2014 IFA: Yankees, Cubs, and #FreeDSLCubs2

In Commentary And Analysis by GW24 Comments

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 Commentary And Analysis by GW28 Comments

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 …