Site Outage Postponed

I have way too many things that still need to be accomplished before migrating the server. I’m going to keep plugging and will update when I’m ready to move the site.

UPDATE: Sorry, I have to push back the update until next Monday. Home was far too busy this past week. Things get back to normal tomorrow. Hopefully the extra time will help shorten the outage.

BBTF.org will be offline starting Tuesday, August 8th at 9 AM EDT for a much-needed server migration and backend updates. The ETA to be back online is TBD. I will provide updates on Twitter. 

Thanks for your patience.

Hall of Fame 3B, Orioles legend Brooks Robinson dies at 86

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, whose deft glovework and folksy manner made him one of the most beloved and accomplished athletes in Baltimore history, has died. He was 86….

Coming of age before the free agent era, Robinson spent his entire 23-year career with the Orioles. He almost single-handedly helped Baltimore defeat Cincinnati in the 1970 World Series and homered in Game 1 of the Orioles’ 1966 sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers for their first crown.

Robinson participated in 18 All-Star Games and earned the 1964 AL Most Valuable Player award after batting .318 with 28 home runs and a league-leading 118 RBIs. He finished his career with 268 homers, 1,357 RBIs and a respectable .267 batting average in 2,896 career games.

...

Josh Hader discusses reluctance to pitch four outs

Asked for his thinking behind not making himself available for four outs on Monday, or really, at any point down the stretch, Hader said: “It’s the situation that we were at.”

That comment required some clarification and context. Earlier in the season, after the Padres had lost games in which Hader was unavailable, both Hader and manager Bob Melvin indicated that those decisions were made with the big-picture view in mind. They needed a healthy Hader for the stretch run.

And yet, in the season’s final week, in a spot that called for his dominant left arm, Hader wasn’t used. So why not now? What happened to that plan?

“Are we in the playoff race?” Hader asked, rhetorically.

Hader is a pending free agent, set to be the ...

How to Save an Aging Ballpark

Led by the architecture firm Populous, the first phase of this $300 million CAD ($222 million USD) facelift debuted this season. The team trimmed capacity by 7% by removing about 8,000 seats, reconfigured the dimensions of the field, and added a host of gathering spaces to the 34-year-old facility.

“We’re in the business of competing for people’s time and money, and we’re competing with a broadcast experience that’s vastly different and better than when Rogers Centre was built,” says Blue Jays Executive Vice President Anuk Karunaratne. “We have to create reasons for people to want to come down here, and in doing so we need to create an experience that is reflective of what people expect when they go out in the city.”

The ...

Joey Votto and the city of Cincinnati say ‘Thank you’ in a potential goodbye

As Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto tipped his cap, spun around and acknowledged the crowd on Sunday, he thought about how many familiar faces there were at Great American Ball Park.

Votto guessed that he had met the majority of the 31,191. Over his 17-year big league career, Votto has signed a lot of autographs. He has taken a lot of photos, met a lot of Reds fans around the city and thrown thousands of foul balls into the stands.

“I know so many people in the crowd,” Votto said. “I’m in this community in lots of different ways.”

Sunday’s 4-2 Reds win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the regular season home finale wasn’t a planned celebration for Votto. But since it might have been his final home game in ...

Rays unveil statues honoring 2 iconic moments in club history

The Rays took another opportunity to recognize their 25th anniversary season on Saturday afternoon, unveiling a pair of commemorative statues honoring two of the most famous moments in franchise history.

One statue depicts Evan Longoria celebrating his iconic walk-off home run in the 12th inning of Game 162 of the 2011 season, the solo shot down the left-field line that sent the Rays to the postseason. The other is of Akinori Iwamura stepping on second base, arms raised, before leaping in the air after recording the final out of the 2008 American League Championship Series that secured Tampa Bay’s first trip to the World Series.

Charlie Culberson is now a relief pitcher (yes, really)

Long-time position player Charlie Culberson is attempting to transition to pitching. In an interview with Dave Lezotte, the play-by-play voice of the Gwinnett Stripers, prior to yesterday’s game, Culberson announced that he is working to transition to a pitcher.

Culberson told Lezotte that he’d like to be a two-way player but is trying to do as much as he can to extend his career. The transition - which he is working on with the Braves organization - started in April but was interrupted by two call-ups to the major league roster.

He has been working on pitching full-time since returning to the Stripers in August…

During his career, he has played in parts of four season with Atlanta: 2018-2020 and 2023. He’s slashed .248/.294/.386 ...

Baseball America: Jackson Holliday Wins 2023 Minor League Player of the Year Award

For a second consecutive season, a Baltimore Orioles player is Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year.

Shortstop Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is the 2023 Minor League Player of the Year. He follows in the footsteps of O’s shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Baseball America’s 2022 MiLB Player of the Year.

