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Rays Jake McGee and His Fastball
Tampa Bay Rays left-handed relief pitcher Jake McGee has one pitch, a fastball. Okay, he also throws a “cutter”, but he uses the fastball on 93% of his pitches in 2013, the highest rate of any pitcher in the MLB. It’s... More of this article »
Pittsburgh Pirates Gerrit Cole’s Devastating Slider
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie hurler Gerrit Cole will start Game 2 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals. The rookie hurler posted a 3.22 ERA in 117.1 innings, with a 21.3% strikeout rate and a 6.0% walk rate. His FIP of 2.91... More of this article »
2013 ALDS: Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics Pitching Analysis and Preview
For the second straight year, the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics will meet in the American League Division Series. It will be just the third time in postseason history that both teams will face one another, the first occurring... More of this article »
Red Sox Clay Buchholz – Is He Back?
Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz had a magnificent first half. In 84.1 innings at hitter-friendly Fenway Park, he had a 1.71 ERA, the lowest figure in the MLB. Opponents managed a mere .535 OPS against Buchholz, which is slightly... More of this article »
Alex Cobb to Start Wild Card Game for Rays
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb is set to start the Wild Card Game for the Rays. Despite missing two months after being struck in the head with a line drive off the bat of Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer on June... More of this article »
Is Sonny Gray the Oakland A’s Best Pitcher?
Oakland Athletics rookie pitcher Sonny Gray has had an immediate impact on the A’s rotation since making his first major league start August 10. The 2011 first-round draft pick has a 2.67 ERA across 10 starts and 64 innings.... More of this article »
Cleveland Indians Ubaldo Jimenez’ Turnaround in 2013
I previously wrote about how Corey Kluber has been a big key to the Cleveland Indians’ turnaround 2013 season. Similarly important has been the second-half performance of Ubaldo Jimenez. The Indians hurler has the lowest... More of this article »
Phillies Cliff Lee – An Amazing September
Philadelphia Phillies lefthander Cliff Lee had himself quite a September. In 39.0 innings, the 35 year-old hurler had a 1.85 ERA and 1.55 FIP. Most impressively, he tallied 54 strikeouts against just 1 walk, for a 54/1 K/BB ratio.... More of this article »
Corey Kluber’s Emergence Big Key for Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are on the verge of securing a wild-card berth, which would be their first playoff appearance since 2007. The Indians have depended in no small part on some unexpected contributions from their starting rotation. Scott... More of this article »
Can Vidal Nuno Crack the Yankees Rotation in 2014?
Vidal Nuno is a survivor. The 26 year-old lefthander out of NAIA Baker University was drafted in the 48th round by the Cleveland Indians back in 2009, becoming the first player drafted from his alma mater. Most players selected... More of this article »
Washington Nationals: Tanner Roark Analysis and Projection
Washington Nationals rookie righthander Tanner Roark has flourished after an August 6 callup. After putting up a 1.19 ERA over 9 games and 22.2 innings in the bullpen, Roark earned his first major league start September 7th. He won... More of this article »
Miguel Sano or Maikel Franco: Who Will Be the Better MLB Third Baseman?
The late Buck O’Neil, star first baseman for the Kansas City Monarchs and ambassador for the sport of baseball, recalled in his autobiography that he once heard a unique crack from the bat of Bo Jackson, a crack he had only ever... More of this article »
Texas Rangers A.J. Pierzynski’s Historic Season
Texas Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski currently has 11 walks. His 2.2 BB% is the lowest in the MLB. By comparison, pitchers have walked in 3.2% of their plate appearances in 2013. Pierzynski has never walked very frequently, but... More of this article »
Red Sox News: The Quietly Excellent Shane Victorino
Guess who leads the Boston Red Sox in bWAR? Ok, it’s Dustin Pedroia with 6.1, but Shane Victorino is just a hair behind. The 32 year-old outfielder has 6.0 WAR in 180 fewer plate appearances. After a somewhat disappointing... More of this article »
Cardinals Oscar Taveras Set to be Next Best Thing in Baseball
While much of the recent attention has been centered around the Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton, who has propelled himself to status as the premier batting prospect in the game after a remarkable 2013 campaign, he will most likely... More of this article »
What Can the Phillies Expect from Domonic Brown in 2014?
