As Rob Manfred climaxes from another LA vs NY matchup, MLB will get their marquee championship event with the best team from each league, among the fattest payrolls with the brightest stars in the largest media markets in the world. Topics for this episode include: You can check out the podcast page or just click on the embedded players below. …
Pennant Chase In Progress
I feel like the term “pennant chase” is used kind of to describe the race to the postseason during the regular season, but you don’t actually get to win a pennant until you are the last team standing in the league championship series. I guess you also don’t get a pennant once you win the World Series because the prize …
Yoan Moncada Stats and Video
Yoan Manuel Moncada Olivera has long been hyped as the next big thing in Cuba during a distinguished amateur career. He was born May 27th, 1995. He’s a switch-hitter who primarily played third base in international tournaments as a youth, but mostly second and a bit of shortstop with Cienfuegos in Serie Nacional. There’s a good chance that he’s seeking …
Yoan Moncada: The Next Great Cuban Defector?
Since it has become socially acceptable to speculate on which Cuban great will be the next to play in the Major Leagues, allow me to throw in my two cents: Yoan Moncada. Unlike Alfredo Despaigne’s case, there’s good reason to think it could happen soon. Yoan Manuel Moncada is a switch-hitting second-basemen who played for Cienfuegos alongside Jose Abreu and …
Doubleheader Preview: Chicago Cubs (4-8) at New York Yankees (7-6)
Rain turned this short series into a day-night doubleheader. The two teams will meet again in mid-May, and hopefully we won’t have to get bummed out yet again by seeing Tanaka on the mound in a Yankees jersey. Aside from Tanaka, the Yankees also picked up Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts, and Jacoby Ellsbury this offseason. I guess …
Yankees, Blue Jays Interested in Cuban Defector Daniel Carbonell
Last October, center fielder Daniel Carbonell Arredondo and infielder Orlando Perez Darias defected from Cuba. As far as I can tell, their defection has yet to be reported in the American press. Carbonell played for Camaguey in the Cuban National Series from the 2009-10 season through ’12-13. He was suspended last August prior to his successful defection. Carbonell is currently residing in …
2014 IFA: Yankees Double Down, More Names Emerge
A surly Kiley McDaniel has followed up his original scoop about the Yankees' plans to to binge on this year's by putting some names out there: Dermis Garcia (3B, Dominican) is believed to have a deal for $3 million, Nelson Gomez (3B, Dominican) is also believed to have a deal for $3 million, Juan De Leon (CF, Dominican) is believed …
There Will Not Be an International Draft Until 2017 (At Least)
The articles I cited earlier today reference the Yankees' fear that an international draft will be instituted soon, and that it's driving their current desire to sign everyone. ESPN NY: The Yankees are apparently willing to take the financial plunge because of fears baseball will soon institute an international draft similar to its amateur domestic draft, an area in which the Yankees have …
2014 IFA: Yankees, Cubs, and #FreeDSLCubs2
2014 International Free Agency I’m still catching up on the latest developments in the international free agent market, and it turns out there’s a few to cover, including a big one: The Yankees have decided to go all out on this year’s class. Kylie McDaniel had the story back on December 30th, and ESPN New York belatedly followed. The Yankees …
Masahiro Tanaka, Wlad Balentien, and Japan’s “Juiced” Ball
In 2013, former Mariner Wladimir Balentien broke Sadaharu Oh’s 49-year old single-season homerun record in Japan, hitting 60 homers over the course of a 144-game schedule. The story trickled out to US news services with an asterisk firmly attached. The narrative went something like this: yes, he broke the record, but only because the ball was juiced. In fact, once …
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2