It helps to be fast to steal bases, but stolen bases certainly aren’t all about speed. So much of the steal is about reading the pitcher and knowing when to run. As Vince Coleman told… Read more »
On Effectively Wild episode 503, Ben and Sam answered an email question I submitted about the MLB Draft and whether any team would ever consider blowing past its pool allotment and incur future penalties (a… Read more »
Quickly, name the five best first basemen in baseball. Certain names probably come to mind: Miguel Cabrera, Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto, and others. Maybe you also thought of a few players like Justin Smoak and… Read more »
This entry lists the best and worst for the past 30 days of the 2017 regular season, through games of Sunday, June 12. Here is an explanation of this weekly feature. Comment of the week:… Read more »
This entry lists the best and worst for the past 30 days of the 2017 regular season, through games of Sunday, June 5. Here is an explanation of this weekly feature. Comment of the week:… Read more »
The harsh, angry sun tormented a desolate landscape. A sour wind howled through the scorched hills and barren valleys. Little life remained in the wasteland of Southern California. The once pleasant spring had been shattered… Read more »
At the Major League level, almost all regular position players are at the top of their profession. They are the cream of the crop and have outperformed 99.9% of their peers to even make it… Read more »
We’re watching history in the making. Josh Tomlin is the best pitcher of our lifetimes at avoiding walks. Since 1900, only Cy Young, Deacon Phillippe, and Babe Adams have lower BB/9 among qualified starters, and… Read more »
This entry lists the best and worst for the past 30 days of the 2017 regular season, through games of Sunday, May 28. Here is an explanation of this weekly feature. Comment of the week:… Read more »
On Thursday, Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman knocked an 0-2 Julio Teheran offering just over the right field wall at SunTrust Park for his first career home run. It was the third homer Teheran allowed… Read more »
The White Sox have agreed to terms with 19-year-old Cuban amateur free agent Luis Robert. Many consider the 19-year-old outfielder to be the best international prospect not named Shohei Otani.
This entry lists the best and worst for the past 30 days of the 2017 regular season, through games of Sunday, May 21. Here is an explanation of this weekly feature. Comment of the week:… Read more »
MLB Trade Rumors recently ran an extensive three-part feature looking back at the 1992 expansion draft that birthed the Marlins and Rockies, found here: part 1, part 2, part 3. Expansion drafts are fascinating. Roughly… Read more »
I do not know Kevin Pillar. Like me, he wakes up in the morning, has people who love him, and is probably an otherwise decent human being. What he did last night, however, was not… Read more »
Let’s talk about MLB’s ERA leader. He has an ERA of 1.01, a half-run better than any other pitcher. He’s striking out almost five batters for every walk. All but one of his seven starts… Read more »
The Yankees retired Wayne Tolleson’s number on Sunday. This is believed to be coincidental because the person who wore #2 a few years later is the franchise leader in PA, H, 2B, and SB. Also… Read more »
In this issue: Albers closes again… Ben & Jeff live show upcoming… News & previews… Mario Kart baseball
This entry lists the best and worst for the past 30 days of the 2017 regular season, through games of Sunday, May 14. Here is an explanation of this weekly feature. Comment of the week:… Read more »
There have been many good base stealers whose speed has abandoned them relatively early in their careers. This is not Stephen Piscotty. He is only 1-5 on stolen base attempts this season. In 2016 he… Read more »
In this issue: Albers saves… News & previews… Eyewitness account of 18-inning affair… Post-Star Wars Day blowout
This entry lists the best and worst for the past 30 days of the 2017 regular season, through games of Sunday, May 7. Here is an explanation of this weekly feature. Comment of the… Read more »
In this all-banter episode of an NL Central Podcast, Eric, Alex, and Brandon predict Eric Thames for the rest of the season, discuss Paul O’Neill kicking a baseball, whether Brandon should worry about the Cubs,… Read more »
On Monday it was announced that Fox would not be renewing cult favorite Pitch, following its first-year struggles in the ratings. Its future is uncertain, but Banished to the Pen has managed to acquire a… Read more »
Ryan Schimpf might be the most extreme fly-ball hitter the major leagues have ever seen. Can he really be a productive MLB regular?
Is money alone sufficient to purchase a baseball team? The answer used to be yes. It probably still is. Nevertheless, the two competing bidders for the Miami Marlins are both “led” by a current or… Read more »
In this first issue: Upcoming Matchups… Webb-Albers Championship League Update… Local Dog Eats for Cycle
Baseball has long been an important element of the Peanuts franchise. The 1977 tome, Sandlot Peanuts, collected nothing but baseball-related comic strips. Joe Shlabotnik rings true for anyone who’s had an affinity for a lousy… Read more »
Last month, our JJ Keller asked whether new Seattle Mariner Jean Segura is “for real”. It was a question worth asking, because Segura was coming off a 5.0-fWAR season, by far the best of his… Read more »
It’s fair to wonder how anyone could ever make contact against Aroldis Chapman. This was the final pitch of Game 2 of the NLDS: You could lose hours of your life just watching that… Read more »
The legend of Babe Ruth extends beyond his mammoth home runs. One of the lasting impacts of Ruth is his ability as a two-way player. So much so that throughout the years teams have continued… Read more »
