The regular season is wrapped up. The writers have filled out their ballots for baseball’s major awards, and while the results have presumably been tallied, we won’t learn the winners for another month-plus. And while we at TOC aren’t members of the BBWAA and don’t submit “official” awards ballots, that doesn’t mean we don’t have […]

We all the know the story by now. The Toronto Blue Jays were hovering around .500 at the trade deadline, with another mediocre season on the horizon. The Jays had talent, but needed an extra boost to really propel them into true contenders. General manager Alex Anthopoulos knew that, and delivered, bringing in an impressive mix […]

Before last year’s playoffs, Madison Bumgarner was probably regarded by most baseball fans as a pretty good pitcher, just a notch or two below the best in the game. One ridiculous October later and he was a household name, gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated and selling underwear on The Tonight Show. The Postseason can […]

Let’s face it – most baseball fans will not get the privilege of watching their team play in the Postseason.  Of 30 teams, only 10 teams make it and for two of those teams, it will be one game and done.  While it is more fun to watch with a vested team in the middle of it, […]

To be the final team knocked out of the playoffs isn’t a terrible spot to be in, even if it may be heartbreaking at the time. The Angels were a largely forgotten team this year with the Mariners (the consensus pick going into the season), the Astros’ early and the Rangers’ late success stealing the […]

Mark Buehrle’s last career start may not have gone as planned, but the 36-year-old has capped off another solid season to end his impressive career. Buehrle

No one thought the Twins would finish above .500 this year, with most picking them to finish dead last in an extremely deep AL Central. Instead, they contended far longer than the dark horse favorite White Sox and Indians and buried the 2014 Central champion Tigers. While they got knocked from contention in the second […]

What a strange season for the Washington Nationals and their fans. Despite a disappointing season in which a World Series favorite fell woefully short of expectations, the Nats did boast the likely NL MVP in Bryce Harper and got two no-hitters from Max Scherzer. Scherzer became the sixth pitcher in MLB history to throw two […]

Predicting stuff is hard, especially when you’re talking about sports. One injury can dramatically change everything. One trade can turn a team from an also-ran into a powerhouse. One player expected to contribute can struggle, and one player not expected to play a significant role can thrive. Nevertheless, every year we roll out predictions. They […]

This is the end. While I may end up doing a “longest home runs of the year” post next week, this will be the last weekly edition for the 2015 season. And as expected, no one was able to catch Giancarlo Stanton at the top of the charts. That doesn’t mean our last week was […]

Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy has been playing injured all year. Hardy admitted to the Baltimore Sun he’s played the entire season with a torn labrum in his left, non-throwing shoulder. Hardy’s isn’t opting for surgery – instead he’s going to rest and hope that heals it quickly. Hardy’s gone thought this before, as he’s already had the surgery to repair […]

San Diego Padres right-hander Bud Norris gave a very stupid response when asked about bench-clearing brawls and culture. A study done by USA Today found 87% of main antagonists from bench-clearing incidents since 2011 are from different ethnic backgrounds. When given this fact, Norris told Jorge L. Ortiz he wasn’t surprised. “I think it’s a culture shock,” Norris said. “This […]