I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Mike Trout, the best player in the history of baseball, is underrated.
The seven-time All-Star selection, two-time MVP, and six-time Silver Slugger is underrated.
Mike Trout is the highest-paid player in the game of baseball. He just inked a 12-year, $430MM contract extension. That money doesn’t do justice to just how good he’s been.
Read more "Yes, Mike Trout is Actually Underrated"This is one of my favorite articles to write each year because, when all is said and done, I can go back to this article and pat myself on the back for the correct calls I made. And usually, I just ignore the misses and say “hey, who can really predict this stuff anyway?”
Last year, I made some good calls and some not-as-good calls. The two most notable picks were Miles Mikolas and Mike Clevinger. Mikolas threw 200.2 innings with a 2.83 ERA and 5.03 K/BB ratio after not throwing a major league pitch since 2014. Clevinger threw exactly 200 innings, setting career bests in ERA (3.02), K/BB ratio (3.09), WHIP (1.155), and FIP (3.52).
Read more "Players to Watch in 2019"Kershaw has had back issues in his career (though he says they are no longer a problem), and he has missed significant time in each of the past three seasons due to various other injuries. From 2010-2015, Kershaw averaged just over 222 innings pitched per season. In the three seasons since, he has averaged fewer than 162 innings, meaning he has not thrown enough innings, on average, to qualify for the ERA title. Of the past three years, he has qualified for the ERA crown in just 2017. He led the majors in ERA that year, of course, but that’s beside the point. Kershaw is looking like a mortal.
Read more "Breaking Down Clayton Kershaw’s Contract Option"When David announced that he was going to be calling it quits after this season, I got a little bit choked up. That’s actually an understatement; I cried. Not only because he himself was crying while announcing his plan to retire the media, but also because I feel connected to David. No, I have never met him (although I did once walk by him on the streets of Manhattan while I was walking home from Synagogue one night) but I think that speaks volumes to the power of sports. More on that later, though.
Read more "I Love You, David"Josh Hader is a RP for the Brewers. This season, Hader leads all relievers in fWAR thanks to his 1.57 ERA, 0.48 WHIP, 0.90 FIP, 18.8 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9.
Read more "The Next Josh Hader"Juiced Bonds is the all-time leader in career OBP, SLG, and OPS by a longshot (nearly 80 points in OBP, well over 100 points in SLG, and a hair over 200 points in OPS).
Read more "Barry Bonds and the Hall of Fame: A Thought Experiment"Jose Martinez, Michael Wacha, and Tim Lincecum headline my players to watch in 2018.
Read more "Players to Watch for in 2018"Hosmer had a below-average HH% in 2017 and his average exit velo was not good (72nd out of 436 hitters with at least 70 batted balls in play). The reason he posted a career-high .351 BABIP was probably luck. His career-high in AVG is best explained by his spike in BABIP. Hosmer’s future investors beware.
Read more "A Look at Eric Hosmer’s Free Agency Case"Gonzalez seems like someone who would be a clubhouse cancer, not a positive presence. This past postseason, when the Dodgers informed Gonzalez that he would not be a part of the postseason roster, he left the team to go help his wife move her things and get settled in Italy as opposed to staying with the team.
Read more "Trying to Rationalize the Adrian Gonzalez Signing"This is a comprehensive list of all players who have compiled a better career triple-slash than that of Edgar Martinez:
Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx, Dan Brouthers, Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Those guys, save for Joe Jackson (who is banned from baseball), are all HOFers.
Read more "The Case for the Hall: Edgar Martinez"
Musings of a Baseball Addict 