Arizona Diamondbacks’ new direction already evident, with front office making big trade

0 comments by Randy Holt on 12/2/2016

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we saw what might be our first legitimately significant trade in Major League Baseball’s offseason, and the first of Mike Hazen’s tenure as general manager. The Arizona Diamondbacks sent Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger and Zac Curtis to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte. Obviously, Segura and […]

CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 02: The Chicago Cubs celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game Seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on November 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

End of season post-mortem: 2016 Chicago Cubs

0 comments by Randy Holt on 11/4/2016

Well, they did it. If you were going to draw it up as to how a season in which the Chicago Cubs ended their historically long drought would actually go, this would be pretty close to it. The best team in baseball during the regular season, with 103 wins, was also absurdly likable (with one or […]

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 20: Chicago Cubs fans cheer after the Cubs 8-4 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 20, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Narrative laden NLCS detracts from the real thing

0 comments by Randy Holt on 10/21/2016

A quick listen to the broadcast of this year’s National League Championship series reveals a not necessarily shocking, but still overwhelming reliance on certain narratives in order to generate and facilitate discussion. Whether Joe Buck or the studio crew, this group loves themselves a good (if often times nonsensical) narrative. Like, they want to marry […]

PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 17: Corey Seager #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers smiles after scoring against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 17, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Dodgers won 6 – 2. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

2016 MLB All-Rookie Team headlined by Corey Seager, Gary Sanchez

0 comments by Randy Holt on 10/5/2016

Every MLB season brings a new crop of impressive rookies and 2016 was no exception. In the case of a few, we’re seeing budding superstars whose respective careers are in their infancy. Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting to watch the development of others take place over the next few years, mainly to see if they can […]

CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 25: Todd Frazier #21 of the Chicago White Sox celebrates after scoring during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on September 25, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

End of season post-mortem: 2016 Chicago White Sox

0 comments by Randy Holt on 9/26/2016

It’s become sort of an annual tradition with the Chicago White Sox. Acquire a few pieces via trade or free agency, generate something of a buzz, get fans excited, and ultimately end the season in disappointing fashion. While the season’s first month or so presented a deviation from this norm, their stock ultimately plummeted from […]

PHOENIX, AZ – JUNE 20: Hector Sanchez #29 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on June 20, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Giants 4-1 (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

End of season post-mortem: 2016 Arizona Diamondbacks

0 comments by Randy Holt on 9/19/2016

This wasn’t the way things were supposed to go for the Arizona Diamondbacks. With the “disrespect” word being tossed around the desert, along with local sports radio declaring them to be a potential third-best National League club behind only New York and St. Louis (which, I mean, really?), the disparity between expectations and reality is […]

BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 01: Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Xander Bogaerts #2 after hitting his second home run of the game in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 1, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Trying to figure out the enigmatic Boston Red Sox

0 comments by Randy Holt on 6/3/2016

During the week, Major League Baseball was captivated by yet another offensive performance from the Boston Red Sox. After Jackie Bradley, Jr. nearly hit 30 games with his hit streak, Mookie Betts slugged five home runs across two games, the first leadoff hitter ever to do so. Additionally, Xander Bogaerts has been on a nice […]

PHOENIX, AZ – MAY 13: Starting pitcher Shelby Miller #26 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts after giving up a three-run home run to Joe Panik (not pictured) of the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on May 13, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The shocking, swift decline of Shelby Miller

0 comments by Randy Holt on 5/25/2016

The Arizona Diamondbacks have not had the type of year they envisioned back during the course of the winter. Those words have been written and stated verbally in some order and some fashion countless times as we approach the two-month mark of the season. While there’s still plenty of time to hope that they can […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MAY 20: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs makes running catch taking a hit away from Joe Panik #12 of the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the first inning at AT&T Park on May 20, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Is Kris Bryant becoming an elite defender?

0 comments by Randy Holt on 5/24/2016

When the discussion surrounds the Chicago Cubs, it most often veers directly toward their offense. And rightfully so. Not only do the Cubs have a historically impressive stable of former offensive prospects making their presence felt at the big league level, they’ve added pieces like Dexter Fowler and Ben Zobrist in the last couple of […]

<> at Fenway Park on May 11, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jackie Bradley Jr. experiencing breakout campaign, but how?

0 comments by Randy Holt

In a season that certainly hasn’t lacked for intriguing storylines, one of the more remarkable situations thus far in 2016 has been the not-so-subtle emergence of Jackie Bradley, Jr. While the Boston Red Sox were expected to return to prominence after a noisy offseason, Bradley, Jr. was something of a wild card heading into the […]

CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 16: Starting pitcher Chris Sale #49 of the Chicago White Sox delivers the ball on his way to 15 strikeouts against the Chicago Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field on August 16, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox defeated the Cubs 3-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

2016 season preview: Chicago White Sox

0 comments by Randy Holt on 3/30/2016

The Chicago White Sox were set to head into 2016 with renewed expectations, at least to an extent. While they seemed to ignore several prominent free agent, or trade, options that could have improved their ballclub, they did make several additions to a lineup that now looks completely overhauled from last year. These moves, of […]

PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 17: Nick Ahmed #13 of the Arizona Diamondbacks talks with Paul Goldschmidt #44, Chris Owings #16 and Jake Lamb #19 during a pitching change in the seventh inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 17, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Sorting out the Arizona Diamondbacks infield

0 comments by Randy Holt on 3/18/2016

Despite the cries from the desert, from members of the organization and fans alike, it’s difficult to call the Arizona Diamondbacks a legitimate threat out of the National League. At least at this point. Sure, additions like Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller are more than tantalizing, but there’s still quite a bit to be determined, […]

ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 20: Pitcher Adam Wainwright #50 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with catcher Yadier Molina #4 after throwing a one-hit complete game shutout against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium on May 20, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won 5-0. (Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images)

2016 season preview: St. Louis Cardinals

0 comments by Randy Holt on 3/11/2016

As many of their fans would be the first to tell you, the St. Louis Cardinals have been the toast of the National League Central over the past three years. They’ve taken three consecutive division titles and have appeared in the Postseason in five straight seasons. But with the Pittsburgh Pirates continuing to nip at […]

PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 11: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a two run home-run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on September 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

2016 season preview: Arizona Diamondbacks

0 comments by Randy Holt on 2/24/2016

The Diamondbacks head into the 2016 season as close to a boom-or-bust team as you can get. A team trying to get over the humps better known as the San Francisco Giants or Los Angeles Dodgers, the D-Backs threw heavy money, and even heavier prospects, around as they attempted to upgrade their pitching staff in […]

PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 4: Dee Gordon #9 of the Miami Marlins in action during an MLB game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on October 4, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Dee Gordon locks in for life with Miami Marlins deal

0 comments by Randy Holt on 1/14/2016

On Wednesday evening, it was reported that the Miami Marlins had agreed to a lucrative five-year, $50 million deal with their stud second baseman Dee Gordon. The deal could be worth up to as much as $64 million if that option kicks in for a sixth year. In what could be one of the more obvious […]

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