This was a cool moment and classic Tito. He tells Blake Wood that he made club as he takes him out a few days ago. pic.twitter.com/XKHVLA875F
— Mark Shapiro (@MarkShapiro) March 28, 2014
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5 teams that would love a spring training do-over
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 3/28/2014
As baseball fans, we’re all excited to get spring training out of the way and start the regular season. Of course, the preseason provides the opportunity for necessary preparation, while also building anticipation and excitement. But for a handful of MLB teams, the spring brought disappointment, possibly landing some significant blows to postseason and championship […]
Dugout Digest – and then there were three
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Three days left until Opening Day…all that stands between us and the regular season is one short weekend, and we’ll be good to go for 2014. Today, we’re going to finish up our season previews with staff predictions and some other clean-up. Yesterday, we touched on some important topics heading into the season – bold […]
Hanley Ramirez tattooed his second homer of the night
0 comments by Joe Lucia
This shot by Hanley Ramirez is a *bomb*. It was his second solo homer of the night off of Angels starter Hector Santiago, and this puppy went three-quarters of the way up the left center field seats at Dodger Stadium.
By the way, Hanley’s first homer of the night went to right center. If he stays healthy, he’s going to be an MVP candidate for the Dodgers this season.
Tigers agree to massive extension with Miguel Cabrera
0 comments by Garrett Wilson on 3/27/2014
Miguel Cabrera is coming off of two consecutive AL MVPs and is still two years away from hitting free agency, but the Detroit Tigers decided they didn’t want to take any chances and have
TOC’s bold predictions for 2014
0 comments by Joe Lucia
With the season on the horizon, the TOC staff decided to go out on a limb and make some bold predictions about 2014. Here’s what we’ve come up with. Scott Allen: 1. Pablo Sandoval finishes Top 3 in NL MVP voting. 2. Mark Trumbo has most HR’s in MLB. 3. Mike Trout posts the first 11 […]
MLB teams are trying to make you fat this year
0 comments by Joe Lucia
It’s that time of year, where MLB teams reveal their gluttonous new menu items for the 2014 season. ESPN’s Darren Rovell was on the ball, as always, with many of the new additions. Some of these look pretty good, while others look absolutely vile. Not pictured: the angioplasty you’ll need after eating many of these […]
Topps releases BUNT app for 2014 season
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Topps has continued their domination of the trading card market by releasing the BUNT app for the 2014 MLB season. BUNT is an iOS app that allows users to collect digital cards for free. The app also lets users trade with one another and rates your collection. I played around with the app today, and […]
Tino Martinez thinks Miami’s young hitters are “soft”
“I was tough on some of the young players I thought needed to be, not disciplined, but they were walking around like they were 10-year veterans and I was trying to teach them the right way to do things,” Martinez said, on Benigno & Roberts.
He added: “I was trying to teach these guys. These guys had a great opportunity. They didn’t belong in the big leagues. They just happened to be with the right organization that had injuries and got rid of the whole entire team the year before.
“They were not taking advantage of their opportunity and it was bothering me that they weren’t working hard enough and weren’t appreciating what they had. I was just trying to get them to understand, take advantage of this and make yourself a better player. They were very soft. They were very soft and that was the disappointing part, but I thought I was doing my job as a coach to try and get the most out of them.”
-Former Miami Marlins hitting coach Tino Martinez expressing his opinion about the young Marlins hitters that he verbally and physically abused last year, leading to his dismissal. (via South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
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Ten players with the most to prove in 2014
0 comments by Joe Lucia
The phrase “something to prove” gets thrown around a lot in sports. Essentially, when we say that, we’re pointing at players who overachieved or underachieved, and need to do *something* to show that either they still have something left in the tank, or that their success wasn’t a fluke. Needless to say, there are several […]
Clayton Kershaw will miss the Dodgers US opener
“It’s nothing that I’m too worried about. It’s really frustrating more than anything. The timing of it,” said Kershaw, who pitched the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday during the teams’ opening series in Australia.
“It’s just one start that has to be pushed back. It’s definitely something that if I had to pitch tomorrow, I could probably do it. It just wouldn’t feel great.”
[…]
“I progressed well, my pitch count increased each time, so I don’t think the shortened spring had anything to do with it,” he said. “I really wanted to pitch [Sunday]. It’s hard to admit you don’t feel right. I guess just when it was laid out to me and I understood that we have guys that can fill the spots with the off days that we have, it’s almost not me missing a start, it’s just going to be pushed back a few days. That helped ease it a little bit, but either way, it’s not fun to deal with.”
-Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw talks about the back injury that will cause him to miss Sunday’s start against the Padres. (via ESPN)
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Dugout Digest – down to four
0 comments by Joe Lucia
We’re down to four days until Opening Day on Monday. Well, three days if you want to get excited about the one game on Sunday night. But four days until all the fun really happens! We continued our season preview week on Wednesday by looking at ten possible breakout players for 2014. Also yesterday, we […]
Pirates ink Starling Marte to six-year extension
0 comments by Tim Livingston on 3/26/2014
The Pittsburgh Pirates are now locked in with two-thirds of their dynamic young outfield after announcing Tuesday that they have inked starting left fielder Starling Marte to a 6-year deal worth $31 million. The deal also includes two club options, which could extend the deal out past the 2021 season. Marte’s five more years of […]
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
10 Breakout Players for 2014
0 comments by Ian Casselberry
Who are the players that showed some promise last season and seem poised to build on that success with even better performances? That’s what most baseball analysts mean when discussing “breakout players.” As tempting as it might be to label rookies (either first-time players or those with rookie eligibility remaining) as breakouts, immediate success isn’t […]
Angels dump Joe Blanton
0 comments by Garrett Wilson
A little over a year ago, the Angels signed starting pitcher Joe Blanton to a two-year, $15 million. That move was greeted by a collective groan. The reasoning was that Blanton wasn’t very good and certainly didn’t deserve a two-year contract. Those critics had no idea how very right they were. In fact, one could […]
