Thibs’ Hall of Fame Tracker

Primate Thibs’ indispensable Hall of Fame tool is back for another year.

Theo Epstein’s Criticism Points to Shortcomings of Cubs Front Office

The Cubs won 95 games last year. Fans need a little perspective. This isn’t a troubled franchise. It’s one with high expectations that are near impossible to meet. Theo Epstein, the steward of those expectations, has a track record that should give comfort and hope to Cubs fans, not generate feelings of panic and doom.

If MLB Implements a Significant Rule Change in 2019, It Will Be a Pitch Clock

No proposed rules change would improve baseball’s pace of action issue more than a pitch clock, which is why Major League Baseball officials prioritized getting a pitch clock for the 2019 season at a meeting with Players Association officials Monday. The union, which has been cool to the idea, said it would continue to discuss the issue with its players along with “smaller items” related to proposed rules changes that were presented Monday.

MLB officials did not press for any rules ...

Tuffy Rhodes and the Japanese Hall of Fame

Tuffy Rhodes played 225 games in six seasons in the majors. While a lot of people remember him hitting three homers on Opening Day in 1994, he’d only hit five more all season and would only hit a total of 13 in his entire big league career. Which is to say that he wasn’t anything special. But then he went to Japan for 13 seasons and, let me tell ya, he was something special over there.

In those 13 seasons he batted .286/.381/.559 and became the all-time NPB home run leader among ...

Report: Yankees could be in on Nolan Arenado

The Yankees appear to have moved on from free agent Manny Machado this winter, but could they be turning their attention to Rockies superstar Nolan Arenado? That’s the idea floated by Andy Martino of SNY, who hears that GM Brian Cashman has been involved in recent discussions concerning the third baseman. No official comments have been made to the press yet, though, and it’s not clear whether the Yankees would prefer to pursue Arenado prior to the 2019 season or partway through it.

They ...

Red Sox want Betts for ‘whole baseball career’

BOSTON — Whether the Red Sox can keep Mookie Betts from testing free agency will be a hot topic until, well, he either hits free agency or agrees to a deal.

At the least, ownership has a continued, stated interest in locking him up long term, as would be expected with the American League MVP.

“He’s one of the great players of our generation,” Tom Werner said Friday at Winter Weekend. “Obviously, if we have conversations, they will be private, but it’s our hope that he’ll be a Red ...

Evan Longoria is latest MLB player to speak out against this year’s slow free-agent market

The rumblings of a potential major labor fight seem to be growing by the day. We’re less than a month from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, and we’ve still got plenty of big free agent names left on the board (including Bryce Harper and Manny Machado).

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria took to Instagram on Friday to lament the current state of free agency. The 33 year old (who will be a free agent himself in 2022) said it’s “such a shame” that so many top ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-18-2019

Pittsburgh Gazette Times, January 18, 1919:

The National League [yesterday] decided it did not want to be classed as a minor league. As a result it rescinded the action taken Wednesday in declaring a salary limit of $11,000 [per month]. In place of that minor leaguers figure it adopted one much higher. Just how high was not announced, but is said to be perfectly satisfactory to New York and Chicago, which had protested against the adoption of the $11,000 a month salary limit.

The salary cap ...

Giants’ Joey Bart named top catching prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline

For what has been a desolate farm system in recent years, the Giants finally have an elite prospect.

Catcher Joey Bart is perhaps the Giants best prospect since Buster Posey, and so far he’s following in Posey’s footsteps.

Bart, the Giants’ top pick in the 2018 MLB Draft at No. 2 overall, has been named the best catching prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline of MLB.com. The honor comes less than two weeks after Bart was named the team’s No. 1 prospect by Baseball America.

Something of real ...

Report: Theo Epstein faced pressure from Bryzzo to fire Chili Davis

It’s been 99 days since the Cubs fired Chili Davis, but we’re still hearing new reports on the reasoning behind the decision.

The latest comes from SNY’s John Harper, who explained why the New York Mets were so quick to hire Davis after he was fired from the Red Sox and Cubs in successive winters.

If aspects of what are claimed here are remotely true, it is quite possible that Cubs fans have things to worry about far worse than team spending….

