For a couple of years now, I’ve been thinking that Ed Wade’s “try to win now with a team full of lackluster vetrans” plan was going to backfire on the Astros. I’d say that 106 losses and a massive roster purge at the trade deadline counts as a backfire. The Astros are expected to have […]

If you would’ve asked me to write a post-mortem for the Cubs’ season in April, here’s what I would’ve written: “An overpaid roster of veterans that aren’t nearly as good as they were five years ago will occasionally play good baseball, but more than likely find themselves in the bottom half of the NL Central […]

Earlier today, we took at look at the American League Rookie of the Year, as voted on by our staff here at the Outside Corner. Right now, it’s time to look at the National League version of the award. At the midseason voting, four players received a first place vote, including three members of the […]

It was a tale of two seasons for the Pirates in 2011. In their first 100 games, the Pirates went 53-47 and found themselves tied for the NL Central lead. In the last 62 games, they went 19-43, clinching a 19th consecutive losing season and falling to fourth place in the Central. So which Pirates […]

The greatest month of the year is nearly upon us.  No, I’m not talking about November.  Sure, it is great what with Thanksgiving and, more importantly, the start of of MLB free agency.  I’m talking about Movember, the month in which we celebrate the great, wondrous and manly mustache, all while raising money for a […]

Well here we go, guys. These were very popular when we did ballots midseason, and now, we’re going to take a look at the whole scope of the season, and just who the staff of The Outside Corner thinks should win the six major awards: MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year, in both […]

A year after winning the National League Central, the Reds sat home and watched their two division rivals play in the NLCS. So what happened? Why did the Reds fall from their place in first? Do they have the pieces in place to take advantage of the Brewers and Cardinals if both of their big […]

The Brewers went all-in in 2011, emptying out the farm system for the pitching they’d desperately been craving to supplement their Braun/Fielder led offense. It almost worked, too, getting them just their second playoff series win in franchise history and their first-ever NLCS berth. They fell short, though, dropping the NLCS to their division-rival Cardinals […]

You can always count on a couple of things when it comes to the free agency period: Relievers will be given multi-year deals and the San Francisco Giants will normally act quickly on a free agent and overpay him. Or, both will happen in the same deal. The first official signing of the 2011-12 free […]

Center field is weak with free agents. So much so that I had to include the likes of Carlos Beltran and Cody Ross, neither of whom are really fit to play center on a daily basis anymore. That being said, there are a couple of names that could end up with surprising numbers should they […]

Chris Carpenter allowed two runs in six innings on three days rest, and game six hero David Freese drove in a pair while reaching base three times as the St Louis Cardinals became the champions of baseball, defeating the Texas Rangers 6-2 to win the World Series four games to three. Game six getting rained […]

“Sowing is not as difficult as reaping.” — Johann Goethe Beyond being able to insert Goethe into a baseball post, this quote is an excellent description of farm systems. Acquiring the talent through the draft or by international signings is the easy part as it requires only money to sign them and money to scout […]

Last night’s Game 6 was one for the ages.  The drama was truly epic, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as epic if not for Ron Washington making the wrong managerial decision at almost every turn.  Here are just a few of the “highlights”: Continuing to insist on Mike Napoli batting no higher than seventh […]

I don’t even know where to begin.  In Game 6 of the most exciting World Series in who knows how many years, the Rangers found themselves holding a 7-5 lead with Neftali Feliz on the mound, two outs, and two strikes. David Freese delievered a two-run triple just out of Nelson Cruz’s reach (if we’re […]

When Ozzie Guillen officially took over as the Marlins manager, he was asked about the possibility of moving all-star shortstop, Hanley Ramirez, to another position. Guillen didn’t dismiss the idea in the least. “I just want him on the field, no matter where,” Guillen said last week. “If he has to be a shortstop, it’s […]