Domonic Brown had a torrid first half for the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting 23 homeruns. Before the All-Star break, the 25 year-old outfielder had a HR/PA rate of 6.0% and a HR/Contact rate of 8.0%. His HR/FB ratio of 22.5% was 9th... More of this article »
Cardinals Fans Don’t Get Too Excited About Joe Kelly
It’s not outlandish to say that Joe Kelly has been a godsend for a struggling St. Louis Cardinals rotation. In 14 starts he has a 9-2 record and 2.14 ERA. His second-half ERA is more than two runs lower than that of Adam Wainwright.... More of this article »
Cardinals Michael Wacha’s Role Defined By Need
Michael Wacha, the St. Louis Cardinals 2012 first-round pick didn’t take long to make his presence felt within the organization, as he piled up 40 strikeouts against just 4 walks over 21 innings in his first professional season. Wacha... More of this article »
2013 MLB Awards: Top 5 NL MVP Contenders
While the field is certainly competitive in the National League, the battle for the National League Most Valuable Player Award has realistically come down to two men, Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen and St. Louis’ Yadier Molina. While... More of this article »
Top 5 2013 AL Cy Young Contenders and Predictions
While Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw has essentially pitched his way to becoming the clear front-runner for the Cy Young Award in the National League, it appears that Detroit’s Max Scherzer is slowly, but surely becoming an almost... More of this article »
2013 MLB Awards: Top 5 NL Cy Young Award Contenders
While Detroit’s Max Scherzer is slowly becoming the premier front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award, the field behind him is certainly competitive and holds substantial depth. Such can be considered the opposite case... More of this article »
Who Will Be Better Long Term: Wil Myers or Yasiel Puig?
Baseball’s infatuation with Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Yasiel Puig almost hit John Madden / Brett Favre levels. Puig, a 22-year-old from Cuba, burst onto the scene when he hit .436 with a 1.180 OPS and seven home runs in June. His... More of this article »
Yankees Cashman Acting Like “Buyer” but “Selling” on 2013
Don’t be fooled by what transpires over the course of the next week in the Bronx. If you look deep down, the following statements about the New York Yankees are true: They have scored the fourth least runs in baseball. They are... More of this article »
10 Least Likely 2014 MLB Hall of Fame Candidates
The 2014 MLB Hall of Fame class boasts some of the greatest modern day players. Greg Maddux will likely be an automatic addition, with Tom Glavine, Jeff Kent, Mike Mussina and Frank Thomas being very worthy in their own right. But... More of this article »
MLB Trade Deadline 2013: Top Suitors for Cubs Matt Garza
As was the case during last year’s trade deadline before an elbow injury derailed the rest of his season, Matt Garza is once again one of the premier names being shopped around and gaining interest across both leagues. Although... More of this article »
Relievers Who Could Be Closing After the Trade Deadline
With the trade deadline steadily approaching (on July 31st), several players will inevitably find themselves playing for new teams. The focus of the deadline–at least from an analytical perspective–is usually the high powered... More of this article »
Jonathan Papelbon Calls Yasiel Puig All-Star Candidacy a “Joke”
After a month of June that witnessed the debut of Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig, much attention has swirled regarding whether Puig should be selected to play in this year’s All-Star Game in New York. In 27... More of this article »
R.A. Dickey and A.J. Griffin Throw Shutouts, Implications Different
Before the 7PM Eastern games even started Major League Baseball saw two complete game shutouts completed on Wednesday. R.A. Dickey, entering the game with an ERA north of 5.00 had an afternoon tilt with the division rival Tampa Bay... More of this article »
Does Jonathan Papelbon Want Out of Philadelphia and Vice-Versa?
