Mike Johrendt Articles - Page 20

With manager Mike Shildt winning the National League Manager of the Year in 2019, Paul Goldschmidt earning his keep in the first year of his big-time contract extension, and the team as a whole exceeding expectations on its way to winning the NL Central divisional crown, the St. Louis Cardinals put together a pretty darn […]

How hard is it to replicate a World Series appearance and victory the following season? Just ask the 2019 Boston Red Sox, who went from being the best team in the league one season to completely having the bottom fall out from itself the next. A 24-game difference is what sets the 2018 version of […]

Welcome to what could become one of the best – or worst – teams that the New York Mets have put together in the past decade. Depending on what type of team decides to show up on the diamond each and every game, depending on their luck of missing serious injuries (looking directly at you, […]

As the New York Yankees go into free agency looking to make high-priced additions yet again just like every single year, is there an upgrade out there that would constitute a better use of their time? More importantly, could they decide to use the trade market to their advantage and save a little bit of […]

Former Central Connecticut State graduate and Minnesota Twins minor leaguer Ryan Costello passed away in New Zealand on Nov. 18, according to sources. The 23-year-old had just arrived in New Zealand to play for the Auckland Tuatara, a baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. While preliminary tests and results have produced natural causes as […]

For the Chicago Cubs, their first season under new manager David Ross is going to be a big-time testament to how their next five years or so will go. While Ross is a fan favorite and played for the Cubs during their most recent World Series run, that can only take him so far when […]

Looking for a fresh take on an old logo, the Milwaukee Brewers took to social media on Nov. 18 to announce that they would be making a special announcement that same evening, with no other details released at that time. Once 6:30 PM CT hit, fans of the Brewers everywhere were exposed to how they […]

Is it ever too early to look ahead to next season? With the snowy season already rolling in, some may say about a month too early, the Winter Meetings will be starting soon, which will help commence the push for the next season of MLB baseball to start up yet again. There will be quite […]

Including the St. Louis Cardinals, outfielder Marcell Ozuna looks to have around seven teams that are looking to secure his services for 2020 and beyond, according to Jon Heyman. With the offseason just about ready to ramp up, it remains to be seen which players will be able to finally cash in and secure big-money […]

In what looked to be one of the most lopsided years for the Rookie of the Year races, Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez took home the honors in the American League for 2019 after putting together one of the best offensive seasons for a rookie in a long time. Having won this award unanimously, […]

As was predicted and expected, first baseman Pete Alonso took home the honors for the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year award, which was announced Monday night. The Polar Bear, who led the league with 53 home runs in his rookie campaign, fell one vote short of a unanimous showing, which is astounding but […]

While it may be hard to envision third baseman Anthony Rendon in a different uniform, that same thought was had about outfielder Bryce Harper, and look at what happened. If the Washington Nationals were to prioritize other elements of their team, like resigning starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, then Rendon could be left out in the […]

In the spirit of taking riches away from one team and giving them to others, how about Madison Bumgarner in a Los Angeles Dodgers jersey? Hard to imagine, right? Well, it has a slight chance of becoming a reality this offseason. With the Dodgers always seemingly in need of starting pitching help, and a few […]

In an offseason that could finally see this team break the mold and actually spend big money, there may end up being an interesting pairing this offseason between a budding franchise and a long-dominant starting pitcher: the Atlanta Braves and Madison Bumgarner. With the former San Francisco Giants left-hander entering free agency and looking to […]

Money wins championships, but money also raises expectations – the New York Yankees franchise is very familiar with both of those aspects, although higher expectations have been the only aspect to come true as of late. With a World Series drought on their hands, the Bronx Bombers have yet another pivotal offseason ahead of them. […]

For the pitcher that has put together his best season in his career and one of the best seasons for a starting pitcher in the history of baseball, Gerrit Cole has got to be looking directly at how many Brinks trucks teams will be willing to back up to his house this winter. Playing on […]

In needing to step into big shoes left by Derek Jeter, New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius did very well to make fans understand that while he is not Jeter, he can still play the position at a high level. Now as a free agent, Gregorius looks to be the best shortstop on the market […]

Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez has decided to forgo his opt-out clause and remain with the team, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. By not exercising his opt-out clause, Martinez chose to stay with the team for the time being, although the franchise’s financial restrictions could potentially make his stay with the team on […]

As current Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon looks to finish out his 2019 season with a World Series ring, the superstar hot corner specialist is going to be one of the hottest commodities on the free agency market this winter. With a copious amount of suitors wanting to shell out the big bucks to […]

Having put together one of their most successful seasons in recent memory, the Atlanta Braves rode the offensive – and defensive – skills of third baseman Josh Donaldson to the National League East Divisional title and a trip to the playoffs. While having fallen short in the NLDS to the St. Louis Cardinals, both Donaldson […]

