Mike Johrendt Articles - Page 18

How MLB players perform during Spring Training only lends itself half to how they would be able to help support a push to the postseason for any of the 30 MLB teams, simply because the talent level that players are facing in the Cactus League days of March are nothing short of inconsistent. From first-round […]

In a step that is unanimous across four main United States professional sports, the limiting of personnel that is allowed into the locker rooms and clubhouses has been put into immediate effect, according to a joint statement released Monday night, caused by the spreading cases of coronavirus from across all areas of the world. The […]

With both Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge on the shelf currently with their own ailments, the New York Yankees seemingly cannot shake the injury bug that has seemingly been following them since the beginning of last season. And with their outfield ranks a bit thin at this time, a much-maligned big prospect may finally get […]

Where have we heard this story before: “High-paid New York Yankees superstar out with an injury; time table for his return is currently unknown.” Looks like history loves to repeat itself in the Bronx. Unfortunately, things seem to be only getting worse. With outfielder and slugger Giancarlo Stanton already on the shelf due to a […]

Proven veteran pieces that have more than enough experience in both the regular season and the postseason, youngsters who are looking to build off of a solid start to their career, and players in between in their careers just trying to prove if they are worthy of a starting rotation role or a bullpen spot […]

In the year 2000, the United States sent a team of unknown prospects and journeymen players to face off against the powerhouse that was Cuba in the Olympics, in a quest to try and defeat the team that had already run rampant through both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic baseball talent pool. While the player […]

After having appeared in the MLB playoffs for two consecutive seasons, the general consensus was that the Milwaukee Brewers would be hot on the trail of their own free agents, in an attempt to bring back the core that helped them into the postseason. But when they were ‘unable’ to bring the key pieces back, […]

Even with the type of offseason that the New York Yankees had, in which they prioritized upgrades to their starting pitching rotation, it looks as though the injury bug may be pushed them to the trade market already. According to a New York Post report, the Yankees have inquired with their in-state rivals, the New […]

For a 39-year-old baseball player that has made a living on smashing baseballs out of the ballpark, you would think that any sort of a comeback effort would rely on what made you famous in the first place, right? Wrong. Simply ask Jose Bautista. In a reported comeback effort that involves a foray into life […]

March 26, 2020, at 1:10 PM, marks the first game of the 2020 regular season for the Seattle Mariners. March 26, 2020, at 1:10 PM, also marks the first opportunity for fans to see what kind of team the Mariners are looking like they will be – not just here and now, but also in […]

Traded to the Milwaukee Brewers all the way back in December 2015, starting pitcher Freddy Peralta has shown impressive glimpses of the kind of pitcher that he can become, which has made the franchise proud that they went out and acquired him. And while his performance on the diamond has been much more than the […]

As if the New York Yankees were not yet sick and tired of the injury bug chasing them into the 2020 season, news of Luis Severino’s arm injury being much worse than it was first expected to be makes for a much more difficult start to the franchise’s Spring Training. After being shut down last […]

After having already shelled out extensions to first baseman Jose Abreu and outfielder Luis Robert among others this offseason, the Chicago White Sox look to be wanting to extend more of their young core before it becomes too expensive. According to James Fox of FutureSox.com, the White Sox are currently engaged in discussions with third […]

Even after going through a name change, it has been 10 seasons since the Miami Marlins have produced a team that has finished a regular season with a record that is .500 or above, an astounding number of seasons that have been filled with futility. And even with Derek Jeter at the helm helping run […]

The 2020 MLB offseason has seemed to slow down a bit lately, as the amount of needle-moving transactions seems to be running dry, ever since the Mookie Betts deal went through that sent him from Boston to the Los Angeles Dodgers. But with how active the San Diego Padres have been reported to be on […]

After the team brought in utility man Brock Holt for a one-year deal with a club option for 2021 on Tuesday, the Milwaukee Brewers are looking to implement one of the most flexible rosters in all of baseball. Every position player (sans for their catchers, at least on a regular basis) has the capabilities to […]

Even with as exhilarating of an offseason as we have had so far for all baseball fans, the ups and downs of the MLB offseason have made the 2020 regular season need to get here even faster. From the cheating scandal with the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox, to the players speaking out […]

Not everything is all sunshine and rainbows in the sports of baseball, and regardless of how much or how little money you spend, unforeseen circumstances can still fall upon any MLB franchise at any given time. From an unfortunate and freak injury of a player (Jonathan Lucroy missed time in 2012 while with the Milwaukee […]

By setting the record for the quickest tenure by a manager for the New York Mets in their storied history – no MLB games managed before parting ways – Carlos Beltran has placed a target on his back. But his mistreatment of the game that has given him everything and then some speaks to a […]

