Ranking The Arizona Fall League Rosters - BaseballAmerica.com

1. Surprise Saguaros

Yoan Moncada is the best prospect in baseball. Michael Kopech is one of the best pitching prospects who will be throwing in the desert. Josh Staumont isn’t as good of a prospect but he throws nearly as hard as Kopech. Nick Gordon is one of the better middle infield prospects around and Austin Meadows is nearly big league-ready if he can find a spot in the Pirates outfield.

2016 Arizona Fall League rosters

Yoan Moncada, Greg Bird, Cody Bellinger are among the more interesting names.

INTERESTING: The Yankees more or less sent an entire infield to Scottsdale. Legitimately, manager Tom Goodwin (Royals) could start Miguel Andujar at third, Torres at shortstop, Tyler Wade at second base and Greg Bird at first base at the same time. Wade, as he did last year, earns plaudits for the sum of his parts. No one tool is standout, but none is lacking, either. Andujar started strong after a move to Double-A ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-31-2016

Cubs owner Charles Weeghman explains the Heinie Zimmerman trade, from the Pittsburgh Press, August 31, 1916:

“Manager Tinker tolerated many infractions of the rules in the hope that Zimmerman eventually would see the folly of his conduct…His indifferent playing and conduct on the ball field Aug. 23 before a large crowd was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
...
Hisses and catcalls were directed at him by the fans. He made offensive remarks at Tinker within the hearing of men and women ...

Clayton Kershaw and Cross-Era Comparisons – The Hardball Times

Koufax and Kershaw are pretty, pretty good.

Definitive or not, though, it’s pretty clear Kershaw’s career is already at least comparable to one of the most revered pitchers in baseball history. Even if Kershaw were to walk away from the game today, his legacy already would be secure. Instead, once he returns to the mound, Dodgers fans finally will get a glimpse at the answer to the question that’s been burning in their hearts for the last 50 years: What if Sandy Koufax had more time?

Pirates notebook: Cole relieved after receiving diagnosis on ailing elbow | TribLIVE

Cole rejoined the Pirates on Tuesday after being examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. ElAttrache found inflammation — but no ligament damage, bone chips or bone spurs — and agreed with the Pirates doctors’ diagnosis.

“Any time you have elbow pain, a lot of things can be connected,” Cole said. “It could be from the shoulder, a lot of different things. That’s obviously a major concern. So, obviously, it’s a relief that (the ligament) is not involved.”

The Importance Of “Glue Guys” - MLB Trade Rumors

There are no shirts that say A.J. Ellis was the “heart and soul” of the Dodgers team, but you don’t need one to know that he was. Look at the reactions around baseball. Look at the response of the players in that clubhouse and the media that follows them. Ellis was the last player the Dodgers expected to lose. This story has nothing to do with Carlos Ruiz as a player, and everything to do with how front offices value a team. The Dodgers can easily win the World Series this year, because ...

The Women Succeeding in a Men’s Professional Baseball League - The New Yorker

The Stompers seem likely to invite them back next summer, and they may not be the only women on the team. “We’re going to continue to scout for women players,” Fightmaster said. “We held a mid-season tryout and had two girls register. So I think we’re going to have more women coming to us, saying, ‘Hey, y’know, I pitch in the men’s league in my town, and I shut these guys out every Sunday. I’ve got a knuckleball, I’ve got this, I’ve got that.’ To me, that’s the hope, ...

Must C: McAllister’s kick save | MLB.com

This was a little crazy.

Tim Tebow puts on showcase for MLB scouts | MLB.com

He has an uphill fight ahead of him.

Update: 2080baseball.com report

Granderson homers twice off bench, Mets beat Marlins 7-4

Curtis Granderson came off the bench and homered twice, Jose Reyes had four hits and the surging New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 7-4 on Tuesday night.

Adrian Beltre is awesome, that is all

OMNICHATTER 8-31-16

National Center for Missing and Exploited OMNICHATTER

In-depth report on abusive usage of high school pitchers in Japan.

In terms of innings pitched, the single-game leader was Mizuki Hori, who threw all 12 innings on 177 pitches in Hiroshima Shinjo’s first round game. For him, it wasn’t his first 170-plus-pitch outing, as he had thrown 172 pitches in the final game of regional tournament, two weeks prior to his 12-inning grind at Koshien. His summer lasted a couple more games, as he threw 90 and 103-pitch complete games on four- and one-day rests, respectively.

Adewa and Hori, both of whom are expected to be ...

The Vin Scully Farewell Tour Comes To Him

Scully, 88, is not only greeted by umpires on the field. A procession of players, managers, coaches and umpires has made the trek — in uniform — up the ballpark elevator or escalators and into the Vin Scully Press Box to say goodbye to the man himself.

“He’s the only guy who has the farewell tour come to him,” Steiner said. “To see kids one-third of his age go up there wide-eyed and blown away — I think he’s every bit as blown away that they come up and show that respect.”

