MLB’s Most Over and Underrated Players

Discussing the most over and underrated players in baseball is an annual exercise that creates a lot of spirited debate and reaction. There’s no scientific formula to determine or verify who falls where; just opinion, eye-tests and carefully manipulated stats to prove points. That being said, the best reason to do it is because it’s [...]

Baseball Notes for June 10, 2013

The big news of the week in baseball was an ESPN Outside the Lines report that Major League Baseball is seeking to suspend 20 or more current players for their involvement with the now defunct Biogenesis of America clinic. Tony Bosch, the company’s founder, agreed to provide MLB with documents to help their cases. Players [...]

O’Koyea Dickson is Powering His Way to the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been in the news as much as any baseball franchise over the past year-plus. Following a highly-publicized team sale and offseason spending spree, they have stumbled out of the gate and looked lost so far during the 2013 season sitting in last place in the National League West. While things [...]

Jen Royle is at Home with the Boston Red Sox

There is little doubt that people living in the Boston area love their baseball. Accordingly, the local media is constantly seeking to provide comprehensive and entertaining coverage of the Red Sox. This has led to the region boasting some of the best broadcasting and sports writing talent anywhere. One of the best is Jen Royle, [...]

Baseball History Notes for May 27, 2013

The 2012 season saw Detroit Tigers’ slugger Miguel Cabrera win the Triple-Crown with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBI. Although it’s hard to fathom, he may be headed to an even better season this year, which could see him make history. Cabrera is currently hitting .385 with 14 home runs and [...]

Houston Astros’ Rebuilding Process Being Helped by Prospects Like Mike Foltynewicz

With a 1962 New York Mets-esque 13-33 record, the Houston Astros have a lot of holes they will need to fill if they want to have any chance of respectability in the future. Fortunately, they have thrown themselves into rebuilding through player development, and have a number of young prospects who are looking like they [...]

Baseball Notes for May 20, 2013

I had such a good time going over baseball history links last week that I decided to do it again! Here’s hoping this can become a regular feature, as the cool nuggets just continue to pile up. I’ll try to continue bringing a blend of topics to keep it fresh and interesting. As usual, thanks [...]

Baseball Notes for May 13, 2013

Baseball in just about any context is a good thing. During the regular season, the attention of fans is typically riveted to the on-field action, but there are many fascinating nuggets of baseball awesomeness hidden all over in the form of its history. You just have to know where to look to find them. To [...]

Baseball Notes for May 6, 2013

Cheating has a long and interesting history in baseball. From sharpened cleats, corked bats, banned substances and doctored pitches, players and teams are seemingly always in search of an edge. As former Chicago Cubs’ first baseman Mark Grace once famously said, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.” That being said, there can be a [...]

Mike Augliera: Boston Red Sox Pitching Prospect Talks Baseball

The Boston Red Sox have some of the better-known pitching prospects in baseball with Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and Matt Barnes all leading most peoples’ lists. It turns out that they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Boston’s farm system, as there are a number of other promising [...]

The Baseball Historian’s Notes for April 29, 2013.

The length of a baseball team’s disabled list can have such a strong impact on the outcome of their season. Injuries not only deprive teams of talented players, but alter the chemistry that was so carefully constructed during the offseason and spring training. The ability of backup players, minor league prospects and the length of [...]

Lewis Brinson is Up Next for the Texas Rangers

When star outfielder Josh Hamilton left the Texas Rangers to sign with the divisional rival Los Angeles Angels this past offseason, it was believed the team would struggle to find his replacement. After all, the former MVP has 162 game averages of .320 with 35 home runs and 120 RBI during his career.  While it may take [...]

Baseball Notes for April 22, 2013

Other sports like football and basketball may have infringed on the popularity of baseball over the years, but make no mistake about it, the game is still America’s National Pastime. Baseball personifies Amercianism and is often seen as an example of what is right and good in the country. While that may be a Pollyanna [...]

American Jews & America’s Game: A Review

Baseball is so much more than the action on the field and in the box scores. Untold numbers of people have used the game to help shape who they are, and connect them with their ethnicities and national identities on whole new levels. Larry Ruttman’s American Jews & America’s Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy [...]

The Baseball Historian’s Notes for April 14, 2013

The 2013 baseball season has gotten off to a rollicking start. From Yu Darvish’s near-perfect game to the exciting emergence of young players like New York Mets’ pitcher Matt Harvey, there has been a lot of good stuff for fans to digest. For all the fun baseball provides, the game also sometimes has a darker [...]

Tanner Murphy: Trying to Catch on with the Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles may appear to be set at catcher for the foreseeable future with Matt Wieters behind the plate, but in baseball it’s never a good idea to plan too far ahead. Like any smart team, Baltimore continues to cultivate catching prospects, with Tanner Murphy being one of the young players they are most [...]

Baseball Notes for March 31, 2013

Major League Baseball’s 2013 Opening Day is finally here! With another season comes the return of Baseball Notes. Without a single regular season game having yet been played, there is already plenty to talk about. ***One of the worst-kept secrets in baseball has been revealed to the public. Boston Red Sox rookie outfielder Jackie Bradley [...]

Kevin Pillar: How the Toronto Blue Jays’ Prospect is Raking His Way Through the Minor Leagues

The Toronto Blue Jays traded a significant amount of their minor league talent to the Miami Marlins this past offseason in a huge trade that netted Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson among others. Despite the deal, their cupboard is far from bare. Outfielder Kevin Pillar is one of the organization’s best young players [...]

