MLB Editorials Articles - Page 231

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 […]

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 […]

The Cincinnati Reds have not known much about October baseball in quite awhile. Cincinnati last made the playoffs in 2013, and they have only earned four postseason berths in the last 24 years. Heading into 2019, however, there was some optimism that the Reds could be a “dark horse” contender in the National League Central.  […]

In professional sports, a talented team struggling to live up to preseason expectations is an immediate call to sound the alarm. Usually, it also means bad news for the head coach or manager of said team. The tension between Cubs manager Joe Maddon, the front office, and the rest of the fan base has been […]

Whereas the National League is more crowded and full of teams that could be ripe for an upset come October, the American League is far more top-heavy. The Wild Card race has essentially narrowed to four teams, and one of those will end up winning the AL Central, anyway. The Astros and the Yankees have […]

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 […]

The 2019 MLB season has been full of captivating storylines and spectacular performances. However, cream rises to the top, and three teams in particular have asserted themselves as the best teams in the league. Both the Houston Astros and New York Yankees have dominated a top-heavy American League, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have rampaged […]

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: The Boston Red Sox are reportedly willing to listen to trade offers for star Mookie Betts.  Betts has regressed a bit after his MVP season, but he’s still one of the best players in baseball. Trading Betts would be a big mistake, and the Red Sox should get creative in order to keep […]

CLUTCH SUMMARY: The New York Mets have been on fire, moving right into the thick of the National League Wild Card race.  The Mets’ starting pitching is the biggest key to their contention status, but their bullpen will be an X-factor.  The Mets need to continue to get production from up and down the lineup.  […]

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: The Chicago Cubs remain in solid spot to contend for the National League Central crown. One of the most polarizing teams in all of baseball, though, they’ve not really lived to up preseason expectations. The dog days of Summer are over, and a true playoff push begins right now.  When Spring Training began, […]

CLUTCH Summary: Chicago Cubs superstar Anthony Rizzo made himself a household name in the 2016 World Series. The first baseman was one of many talented players who helped the Cubs shed the lovable loser gimmick.  Lost in history is the huge moments he’s had outside the 2016 World Series.  Over the course of the last […]

CLUTCH Summary: Juan Soto and Ronald Acuna Jr. continue to amaze in their second year in the Big Leagues. The Nationals and Braves talents are making increased history after an already unprecedented 2018 campaign.  For both, the sky remains the limit, and MLB fans are watching history in the making each time either plays.  In […]

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: The MLB Playoffs are looming and the stage was neatly set by the month of July. One of baseball’s biggest surprises in July were the New York Mets. Pete Alonso, on the other hand, is coming off his worst month in the Majors.  July not only signals the midway point of the season […]

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 […]

The 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers was an all-time classic. From the looks of things, MLB fans may be in store for Round 2 come October. Both teams have stampeded through their respective leagues, with the Dodgers leading all of baseball with a +172 run differential and the Astros […]

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 […]

Wednesday afternoon was very close to being one of the most dormant MLB trade deadline days in recent memory. Despite there being plenty of activity in the rumor mill and a couple of blockbuster deals prior to the deadline, there seemed to be little action when the day itself arrived. Eventually, the surplus of deals […]

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, […]

The New York Yankees are running away with the AL East. They have the best record in the American League. They are fighting with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball. But in spite of all of that, they have one glaring flaw: starting pitching. The Yankees’ starting rotation consists of James […]

The New York Mets are 50-55. They are not contenders. They are not going to make the playoffs. They are not very good. Any sane organization in the Mets’ position would understand the current situation and would begin selling off some of its veteran pieces for younger players and prospects in order to facilitate a […]

When Addison Russell was first being investigated for a possible violation of the MLB’s domestic violence policy in 2017, he repeatedly professed innocence as the Chicago Cubs pledged their support to their young shortstop. At the time, Russell’s ex-wife — Melisa Reidy — was unwilling to comply with league investigators, fearing that all of the […]

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, […]

There may not have been a more surprising MLB team in 2018 than the Tampa Bay Rays. Although the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees still dominated the American League East, the Rays won 90 games and watched guys like Blake Snell (who was named the AL Cy Young Award winner) and Tommy Pham […]

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 […]

The countdown to the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline is officially on, as teams around the league ramp up efforts to improve their team or acquire assets for the future. To this point, I have already dissected what teams such as the Cleveland Indians and the San Francisco Giants may or may not do by the […]

Nearly two weeks ago, I asked the question of what the Cleveland Indians would do when the trade deadline rolled around. At the time of the article, the Indians were 50-38 and had climbed back into the American League Central divisional chase, standing just 5.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins at the start of […]

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 […]