0 comments by Dave Tobener on 2/13/2015
Baseball teams have so many different caps these days, it’s almost impossible to keep up. There are home caps, road caps, alternate homes, alternate roads, batting practice caps, road batting practice caps… it’s insanity. And if you’re anything like me, you want to own 90% of them. But which cap is each team’s best look? […]
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 15: Jon Lester puts on a Cubs jersey and hat at a press conference on December 15, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
0 comments by Dave Tobener on 2/12/2015
Baseball’s long, dark winter is just about over, which means it’s time for writers to judge how each team did in the offseason with their signings, trades, and other transactions. It’s also time for everyone reading those articles to bookmark them and tell the writers how stupid they are when the season is over. It’s […]
KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 15: Greg Holland #56 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates their 2 to 1 win over Baltimore Orioles to sweep the series of Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Kauffman Stadium on October 15, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia
We’ve reached the end of the 2015 TOC top ten countdown, and will be closing things out by looking at the best bullpens in baseball. Dominant bullpens are nothing new in the game, but after the 2014 Postseason, more and more teams seem to be emphasizing power relievers and effectively turn games into five or […]
MESA, AZ – FEBRUARY 27: Kris Bryant #77 of the Chicago Cubs watches from the dugout during the spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Cubs Park on February 27, 2014 in Mesa, Arizona (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 2/11/2015
It’s that time of year when lists of the top MLB prospects are released. ESPN’s Keith Law posted his top 100 prospects a couple of weeks ago and Baseball Prospectus followed with its list of top 101 major league hopefuls last week. Most of these players are expected to be future stars, or at the […]
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 04: Jordan Zimmermann #27 of the Washington Nationals throws a pitch in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants during Game Two of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 4, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Welcome to the era of the super rotation. This winter, we saw quite a few teams bolster their starting rotations by acquiring a second (or third) top of the line starter to pair with their incumbent aces. Teams want to make their starting five as bulletproof as possible going into the Postseason so they can […]
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 22: Justin Turner #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is met at home by Scott Van Slyke #33 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after his two-run home run in the 7th inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 22, 2014 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Ron Antonelli/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 2/10/2015
It was actually pretty difficult to rank the ten best benches in baseball. When you’re dealing with so many moving parts and uncertain job situations, there are plenty situations that are always changing and not settled. So yes, these are very objective and subject to change at a moment’s notice – but aren’t all rankings? […]
(Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
0 comments by Randy Holt
It took until early February, and it came at a lower cost than he initially anticipated, but James Shields finally has a long-term home, as he signed a four-year deal with the San Diego Padres worth at least $75 million. The 33-year-old California native will remain near his hometown, while also becoming the latest addition to a Padres team […]
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 10: Starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija #29 of the Oakland Athletics delivers the ball against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on September 10, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia
The offseason has just about concluded, and it’s time for one of our favorite end of the offseason activities: team grades. I didn’t use a bell curve on these, so if there are a few teams with the same grade, that’s why – the grade reflects what the team did, not what the team did […]
ATLANTA, GA – JULY 22: Christian Yelich #21, Giancarlo Stanton #27, and Marcell Ozuna #13 (obscured) of the Miami Marlins celebrate after the game against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on July 22, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 2/9/2015
What do you want in an outfield? Is one superstar good enough? How about three above average hitters that aren’t great in the field? Maybe you’re looking for the inverse – three above average fielders that aren’t so good at the plate. Thankfully, there are plenty of teams out there that have solid mixes of […]
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 10: James Shields #33 of the Kansas City Royals throws a pitch in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles during Game One of the American League Championship Series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on October 10, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia
All weekend, it’s been rumored that a James Shields signing would be imminent. Finally, in the wee hours of Monday morning, Shields made his decision, and the final top free agent of the winter signed. Shields agreed to join the San Diego Padres on a four-year deal worth an estimated $72 to $78 million. The […]
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 18: Pitcher Cliff Lee #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the top of the first inning on May 18, 2014 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 2/7/2015
The Philadelphia Phillies have traded Marlon Byrd and Jimmy Rollins this winter, have aggressively tried (and failed) to move both Ryan Howard and Jonathan Papelbon, and are listening on Cole Hamels. The forgotten man in their rebuild is Cliff Lee, who made just three starts after mid-May because of an elbow strain. But according to […]
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 22: Major League Baseball Executive Vice President Rob Manfred speaks at a news conference at MLB headquarters on November 22, 2011 in New York City. Commissioner Bud Selig announced a new five-year labor agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 2/6/2015
When it comes to the Hall of Fame, many writers refuse to vote for those players they feel took PEDs, even without having any evidence of their use. That doesn’t sit well with new MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who told several ESPN.com reporters that he wasn’t comfortable with writers surmising a player’s PED usage without […]
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 07: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals throws out Gregor Blanco #7 of the San Francisco Giants in the seventh inning during Game Four of the National League Division Series at AT&T Park on October 7, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Third base is kind of a weird position right now. There’s no real dominant force anymore. Sure, you have plenty of guys that are quite good, but that dominant Chipper Jones/David Wright type of guy really doesn’t exist right now. Well, maybe he doesn’t exist – there are plenty of young third basemen that look […]
MIAMI – JULY 18: (L-R) Florida Marlins team President David Sampson, City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, MLB Commisioner Bud Selig, Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Florida Marlins baseball team’s new stadium on July 18, 2009 in Miami, Florida. The park is scheduled to open in 2012 and the team intends to change its name to the Miami Marlins prior to the completion of the ballpark. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)
0 comments by Tim Livingston on 2/5/2015
The U.S. Government has been pretty active the last couple days in its relationship with Major League Baseball. Shortly after announcing that top Cuban prospect Yoan Mancada was available to be signed by any Major League team, a story flew under the radar in regards to President Barack Obama’s budget proposal on Monday. Among the numerous […]
DENVER, CO – JULY 6: Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies throws to first base for the first out during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on July 6, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Lucia
For years, the shortstop position was focused on defense. Then, the focus shifted to offense after the rise of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Nomar Garciaparra (among others) in the late-90s. Now, defense appears to be back in vogue, but there are a few defenders in the league that aren’t just a glove – they […]
