The Value of Prospects
Teams (and their fanbases) are hesitant to trade away prospects. But are they overvaluing them?
A Ballpark Travelogue
Updated 9/28/2018 Updated 7/20/2018 Updated 9/28/2017 For the past few years when I’ve attended a Major League Baseball game, I’ve “checked in” using the MLB Ballpark app. It’s been a great way to keep track of the...
My 10 Favorite Active Baseball Players
The other day my son asked me to name my 10 favorite active baseball players (besides him, of course). I thought it was a good exercise, as I watch a lot of baseball, and who I enjoy watching most changes over time. My all-time favorites are Ken...
My 2017 Hall of Fame Ballot
Last year I posted my own votes for the Hall of Fame, and although I’m not as excited about any of the candidates as I was then, I thought I’d put up my votes again. There is no inner circle Hall of Famer like last year (Junior!), but...
Five Ways the Spiritual Life is Like Baseball
The Major League Baseball season began last week, and for the next seven months teams will compete to become this year’s World Series champion. I’ve always been a big fan of baseball (okay, I’ll be honest, I put the “fanatical” in fan when it...
2016 Baseball Predictions
Spring Training has arrived, which means it’s that time when everyone and their brother makes their predictions for this season. So why shouldn’t I? One of the most well-known projection systems is the computer-based PECOTA...
Ranking bat flips
If you know me, you know I’m a pretty reserved guy. I come from a long line of reserved men. I was taught from a early age that you don’t show your emotions in public, and especially not while playing a sport. The driving motto was...
The need for self-control
Anyone who knows me for even a short period of time knows that I am a huge Cincinnati Reds fan. I love baseball, and as someone who grew up in Cincinnati (alas, after the Big Red Machine), I have always followed the Reds. One of my favorite...
A walk really is as good as a hit
In Little League, coaches often tell their players, “A walk’s as good as a hit!”, which encourages them not to swing at balls outside the strike zone. Well, Bryce Harper obviously believes in that saying: Your browser does not...
Little League Home Runs Not So Little
If you follow baseball at all, you will sometimes hear the phrase “little league home run.” This is to denote someone who circles the bases due to a combination of errors and miscues by the fielders. It is not really a home run, just...
Dingers!
I found this video completely mesmerizing – it is a compilation of all home runs hit this year by the Toronto Blue Jays, set to the tune (and in sync with) Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” which is one of my...