The Phillies have a lot of issues. Their bullpen has been both really good and really bad. Their starting pitching started out great, but appears to be coming back to earth.  They have made the habit of making boneheaded base running mistakes. Their offense is putrid. Among all these issues, the most glaring one is […]

When the Orioles take the field against the Red Sox on Monday for Boston’s home opener, they do so with a 5-0 record, their best start since 1970 when they also won their first five games. The O’s won the World Series that year against the Reds and while that team was loaded with Hall of […]

For a team that went 20 years without a winning record, you would think the last couple years would have been very rewarding for the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the novelty of winning baseball games (98 wins in ’15) can only take you so far and eventually you have to make it happen in the playoffs. The […]

Last season, the National League East was by far the worst division in baseball.  As a division, they “boasted” a .462 winning percentage and three of its five teams lost 90+ games.  The Nationals won 83 games and finished second, so they very nearly had only one team with a winning record. Even though the […]

In 2003, Bill James released the paperback version of his classic The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.  In short, it’s the ultimate bathroom book. Nugget upon nugget of statistical gold that only the Father of Sabermetrics can give you.  In the 1,000+ page book, there is a single page which is of great interest to […]

Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston has reported the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to send closer Ken Giles to the Houston Astros. This deal was in the works all day and it was just a matter of time before it was completed. Told

Well, Theo Epstein was busy today. Minutes after the report that the Cubs signed free agent Ben Zobrist, a report from Joel Sherman stated that the Cubs have agreed to trade middle infielder Starlin Castro to the Yankees. According the Sherman, the deal was contingent upon the Cubs successfully signing Zobrist. The teams later confirmed the […]

It started on Sunday with the news trickling out that Jonathan Papelbon had filed a grievance against the Nationals for his suspension following the September dugout fight with Bryce Harper. It continued on Monday when it was reported that Kris Bryant of the Cubs and Maikel Franco of the Phillies filed grievances against their respective teams […]

Then there were five. With the signing of Jordan Zimmerman by the Detroit Tigers on Monday, there are only five starting pitchers left in the free agent market which could be classified as the “top-tier.”  So what is the outlook for these arms and where could then end up? David Price 2015 Stats: 18-5, 2.45 ERA, […]

Traditionalists wrinkle their nose, old-timers gripe and complain, and some writers refuse to vote for them, but the debate over whether closers belong in the Hall of Fame will continue.  This year, the ballot adds two names to the list who were solely closers (zero career starts between them), Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner. For […]

Was the 2015 season a success for the Chicago Cubs? Undoubtedly. They stormed their way into the playoffs despite finishing third in the NL Central (and winning 97 games in the process) and ousted the division rival Pirates and Cardinals in the Postseason before running into a blue and orange buzzsaw in the form of the New […]

In 1985, Ronald Reagan was president, McGyver was dismantling bombs, and Rocky was battling Ivan Drago.  In the midst of this strange decade there was some good baseball going on as well. The only team to win the World Series multiple times in the decade was the Dodgers (1981 and 1988) and epic moments flooded […]

On Tuesday night, the Cubs beat the Cardinals to win their first Postseason series since 2003 and their first series ever at home.  While it was an exciting series with plemty of home runs and a lot of drama, the season is far from over for the team from the North Side of Chicago.  When the […]