Boston Red Sox Pitching Prospect Matt Spalding is Looking to Make His Mark

The more advanced prospects of the Boston Red Sox have received a lot of attention this spring. While it is certainly an impressive group, the team also has a lot of valuable young players in the lower levels of their minor league system. One of those rising players is right-handed pitcher Matt Spalding, who just [...]

Cole Frenzel: Seeking His Opportunity with the New York Mets

The New York Mets face a bleak situation with their offense as the 2013 season nears. Other than third baseman David Wright and first baseman Ike Davis, they lack any above-average bats, but hope that help may be on the way courtesy of their minor league system. One player who could be in the mix [...]

An Interview with Sports Illustrated’s Steve Rushin

Nationally known sportswriters can become voices of generations if they ply their craft with enough skill and passion. Grantland Rice, Red Smith and Bob Ryan represent just a few of the scribes who captivated readers during their careers.  Even though shifting media trends have driven writers to be more versatile and knowledgeable on a variety [...]

Kurt Heyer: Seeking to Go from College World Series Champ to the Majors

The St. Louis Cardinals have received recognition in recent seasons because of the excellent pitching prospects that have been winding their way through their minor league system. Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal and Lance Lynn have all received a lot of attention and varying levels of success and exposure at the major league level. It appears [...]

Catching Up With Bill Mueller

The impact of becoming a beloved player for the Boston Red Sox can’t be personified any better than Bill Mueller. Mueller, a switch-hitting third baseman, is a native of Missouri. He attended Southwest Missouri State and graduated as perhaps their best player of all time, leaving as the school leader in hits, runs and stolen [...]

Random Questions with Former Phillies Catcher Dave Watkins

Many baseball players have the singular goal of doing whatever it takes to reach the major leagues. Even after a lot of work and time, it only pays off for a small percentage. While it didn’t last long, Dave Watkins was one of the lucky few who got to reach baseball’s summit. Watkins, a catcher [...]

The Sam Crane Redemption

Many people assume that professional baseball players lead charmed lives because of the privilege they experienced of playing a game for a living. Unfortunately that is often far from the truth and many tragedies have been experienced and even caused by the hand of former players. One of the worst cases was Sam “Red” Crane, [...]

Texas Rangers Pitching Prospect Jimmy Reyes Will Find Making the Majors a Relief

Earlier this year Baseball America named the Texas Rangers as having the best minor league system in baseball. Their impressive ranking comes in part because of the prospect depth they have across various positions, particularly pitching. Reliever Jimmy Reyes is one of the of those pitchers, and if he continues performing the way he has [...]

Bruce Maxwell: The Oakland A’s Next Big Catching Prospect

The Oakland A’s have a veritable collection of young catching prospects (Max Stassi, Petey Paramore, Nick Rickles and Derek Norris among others). However, the organization added another young backstop they are excited about to the fold last year, when they made Bruce Maxwell one of their top draft picks. Maxwell is the rare left-handed hitting [...]

Seattle Mariners’ Prospect Scott DeCecco Talks Baseball

The Seattle Mariners have done well in recent years developing young pitchers, with Felix Hernandez, Doug Fister and Blake Beavan among those who have come up through their system. One of the pitchers from last year’s draft they hope can do the same is left-hander Scott DeCecco. DeCecco was dominant at Middle Township High School [...]

Baseball Notes for January 21, 2013

With just three weeks until pitchers and catchers start reporting to spring training locations, the baseball offseason is winding down, but it’s not ending with a whimper. This has been one of the more eventful offseasons in recent memory, with constant activity, surprises, and even some quality free agents like Kyle Lohse and Michael Bourn [...]

Dennis Bennett: The Quintessential Left-Handed Pitcher

Over time, left-handed pitchers have acquired the stereotype of being an eccentric bunch. From quirky exploits on the field to adventures off the field, southpaws are a breed unto themselves. One of the best was Dennis Bennett, who sadly passed away last year. Bennett signed with the Philadelphia Phillies out of Shasta Junior College (California) [...]

Willie Mays Aikens: Hard Living, Hard Times and Hard-Cover Books

Willie Mays Aikens once had a promising major league baseball career that came to a premature end in 1985 because of his personal demons. Although his problems robbed him of his career and led to serving a 14-year prison sentence, he pushed through and is finally back on track after a detour that lasted more [...]

Cincinnati Reds’ Pitching Prospect Dan Langfield Bursts on to the Scene

The Cincinnati Reds have had success cultivating young pitchers in recent years, with Aroldis Chapman, Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto all making major contributions to the big league team. This bodes well for one of the Reds’ most recent draft picks, right-hander Dan Langfield. Langfield was a high school star in Somerset, Massachusetts. He was [...]

Baseball Notes for December 31, 2012

The holiday season slowed down the hectic MLB offseason, which had operated on full blast for more than a month. Although many free agents have signed with new teams, there is still a lot going on around baseball as 2012 comes to an end. ***It may be the week after Christmas, but it’s never too [...]

Ray Peters: The Modern Moonlight Graham

“Moonlight” Graham, best remembered as the tragic figure in the movie Field of Dreams, was a real baseball player, who really did get into only one major league game in his entire career without recording an at-bat. Unfortunately he is just one of many players whose major league career was measured in hours instead of [...]

Another Sip of A Bitter Cup of Coffee

In 2010, Douglas Gladstone wrote A Bitter Cup of Coffee: How MLB and the Players Association Threw 974 Retirees a Curve (ISBN: 978-1-59571-512-8). It’s a book outlining the plight of former major league players who lack the service time to qualify for a pension. He brought immediate attention to a subject that has been swept [...]

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