The 2024 Draft Class Is On Its Way To Being The Best Ever After Two Years
any of you readers listen to the Effectively Wild podcast, and if you happened to listed to Episode 2483 last week, you may be able to skip the rest of this article. On that show, hosts Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discussed (among many other things) the 2024 draft class, and the impact those players…
Trevor Bauer Made His Bed And Now He Has To Lie In It
Trevor Bauer was selected third overall in the 2011 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of UCLA, and made his MLB debut the following June. He started four games for Arizona in 2012, going 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA. After clashing with his teammates in the desert, the team traded him (along with Bryan Shaw…
Dwight Evans Should Be Given Some Additional Hall of Fame Consideration
For a while during the mid-‘80s, the Boston Red Sox right fielder Dwight Evans, “Dewey” to the fans in the Back Bay, was always on base and always making great plays. He was the heart and soul of a Red Sox team that flirted with greatness. Evans grew up in Southern California, and starred at…
The “Manfred Man” Bestows a Loss On a Pitcher Who Just Did His Job
On Episode 2375 of the Effectively Wild podcast, co-host Ben Lindbergh — no fan of the “Manfred Man” (aka the “Ghost Runner,” which is a misnomer; aka the “Zombie Runner,” which is an insult to the guy actually standing on second base) — pointed out how the rule instituted in 2020 (during Covid) produced a…
Bryce Harper vs. Aaron Judge – Who You Got?
Bryce Harper became a sensation when he was 16 years old, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He forewent his final two years of high school (obtaining his GED) to enroll in junior college, making him draft eligible at the age of 18. He was selected 1/1 in the 2010 draft by the Washington…
Hometown Heroes
*This article first appeared in the IBWAA Here’s the Pitch Newsletter. In the lead-up to the 2024 World Series, much was made about the sign Gerrit Cole made and brought with him to the 2001 fall classic. Although he was born and raised in Southern California (but considerably closer to Angel Stadium than Dodger Stadium),…
Francisco Lindor Is Primed To Be Even Better
*A version of this article first appeared in the IBWAA “Here’s the Pitch” Newsletter on February 16, 2024. Please don’t allow us to forget about or overlook the splendor and greatness of Francisco Lindor. When Lindor was in Cleveland, his brilliance was appreciated. In fact, he was beloved, but always with the jaundiced eye of:…
When Is It Time to Panic?
*This article first appeared in the January 11th edition of the IBWAA “Here’s the Pitch” Newsletter; and prior to the Cubs finalizing their deal with Shota Imanaga and acquiring Michael Busch and Yency Almonte from the Dodgers. When the calendar turned to 2024, the hot stove began to cool. We are just a month away…
Taking the L on Corey Seager
This article first appeared it the IBWAA “Here’s the Pitch” newsletter. Living in Los Angeles, and having seen every one of Corey Seager’s first seven MLB seasons, I held an unpopular (both in that I was somewhat alone and that people didn’t like it) opinion that he was overrated. When he got hurt in 2018…
Buffing Their Halo: The Angels Make the Best of a BAD Situation
About a week before the August 1st trade deadline, the Los Angeles of Anaheim made it known that they would not be trading their once-in-a-century two-way star, Shohei Ohtani. Many in the baseball world criticized this decision, believing that the Angels could reset their farm system (currently ranked 28th by MLB Pipeline) with the haul…