Doug Thorburn does the impossible in our latest 20 questions series… he mentions Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire BUT doesn’t once mention steroids or HGH. He couldn’t get through the GM portion without mentioning Billy Beane but he did avoid the use of the phrase “Moneyball” so let’s give Mr. Thorburn a round of applause [...]

This generation’s Oakland A’s have been a boring team on the basepaths, employing an organizational philosophy that eschews the risk of a caught stealing by leaving their runners parked on the bag. This trend suddenly changed in 2009, with the A’s attempting 181 stolen bases. This marked the highest franchise total in 16 years, and [...]

 Cue the music from Ennio Morricone, because baseball’s western divisions are fixin’ to host an old-fashioned shoot-out in 2010. The American and National Leagues both look to have wide-open races out west, which could produce some serious drama when the intra-division foes square off in September with the season on the line.
The fiesta starts in the [...]

Let me start by saying that I used to be a real big fan of Ben Sheets. Back in 2005, I traded a boatload to acquire him mid-season in my long-running NL-only fantasy keeper league. At the time Sheets was 26-years old and coming off of a breakout season with incredible ratios, including an eye-popping [...]

It’s 1987, and you are an 8-year old kid who has just discovered the greatest thing since peanut butter: Major League Baseball. A childhood of He-Man, Transformers, and G.I. Joe has given way to Little League, baseball cards, an allegiance to the local green & gold, and their He-Man of a rookie first baseman. You [...]

With the American League resolutions in the books, it’s time to move on to the senior circuit. Teams still have six weeks to address their needs before Spring Training, four months to prepare for Opening Day, and ten months to do everything in their power to halt the Phillies’ run of back-to-back NL pennants.
Astros – To [...]

New Year’s Day is famous for three things: bowl games, hangovers, and New Year’s resolutions. For baseball fans, January 1st also marks the official start of the countdown to Spring Training, with just 48 days remaining until pitchers and catchers report. With 2009 drifting into the rearview mirror, Major League teams are looking ahead with [...]

The Philadelphia Phillies wasted no time filling their hole at third base, signing Placido Polanco a day after the Tigers declined to offer him arbitration. The Phillies didn’t have to give up a draft pick for the Type A free agent, so the only cost was cash: a guaranteed $18 million over 3 years, plus [...]

 
The recent hiring of pitching coach Rick Peterson was a strategic move that could pay huge dividends for the Milwaukee Brewers over the next several seasons. Peterson is an ideal fit in Wisconsin, and his familiarity with Ken Macha should make for a smooth transition in the dugout.
Macha and Peterson were key members of the [...]

The next few weeks will be prime time for award voting and analysis, with debates over MVP’s, Cy Young’s, Gold Gloves, and Rookies of the Year.  The top bats, arms, and leather will all be scrutinized under a microscope, but there are more players whose performance might slip under the radar.
One category that goes unrecognized [...]