Latest blog entries about MLB
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was perhaps no better rivalry in MLB than the Yankees and Royals. They seemingly met every postseason in the ALCS for the right to represent the Junior Circuit in the World Series, the Yankees usually coming out on top of those yearly meetings. A mainstay of those […]
Week two of Spring Training Games is coming to a close and The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is finally underway. Game One took place last night (10pm EST) with Chinese Taipei against Australia. There are just two games today but the schedule hits high gear on Friday with a slate of eight games including Team […]
In the process of writing about every player who received votes in our biannual Purple Row Prospects (PuRPs) list — this edition it was 55 players across 19 ballots — I learned a bit about trends and system strengths and weaknesses. So for anyone who missed a few write-ups or even who has a more casual relationship with the […]
In 2013, the consensus number one prospect in all of MLB was Jurickson Profar. The switch-hitting shortstop for the Texas Rangers was turning heads with his elite combination of power, speed and defense. It’s hard to forget the miraculous year that Profar had in 2024 with the San Diego Padres. Unfortunately, that season is stained […]
Hello everyone! The Mariners played a late one last night, dropping the contest to the Giants by a 9-4 final. It’s a bit disappointing that unlike many teams, the Mariners don’t get to play an exhibition against a World Baseball Classic squad. It would have been cool to see some of our own stars playing […]
The term “old friend alert” usually applies to players who have taken the field in a major-league game for the Royals. Over a thousand athletes have worn a Kansas City uniform in the big leagues, but is that the only standard for being considered a “former Royal”? Here are some players who didn’t play in […]
Morning, all! Texas played Team Brazil yesterday and the mercy rule was invoked in the seventh inning. Jacob deGrom made his first start of the spring, allowing three hits and striking out three, as well. The Rangers will still be cautious with Jacob deGrom’s workload in 2026, aiming for around 175 innings. Skip Schumaker counts […]
Much of the Red Sox’s offense has been in flux over the last 12 months: Rafael Devers was traded, Alex Bregman walked, Wilson Contreras and Caleb Durbin were acquired, while the infield platoon was refreshed. The combination of moves sounds awful for offensive pop, it but does offer more stability defensively. Meanwhile, he team decided […]
Joe Musgrove made his long-awaited return to the mound for the San Diego Padres when they faced off against Team Great Britain in an exhibition game at the Peoria Sports Complex on Wednesday. If was not a perfect day for Musgrove or the Padres for that matter, but they both performed well enough to see […]
From Olympic controversy to trade-deadline chess, Episode 74 breaks down Drury’s leverage, prospect development, and the Rangers’ uncertain reset.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic officially started last night with pool play action between Australia and Chinese Taipei. Most of the teams loaded with MLB players won’t officially start WBC play until tomorrow as they have spent this week playing exhibition games against MLB teams. But by this weekend, the tournament will be in full […]
The White Sox are back to work at Spring Training, which means it’s time to overreact and make season predictions based on limited data. It’s fun to be optimistic and bold when there’s nothing to lose, and everyone’s just happy the sun is out after 6:00 p.m. Even if you don’t believe these will happen, […]
Well, the 2026 WBC either did or didn’t start off with a bang, depending on your perspective. On the “not” front, you have the fact that the opening game took place at 10:00 pm ET at the Tokyo Dome, and featured two dark-horse-at-best competitors in Australia and Taiwan. On the “yes, with a bang” front, […]
With the 2026 season opener three weeks away, most of the Astros’ Opening Day 26-man roster is coming into focus. A few spots, however, remain unsettled. Here’s my first pass at how things could shake out: Starting pitchers: Hunter Brown, Christian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, Spencer Arrighetti, Lance McCullers Jr Also considered: Colton Gordon, AJ Blubaugh […]
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for Marcelo Mayer to say the least. Before the games even started, Alex Cora made it clear that no roster spot was guaranteed for the No. 4 overall pick from 2021: By itself, Cora’s commentary packed some punch, but when you add in Mayer’s paltry playing time out […]
Bo Bichette turns 28 today. Bo played seven seasons with the Jays before signing with the Mets this offseason. With the Jays, he hit .294/.337/.469 with 111 home runs, 60 steals and a 21.0 bWAR. Except for 2024, he was very consistent. He posted an OPS+ in the 120s five times. In 2024, he started […]
Your morning round-up of the latest from Blueshirt Banter, Rangers News, and updates from around the NHL
Meet the Mets The Mets defeated Team Israel in an exhibition game for the World Baseball Classic. Carson Benge opened the scoring with a solo home run in the fifth but with the Mets down late the team team rallied in the eighth to win 5-2. Both David Peterson and Christian Scott looked great in […]
Giancarlo Stanton is one of the most powerful hitters in the history of baseball. No player hits the ball harder or farther. Nobody swings the bat with the sheer force that he does. If injuries didn’t cost him big chunks of his Yankees tenure, there’s no telling how many home runs he would have. But […]
Five years after the Orioles drafted Colton Cowser with the #5 overall pick, he remains a frustrating enigma. Who is the real Cowser? Is he the player who provided power, defense, and positive vibes during his AL Rookie of the Year runner-up performance in 2024? Is he the guy whose startling swing-and-miss tendencies and self-inflicted […]
The Milwaukee Brewers have an obvious choice at the top of their second-base depth chart, one that should be a big part of, at least, the next few years. After that, it’s a little less clear, but there are a bunch of potential options, and as long as Brice Turang’s health holds out, we shouldn’t […]
There are only a certain number of things that make me feel young. The odd workout that I used to do when I was 18 (and still try to do that like I’m 18), staying up late to watch sports (basketball kind of sucked didn’t it), and jokingly celebrating my half-birthday even though I’m now […]
The San Francisco Giants have had a fairly healthy Spring Training but, like all teams, they’re not 100% healthy. There have been a few players notably absent, but on Wednesday, the team released some injury updates for their ailing players. Most notable were updates to a pair of relievers, lefty Reiver Sanmartin and righty Joel […]
After being relatively close to winning for the last few votes, Ixan Henderson won the vote for the 16th prospect pretty handily. Both polls I ran in fact weren’t really contests at all. I am been pretty vocal in wondering if Henderson would be higher if not for his current injury scare. I don’t think […]
For the final nine games of the 2025, the Miami Marlins ran an experiment in which their assistant pitching coach, Alon Leichman, made pitch selection decisions and communicated those to the catcher via signs from the dugout. This is a practice that has long been used in the college game but has never seen widespread […]