Category: Baseball
Top Headline: Analyzing the Most Unexpected First-Half Breakouts in MLB Season
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss a variety of topics in the latest episode of their baseball podcast. They cover a player/league/umpire dispute over on-screen strike-zone plots, debate the impact of tools like “K-Zone” on the game, share their thoughts on a disagreement between hitters and pitchers regarding the use of advanced pitching machines during…
Nationals Elevate Top Talent to Major League Roster
(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) The Washington Nationals have been surprisingly competitive this year. They are close to being a .500 team, with a 38-42 record. The organization has had a tough time since winning the 2019 World Series, but now they are on the brink of contention. With the recent move they made, promoting…
Josh Smith Dominates on the Field and Breaks Records
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports A friend of mine is a huge Cleveland Guardians fan, and the other night we were discussing the awards chances for some of their top players. He pitched Emmanuel Clase as a Cy Young candidate — which, side note: Have you seen his ERA and Cleveland’s record when leading after eight…
Top Hitting Players Making Waves in ZiPS Midseason Analysis
ZiPS Gainers – Hitters (2025-2029 WAR) Remember when it looked like Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson were going to be the foundation of the Tigers’ offense? The last two years have put a lot of daylight between their respective futures, especially the first three months of this season. Greene’s on pace for a 4.6 WAR…
Tanner Houck Thrives on His East-to-West Slider
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports There were a few good reasons for me to catch up with Tanner Houck this past week. One is that he has arguably been the best starting pitcher in baseball over the first half of the season. Along with a 2.18 ERA and a 2.20 FIP, the 27-year-old Boston Red…
Top 45 Prospects in the Baltimore Orioles Organization
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports Prospects in the Baltimore Orioles Farm System Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Baltimore Orioles. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as our own observations. This is the fourth year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the…
Top Takeaways from the Baseball World, June 28
` Welcome to another edition of Five Things I Liked (Or Didn’t Like) This Week. The parenthetical part of the title is largely just a nod to Zach Lowe, whose ESPN basketball column inspired this one. He occasionally mentions flaws or foibles holding a particular team or player back, in lovingly GIF’ed up detail. I’m…
Astros Aim High: Why Houston Should Reach for the Stars
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. Winning streaks don’t typically change the course of a team’s season. For example, the Dodgers are probably going to finish first in the NL West no…
Impactful Wild Podcast Episode 2183: 50% Days of Summer
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss Nolan Schanuel’s dislike for day games, the Astros climbing back to .500 and closing in on the Mariners, the Mets reaching .500 and moving towards a playoff berth, Reynaldo López’s success and luck, Adam Duvall’s misfortune, the impact of “expected” stats on performance perception, Hunter Greene’s on-field vomiting incident,…
Baseball Insider Reveals One Player Who Continues to Impress
It’s not quite the dog days of summer, but it’s the time of the baseball season when the sample size is large enough that experts begin to predict winners for various MLB awards. And few garner the respect afforded to being a league MVP. Any discussion of that award in the National League must…