MLB Articles - Page 883

When you think of dominant starting rotations, you might think of the power arms of Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole for the Houston Astros. Or perhaps Washington’s combination of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg come to mind. Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer are almost always come up as possible trade pieces at the deadline, but […]

The Boston Red Sox were supposed to be in “serious trouble.” The defending World Series champions had gotten off to the worst start of any defending champ since the 1998 Marlins, a team that would totally implode just one year after winning the title in 1997. Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi were not hitting like […]

Injuries, injuries, injuries – the big thing holding back the 2019 version of the New York Yankees. An aspect that not even money can avoid, this team’s Injury List resembles something of a shopping list with how many different line items are on it. Striking their team hard to begin the year, 13 different Yankees […]

Built on youthful exuberance, well-placed veteran pieces and a solid starting nine, the Atlanta Braves look to be the cream of the crop once again in the National League East, just with more competition. Every team except for the Miami Marlins made big-time upgrades to their rosters this offseason, signaling that the NL East was […]

Headlined by older players looking to cash in on their final big money deals, the 2019 MLB free agency class is not as strong as 2018 but still is stocked full of veterans who can make big impacts for whomever they end up signing with. A plethora of arms, both as starters and in the […]

Four out of the five teams that are a part of the National League Central are currently over .500 entering play on May 9th (sorry Cincinnati), and all five teams are competitive to open the season too, so the NL Central division is shaping up to be a doozy in 2019. While this was a […]

While only three victories separate first and second place in the American League Central a little over one month into the 2019 season, the team that is leading is not the Cleveland Indians – welcome to the 2019 version of the Minnesota Twins, who are here to stay. This is one of the more toss-up […]

Ever since Derek Jeter was a part of the group that purchased the Miami Marlins from then-owner Jeffrey Loria in 2017, the team has absolutely tanked and gone downhill, much to the dismay of Marlins fans (if there are any). Being installed as the team CEO was an interesting way to push his way into […]

The 2019 MLB season has already seen a fair share of teams that had slow starts right the ship early in May. The Chicago Cubs have the best record in the league since their 2-7 start, and the Boston Red Sox have climbed all the way back to the .500 mark (with a plus run […]

For the better part of a decade, Clayton Kershaw has been perhaps the definitive star of the Los Angeles Dodgers. After three National League Cy Young awards, an MVP, 154 wins and a 2.40 career ERA, Kershaw has not only become one of the best pitchers in Dodger history, but one of the best pitchers in […]

Coming into the 2019 season, MLB teams tried their best to address any open holes they had with patchwork before they got their true solution. With teams not having used Spring Training to develop their solutions, now begins the long process of turning to other teams that may have their solutions and striking up a […]

Even only being one full month into the MLB season, there are teams that are already hitting the eject button on the 2019 season and looking forward to 2020. Teams that have a longer-term plan for how to bring their franchise back from many seasons of missing their goals still do not see 2019 as […]

The curtain has closed on the first month of the 2019 MLB season, with star players getting accustomed to new teams and Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich staying hotter than your favorite “Bond girl.” We have already seen plenty of drama in the first month-plus of play. From Bryce Harper’s return to D.C., to the […]

When the Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series, it was the culmination of a rebuilding process that had started in earnest since the beginning of the decade. Houston had been the perennial losers of the MLB for years, but with the likes of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer and Alex Bregman leading the […]

The first month of baseball has officially concluded, and there were plenty of notable storylines to follow. From a stunning start by the Seattle Mariners, to the contrasting pitfalls experienced by the Boston Red Sox and torrid starts from some of the game’s young superstars, the 2019 MLB season is in full “swing,” so to […]

In all of the offseason predictions, one thing seemed to ring throughout all conversations: that the National League Central would boast one of the best spreads of teams in the entire league for the 2019 season. While backed up by strong facts and solid opinions in the offseason, those NL Central facts are far from […]

One of the more enigmatic players in the entire MLB, Yasiel Puig has made a career out of his quirky mannerisms, cocky playing style and the flair for drama and performing excellently in the clutch. While these events all occurred while in the bright lights and drama of Los Angeles while with the Dodgers, he […]

Similar to the situation involving Lebron James on what seemed like every single Cleveland Cavaliers team, the Milwaukee Brewers have become a bit of a one-dimensional squad riding on the back of a superstar, expecting that player to carry the entire franchise to paydirt. While Christian Yelich has proven that it is quite a possibility […]

Short answer, no. But what if? What if the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have become all too familiar with the basement that is located in the National League Central, finally broke out and made it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2013? What if relying on a cast of non-superstars, supported by solid […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have jumped out to another early lead in the National League West despite a number of disappointing individual starts and a a rather shoddy bullpen. While Corey Seager continues to round into baseball shape after missing the entirety of the 2018 season and Clayton Kershaw has only just returned from injury, […]