In the midst of the recent release of wide-reaching changes for the MLB postseason that are being discussed, the sport of baseball is seemingly straying further and further away from what has made it such a beloved sport, and more importantly, one that brings people from different walks of life together. From being America’s Pastime […]

In a shocking twist that could turn the fortunes of the sport of baseball and the MLB on its head, a reported change is coming to the structure of how the MLB postseason picture plays out. And shockingly enough, the motive behind it seems to be a financial one. According to Joel Sherman of the […]

As is very clearly seen in not just the sport of baseball but in each and every professional sport, money talks very loudly and clearly when it comes to teams determining their best courses of action moving forward. With the recent trade of Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers […]

In 2019, the Chicago White Sox were one of six MLB teams that had a payroll south of $100 million – four of those six teams did not make the postseason, with the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays being the two exceptions. For a team that plays in a large market but is overshadowed […]

In 2019, the Cincinnati Reds had first baseman Joey Votto ($25M), left-handed starting pitcher Alex Wood ($9.65M), and right-handed starter Sonny Gray ($7.5M) as their three highest-paid players on the roster. In 2020, the Reds have Votto ($25M), right-handed starter Trevor Bauer ($17.5M), and right fielder Nicholas Castellanos ($16M) as their three-highest paid players. Safe […]

While the MLB season is right around the corner, not everything is sunshine and rainbows for players. Injuries, unfortunate dry stretches, and just bad play can take a player that is looking to put together a solid season and turn them into someone who is sitting on the bench or even worse, out of a […]

This past winter saw droves of MLB players test their value on the open market, and while the previous offseason saw players get frozen out of what they should have been paid, this winter saw players be able to finally recoup some of that lost value from last offseason. According to Spotrac, over $3 billion […]

Every year, there always seems to be a set group of MLB players that chose that season to break out of the expectations placed on them and force that bar even higher than it already was. In the sport of baseball, being a streaky player, even for just one month of the season, can dictate […]

In the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, 37 of the 75 players that made the American and National League rosters were attending this game for the first time as a player, meaning that 49.3% of all players were making their All-Star debuts. A testament to how certain players are able to put their best seasons together […]

March 26, 2020, marks the first day of the MLB season that all 30 MLB teams will suit up and play baseball that counts towards their final record, a sign that everyone made it through the winter. While each and every year seems to be starting sooner and sooner, the sport of baseball truly does […]

A look into how the American League is set up came out recently. For the National League, a good amount of the teams have a ton of strong prospects in their system, but only six of the top 20 prospects are on NL teams. With the San Diego Padres leading the pack in terms of […]

As the American League fell in the 2019 World Series, teams all across the league were already planning ahead for the 2020 season and beyond. Each has developed a minor-league system of players, many of which have been biding their time as off-the-radar prospects just looking for a shot in the big show. On the […]

Another piece looks to have fallen in the ongoing mess of MLB cheating, as the Boston Red Sox and manager Alex Cora have mutually agreed to part ways, according to a post made by the Red Sox on their official Twitter account. After having led the team to win the 2018 World Series, Cora was […]

The Minnesota Twins have continued their quest to repeat as American League Central division champions in 2020, signing Josh Donaldson to a four-year deal worth $92 million. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the former Atlanta Braves third baseman looks to have finally been able to cash in on […]

The 2019 MLB regular season produced a ton of high-octane results from teams that were making strong cases for a postseason appearance. And even for the teams that struggled throughout the season, they still all had one thing in common. Rookies that debuted in 2019 or had their status as rookies carry over from the […]

Reflection is a great way for anyone to get a look at what they have done in the past and see how they have changed going forward into the future. Whether for good or for bad, MLB teams have had one full regular season (plus the playoffs for some) to reflect on the moves that […]

The class of free agents that were free to choose their next teams in the offseason between the 2018 and 2019 MLB seasons was far and away one of the best crops of players that we had seen in a very long time. Heavy at the top with a large grouping of superstars looking to […]

Both small and large market teams love to cash in on their players early on in their careers, helping keep the costs low and the player control fruitful. But for MLB teams across the board, the move of extending their best prospects – even before they play a single inning on the MLB level – […]

By extending two core pieces of their youth movement, the Chicago White Sox are betting on the promise and upside of two of the best prospects to have been in the MLB in a long time, in Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. And while the team’s determination to field a competitive team this season, their […]

While pitchers become the hottest commodities during the winter months for all MLB franchises, position players become just as important during the off months. And while pitchers can become harder to acquire due to their higher price tags and beefier trade packages, position players seem to be the easier grouping of players to deal with, […]