Mike Johrendt Articles - Page 21

For all of one night in August, Cincinnati Reds rookie right fielder Aristides Aquino was tied in National League history with Cody Bellinger. On Thursday, Aquino decided to shorten the record books by placing his name at the top of that list. Setting the new NL rookie home run record in one month, Aquino went […]

Needing to fill a spot with Khris Davis being away from the team for the birth of his second child, the Oakland Athletics called up their no. 8 overall prospect, infielder Sheldon Neuse, to fill up some offensive firepower. Neuse, who was acquired in 2017 from the Washington Nationals, has been tearing the cover off […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: With August winding down, the statistical leaders across the American and National Leagues are both household names and unforeseen youngsters trying to etch their names in baseball history. While not leading any category, Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich is listed towards the top of all of these categories, once again cementing his […]

Acquired in the trade deadline deal that sent pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black to the Milwaukee Brewers, second baseman prospect Mauricio Dubon is getting his first taste of the majors with the San Francisco Giants. According to Milwaukee Brewers beat reporter Robert Murray of The Athletic, Dubon has been called up in the wake […]

Cleveland Indians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez underwent surgery on his hamate bone in his right hand, and his timetable for a return to playing is five to seven weeks from now, putting his return for the MLB postseason on a bit of uneven ground. That timeframe, provided by Dr. Thomas Graham at the NYU Langone […]

After acquiring him at the trade deadline from the Cincinnati Reds, second baseman Scooter Gennett has been released by the San Francisco Giants, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports. Gennett, who has around $1.8 million left on his $9.75 2019 salary, will most likely pass through waivers on his way to becoming a free […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: As the playoffs draw closer, teams look to their less-heralded players to step up into the limelight and help them make that final push to the postseason. The Nationals, Brewers, Rays, Twins, and Athletics all have that guy who is primed to fill those shoes this season. Victor Robles and Lorenzo Cain, both […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: As the Little League World Series is being played, the amount of professional baseball players who have played in that league has increased a bit over the past few years, showing that the importance of the sport of baseball seems to be increasing. Current players like Cody Bellinger and Randal Grichuk have made […]

Finally making his return from the injury list, Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer is back for the Nats on Thursday night, where he has been retroactively since July 26th. The end of July marked the end of a really, really good start to the season for Scherzer, who was well on his way to […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: For the 2019 MLB Rookie of the Year award races, both the American and National Leagues boast true candidates, like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Pete Alonso. With Vlad Jr. fighting with slugger Yordan Alvarez and Orioles’ rookie John Means, Vlad Jr. has the fullest body of work for voters to analyze. In the […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: Fighting to help get the Milwaukee Brewers back into playoff contention, Christian Yelich continues to mash the ball, becoming the next member of the 40 home run, 20 steals club. Having already entered that club with a month and a half left in the season, Yelich has the tools to reach 50+ dingers […]

Being able to now breathe a huge sigh of relief, the Boston Red Sox received the news that ace starting pitcher Chris Sale does not need Tommy John surgery, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Per a visit with renowned doctor James Andrews, Sale strictly has elbow inflammation and is not considered to be very serious. […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: Mike Trout pretty much has the American League MVP award wrapped up already. Seriously. Continuing his torrid play in the MLB, Trout has been an unstoppable force for the Angels, and 2019 is another season to cement that. The Houston Astros look to be the only team that has multiple players in the […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: With Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger locked into another eventful race for the National League MVP, playoff positioning for both teams looks to be a big-time deciding factor. Yelich has had an overall better offensive season so far, leading the NL in home runs for practically the entire season, mostly by himself. Bellinger […]

CLUTCH Summary: Even with Christian Yelich being out for a week of games, the Milwaukee Brewers showed they came to play. The National League Central is pretty stacked, and it is going to be a dog fight until the end of September to settle the divisional winner. Rookie Trent Grisham has opened a lot of eyes […]

CLUTCH Summary: Major news sweeping MLB is that the Boston Red Sox are willing to listen to trade offers for Mookie Betts in the offseason. The talented Betts is coming off a 2018 voyage that saw him win the American League MVP award. In theory, the Boston Red Sox can receive a major haul if […]

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, free-agent second baseman Joe Panik and the New York Mets have agreed upon a deal after he cleared waivers Friday afternoon. Being from New York, the former San Francisco Giant has found a place on a team that has been looking for second base coverage after Robinson Cano went […]

CLUTCH Summary: August is one of the mustiest months of the year, but it does signal Major League Baseball being closer to the playoffs. The American League is pretty stacked. The trade deadline is long gone, so we have a better idea of who is where and what teams are going to be good. That […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: Having had one of the most consistent seasons in the National League Central, the St. Louis Cardinals have the pieces in place to win the division. Even with not making any big additions at the trade deadline, this team is built for the playoffs already. The keys to getting to the playoffs, then […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: The Milwaukee Brewers are still in contention for the National League Central Division, but it’s a work in progress. To entertain the idea of winning the National League Central Division for the second consecutive season, the Milwaukee Brewers will need to tighten the ship. A Brewers central core of Christian Yelich can only […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: The New York Mets traded for Marcus Stroman despite seemingly being out of playoff contention. Even if the move seems suspect, a potential buy-low, sell-high scenario exists. The Toronto Blue Jays are a bit of an afterthought in the deal, as everyone is concerned with how Marcus Stroman will fit with the New […]

