In 2014, the Atlanta Braves offense was a horror show. For the year, they hit just .241/.305/.360. The club’s .296 wOBA was fourth-worst in baseball (ahead of just the Phillies, Reds, and Padres), and their 87 wRC+ was fifth-worst (ahead of those three aforementioned teams and the Arizona Diamondbacks). They scored just 573 runs, the […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have struggled in the second half this season, scuffling their way to a 16-17 record after the All-Star Break. Rookie center fielder Joc Pederson has also struggled since a breath-taking performance in the Home Run Derby, hitting just .163/.333/.293 with only three homers in 30 second-half games. Manager Don Mattingly isn’t exactly […]

The Seattle Mariners finally put their foot down and said “enough”. After Saturday’s ten inning loss to the Chicago White Sox, Seattle DFAed closer Fernando Rodney six weeks before the end of his two-year, $14 million deal signed prior to the 2014 season. Rodney was great last year for the Mariners, striking out 76 and […]

On Friday night, Houston Astros starter Mike Fiers threw the fifth no-hitter of the 2015 season, blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0. Fiers struck out ten, walked three, and threw 134 pitches during the no-hitter. This is Houston’s first since a combined no-hitter at Yankee Stadium in 2003 and the first by a single pitcher […]

Last week, Ichiro Suzuki made history when he tied (and ultimately surpassed) Ty Cobb on the all-time hits list. Well, actually, no: Ichiro is still 1,270 hits behind Cobb. But because he had 1,278 career hits in the Japanese League, people decided to combine the two and come up with that Cobb-beating number. Depending on […]

Mike Trout, to nobody’s surprise, is having another marvelous season. He’s the clear front runner for the American League MVP, posting his usual gaudy stats while playing league best defense in center field. Trout’s MVP play usually means there aren’t many other players playing near his level, but Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson […]

Giancarlo is still hurt. /grumble grumble/ HOWEVER, some players finally brought the lumber, and while none cracked the season’s longest homers, they definitely made an impression this week. 1. Michael Taylor vs Yohan Flande, 474 feet (August 20th) This is one of those “homers that doesn’t look like much but it’s Coors Field so holy […]

Continuing on with the spree of waiver trades, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Marlon Byrd has been traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for AA pitcher Stephen Johnson. The Giants’ regular right fielder, Hunter Pence, was placed on the disabled list on August 18th and with Angel Pagan also on the DL, they were in […]

If fellow AL MVP candidate Josh Donaldson is known as ‘

In November 2014, when Giancarlo Stanton signed the biggest contract in American sports history, it was seen as the first in a series of moves that would eventually lead the Miami Marlins to relevance once again. The 13-year, $325 million deal, while eye-popping, seemed almost reasonable for a player of Stanton’s ability. There are only […]

The Chase Utley era in Philadelphia has ended with a whimper. After initial reports on Tuesday said that it looked like the Phillies would be hanging on to Utley, the team did an about-face on Wednesday, shipping their franchise icon to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Interesting enough, Utley will be reunited with his long-time double play […]