MLB Articles - Page 989

The Boston Red Sox were the story of the 2018 season, and at the center of it all was right fielder Mookie Betts. Betts led all of baseball–including pitchers–in fWAR (10.4), batting average (.346) and slugging percentage (.640) while hitting 32 homers, stealing 30 bases and winning his third consecutive Gold Glove. In one of […]

Even after falling to the eventual World Series Champion Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, the Houston Astros have work to do to make it back to that point in 2019. Having lost key contributors in free agency, this team has holes that need to be plugged efficiently in order to replicate […]

After jumping out to a huge lead and being forced to fight back from a late-season divisional deficit, the Milwaukee Brewers pulled out their first National League Central Division championship since 2011 and their second ever in franchise history. Riding on the back of NL MVP Christian Yelich, combined with the shutdown bullpen and interesting […]

Just four years ago, the Colorado Rockies were at the very bottom of the NL West standings. Struggling to find good pitching and hampered by aging veterans, the Rockies jettisoned franchise icon Troy Tulowitzki in the hopes of garnering a new sense of direction. Colorado has improved in every year since 2015, culminating in a […]

The St. Louis Cardinals were one of the most polarizing teams in baseball last season. After a 47-46 start, manager Mike Matheny was fired and replaced by bench coach Mike Shildt. The Cardinals would go 6-7 in Shildt’s first 13 games as interim manager before getting red-hot in August, finishing with a 22-6 record in […]

Coming off an MVP season, it is hard to match expectations, especially after they were set so high in the previous year. While Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich rose from being a solid core of the Miami Marlins to the National League MVP in his first season in brewtown is a testament to how […]

Coming off a season that saw him fall well below his offensive outputs in 2017, the year of 2018 for Aaron Judge was something that can best be described as forgettable. Lacking that true lineup protection with Giancarlo Stanton also having a down season, Judge was forced to take on more of the offensive workload […]

Last season, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich won the National League MVP Award after a breakout season in which he nearly won the Triple Crown. Yelich led the NL in batting average (.326), finished second in RBIs (110) and third in homers (36) while posting a 166 wRC+, also tops in the league and fourth […]

Riding their upstart youngsters and a team that exceeded expectations earlier than expected, the Atlanta Braves cruised through the 2018 regular season on their way to winning the National League East divisional crown, something they had not won since 2013. While experts knew that the Braves would have a solid season, not many thought that […]

In what has been a somewhat slow offseason up to this point, the MLB transaction wire has had its highs and lows ever since the World Series ended. While big trades have dominated the ticker, signings have pushed certain teams to higher win totals than previously projected. Here is the list of the ten best […]

After winning two straight NL East division titles in 2016 and 2017, the Washington Nationals bottomed out in 2018. A combination of injuries and a weak pitching staff saw the Nats finish with an 82-80 record, a 15-win decrease from the year before. By season’s end, Daniel Murphy and franchise mainstay Gio Gonzalez were both […]

In a top-heavy division, the Houston Astros have been the dominating team in a five-team race that has left the likes of the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners in the dust, needing a big rebuild to climb back into contention. After pushing the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, the Astros eventually fell […]

Mike Trout has established himself unequivocally as the best player in baseball. While the 27-year-old centerfielder has pair of MVPs and a Rookie of the Year Award on his resume, consider this tidbit: Trout has the highest fWAR (64.0) between 2012 and 2018. The next closest? Josh Donaldson, at… 36.8 fWAR. In other words, Trout […]

Life in the MLB is an absolute grind. Playing 162 games year after year and traveling all over the country can take their toll on any player. From slumps to injuries and everything in between, the game can challenge even the most physically and mentally gifted athletes. But perhaps nothing is more satisfying than a […]

The MLB is always looking to create a bridge from generation to generation, and through the next wave of minor league prospects, that torch is passed down. Through adding an influx of talent on a yearly basis, that is what makes baseball such an enjoyable sport to watch. With the likes of Max Scherzer, Clayton […]

For months on end, the main questions of this MLB offseason pertained to two 26-year-old stars: Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Where would they sign? How much would they sign for? Could one of these megastars be the first $400 milli0n man in big league history? When the dust settled, Machado signed a 10-year, $300 […]

After falling one game short of making the World Series in 2018, the up-start Milwaukee Brewers look to be just as solid, if not more proven to make their first bid into the Fall Classic since 1982 during the upcoming 2019 campaign. For a team much further ahead of its expected curve of progression, the […]

Mariano Rivera is–without a doubt–the greatest relief pitcher in the history of baseball. But, a young, up-and-coming St. Louis Cardinals flamethrower in Jordan Hicks has the potential to give him a run for his money. The legendary New York Yankees closers finished his career with the most regular season saves (652) and postseason saves (42) in […]

The Los Angeles Angels enter the 2019 Major League Baseball season with a white elephant in the room. That white elephant got bigger when the San Diego Padres signed Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million deal. Days later, Bryce Harper agreed to his 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Two megastars, two […]

The Bryce Harper sweepstakes came to a close when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies late last week. Nearly everyone across Major League Baseball expected him to sign a $300 million deal, despite reports that teams were looking at short-term contracts. The biggest surprise came with the Phillies’ 13-year commitment. The Phillies signed Harper to […]