The Library of Congress Website is a Digital Wonderland for Baseball Fans

Prepare to lose hours of your day.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-30-2016

Pittsburgh Press, August 30, 1916:

If there is a nation-wide railroad strike the major league ball clubs in the east will make their jumps in automobile. In the west motor cars and trolleys will be used, but numerous double headers will have to be arranged to allow time for the comparatively long trips between cities.

That would not have been fun. Driving from Detroit to St. Louis in a car built around 1916 in the era before interstate highways sounds like an absolute nightmare.

Thankfully, it ...

Texas Rangers: Banister: Darvish is ‘more relaxed and more connected’ as he knocks Mariners down the standings | SportsDay

Hey are doing their part to become a dynamic duo. The Rangers have won Darvish’s last five stars. They’ve won three of Hamels’ last four.
“You are talking about two ace quality pitchers,” said Jonathan Lucroy, who has caught all nine of those games. “Put it this way: I’m glad I get to catch and them and not face them. I feel sorry for a lineup that has to face them back-to-back.”

Cleveland Indians come home with chance to pump up fans and stop doubts—Terry Pluto | cleveland.com

“It’s agony. It’s awesome.”

That’s how Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona characterized the playoff race.

Corey Seager is living up to high expectations | MLB.com

I look forward to watching him just get better and better.

You have to watch Corey Seager to appreciate him, and not just when he is at bat or playing shortstop for the Dodgers. You have to watch him in the dugout. You have to watch him during batting practice. You have to watch him in the clubhouse, constantly viewing video, seeking input from his teammates.

And then, once you have gotten more than an eyeful, you can understand that all that offseason hype about him being an impact player as a ...

Here’s the secret to why Paul Goldschmidt steals so many bases - CBSSports.com

Check it out.

The assumption to make, then, is that Goldschmidt possesses other qualities that manifest in his base-stealing success. He does. What Goldschmidt lacks in straight-line speed, he atones for with a combination of attributes that are tougher to measure, like his reaction time, his pattern-recognition skills, his opportunism, and his boldness. Let’s look at some examples of what we mean. Here’s Goldschmidt stealing second and third base off Noah Syndergaard:

Tim Tebow to display baseball skills in tryout | MLB.com

I am all for chasing dreams. This one is more than a little far-fetched.

Red Sox roll past Rays behind Betts, Porcello | MLB.com

On MLB Network this morning Todd Hollandsworth was talking about pushback he was getting for the suggestion that Rich Porcello is a Cy Young candidate. He may not be the favorite but he’s in the conversation.

The four contenders in AL’s cutthroat MVP race

Go to Rio for a month and look at what happens. Babe Ruth is resurrected, and he’s hitting right-handed and playing catcher. The Giants, the best team in baseball at the All-Star break, are literally the worst since. Ian Kennedy’s ERA in August can be spelled out in binary code. Baseball does this. Every month is its own little season of the absurd, the impossible, the unrepeatable, the glorious.

Only two things are the same.
a) Clayton Kershaw, on the disabled list for two months, still ...

The Beauty of Baseball’s “RedZone” Channel – The Ringer

I will try Game Changer tonight.

Redzone was exciting but bare-bones, single-minded in its pursuit of high stakes. Earlier this season, Dan Hirsch, proprietor of historical stats and analysis site The Baseball Gauge, built on Brooks’s concept and assembled a more fully featured script, which he recently renamed the “MLB.TV Game Changer.” (Get it?) I tried Game Changer for a few days last week, which was enough to make me a convert, although your mileage may vary depending on the way you ...

OMNICHATTER 8-29-16

Gamingboy belongs on the side of an OMNICHATTER carton.

Hey, ump! Why’d you eject that player or manager?

An article about ejections without an Earl Weaver reference is woefully incomplete.

MLB Network’s Matt Yallof suffered a stroke

This awful news just popped up on my Twitter feed.

MLB Network reporter Matt Yallof suffered a stroke late last month, and friends are asking for donations to aid his recovery process.

According to a donation page on YouCaring.com, the 46-year-old Yallof suffered a stroke in his basement on July 29. He is apparently doing OK after spending seven days in the ICU but will require physical therapy, transportation and other rehabilitative needs that insurance won’t fully cover.

Before Gary Sanchez-mania, the Yankees had Shane Spencer’s gift | Newsday

Who remembers Shane Spencer? How about Kevin Maas?

Dodgers place Triple-A Superstar Yasiel Puig on trade waivers

Will anyone take a chance on The Wild Horse?

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 8-29-2016

Rock Island Argus, August 29, 1916:

The most interesting deal of the 1916 baseball season, or for years for that matter, was swung last night between the Cubs and the New York Giants. The deal involves the transfer of Heinie Zimmerman, the recalcitrant infielder, to the Giants in return for Larry Doyle, Hunter, an infielder, and Jacobson, an outfielder.

Because of the fact that both Doyle and Zimmerman are two of the widest known players in the National League at present, the deal is easily the ...