Category: Baseball
Analyzing NL Teams and Players’ Option Decisions: A Preview from the Top of the Order
Welcome back to Top of the Order, where every Tuesday and Friday I’ll be starting your baseball day with some news, notes, and thoughts about the game we love. After taking a look at the qualifying offer decisions that have to be made shortly after the conclusion of the World Series, I figured now would…
Eugenio Suárez’s Impressive Performance Keeps Diamondbacks on Winning Streak
Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports The Diamondbacks emerged victorious in a dramatic matchup against the Brewers at Chase Field on Sunday. They experienced a rollercoaster of a game, initially establishing a 5-0 lead, surrendering it to fall behind 8-5, tying the game to force extra innings, trailing 10-8 in the 10th inning, and ultimately securing an…
September 9–15 FanGraphs Baseball Rankings: A Closer Look at Team Power
With just two weeks left in the regular season, the two Wild Card races look like they’ll be the only source of drama down the stretch. Entering this week, the top team in the closest divisional race has an 87.8% chance to finish in first — that’s the most uncertain winner, according to our playoff…
Sunday Takeaways: Colton Cowser, Potential Rookie of the Year, Reflects on Hitting Strategy
Colton Cowser Emerging as Top Rookie-of-the-Year Candidate Colton Cowser is making a name for himself as a potential American League Rookie of the Year contender, thanks in large part to his impressive power numbers. The 24-year-old outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles has hit 20 home runs this season while maintaining a solid .240/.321/.431 slash line…
Tigers’ No-Hitter Bid Ends in Stunning Fashion on Friday
(Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) The Detroit Tigers are on their way up and have had a surprisingly solid season that currently has them just 2.5 games out of a wild-card spot in the American League. Their hot streak was that close to resulting in a no-hitter on Friday night, but the Tigers, unfortunately,…
Analysis of Effectively Wild Episode 2217: Unmasking the Mystery Player
Ben Lindbergh and R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports debate whether Jackson Holliday, Jackson Chourio, or Jackson Merrill will be the best player long term, discuss the addition of ads to batting helmets and continued MLB ad creep, and ponder the possibility of publicly owned ballclubs. Then (55:52) Ben talks to Mojo Hill about covering Derek…
Second-year Slumps Are Just a Myth
Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Even in an age in which baseball – and most sports to an extent – has become an extremely data-driven enterprise, the stew of conventional wisdom, mythology, and storylines could still feed a pretty large family. That’s not to say that this is a bad thing; even an old, jaded stat nerd…
Lawrence Butler Shows Promise as Rising Baseball Star
Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports If I’ve learned anything from the new Statcast bat tracking data, it’s that bat speed alone isn’t sufficient to produce a high-quality major league hitter. Johnathan Rodriguez, Trey Cabbage, Zach Dezenzo, Jerar Encarnacion — all of these guys, at this early stage of their major league careers, swing hard but…
Exciting Opportunity: Kansas City Royals Looking for Area Scout in IN, MI, and OH
Area Scout, Amateur Scouting- The Carolinas Job Summary: The Royals are looking for area scouts to lead the identification and evaluation process of amateur prospects in their assigned geographic area to lay the groundwork for future acquisition opportunities in both the amateur and professional realms. Area scouts will need to be able evaluate a player’s…
Leo Jiménez’s New Book Explores the Essence of Baseball: ‘The Beaning of Life’
A ballplayer who grabs a bat and steps up to the plate aims to hit. The point of the sport is to go around the bases, and the most efficient way to do that is to put wood on the ball and hope for the best. But it’s far from the only way to go…