As the Los Angeles Dodgers are forced to look ahead to yet another regular season after falling short in the postseason, upgrades are needed for a team that so desperately wants to add their first World Series title since 1988 to the mantle. With their payroll seemingly skyrocketing every offseason, a move in the trade […]

Minor League Baseball is at the epicenter in the resurgence in popularity in the sport of baseball – from in-game activities that get fans involved to seeing the future of the sport at a level in which they have not yet ‘made it,’ the MiLB does things right. But if the MLB has any say […]

Every year, MLB enjoys the fruits of the labor of a class of first-time players, rookies that are playing in the big leagues for their first time ever. Putting everything out there and on the line, teams reap the benefits of players who are green and full of spunk, not understanding quite yet what it […]

All fans rejoice! The Cubs have garnered even more national attention. While everyone, including Chicago Cubs fans, feels as though they do not need any more national attention, second baseman/shortstop/third baseman Javier Baez has been chosen to grace the cover of MLB The Show 20. While Madden holds the crown for game-cover jinx, Cubs fans […]

**Disclaimer: If you are a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, or the Colorado Rockies – sorry, no need to keep reading to look to see if your team is on this list (it is not).** Welcome to ‘Anything is Possible Land,’ where teams that […]

With the Professional Baseball Agreement that is put in place between Major League Baseball and minor league baseball teams as a whole scheduled to run out after the 2020 season, an unfortunate proposal of cutting around 40 MiLB teams is in play. In a detailed piece written by J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, he notes […]

Heralded as one of the most top-heavy free agent classes in recent memory, both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado found new homes during the 2018 MLB offseason. The Washington Nationals lost Harper, who had played his entire career with them, as he signed with their divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, igniting that rivalry more than […]

After setting a franchise record for team payroll this past season, the Milwaukee Brewers have a tall task ahead of them going into the 2019 offseason. Faced with having two of their key cogs almost certainly jumping to the open market due to under-market mutual options, both Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal become free agents […]

From 2014 to 2017, starting pitcher Jake Arrieta helped anchor the Chicago Cubs rotation on their climb back to postseason play. After he jumped ship and signed with Philadelphia during the 2017 – 2018 offseason, Arrieta has put up consistent career numbers – but could there be a return to Wrigley Field in his future? […]

A hot commodity at this year’s trade deadline that was only saved at the last minute from continued mediocrity by the Chicago Cubs, slugging outfielder Nicholas Castellanos was almost able to help push the Cubs backs to the postseason for their fifth consecutive season under Joe Maddon. With the team missing the playoffs and Maddon […]

On their way to securing their first National League Central division title since 2015 and their 15th in franchise history, the St. Louis Cardinals have relied on certain players to carry the load in 2019. With Jack Flaherty holding down their starting rotation on his way to putting together his best season as a starter, […]

What a 2019 MLB regular season it has been – filled with ups and downs, unexpected twists and turns and outcomes that were both expected and not even thought of to be possible. But what can top an awesome regular season is an offseason that is not only full of lots of player moves but […]

Even with the firing of Joe Maddon as their manager, the Chicago Cubs did right in the first place by bringing him in to right the ship back in 2015. All he managed to do was lead the team to the playoffs in four of his five seasons, including one postseason trip that resulted in […]

All the rage over the past few offseasons has been the willingness to give first-time, young baseball minds a chance at their first managerial gig. From recently-fired Andy Green and Brad Ausmus to super-successful Aaron Boone and Alex Cora, the mantra of letting former MLB players or baseball minds jump right into managing a team […]

In need of a new manager after the firing of very successful Joe Maddon, the Chicago Cubs are looking for not only someone to lead the team but they are also in need of players to help this team get back to the playoffs. After having made the playoffs in four of the past five […]

Nine minutes. Nine minutes is all the Washington Nationals had the league in the 2019 National League Wild Card game, but those nine minutes were all at the end of the contest, and they were the ones that meant the most. Milwaukee Brewers reliever Josh Hader let up a bases-clearing single to 20-year-old phenom Juan […]

With the Chicago Cubs facing a huge offseason in terms of hiring a new manager and player management, the topic of Kris Bryant becoming a potential trade piece has surfaced. While the team, which is locked into some nasty big-money contracts with no real end in sight, would surely be worse without Bryant starting every […]

Regardless of their postseason accolades or their home-run bashing reliance, the New York Yankees put together one of the more solid seasons for an MLB team in 2019. But with the health of some of their superstars and the need to always keep up with their competition, a trade for a current member of the […]

With the news of Joe Maddon being out as the Chicago Cubs’ manager, where this team goes from here will be a dominating question throughout the entire offseason. While the Cubs have dominated the National League in terms of playoff appearances and even a World Series title, is the proclaimed ‘dynasty’ for the Cubs done? […]