Latest blog entries about MLB
Things are getting real, people. The Orioles’ 2026 season begins in just under two weeks, with a home opener against Minnesota on March 26th. The spring has had its fun and games, but it’s nearing time to make final roster cuts. With that, let’s summarize what we’ve learned, with an eye to roster decisions. Some […]
German Marquez and JP Sears were squarely in the mix in the competition to decide the fifth spot in the starting rotation for the San Diego Padres. Their respective candidacies took a hit in San Diego’s 10-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday. Marquez had easily his worst […]
The Rangers may be ruining the tank, but the kids are giving fans something to watch. From Edstrom’s breakout moment to Lafrenière’s surge, the young core is starting to show signs of life.
When the ACC Tournament bracket was finalized, many people probably assumed that we’d see Duke-UNC III on Friday. Well, Clemson had something to say about that. The Tigers pulled ahead, 25-22 with 7:27 to play in the first half, and never looked back – until UNC rallied late. Clemson was up 69-54 with 5:07 to […]
If there’s one team that Yankees fans will keep up with every season (outside of the men in pinstripes), it’s their biggest rival: the Boston Red Sox. Regardless of the race in the American League East, the rivalry between the Sox and the Yankees is one that continues to heat up every time the two […]
Yesterday was an off day for the WBC, so instead of our daily recap we’ll take this opportunity to look ahead to the quarterfinal round that begins tonight and continues tomorrow. The tournament now advances to a single elimination format, with two sides of a bracket that will narrow eight teams down to two. Friday […]
Eight teams remain, and it’s single elimination turtles all the way down from here. It’s probably not Korea, who did juuuust enough to move on from pool play. Nonetheless, Bo Gyeong Moon was on fire for four games. Could it be the D.R.? We knew that lineup was stacked, and it lived up to expectations. […]
The prep pitcher theme continues at number 18 with right-hander Owen Hall. At least the now 20-year-old Hall got on the mound last spring for a few games before going down with a stress reaction in his right shoulder. Considering how things have gone with their prep pitchers from the draft, the Tigers didn’t hesitate […]
We did this with the starters on Wednesday. We looked at six key numbers that can help us both explain why some pitchers succeed and some fail and hopefully help us predict progression or regression. Reliever numbers in particular are ver volatile. When you condense 180 innings into 50 or 60, you are going to […]
Who is he and where does he come from? He’s Danny Coulombe and he comes from Scottsdale, Arizona, where he attended one of those powerhouse warm-weather high schools that somehow produces more baseball players in a decade than most New England schools produce in a century. Paul Konerko, Ike Davis, and Brian Bannister are all […]
The Dodgers slow rolled Blake Snell’s throwing program this offseason, and as a result, he has yet to log a single inning of spring action. Snell finally threw his first bullpen session one month removed from both pitchers and catchers reporting to camp, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com, but he wasn’t throwing at maximum effort […]
Your morning round-up of the latest from Blueshirt Banter, Rangers News, and updates from around the NHL
An immediate caveat to that title: I am excited for Minnesota Twins baseball to return. It is my favorite professional sport and I welcome it back into my daily routine each spring like an old friend. I can’t wait to flip on the tube each night or get out to the ballpark(s) this summer. I […]
Getting to the Major League level is hard, even for talented players who have excelled at baseball their whole lives. Staying and playing consistently well is even harder. In addition to the higher level of competition, players also have to adjust to the grind of the MLB schedule. Even with all the talent in the […]
In an interview Thursday March 12, longtime MLB insider Bob Nightengale had some direct statements regarding his thoughts on the 2026 Houston Astros. Thursday, longtime MLB reporter and insider Bob Nightengale joined AREA 45 on Sportsradio 610. He had a lot of thoughts on the state of the Houston Astros heading into the 2026 season. […]
At The Star, Jaylon Thompson writes that we shouldn’t sleep on Nick Mears, the other player acquired in the Angel Zerpa trade: Mears has great analytical numbers. Per Statcast, he recorded a 33.5% chase rate — ranking in the 93rd percentile among qualified major-league pitchers. He also demonstrated good command, with just 2.1 walks allowed […]
Good morning. We’re still mostly World Baseball Classic here.
Meet the Mets Sean Manaea wasn’t at his best against the Cardinals yesterday, and the Mets’ lineup only scored when Jorge Polanco hit a solo home run in the team’s spring training loss. Manaea’s fastball velocity is down. Carlos Mendoza says he’s not concerned about it. The Mets are planning to retire number 15 for […]
One of the most anticipated minor league debuts this season will be Zach Swanson embarking on his first pro season. The right-hander is another in the Detroit Tigers stash of prep pitchers they’ve drafted over the last three years who immediately went down with a major injury. The theory is that they can add a […]
Good morning, baseball fans! Per reporting from John Shea of The San Francisco Standard, the San Francisco Giants will get the honor of hosting Netflix’s first baseball broadcast this season on Opening Day. Now, I’m not the best person to write on this. I have been crusading against the streaming wars taking over baseball one […]
Introduction As part of my 6 days in Jupiter, I collected lots of observations and I’ve given to breaking them down and passing them along in manageable (ie. readable) chunks. I passed along some nuggets in game recaps if they were short and relevant to pre-, in- or post-game happenings. Last week, I published an […]
Remember 2022? We kept waiting for the Orioles to call up Adley Rutschman, the 2019 #1 draft pick. When Mike Elias chose to bring him up, there was little time to prepare. The move was announced at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, the same day as Preakness. Rutschman tripled in that first game, and heated […]
Conference play is finally here for Aggie Baseball, and the gauntlet begins with a road trip to neighboring state Oklahoma to tangle with the Sooners. But first, a brief recap of Tuesday’s 14-1 midweek victory over Stephen F. Austin. A 4-1 ballgame entered the sixth and exited as 14-1 and three outs away from a […]
Every MLB season gives us something new, but 2026’s changes will be quite drastic. The automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system will take center stage this year, as pitchers, catchers, and hitters will all have the ability to double-check whether or not a called strike was actually a strike. I’m a big fan of the challenge […]
Good morning, Camden Chatters. The Orioles had their final off day of spring training yesterday, and now it’s an all-out sprint to the end of camp. The O’s will play 13 games in the next 11 days, which includes a pair of split-squad games next Thursday, the prospects-only Spring Breakout game next Friday, and games […]