Remember That Guy: Chris Snopek

Chris Snopek was born September 20, 1970 in Cynthiana, KY. He was a multi-sport standout in high school, averaging 18.5 points and 8.0 assists on the hardwood, as well as hitting .576 with 20 HR as a senior on the diamond. He was a standout third baseman/shortstop at Ole Miss, hitting .407/.491/.725 with 13 home runs and 62 RBI (a school-record at the time) in 54 games as a junior. The White Sox made him a 6th round draft pick in 1992.

In 1994, Snopek played for the Double-A Birmingham Barons, ...

Tim Tebow got invited to Mets’ major league spring training again this year

Spring training is less than four weeks away and everyone’s favorite quarterback-turned-outfielder will return to big league camp with the New York Mets. The Mets announced their 2019 non-roster invitees Thursday afternoon and Tim Tebow made the cut.

Well, there were two articles I was considering that would have resulted in fistfights- at least this one will have the fist-fights being more or less on-topic….

Mariano Rivera could be the first unanimous Hall of Famer in baseball history

There are 226 former Major League Baseball players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and they all have one thing in common: Not a single one has arrived to Cooperstown as a unanimous selection.

Not Babe Ruth. Not Hank Aaron. Not Willie Mays. Not even Ted Williams or Stan Musial or Roberto Clemente. Despite their incredible production and the undeniable impact each of those iconic players had on baseball, none of them earned the full support of the Hall of Fame voters. In fact, none of the ...

If the Phillies Sign Bryce Harper, It Won’t Preclude Them From Trying to Eventually Lure Mike Trout

The Phillies may have “stupid money” to spend on this free agent market, as owner John Middleton put it, but it won’t be so stupid as to close the door on potentially signing Mike Trout after the 2020 season.

Philadelphia began this offseason keeping Trout in mind. According to a baseball source with direct knowledge of their shopping plans, the Phillies have enough spending money to sign both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but would like to sign just one of them to leave room in the ...

538: Don’t Worry, MLB — Hitters Are Killing The Shift On Their Own By Travis Sawchik

But in all the hand-wringing over the shift, one detail has been overlooked: Batters have adjusted, and they’ve done it without league intervention or legislation. What’s more, there’s reason to believe shifts are actually encouraging increasingly efficient offensive behavior.

Yankees sign Ottavino for 3 years

The New York Yankees have agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal with free-agent relief pitcher Adam Ottavino,

Rosenthal: For the good of the sport, Tony Clark needs to lead the players to a compromise solution on improving the game

The problem is, the union agreed to the current collective bargaining agreement only 26 months ago. Agents criticized the annual thresholds as too low from almost the moment the terms were announced, but the union did not believe teams would or should treat the boundaries as a soft cap. Well, guess what? Most teams do. And the union must bear responsibility for failing to anticipate the potential harm.

The solution, for now, is for the union to work around the edges of the CBA, propose ...

Royals’ Eric Skoglund given 80-game suspension for PEDs

NEW YORK—Kansas City Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund was suspended Wednesday for the season’s first 80 games after testing positive for two performance-enhancing substances.

The MLB commissioner’s office said the positive tests were for selective androgen receptor modulators S-22 (Ostarine) and LGD-4033 (Ligandrol).

Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement Skoglund “unknowingly made a mistake” and “we remain proud of who Eric is as a person and will support him as an ...

After a polarizing offseason, Cubs owners decide to skip fan fest

After a tumultuous offseason, Chicago Cubs fans might have some … let’s go with interesting questions for the team’s owners. Unfortunately for those fans, the opportunity to have their voices heard just got taken away.

The Ricketts family will skip the team’s annual fan convention in Chicago over the weekend. A Twitter user called @crawlyscubs first reported the news, which was confirmed by Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald.

The family will instead be on Ryan Dempster’s late night ...

Brodie Van Wagenen challenges rest of NL East after adding Jed Lowrie on two-year deal

NEW YORK — Brodie Van Wagenen certainly does not lack confidence.

The Mets general manager said last month he believes the Mets are the division favorites, and that stance hasn’t softened a month later, especially after adding All-Star infielder Jed Lowrie on a two-year, $20-million deal.

“We are a good team, We are a complete team, we are a balanced team. We’ve got veterans, we’ve got youth, we’ve got a hunger and desire to win and I look forward to showing people we’re a team to ...

Ready for a $2.5 billion swing at Major League Baseball? Portland Diamond Project charter investors revealed

The Oregonian/OregonLive has learned the identities of the other “Charter” investors with the group that aims to bring a Major League Baseball club to Portland.