Coming off a season that resulted in yet another World Series championship earned, the Boston Red Sox do not have that many areas that need to be improved. However, their bullpen, after inevitably losing Craig Kimbrel (even though he still remains unsigned) will need to reshuffle and figure out who will slot in at the […]

As a mainstay on the major league roster for the Chicago Cubs since 2012, first baseman Anthony Rizzo has become a franchise cornerstone over the years, belting out long home runs and making great plays at first. A consistent offensive threat for the Cubbies, Rizzo is what consistent looks like in terms of production at […]

The San Diego Padres shocked the baseball world when they agreed in principle to a record 10-year, $300 million contract with superstar infielder Manny Machado. The 26-year-old also received an eight-year, $250 million offer from the Chicago White Sox, but instead went for the additional two years with guaranteed money. Machado has hit at least […]

New York Yankees ace Luis Severino was scratched from his scheduled Spring Training debut on Tuesday afternoon with right shoulder inflammation, and manager Aaron Boone said he is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1103037404460580864 Severino dealt with a strained tricep injury in 2016, but he has been mostly healthy for the past two […]

Bryce Harper only just signed with the Philadelphia Phillies five days ago, but already, he is making his pitch for Angels superstar Mike Trout to join him in the City of Brotherly Love when Trout becomes a free agent after the 2020 season. While appearing on 94WIP, an FM radio station in Philly, Harper explicitly […]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez injured his UCL joint and may need Tommy John surgery, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN: Brutal break for the Royals: Salvador Perez has an injured UCL and is visiting Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Typically, patients who seek out second opinions at Kerlan-Jobe have torn UCLs and need Tommy John […]

The Chicago Cubs have won 387 games in the past four years, more than any other team in baseball. The team made three straight NLCS appearances between 2015-17. And in 2016, the Cubs snapped a 108-year title drought. But despite winning 95 games in 2018, the Cubs withered in September, going 16-12 and losing two […]

The New York Yankees won 100 games last season. What did that get them? Merely a Wild Card berth and a first-round exit courtesy of the Boston Red Sox, a team that will go down as one of the greatest ever in baseball history. It might be easy to write New York’s season up as […]

Now that all the speculation is over and the dust has settled, we finally know where Bryce Harper will be playing baseball this season: in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. The Phillies have had one of the busiest offseasons of any organization in the bigs, but signing Harper is most certainly the cherry on […]

Bryce Harper hasn’t wasted any time, and Le’Veon Bell might have taken notice. On Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies and Harper agreed to a record 13-year, $330 million contract. As Harper settles in Philly, he is trying to recruit a big-name NFL free agent to join the Philadelphia Eagles: Le’Veon Bell is on his radar screen. […]

After Bryce Harper agreed to a record-breaking 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday afternoon, new teammate Jake Arrieta took to social media to welcome Harper to the club in rather humorous fashion: https://www.instagram.com/p/BucFApIgeDd/ Arrieta appears to be donning a Speedo as he sweeps the floor in what has to be one […]

After months of buildup and anticipation, multiple teams seemingly “in” or “out” and a whole lot of drama between the MLB and the Player’s Association, Bryce Harper has finally found a team in the Philadelphia Phillies. The former Washington Nationals star reached a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies on Thursday afternoon, breaking the […]

At long last, the Bryce Harper saga is over. Despite appearing to lose ground in the Harper sweepstakes in recent days, the Philadelphia Phillies reached an agreement with the 26-year-old slugger on a 13-year, $330 million deal that includes a full no-trade clause and no opt-outs. The news was first reported by Jon Heyman of […]

In a division that has been mostly dominated by one team as of late, the American League Central has the potential to become a much more interesting race in 2019, simply due to the ever-evolving dynamic of an arms race across the league. Money drives business, and that rings true in the Majors as well, […]

The division that represented the National League in the 2018 World Series, the NL West has a ton of firepower in it, even before the announced signing of Manny Machado with the San Diego Padres. Bringing an influx of talent into this division and to a team that is not named the Los Angeles Dodgers […]

After ranking as one of the best prospects in all of Major League Baseball for multiple years, Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez burst onto the primetime stage during the 2016 playoffs. The combination of promise Baez has shown with the glove and the bat has paid off in strides, as he first electrified Cubs fans […]

Coming off a magical season that ended with another World Series title for the franchise, the Boston Red Sox have visions of a repeat on their minds going into Spring Training in 2019. Coming off a championship victory, there are surprising moves that can make or break clubs in their first season post-championship. Riding on […]

The top of the American League East featured a pair of teams in the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees that won over 100 games in 2018, including three AL East teams that won at least 90 games. The Red Sox won a franchise record 108 games and defeated the Yankees in the ALDS […]

As Spring Training has sprung and the list of MLB free agents still on the market continues to shrink, Bryce Harper remains unsigned, and while the Philadelphia Phillies have been the frontrunner for awhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers have re-entered the conversation. Harper’s courtship has been a persistent saga since early November, when the Washington […]