantara will return to form, he'd be a worthwhile gamble for the Cubs because Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon are all pitching well, so Alcantara would be more of a luxury." Rojas, who is the no. 75 prospect on MLB pipeline, would be the headliner heading to Miami. A package like this would be more than fair for a pitcher who is coming off Tommy John surgery, is pitching poorly this season, and had also pitched poorly before being injured. However, as the selling team tries to get the most for their Cy Young winner, the Marlins will do their best to pretend that nothing happened after 2022. So, even though it's a fair price, the Marlins will probably hold out for better, even if it means betting that Alcantara will recover at least some of his form, thus raising his value. In summing up his assessment of the trade from the Marlins' point of view, Bassett accurately writes this: "Alcantara's trade value is at an all-time low. Although the Marlins have undergone a massive rebuild, which has seen them trade almost everybody of note from their roster over the last couple of years, they should hold off on trading their current ace." Related: Chicago Cubs Get Bad News on Paul Skenes Trade After Latest Rumors Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
