It’s the day you’ve been waiting for all week–the time when this series finally comes to its conclusion. Before we tackle the second half of the top 10, here’s our now-ubiquitous links to the past episodes:
121-170 (The Write-Ins)
101-120
76-100
51-75
26-50
21-25
16-20
11-15
So let’s get to it. We have a couple of statistically-focused writers, a master of all media, and a couple of guys who share a podcast stage together. Fun stuff, right?
Number 10: Moz_Algorithm
@MozAlgorithm was suspended permanently for “impersonation”. This will be my new account
As I read this stat I thought there’s no way Albert Pujols isn’t on it.
Then I thought a little harder and can you believe Albert has never even made the postseason 4 straight years?
2001-2002
2004-2006
2009
2011
2014Kinda mind blowing. https://t.co/ToK5YstZYu
— Mo’s Algorithm (@Moz_Algorithm) October 19, 2018
On Twitter since: March 2018*
Number of Tweets: 4,641
Following: 484
Followers: 3,028
Total points: 715
Average: 7.606
Number of ballots: 94
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 26.60%
% that were 1: 6.38%
2017 rank: 22
Obviously some of these stats are a little contradictory. I mean, how can an account that started in 2018 have a 2017 rank? Moz’s bio explains it, as perhaps Twitter’s algorithm got jealous that someone else was pretending to be an algorithm. It was a weird event for a handle that had quickly grown in popularity. The name might have changed but the output remains the same, a statistical film put over whatever is happening on the field. You’ll also find him on the Two Birds on a Bat spinoff podcast with #6 and a man we’ll discuss tomorrow. Don’t expect a lot of emotion on this account as logic is the main event.
Number 9: tarawellman
TV host & producer. Storyteller. Baseball lover. Cupcake connoisseur. Just assume it’s sarcasm. 1 John 4:4 #BirdSeeds | Contributor at @birdsontheblack
Kolten Wong is #good. [A thread]
— Tara Wellman (@tarawellman) August 16, 2018
On Twitter since: January 2011
Number of Tweets: 70.2K
Following: 1,168
Followers: 3,381
Total points: 717
Average: 7.710
Number of ballots: 93
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 31.18%
% that were 1: 4.30%
2017 rank: 11
I have been doing Gateway to Baseball Heaven with Tara for six and a half seasons now and you can’t talk to someone every week for that long without becoming good friends. Even if we hadn’t been doing the show, though, I’d be impressed with all of the #content that Tara turns out. Some of that became a little sporadic as the summer wore on, but it’s not surprising given JUST HOW MUCH she was doing and doing well. I mean, Bird Seeds, About Last Night, series previews, and more Birds on the Black items as well. Plus there’s her extremely good Twitter takes. If you are reading this, I can almost guarantee you are following Tara and I’m sure you are with me on this.
Number 8: zjgifford
(no bio)
Some news to announce: pic.twitter.com/mQJfmBBCa6
— Zach Gifford (@zjgifford) September 10, 2018
On Twitter since: November 2016
Number of Tweets: 19.9K
Following: 455
Followers: 2,753
Total points: 717
Average: 8.148
Number of ballots: 88
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 38.64%
% that were 1: 1.14%
2017 rank: 81
Zach was unjustly left off the ballot last year, sneaking in as a write-in candidate, which explains the huge jump in a year that saw him less active. You can read about him stepping back from writing and Twitter above, but that decision left a large gap in the blogging community. I continue to hope Zach will get back to dropping some of those deep statistical posts that I feel smarter for just reading, even though I often don’t understand them. Hopefully we’re not talking about “remember when Zach used to post” on next year’s list.
Number 7: stlcupofjoe
Joe Schwarz | Pharmacist | Pitch analysis for @TheAthleticSTL | #GoDawgs | email: stlcupofjoe at gmail
Jack Flaherty was good in 2018. I want him to be great in 2019. https://t.co/itIIkTZxgG #STLCards
— stlCupofJoe (@stlCupofJoe) October 19, 2018
On Twitter since: May 2010
Number of Tweets: 61K
Following: 537
Followers: 8,317
Total points: 771
Average: 7.867
Number of ballots: 98
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 32.65%
% that were 1: 4.08%
2017 rank: 6
We’re getting into the area that, save one exception, folks are at or about where they were last year. Joe made the big time this year, leaving us amateur bloggers behind and signing on with The Athletic, playing with the big boys and holding his own. Now a larger audience is getting to see what many of us have seen throughout the past few years, when Joe has contributed to various sites–he understands pitching in a way many don’t. I look forward to him using his child’s train set to explain tunnelling to him in a couple of years.
Number 6: bschaeffer
Cardinals and Blues writer for @KMOV. Mizzou grad. Pollster. Bowling is a sport. Boba tea is legit. All the Star Wars movies are good. I’m no Seth.
How far would you like to see the Cardinals go (in guaranteed dollars) for Bryce Harper? #STLCards
— Brenden Schaeffer (@bschaeffer12) October 15, 2018
On Twitter since: July 2011
Number of Tweets: 59.5K
Following: 621
Followers: 8,497
Total points: 780
Average: 7.800
Number of ballots: 100
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 2
% that were 10: 23.00%
% that were 1: 0.00%
2017 rank: 7
A little bit of trivia here: Brenden was one of only three people to appear on 100 or more ballots. The other two top our list. Brenden’s feed is full of anything sports, especially Missouri sports, so there’s less baseball this time of year but he makes up for it by putting out lots of various polls, many of which stir people up. (His recent one about dealing Carlos Martinez for Paul Goldschmidt lit a fire under some people.) He and Joe swap places in the list this year and most likely they’ll be jockeying for position next year as well.
Five more to go! The finish line is in sight. Come back later today for those results!
