By Matt Osborne, Staff Writer When you think about dominant players in Major League Baseball over the past decade, the first player that might pop into your mind is Los Angeles Angels outfielder, Mike Trout. During his illustrious career, Trout has made 11 All-Star appearances, won three American League MVPs, and led the league in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) five times. He is a complete five-tool player who routinely produces highlight-reel plays as he makes the extraordinary look effortless. But despite his impressive individual accolades, the Angels have failed to produce…
Category Archives: Baseball
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Remaining Loyal in the Letdown
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Learning to Move On
Continue ReadingBy Matt Osborne, Staff Writer Earlier this week, the New York Yankees announced they signed two-time All-Star, Marcus Stroman to a guaranteed two-year contract worth $37 million. For some, this was shocking news due to the shaky history between Stroman and Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman. Cashman had previously entertained the idea of trading for Stroman when he was pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, but ultimately stated publicly that he “didn’t think [Stroman] would be a difference-maker.” Despite this unfavorable comment, Stroman has gone on record saying he and Cashman have…
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False Promises Don’t Deliver
Continue ReadingBy Staff Writer, Matt Osborne The MLB trade deadline officially passed last night, with teams doing their usual last-minute “wheeling and dealing” in an attempt to set their team up for future success. One of the bigger surprises taking place before the deadline was ace pitcher, Max Scherzer, being traded from the Mets to the Rangers in exchange for minor league prospect, Luisangel Acuña. This was a startling move for multiple reasons. First of all, the Mets set a record for the highest payroll in MLB history this season. They were expected to…
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The Last Shall Be First
Continue ReadingBy Staff Writer, Matt Osborne Over the past few decades, many Major League Baseball fans have voiced their complaints concerning the growing disparity between the league’s “haves” and “have-nots.” Due to the unique nature of MLB’s luxury tax system, franchises with more money typically find themselves in an advantageous position to succeed in the field of play. Since there are no hard salary caps or maximum player contracts, teams with significant financial backing are simply able to offer more money to lure top players. In recent years, studies have shown a correlation…
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Movie Monday: Rookie of the Year
Continue ReadingI loved growing up as a sports fan in the 1990s for many reasons, and one reason, in particular, is the incredible sports movies that still hold up as classics today. A personal favorite is the baseball movie, Rookie of the Year. It has so many memorable characters, good actors, and a wildly unbelievable storyline. The main character is 12-year-old, Henry Rowengartner, who is in the middle of the Little League season and not playing very well. One day during school recess he’s told to catch a fly ball. As he attempts to…
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MLB Rule Changes and Adaptability
Continue ReadingBy and large, spring training in Major League Baseball is an anticlimactic event. Most teams already have a pretty good feel for which players will be included on their Major League roster before the start of spring training, so there’s often little drama regarding roster inclusions. But there has been additional intrigue in this year’s edition of spring training, as Major League Baseball is implementing a series of new rules intended to speed up the pace of play. With these new rules in place, both pitchers and hitters alike can now be penalized for…
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Two Games, Same Night
Continue ReadingLast night was a wild night for two sports cities as Houston and Philadelphia took center stage against each other in two different sports at the same time. In Houston, for Thursday Night Football, the Texans hosted the Eagles but lost 29-17 as the Eagles moved to 8-0. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, the Phillies were home against the Astros in Game 5 of the World Series but lost 3-2 as the Astros took a 3-2 Series lead. Both games were entertaining and the Texans actually kept things interesting, despite most people thinking the…
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Getting Back Up
Continue ReadingThe World Series begins tonight with the Philadelphia Phillies taking on the Astros in Houston. There are plenty of intriguing storylines and players to root for, but one, in particular, is Phillies’ first baseman, Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins has been with the Phillies since 2017 and at the time of his major league debut, the team had the worst record in Major League Baseball at 42-70. He was there when the Phillies were down and out and has been there throughout the turnaround that finds them in the World Series. Hoskins and…
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What Are You Chasing?
Continue ReadingNew York Yankees outfielder, Aaron Judge, just finished up one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of baseball. He had a strong all-around season with a batting average of .311, 131 RBI, and an OPS of 1.111. But the most memorable number is the 62 home runs he hit, which is the American League’s single-season record. He passed Roger Maris who hit 61 home runs in 1961. Judge’s record-breaking season brought a lot of excitement to the sport as fans kept tuning in to see if he was…
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Three Almost Home Runs
Continue ReadingHome runs are one of the most fun things to see in sports. New York Yankees star, Aaron Judge, is creating a lot of excitement as he sits at 60 home runs on the season – two short of breaking Roger Maris’ record of 61. Last night, in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied at 4-4 against the Red Sox, Judge crushed the ball as it came off the bat at 113 MPH and was the hardest hit ball of the night. The ball appeared to be sailing out…