At this point in the season and with the particular circumstances present, the question has to be asked, that of “does Jonathan Papelbon want out of Philadelphia?” One can also presuppose the notion that Philadelphia might... More of this article »
Shawn Kelley: Most Dominant Yankees Reliever Not Named Rivera
His 4.78 ERA might look bruising. His 4.1 BB/9 is above the league-average. And he’s already surrendered the same amount of home runs in 26.3 innings this season as he did in 44.3 innings last season. Yet, Shawn Kelley is still... More of this article »
Andy Pettitte: Career Should be Celebrated, Just Not in the Hall of Fame
I’m a die-hard New York Yankees fan. I live and breathe by defending people like Alex Rodriguez (until recently), watching Yankees’ classics and debating whether Yankees players like Don Mattingly (no) and Mike Mussina... More of this article »
Rays Draft Nick Ciuffo, Ryne Stanek With First Two Picks
The Tampa Bay Rays drafted high school catcher Nick Ciuffo with the 21st pick in the 2013 MLB Draft in hopes infilling a long-standing void in the organization. Tampa Bay seemingly able to develop pitching at will have not had success... More of this article »
New York Yankees Draft Analysis: Jagielo, Judge, Clarkin, Katoh
The New York Yankees have traditionally focused on high school players with high upside for their drafts, likely due in part to the lack of availability on the parent club. This year, all of that has shifted with numerous players set... More of this article »
New York Yankees Fading Offense is a Long-term Issue
Andy Pettitte is due back from the Disabled list on Monday, and his return will signify maximum availability for the Yankees’ rotation. CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Pettitte, will be restored back at the front of the rotation,... More of this article »
2013 MLB Draft: Top 10 Corner Infielders and Projections
The corner infield is perhaps one of the most important regions on the diamond, both in terms of offense and defense. Defensively speaking, first basemen are not typically thought of as wielding a flashy glove, but still relied upon... More of this article »
Dusty Baker, Johnny Cueto, Matt Garza Should All Grow the Hell Up
In Sunday afternoon’s game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, Reds starter Johnny Cueto threw a pitch over the head of Cubs second baseman David DeJesus in the sixth inning. A warning was issued to both clubs, as... More of this article »
Roberto Hernandez: Tampa Bay Rays Need to Make a Decision
After posting disappointing numbers for Cleveland in 2012, 0-3 record with a 7.53 ERA in just 3 starts, Roberto Hernandez was released and was a free agent. Tampa Bay Rays GM Andrew Freidman stepped in and made a decision to sign... More of this article »
2013 MLB Mock Draft 2.0 – Potential Draft-Day Surprises
Over the course of the past few weeks, a plethora of mock drafts for the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft have materialized with full force. While the majority of such mock drafts have been relatively similar, particularly in reference to the... More of this article »
David Adams Provides Yankees Options for the Future
It’s been Preston Claiborne and Shawn Kelley stealing the show in the bullpen, easily the most dominant makeup of the New York Yankees‘ roster. With their assistance in the wake of Joba Chamberlain‘s injury, along... More of this article »
Kevin Gausman Dominant in Minors, Could Help Orioles Soon
The Baltimore Orioles starting rotation has been exposed for its true composition, that of a struggling core of pitchers who have been unable to counter and support the production of the club’s solid offensive lineup, in the... More of this article »
Shelby Miller Rookie Season One To Remember Thus Far
TheSt. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Shelby Miller has had a rookie season to remember. Nearly two months into the 2013 season, Miller has not only pitched his way to recognition as one of the premier rookies in the game, but also... More of this article »
Theo Epstein and the Cubs Rebuilding Still A Work in Progress
The Chicago Cubs are suffering through a disappointing stretch, marred by a struggling offense, inconsistent middle and backend relief, and questionable leadership at the hands of Tom Ricketts, Theo Epstein. The starting rotation... More of this article »
Joe Girardi Thinking Outside The Box Has Yankees Winning
On Wednesday night, Joe Girardi batted David Phelps eighth in the lineup ahead of rookie Austin Romine. The part I have never seen the Yankees do in any World Series game or interleague matchup was the pitcher batting ahead of the... More of this article »
Pirates Pitching Situation is Unstable and Unsustainable
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff, to put it one way, is running on fossil fuels. Before long, the whole party’s going to crash. The Pirates are currently 10-9 despite playing one of the most challenging early-season schedules... More of this article »
Houston Astros: Will AL West Teams Have an Unfair Advantage?
Some teams don’t like to admit that they’re re-building. The New York Mets, for instance, dealt R.A. Dickey a month after he won the Cy Young award in exchange for prospects that likely won’t make a difference for... More of this article »
National League: Projected Platoons for 2013
With the ever rising cost of offense, more and more teams are looking to platoons as low-cost, high-reward options. The platoon is hardly a new managerial tool, but it seems as though there are more teams using the stat-heavy angle... More of this article »
American League: Projected Platoons for 2013
With the ever rising cost of offense, more and more teams are looking to platoons as a low-cost, high-reward alternative. Even though penny-pinching organizations like the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays have long been using the... More of this article »
Houston Astros: Fielding a Major League Team on $25 Million
The Miami Marlins have caught a lot of flack this offseason, and deservingly so. Just one off season after opening a new stadium mostly financed by taxpayers, the Marlins have trimmed nearly $80 million off of what was a nine digit... More of this article »