Author: sabrskeptic

The Intelligentsia loves to dismiss the idea of "the narrative."  Say that Yoenis Cespedes being traded from the Athletics in 2014 caused that team to collapse that year?  "That's just the narrative." Say that Yoenis Cespedes being traded to the Mets in 2015 caused that team to take off that year?  "That's just the narrative."… Continue reading The Narrative

AL East The Yankees and Redsox are at the top of the division.  Both are widely heralded as "Super Teams." The Yankees may look like a "Super Team" to some, but they have many problems.  They have chemistry issues in their lineup, in their rotation and in their bullpen.  They have a manager who didn't… Continue reading MLB 2018. Where Things Stand.

American League Starters 1 - Wilson Ramos - TB Good choice.  Ramos has been indispensable to the Rays this season. 2 - Jose Abreu - CHW Also a good choice.  Abreu is the kind of player that could singlehandedly turn around a team, if Rick Hahn were to trade him. 3 - Jose Altuve -… Continue reading All Star Roster Breakdown

All Star season is here.  More on that this Thursday.  Today, I will focus on the Final Vote, breaking down the candidates from each league, before making my endorsements.   American League 1 - Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees - Stanton is hitting .272, with a .344 obp and a .520 slugging percentage.  He has… Continue reading The Final Vote

I have written here about an interesting phenomenon in recent years in Major League Baseball.  Mid-level relief pitchers are being given multi year, 8 figure contracts and then seeing their ERAs balloon. There are countless examples, as I discussed in the post linked to above.  The latest?  Anthony Swarzak of the New York Mets. Swarzak… Continue reading Relief Pitchers Are Getting Paid And Imploding. Why?