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…
First Pitch Dingers: Welcome To The Show
On April 23rd, Atlanta Braves pitcher JR Ritchie made his major league debut. Taken 35th overall in the 2022 draft off Bainbridge Island in Washington State, he pitched in all levels in the minors, including making five starts at Triple-A Gwinnett to begin the 2026 season. On that Thursday afternoon, after the Braves failed to…
After A 15-Year Hiatus, “This Week in Baseball” Is Back!
Up in my attic, in an old Alta Dena milk crate, are a bunch of dusty VHS cassettes with episodes of This Week in Baseball from the 1980s. They say you become a true baseball fan between the ages of 12 and 14. For me, that was 1984-86, the golden years of TWIB. And I…
2026 National League Preview – Reader’s Digest Version
With the 2026 MLB season quickly approaching, it’s a good time to have a little refresher about what transpired during the Hot Stove Season, what moves have been made, and what each time might expect out of the coming campaign. There is a great deal to get caught up on, so we will try to…
Let’s Give Mark Trumbo A Little Bit of Respect
As I scrolled through X (formerly Twitter) a few weeks ago, I came across a tweet (old habits) from the great contributor Not Gaetti. He (I am assuming from the profile picture) said the following: “Not enough people talk about Mark Trumbo.” And he listed a bunch of stats. That is right; not enough people…
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…
Fred Lynn Deserves Additional Hall of Fame Consideration
It was 1973 in Bristol, Connecticut. Two outfielders from vastly different backgrounds got together to play for the Boston’s Double-A affiliate. The next year they teamed up in Pawtucket, the club’s Triple-A team. So, for those following the Red Sox closely in the mid-70s, it was not a shock when the “Gold Dust Twins” took…
Somehow Andy Pages, A Little-Known Second-Year Player, Became a Main Character In 2025
Last month the Los Angeles Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series. They were led by four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who, for the first time in the National League, worked his magic with his bat and his arm. They also fielded former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. The team was anchored by sluggers Max…
Félix Hernández and Cole Hamels Had Remarkably Similar Careers
About two weeks ago, voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of American received their Hall of Fame ballots for 2026. Here are the candidates: Last week, on the Effectively Wild podcast, Meg Rowley and Ben Lindbergh had Jay Jaffe on as their guest. For the uninitiated, Jay Jaffe is a Senior Writer at Fangraphs,…