Tag Archives: mlb

MLB: Which Players are Linked to Biogenesis Scandal?

MLB officially suspended Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun for the remainder of the 2013 season. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s surprised by this announcement.

Braun failed a drug test after his NL MVP 2011 season, but avoided the mandatory 50-game suspension due to the mishandling of his urine sample. This did not sit well with the MLB. Since then, one could say that MLB has been on a witch hunt in an attempt to find evidence to suspend him.

The Miami-area Biogenesis clinic was the smoking gun the MLB needed to suspend Braun and potentially up to 20 other players.

Which MLB players are allegedly on the Biogenesis client list? We list the players below. Continue reading →

Texas Rangers Acquire Matt Garza from Chicago Cubs

The Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs finally put together a deal for pitcher Matt Garza. The Cubs are sending Garza to Texas for 3B prospect Mike Olt, minor league pitcher C.J Edwards, starter Justin Grimm and the infamous, player to be named later.

The trade has been on and off for over a week and as a Cubs fan, I’m just glad the Matt Garza trade drama is over. He’s been included in trade rumors soon after he began his first season on the North Side.

Mike Olt has shown power in the minors and is much more MLB-ready than recent #2 overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, Kris Bryant. Olt does have position flexibility, since he’s been working on his outfield defense. That was the only way he would have been called up to the Rangers, since Adrian Beltre blocked him at third base. So, if things work out as planned and Bryant is brought up in 2016, it shouldn’t be a problem to get these two guys in the lineup regularly.

C.J. Edwards has been lights out in A-ball this season. He has a K/9 over 11.00 and a K/BB ratio hovering around 4.00. He is projected to be a middle of the rotation guy or better.

Good luck to Mr. Garza in Arlington.

(I’m horrible at Photoshop, so I’ve embraced MS Paint. It’s funny, so expect more awesome photos that look like they’re edited by a four-year old.)

VIDEO: Matt Harvey Asks New Yorkers about Matt Harvey

This is fantastic.It’s proof that even diehard New York Mets fans who follow the baseball cannot even recognize their favorite baseball player without his hat. Matt Harvey has thrown less than 20 starts in Major League Baseball, but you would think this would be a slam dunk, right?

I’m guilty of this. It wasn’t in person, but when I saw Wade Boggs without his hat, I didn’t recognize him. Granted, it was on a commercial in which he used a product to regrow his hair. I don’t think it matters, baseball players just look weird without a baseball hat.

‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’ has really cranked it up since Fallon was named future host of ‘The Tonight Show’. I hope the show doesn’t change and make the mistake Conan did when he took over the reins. The decision to move ‘The Tonight Show’ back to New York City will help bring new life to the program. NBC will miss having the guests Los Angeles can provide, but they’ll make do with having both its late-night shows based in NYC (I didn’t really count Carson Daly’s show, because only two or three people watch it).

By the way, Matt Harvey will be starting pitcher for the National League team in this week’s MLB All-Star Game.

MLB: J.A. Happ Hit In Head By Line Drive [VIDEO]

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ was hit in the head by a line drive by Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Desmond Jennings. He was taken off the field on a stretcher.

Happ is in stable condition at a St. Petersburg-area hospital. We wish him a speedy recovery and he is in our thoughts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfQcPZYAQfg

Rangers’ Yu Darvish Blows Perfect Game in the Last Out

Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish nearly made history in their second game of the season.

Darvish was lights out against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. He took a perfect game into the ninth inning.

The game was in Houston and with the Astros looking like a possible 100+ loss season, the crowd was loaded with Rangers fans. The fans were biting their nails in anticipation of seeing history take place in front of their eyes.

Astros shortstop Marwin Gonzalez swung at the first pitch he saw and lined it through the legs of Darvish for a single.

Darvish was pulled after the hit. He finished with 14 strikeouts in 8 1/3rd innings in the 7-0 win over the Astros.

Review: “The Summer of Beer and Whiskey” by Edward Achorn

If you enjoy reading about baseball history, you often know all the names and stories of past baseball greats. Even if an author claims to have a new story of an early team, the book is often filled with commonly-known players who have been written about numerous times.

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey claims to be a new story and author Edward Achorn follows it up with a fresh, interesting story about St. Louis baseball in the 1880s.

Do you ever wonder why drinking beer is such an entrenched part of watching a baseball game? If beer didn’t exist, life would be boring, and the game of baseball may not have caught on.

If you’re a baseball fan, even if you don’t usually read books about pre-Babe Ruth baseball, you’ll find this story interesting. Continue reading →

Top MLB Prospects Who Will Appear in 2013

Major League Baseball teams have put more focus on the draft over the last decade and it’s paying off. The minors are filled with the most talent its seen in the last two decades.

With the early success of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, Angels outfielder Mike Trout and White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, fans are expecting their teams to push their top prospects to the Majors as soon as possible.

You have already noticed a few teams caving in to the pressure and have their top prospects starting the season on the roster. Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller and Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks will start the season, but you could argue that they are filling a glaring need.

Here is a list of MLB prospects you will see called-up in the 2013 season. Continue reading →

2013 MLB Team Preview: Seattle Mariners

Seattle made a few headlines this offseason. They paid Felix Hernandez the most paid to a pitcher in Major League history and made two different trades to acquire much-needed power.

The three best teams in the AL West got much better, so Seattle had to make a decision. Do they stand pat and slowly build their team back up or make some big moves in hopes stealing a Wild Card spot? They went with the second option.

Did Seattle make a smart move by acquiring talent to win right now?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the Seattle Mariners. Continue reading →

2013 MLB Team Preview: San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants did the improbably in today’s game. They won two World Series in the last three seasons. They did this one after overcoming Melky Cabrera’s PED scandal and without ace closer Brian Wilson.

Buster Posey had a breakout season in returning from a scary injury that happened during a collision at the plate.

Can the Giants win three out of four?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the San Francisco Giants. Continue reading →

Review: “Closer” by Kevin Neary

In baseball, the closer position is still the newest position in baseball. The term didn’t come into the baseball lexicon until the 1970s.

In today’s game, having a good closer has been part of the equation for success. Even though a closer’s role has changed greatly since its inception. Today’s closer only pitch one inning at most. Closers like Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage (both in the Baseball Hall of Fame) often pitched multiple innings.

Closer by Kevin Neary and Leigh A. Tobin chronicles the careers of various closers over the years. They break down closer in three different eras (“The Early Years”, The Transition Years” & “The Modern Day Closer”).

We review Closer and let you know why this book is a must-have for every baseball historian. Continue reading →

2013 MLB Team Preview: San Diego Padres

The biggest news to come out of San Diego this offseason is the Padres moving in the walls at PETCO Park. I’m not sure if doing that is a good move strategically. The team has been built around pitching since the park opened (13 of their top 20 prospects are pitching). Is this move a not-so-subtle way of increasing attendance?

Chase Headley and Carlos Quentin will benefit from the walls being moved in, but can their pitching hold up?

Can San Diego keep up with the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the San Diego Padres. Continue reading →

2013 MLB Team Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals did the impossible last season. They lost Albert Pujols to the Angels and their longtime manager Tony LaRussa retired. Most people wrote them off, but they scratched and clawed their way into a Wild Card spot.

The Cardinals didn’t do much this offseason. Was standing pat a poor decision? Can they catch lightning in a bottle for a second year in a row?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the St. Louis Cardinals.

(Yes, that is Nelly wearing some Cardinals gear….excuse me while I go listen to “Air Force Ones”.) Continue reading →