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We became aware of a very cool data visualization comparing Negro League play to MLB play of the same era 1920-1948. Adam Korengold has been doing data visualization professionally for almost 25 years–he’s now an Analytics Lead at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland–and teaches in the graduate data analytics and visualization program at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Lucky for us he’s been a baseball fan for most of his life, and since 2020 has been a member of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research. He has expanded his love for the game to include making visualizations on the game, as well as paintings on vintage baseball cards.
Adam posted this link: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/adam.s.korengold/viz/AllMajorLeaguesOffenseandDefense1920-1948/NegroLeaguesasMajorLeaguesTheyPlayedAtTheSameLevel#guest=n&1 on his Tableau and we highly recommend you visit the link to view the graph for yourself.
We discussed the systemic racism that forged the Negro Leagues in the first place and how the players in the Negro Leagues truly compared to their white (or mostly white) counterparts in the Major Leagues.
Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected]. You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

www.almostcooperstown.com

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Remember there used to be a MLB statistic for GWRBI - Game Winning RBI's? The one that gives your team a lead it never relinquishes. Because players could get the GWRBI conceivably (and in reality) in the first inning @MLB junked it after 1988 which was about 8 years too long. One of our 'Almost' guys Keith Hernandez has been in no way helped by the stat that he has the all time record for GWRBIs. Because and rightly so, it's a dumb stat!
Are pitcher starts as important as they used to be? How about appearances? Are RBI's an overvalued statistic? How about Sacrifice Flies which have changed a few times over the years. With better analytics and data baseball statistics have become more complicated and difficult to understand. Do you know how to calculate WAR (wins above replacement)? Or the difference between fWAR and bWAR? Or FIP (fielding independent of pitching)? Few fans do or are necessarily all that interested.
Fans still like some of the old fashioned stats - HRs, BA, RBI's, K's. We do too but the modern game of baseball calls for modernized stats and progress will not be halted in the ever present search for better players and better player production.
This is our longest episode so far. We did not expect it but once we get to talking it's hard to stop!
Correction: Hack Wilson had 191 RBI's in 1930. David Peterson (not Doug) is the potential #5 starter for the Mets.
Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected]. You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

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Of course Shohei Ohtani would not have been able to play in the 1920s. The first Japanese-born player Masanori Murakari appeared in an MLB game in 1964. And it might have been the same for Aaron Judge who is bi-racial but may have been deemed 'acceptable' 100 years ago. But we use our imaginations and wonder what Babe Ruth would have looked like (fitter and stronger) in 2023 vs. 1923. And Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani playing in the 1920's would not have them looking the way they do now using the training methods of that day!
All three of them do things that have not been done before. Babe Ruth did not bat the way he did AFTER he ceased pitching regularly. Pitching and hitting at elite levels during the same season is unprecedented even if Babe Ruth led the league in 1918 with 11 homers while being a regular starting pitcher for the Red Sox.
We've added a YouTube Channel and are still working out a few kinks so bear with us. Here is the link to the Almost Cooperstown channel.
Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected]. You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

www.almostcooperstown.com

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There are 333 individuals in the Baseball Hall of Fame 235 players, 35 Negro Leaguers, 31 executives but only 22 managers. Too few? Too many? Are there any current managers that are likely to be enshrined? This is probably the only time we will ever talk about managers as we like talking about players much more.
Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected]. You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

www.almostcooperstown.com

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Baseball has more unique characters than any of the other major sports. Taking a lighter approach we discuss interesting and oddball players such as Dock Ellis & Bill 'Spaceman' Lee, a maverick and forward thinking owner, and a few famous things that happened during games, some of which you may know some you may not.
Thanks for listening and if you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected]. You can also follow us on Twitter @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page.

www.almostcooperstown.com