Not a free agent until 2025 at the earliest, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks to be the pride and joy of the Toronto Blue Jays. While not having a thing to play for this season besides their draft positioning, the team is working Vlad Jr. into their plans for the future as he is already rising […]

As everyone knows, Mike Trout is good at baseball. Fans know that, the Los Angeles Angels know that and his paycheck certainly shows how good he is at playing the sport of baseball. Known for his all-around play as well as being just a really good guy, Trout’s prowess at the plate is carried out […]

For a team coming off a World Series victory, the Boston Red Sox were expected to regress a bit in their 2019 campaign, as most championship winners in any sport tend to do. What was not expected was how much this team stumbled out of the gate, especially after how many of their key pieces […]

The Milwaukee Brewers have been talking with the Pittsburgh Pirates about trading for reliever Keone Kela, according to Robert Murray of The Athletic. Kela, who has only appeared in 17 games this season, seems to be a decently talked about commodity as the deadline draws closer. With not all that much movement occurring yet at […]

Earlier in the month of July, the National League Central was a muddied mess, full of five teams that all looked to be struggling equally while all having pipe dreams of a divisional title. Fast forward to the final days of the month ahead of the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline, and only three teams look […]

For the Chicago Cubs, their 2018 season ended in a very unceremonious way, losing their hold of the National League Central division in game 163 to the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field, followed by a crushing extra-innings defeat at home against the Colorado Rockies. 2019 looks to be divisional title or bust for this team, […]

In a move to bolster the back of their starting rotation, the Philadelphia Phillies made a deal with the New York Mets to acquire left-handed starting pitcher Jason Vargas. Vargas marks the first large move the Mets have made in terms of sending away talent, as they shockingly traded for Toronto Blue Jays starter Marcus […]

Arizona Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher Robbie Ray may be in a new home before the 2019 MLB trade deadline passes, as teams like the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros are rumored to be interested in him, according to Jon Heyman. For a team that still currently sits in the Wild Card race, the Diamondbacks […]

Since the inception of the New York Mets in 1962, there have been 15 trades made between the Mets and their New York counterparts, the Yankees. 15 trades over 67 years is not a lot, but the line of conversation seems to have opened up more than usual before the 2019 trade deadline. The Mets, […]

Looking at adding a long-time divisional foe to their stable of pitchers, the Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly shown interest in acquiring starting pitcher Tanner Roark from the Cincinnati Reds, according to Jon Heyman. For the Phillies, this would represent bringing Roark back into the National League East, as he was a member of the Washington […]

Acting as a depth move for the playoff push, the Chicago Cubs acquired pitcher Derek Holland from the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations. Hopefully acting as a move that starts the process for the trade deadline to ramp up, the Cubs made a deal to shore up their pitching ranks while the Giants started […]

One year removed from making an appearance in the National League Championship Series, the Milwaukee Brewers have been struggling to make up any ground in the highly-contested NL Central division. Sitting in third place, behind the second-place St. Louis Cardinals and the division-leading Chicago Cubs, the Brew Crew are treading water as they fight to […]

Being a small-market starlet is difficult, but Whit Merrifield seems to have found his niche with the Kansas City Royals. With rumors running rampant for his eventual departure from the struggling American League Central basement dwellers last season, Merrifield made it through the deadline and was rewarded by the Royals, inking a team-friendly deal. Four […]

Coming into the 2019 MLB season, the Milwaukee Brewers faced the same problem that plagued them throughout the 2018 season, where they fell one game short of making the World Series: starting pitching. Last year’s breakthrough ace starter was Jhoulys Chacin, but his 2019 season has been anything but awesome. Making his first career All-Star […]

Even though inter-divisional trades are rare and hard to come by, the New York Yankees have yet to fit into any kind of mold ever expected of them, so it is pretty easy to tell that that will not change now. As the 2019 version of the MLB trade deadline quickly approaches, their greatest need […]

Trade season is upon us in the MLB, and with it brings the dream scenarios that every fan throws around. Wanting to get the best players while at the same time not giving up any talent in return, the trade deadline brings out the best of front offices all across the league, as franchises look […]

While it is always hard to predict the future, the sport of baseball tends to be on the easier end of being able to see what teams are going to look like in the near future. With contract structures, minor league systems, and the developing free-agent markets, teams are able to forecast what players are […]

All across the MLB, teams are focusing their drafting and developing efforts on shoring up the core of their team, emphasizing the quality of players up the middle. From catcher to pitcher, then from second baseman/shortstop to center field, teams are taking an up the middle approach to filling out their franchises. Looking at the […]