The Tampa Bay Rays exhausted their season to the final stroke before clinching the playoffs, and with top starters David Price and James Shields having pitched in the days prior, the Rays turned to a rookie pitcher to start Game One of the ALDS against the Rangers. Tampa possesses one of the front runners for the [...]

The last weeks of July are marked by packed bags and plane tickets, as a multitude of ballplayers experience a sudden change of address during the period between the All Star Game and the trade deadline. The guys grabbing the headlines are either veterans fishing for a contender or prospects that could be used as [...]

 
It is often said that the Pacific Coast League is a “hitter’s league,” where the guys at the plate enjoy an advantage over their counterparts on the mound. The implication is that stats posted in the PCL need to be judged in context, especially when projecting future performance. A .300/.400/.500 slash line would be the [...]

I love to travel, but leaving the country in the middle of summer can be bittersweet. The first couple days are fine, but then a sense of anxiety begins to build. By the third or fourth day of a trip I’m waking up in the middle of the night, not from jet lag or time [...]

 
The 2011 Draft was absolutely loaded with pitching, and for the first time in the history of the event, each of the top four selections were moundsmen. As a group, the 2011 draftees had unparalleled depth with regard to upside, stuff, and mechanics. The first three choices were of the college variety, while #4 Dylan [...]

 
It’s no secret that the Yankees fell short of their primary off-season goal, as the Phillies swooped in at the last minute to swipe Cliff Lee right out from under the Steinbrenners’ clutches. With a non-existent middle tier of free agent starting pitchers, the Yankees opted to hold ‘em despite the fact that Andy Pettitte [...]

All Star festivities get a bad rap these days, but at least one event continues to grab my attention year after year: The Futures Game. The greatest prospects of the minor leagues are put on a single stage, from low-A greenhorns to polished AAA players auditioning for the big show.
The game stats are pretty meaningless, but [...]

…throughout the past decade. Since it can take years to find out how teams fared in making their draft selections, it doesn’t make much sense to hand out draft grades for Tuesday’s draft. But it is possible to take a look back at the past decade and assess whether teams have been successful or whether [...]

The Cleveland Indians are in full rebuild mode, having traded away homegrown stars CC Sabathia, Victor Martinez, and Cliff Lee in the last 22 months. The front office has focused their efforts on surrounding USDA prime player Grady Sizemore with a core of young talent on the rise, led by fellow outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. The [...]

Baseball Daily Digest’s minor league correspondent Paul Bugala witnessed the beginning of the Stephen Strasburg era in Altoona, Pa. on April 11. The following are a couple video highlights.
Strasburg’s first batter.
Strasburg hits a double.