'14 Mets Have a 'Hoss' in the Race

With Matt Harvey having his elbow redone for the foreseeable future, the Metsies will need a serious horse to take the mound every fifth turn in 2014.

Better yet, maybe a hoss can lead the team from the hill.

A horse is, of course, a sturdy pitcher--a guy who eats up innings, ends losing streaks, and carries the team on his back, much like a, ya know, horse does.

That may be future Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

"Noah's a hoss," said Brandon Nimmo, future Mets outfielder, in the NY Times after the Futures Game at Citi Field in July.

A hoss is southern slang for horse. It is not known at presstime if hoss is a higher compliment than horse.

Urban Dictionary describes "hoss" thusly:

One who is a beast that can basically do anything he wants. He is usually loved by all and a ladies man. He could break anyone or anything in half.

Perhaps unnecessarily, Urban Dictionary adds, "Hoss is a compliment."

Nimmo knows about horses. He's from Cheyenne, Wyoming. They have a lot of horses out there. They may even call them "hosses."

[ADVERTISING] Fantasy Baseball Puts A Stress On Numbers

More than any other major sport in the United States, baseball has always been about numbers. At its core, it is a team sport composed of a bunch of one-on-one battles, which makes it easy to compare and contrast players. In recent years, fantasy baseball has put even more of a stress on numbers. As owners draft their players and try to compose the best roster possible, fans are researching and studying more than ever.

Many fantasy baseball owners, especially the most competitive ones, are always looking for an edge. Some feel as though they now have one thanks to the rise in popularity of more complex statistics. Most fantasy baseball leagues still have basic categories such as batting average, home runs, strikeouts and more, but advanced statistics do a good job of helping a person predict output prior to the start of the season.

Statistics such as on-base percentage, batting average balls in play, isolated power and more are just the start for those who love to crunch numbers while also loving fantasy baseball and sports in general. Some are resistant to all of these numbers, and they certainly are not perfect, but it is a way for people to stay connected with the sport while sitting at their desk or on their computer.

The majority of baseball fans still get drawn in by those sexy numbers, such as Joe Dimaggio’s 56-game winning streak, hitting .400, hitting over 60 home runs and more. The issue is that the majority of the most well-known numbers are counting statistics. In a one year season, people are looking for consistency and efficiency with the players they draft on their fantasy baseball team.

Numbers are only going to become more and more prevalent for baseball fans, so those resistant to change should get used to it. Baseball is still known as a game that has to be played on a field, but analytical tools are always being created and tinkered with to try and explain what happened in the past, and what might happen in the future.

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