Category: MLB

The New York Yankees have a formidable pair of big men — Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge — anchoring the middle of their lineup this year. The thought of the these two behemoths wreaking havoc across baseball made me wonder. Who were the most interesting big and tall players I’ve seen through the years? That burning question inspired me to put together a list. As you peruse the individuals selected, please remember these are the players I enjoyed most. More than likely, you’d probably have come up with different names.…

Most fans understand that payroll is paramount when a major league general manager is building a team. That said; it’s not just total dollars obligated that comes into play. Two clubs can spend approximately the same amount on players, yet be on completely different trajectories. An organization’s payroll structure — how it distributes the money across the roster and contract lengths — matters too. To validate this point, I performed a salary review for each AL West team. As you’ll see, I listed their projected 2018 payroll based on salary…

With Spring Training slogging along at a snail’s pace, I thought it’d be fun to discuss five AL West rookies worth keeping an eye on once the regular season gets underway. Before going any further, I want to acknowledge not all of these players will make their respective club’s Opening Day roster. In fact, some won’t see the majors without an injury or trade clearing a roster spot for them. As you’ll see, I didn’t necessarily select the most obvious names. However, these five young players intrigued me enough to…

Full rosters are in Seattle Mariners camp this week and I thought it’d be fun to start the conversation into what the roster might look like if the season started today and as of Opening Day. But rather than just projecting 25 players to make the roster, let’s toss out lineups, rotations, bullpens and benches, eh? This is version 2.0, Get the latest MLB Draft Analysis at HERO Sports Subscribe to the Baseball Things Podcast Mariners Updated Payroll Alright, let’s get this started with the Starting Lineup, one versus RHP,…

Pitchers and catchers report within weeks. That means it is time to review the offseason moves of the Seattle Mariners and their division rivals. We have already discussed the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers. Next, the Los Angeles Angels. A club that finished two games under .500, but won six more contests than in 2016. Once again, injuries significantly hampered the Angels rotation. In total, manager Mike Scioscia needed 13 starters to get through the season, including reliever Yusmeiro Petit for a spot start. Only Ricky Nolasco made over 30…

Pitchers and catchers report within weeks. That means it is time to review the offseason moves of the Seattle Mariners and their division rivals. We have already discussed the Oakland Athletics. Next, the Texas Rangers, who finished in a distant third place tie with the Mariners. The Rangers’ run production was fifth best in the American League despite their hitters being below league-average at reaching base. How did the offense create runs? Power and speed. The team was third in the league in home runs, second in stolen bases. Texas…