The roster of investors includes:

• Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson

• Recording artist and entrepreneur Ciara Wilson

• Former MLB player Darwin Barney and David P. Barney and David M. Barney

• Retired business owner and philanthropist Samantha Richardson

• Retired CEO of Platt Electric Harvey Platt and ...

Phil Birnbaum: Fun with splits

Below is one of Frank Thomas's batting splits from his 1993 MVP season. 

In one case, .367 with 33 HR, for a 1.251 OPS. 
In the rest, .259 with 8 HR, for a 0.796 OPS.

What's the split?  New post: https://t.co/hJfJSY0qht pic.twitter.com/pKnVDM5rAe

— Phil Birnbaum (@PhilBirnbaum) January 16, 2019

“Thomas 1” was an order of magnitude better than “Thomas 2,” to the extent that you wouldn’t recognize them as the same player.

This is a real split ... it’s not a selective-sampling trick, like “team ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-17-2019

New York Tribune, January 17, 1919:

The forces of democracy as represented by the minor leagues of baseball won a sensational victory in the waning hours of the long-winded session of the rulers of the national game at the Biltmore yesterday…toward midnight came the big sensation with the announcement that the majors had surrendered and granted practically everything the minors had demanded.
...
It took a long time for the big fellows to get together on this democratic proposition, which in ...

The Best Ever to Never Claim an MVP Award

[He would…] #### his lead leg, suspending his knee waist-high while dropping his hands (and the bat handle) well below his belt-line as the ball made its way to the plate (if he wasn’t holding a bat in his hands, he might be mistaken for a pitcher in his wind-up).

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-16-2019

New York Sun, January 16, 1919:

Eleven thousand dollars a month for each club! That was the players’ salary limit for next season adopted by the National League at its meeting in the Waldorf-Astoria yesterday afternoon. The sum named is not to include the manager’s salary. The league’s announcement of this radical legislation immediately set baseball circles agog, and it is expected to develop an upheaval that is likely to include the biggest players’ strike in the history of the game.
...
This ...

2019 Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects

Highest Ceiling: Luzardo
As a 20-year-old pitching for the first time since Tommy John, Luzardo showed all the ingredients needed to become a frontline starter in the big leagues—and possibly very soon. He has a premium arsenal in a fastball, curveball and changeup that all grade as above-average or better, as well as control and command that allow him to execute each pitch. If it all comes together for him, Luzardo could be one of the game’s best left-handed pitchers and a perennial Cy Young ...

White Sox announce minor league managers and staffs for 2019 season

The White Sox minor league coaching staffs are in place for the 2019 season.

The most notable move on this front is something Our Chuck Garfien reported last month during the Winter Meetings. Omar Vizuqel was promoted from the manager of Class A Winston-Salem and is now the skipper at Double-A Birmingham.

Vizquel won the Carolina League’s Manager of the Year honors after leading the Dash to an 84-54 record in 2018. He managed Dylan Cease, Luis Robert, Blake Rutherford, Micker Adolfo, Luis ...

How Giants’ park dimensions, location can help free agent recruiting

SAN FRANCISCO — For years, Giants officials have grumbled about the impact their home ballpark has on negotiations with free agents.

It’s no secret that sluggers do not want to play 81 games at Oracle Park, and the Giants have been kept from large portions of the position player market over the past decade.

Farhan Zaidi will have to figure out a way to build an offense for his new park, but when it comes to another set of free agents, he’s not shying away from the dimensions at Third ...

Melvin Upton explains why he’s changing his name back to B.J. Upton

Veteran outfielder Melvin Upton, formerly known as B.J. Upton, is once again B.J. Upton.

Upton’s change of heart comes nearly four years after he initially made the change back to his birth name. B.J. stands for Bossman Junior, a nod to his father’s Bossman nickname.

Pirates great Steve Blass to stop broadcasting after 2019 season

A journalistic cardinal sin was committed and pardoned on Tuesday. No cheering in the press box is a rule that’s typically never broken. Unless its Pirates color commentator and 1971 World Series hero Steve Blass telling a packed press conference room that his 34th season will be last behind the mic.

“It’s time for me to stop and smell the roses. I’ve driven by the roses many times over the last 60 years, but now it’s time to stop and smell them,” Blass said. “It’s been a ...