When the San Diego Padres signed superstar infielder Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million deal in free agency this offseason, it was very clear that general manager A.J. Preller was making a determination in the team’s effort to win as they rebuild. The Padres had already possessed the best farm system in major league […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off of consecutive National League pennants. With a core group of young, emerging stars and wily veterans, the Dodgers have once again stormed out to 15-10 record entering play on Apr. 24. So as the reigning league champions and with (mostly) the same roster intact, they would seem to […]

Most known for their big spending and large payrolls, the franchises that make up the American League in the MLB also have solidified really good pipelines for youthful prospects that will eventually take over the game. Even the New York Yankees, who are commonly known for shipping out top prospects in order to acquire yet […]

The wait is finally over. The No. 1 prospect in Major League Baseball, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., will make his big-league debut for the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics. Vlad Jr., who is the son of MLB Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, is the most-hyped prospect to come to the bigs […]

Young superstars are dominating both the American and National Leagues in the MLB, helping increase the popularity of the sport in a time that they need it the most. Being able to relate to the younger generation is a very useful tactic for the sport of baseball, and marketing this sport to its strengths can […]

The American League is reminiscent of an MLB video game arcade mode, in such that any plethora of players on the top of their game can be chosen on any given night and it shows simply how dominant they truly can be. Pitchers and position players alike, the AL seems to be the best conference […]

Even with the penchant for being a hitter’s conference, the American League boasts some of the best pitchers in the game of baseball too, which makes it a bit unfair when facing up against National League foes. The AL has always been seen as the top conference due to their willingness to throw out copious […]

The Atlanta Braves were one of the surprises in baseball last season, arriving a year ahead of schedule to capture their first National League East division title since 2013. With a slew of young stars like NL Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies joining franchise fixture Freddie Freeman in the lineup, the […]

Every team in the MLB has at least one solid starting pitcher that they can build their rotation around. Some teams have paid their way to have two to three ace-caliber arms (Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals) and some teams have built their way to having two to three ace-caliber […]

Their names are separated by just a single letter, and yet Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles and Khris Davis of the Oakland Athletics are miles apart. Chris recently made MLB history by going hitless in 54 consecutive at-bats dating back to last September. Meanwhile, Khris–or “Khrush,” as he is becoming known as–has already hit […]

In a world where dreams do come true and anything goes, a picture-perfect roster comprised of major league baseball players from the National League could be brought together to make for an absolutely unstoppable franchise. Formidable to all other MLB teams, this team is exactly what an All-Star game roster would look like, without favoritism […]

The National League East was projected to be one of the best and most hotly-contested divisions in baseball this year. And so far–sorry Marlins fans–the division has not disappointed. Three teams–the Phillies, Mets and Braves–sat atop the East at 7-4 before the start of play on Thursday, with the Nationals lagging just one game behind. […]

Thew New York Yankees reported to Spring Training looking like a legitimate World Series contender. Yet it took just a few short weeks for that status to be seriously challenged. The Yankees have had a litany of injuries that have affected the shape of their starting rotation as well as their lineups, and entered the […]

Recently signed to a super club-friendly deal that covers the next five seasons for only $50 million, Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays are built for each other. Effervescently invested and adapted to MLB play, both Snell and the Rays are a match that will excite baseball fans for many years to come. For […]

The Milwaukee Brewers currently sit atop the National League Central with an 11-6 record as of Tuesday. They also have the worst run differential (-3) in the division. Could this really be happening again? Despite a depleted bullpen that has lost Corey Knebel for the season and is still without last year’s star closer, Jeremy […]

The current standings for the American League East have a surprising team leading the charge: the Tampa Bay Rays. A surprise to most, but not necessarily a shock to those on the team or directly involved with the rebuilding franchise. Last season, the Rays put up a staggering amount of victories in the AL with […]

The 2019 MLB season has already provided fans with an abundance of surprises. From the worrisome starts of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs to the struggles of aces like Chris Sale and Aaron Nola to the continued red-hot play of Christian Yelich, there have been a number of notable storylines thus far. Yet […]

From 2012-2018, nobody in Washington D.C. commanded attention quite like Bryce Harper. From making his MLB debut as a teenager to being the third-youngest MVP ever to winning the Home Run Derby in front of the home fans, Harper’s superstardom was unparalleled. Yet despite the MVP win and the incredible marketability Harper possessed, he was […]

Last season, the Milwaukee Brewers stunned the baseball world by winning the National League Central and making a run all the way to the NLCS, coming within just one game of a World Series appearance. One of the most notable reasons for Milwaukee’s success was the dominance of their bullpen unit, which ranked fourth in […]