Tag Archives: mlb

Who Will the Cubs Hire as Manager?

Theo-Epstein-Chicago-Cubs-ManagerThe Chicago Cubs managerial search took a hit with Joe Girardi re-signing with the New York Yankees. He was their top candidate, since he’s from the area and was a former player for the organization. Oh, he also won the World Series as a manager.

The list of qualified candidates is out there, but we try to weed out the rumors.

The decision on who they hire makes a statement if this organization is looking to win now or if they realize this team is still a few years from making a run.

Will Theo Epstein hire once again hire one of his boys (Dale Sveum was third base coach on Boston’s 2004 World Series team) or will he go outside his comfort zone?

Continue reading →

Why Wil Myers Will Be Better Than Yasiel Puig

Yasiel-Puig-Wil-MyersLos Angeles Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig caught the world by storm when he was called up to the Majors. He had game-winning hits, threw guys out with his arm and hit for power and average. His rookie cards are going for $50+ and his autographs are fetching a couple hundred dollars on eBay.

On the other side of the coin, Tampa Bay Rays rookie Wil Myers was called up soon after Puig with less fanfare, even though Myers was most well-known prospect in the minor leagues. He started off a bit slow, but is turning into a better player than Puig.

Puig has plateaued a bit and Myers is currently on a hot streak, yet SportsCenter gives more attention to Puig. I understand he’s in a bigger market than Myers, but that will soon change.

Wil Myers is better than Yasiel Puig and will be for the rest of his career…and here’s why. Continue reading →

MLB Suspends 12 Players Linked to Biogenesis Scandal

NELSON-CRUZ-BIOGENESISIt finally happened. According to a report by ESPN and Yahoo!, Major League Baseball will announce that 12 players will accept suspensions linked to Biogenesis scandal. There is one glaring admission, Alex Rodriguez.

The list of players to receive 50-game suspensions are those who agreed to not appeal their suspensions.

The list is full of players already reported to be linked to the Biogenesis scandal and a few that weren’t as prominently reported.

The list below are players who will start serving their suspensions right away. Continue reading →

MLB: Biogenesis Scandal Could Benefit Yankees

Buck-Showalter-Orioles-ArodBaltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter speaks his mind. He believes if Alex Rodriguez is banned from baseball, the New York Yankees will be the only winner in the Biogenesis scandal.

If the Yankees get out of the monster contract Rodriguez is owed, Showalter believes Orioles catcher Matt Wieters will be playing in the Bronx in 2016.

The Yankees will be under the luxury tax and can afford to once again splurge on a few free agents, Wieters being one of the potential players on the market.

Showalter doesn’t feel the Yankees should be completely exempt from their own mistake. MLB could give them a get out of jail free card.

If MLB bans A-rod for life, is it fair for the league to let the Yankees out of his contract without penalties? Should the contract still count against the Yankees for luxury tax purposes?

MLB: Which Players are Linked to Biogenesis Scandal?

ryan-braun-steroids-biogenesisMLB 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

Matt+Garza+Chicago+Cubs+Photo+Day+Mu-69jJJlZ1lThe 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.

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

Summer of Beer and WhiskeyIf 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

Wil+Myers+Tampa+Bay+RaysMajor 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

Felix+Hernandez+Seattle+Mariners+ContractSeattle 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 →