The bullpen issues of the Washington Nationals are troubling and deep even for a team running away from their rivals in the National League East. It was the biggest question mark coming into the season… Read more »
Posts by Mick Reinhard
Gone are the years where the Nationals were the laughingstock of the Major Leagues. Where the rats crossed home plate in RFK Stadium more than the Washington players on the basepaths. Where their Segway-riding GM… Read more »
On a recent listener e-mail episode of Effectively Wild (number 983 to be exact), Ben and Sam responded to a question from a listener named Jeff on the rights to Clayton Kershaw’s newborn son, Charley:… Read more »
After an 11-year professional career including pitching 41 games in the Major Leagues, Paul Menhart transitioned to the coaching ranks. He spent nine seasons in the Washington Nationals’ organization as a pitching coach at all… Read more »
Barry Gilpin and Mick Reinhard join Ryan Sullivan to talk about shortstops, the Reds, the life of a minor league announcer, and Lucas Giolito.
The Boston Red Sox have been woven into the fabric of New England since the team was founded in 1901 as one of the American League’s eight charter franchises. Despite years of futility between World… Read more »
The path Mike Piazza took from a high school first baseman who garnered little interest from colleges to Hall of Famer was an improbable one. Is his story one that could even happen today? Would… Read more »
During the latest Banished to the Pen podcast, we had a discussion on the Craig Kimbrel trade and the question of where we are on the spectrum of overvaluing or undervaluing closers. If you haven’t… Read more »
Writers Mick Reinhard and Mike Carlucci join Ryan Sullivan to talk about the Craig Kimbrel trade, David Ortiz’s final season, and free agents.
The National League Cy Young race is obviously between three pitchers: Jake Arrieta, Zack Grienke, and Clayton Kershaw. Compelling arguments can be made for any of those three candidates and, refreshingly, none of them pit… Read more »
The membership of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America has never been accused of being the most forward thinking or progressive set of sportswriters on the planet. They are an antiquated, bloated network of good… Read more »
During the course of my appearance on the BttP podcast, we touched upon the specifics of covering a minor league team. I thought I would share something I originally wrote during the 2012 season that… Read more »
You’ll excuse Michael Taylor if he doesn’t come across as one of the top prospects in baseball. You see, it’s not uncommon for someone in his position to be self-centered and wear a certain arrogance… Read more »
“The transition from player to coach is often a difficult one with numerous components factoring into a successful move from the playing field to the dugout and backfields. For many, the passion and drive to perform on the field are still present, but the body sometimes breaks down and an eroding skillset often betrays the player. Becoming a good coach won’t happen until one is able to put their playing days in the rearview mirror.”
“The fortunate few get to root in person for their hometown team in a World Series. Brian Daubach, who grew up twenty miles from St. Louis, lived out that dream as a 10-year-old boy, attending a game during the 1982 Fall Classic as the Cardinals took on the Milwaukee Brewers. He thought it would be the highlight of his baseball life. He was wrong.”
“The Minnesota Twins recently added pitching prospect Alex Meyer to their 40-man roster which protects him from being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. Meyer was originally the 23rd overall pick of the Washington Nationals in the 2011 draft before he was dealt to the Twins organization in exchange for Denard Span. Last season the 6’9″ righty went 7-7 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.381 WHIP over 130.1 innings at Triple-A Rochester. During 2013, I had the opportunity to sit down with Meyer when he was a member of the New Britain Rock Cats for an interview.”