Holliday, 19, becomes the third Orioles player all time to win Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. Catcher Matt Wieters was the MiLB Player of the Year in 2008.

Holliday is the son of long-time MLB outfielder Matt Holliday. He currently ranks No. 1 on Baseball America Top 100 Prospects rankings.

Holliday also becomes the fourth player to win both Baseball America’s High School ...

Betts sets ‘remarkable’ record with 105 RBIs as a leadoff hitter

Mookie Betts hit a two-run double in the eighth inning on Saturday night, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder 105 RBIs, the most ever by a leadoff hitter.

During a 7-0 victory over the rival San Francisco Giants, Betts doubled to center off San Francisco’s Ross Stripling, scoring Austin Barnes and David Peralta and extending the Dodgers’ lead to seven runs. Betts doubled in the seventh too and walked twice for the National League West champions.

Entering the game, Betts had been tied with Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies at 103 RBIs.

OT - NBA Off-Pre-Early Thread for the end of 2023

I estimate only 10-12 Primates care about the NBA, and hopefully some of them have regard for human life. Boom shakalaka.

Is It Time to Stop Using Scripts on Sports Uniforms?

By my count, 19 of MLB’s 30 teams currently have a script logo on at least one — and in most cases more than one — of their non-CC jerseys: the A’s, Brewers, Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants, Guardians, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Orioles, Phillies, Pirates, Rangers, Reds, Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, and Atlanta.

That’s a lot of script jerseys! Obviously, scripts also appear occasionally in hockey, football, and basketball, but they’re most prevalent in baseball. And baseball is the sport widely perceived to be facing the steepest marketing challenges with younger fans — the ones who are no longer being taught cursive writing..

Personally, I like most of MLB’s jersey scripts and am in no hurry to see them change. But this ...

Ex-Nats reliever Sean Doolittle exits after ‘11 incredible seasons’

Sean Doolittle, a two-time All-Star reliever who helped the Washington Nationals to a World Series title, has announced his retirement.

Doolittle revealed his decision in a social media post Friday, writing that he had a “full heart” as he said farewell “after 11 incredible seasons playing the sport I love.”

He said he felt very welcome in Washington, where he first pitched from 2017 to 2020, earned his second All-Star honor in 2018 and recorded a save in Game 1 of the 2019 World Series as the franchise won its first and only championship.

“The 2019 World Series title will always be the highlight of my career because we were able to share it with you,” Doolittle wrote, addressing Nationals fans. “I don’t have the words to tell you how ...

Here are the 2023 Arizona Fall League rosters

Ten of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects are headed to this year’s showcase circuit, with the Guardians and Tigers leading the way with two apiece:

17. Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox (Glendale)
19. Carson Williams, SS, Rays (Peoria)
31. Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Blue Jays (Surprise)
39. Harry Ford, C, Mariners (Peoria)
54. Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers (Salt River)
58. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians (Peoria)
67. Jace Jung, 2B, Tigers (Salt River)
71. Kevin Alcántara, OF, Cubs (Mesa)
85. Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians (Peoria)
89. Kevin Parada, C, Mets (Glendale)

Qualifying Offer Value To Land Around $20.5MM

The qualifying offer for the upcoming offseason will be in the $20.5MM range, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The specific number may not be known until shortly after the conclusion of the regular season.

It’ll be the highest QO value in league history. The offer price is calculated by averaging the salaries of the 125 highest-paid players in the majors. That figure generally increases year over year as overall spending rises….

Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray and Josh Hader are among the players who are near locks to receive and reject the QO this winter. Jordan Montgomery and Lucas Giolito were taken out of QO consideration by midseason trades, while Eduardo Rodriguez and ...

Jeff Greenberg named Tigers general manager

The Detroit Tigers have named innovative and experienced executive Jeff Greenberg as the club’s General Manager. Greenberg, 37, will report to President of Baseball Operations, Scott Harris, and joins the Tigers after spending the last 16 months as an Associate General Manager with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Greenberg will be the 20th General Manager in the 123-year history of the club, dating back to 1901.

Prior to joining the Blackhawks, Greenberg spent 11 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, including his final three seasons as an Assistant General Manager. He also held roles as Director of Pro Scouting and Baseball Operations, Director of Baseball Operations and Assistant to the General Manager. While with the Cubs, Greenberg played a key ...

Left-handed hitters describe the craft of hitting lefty pitching

Last year, only 53 left-handed major-league batters faced southpaw pitchers at least 100 times, tied for the lowest number of players since at least 2002. This year, there are only 45 left-handed hitters with 100 or more plate appearances against left-handers through play Tuesday. That cohort is set to decline in numbers for a fourth straight full season. There were 67 in 2013.

More and more, data drives lineup decisions and takes many left-handed hitters out of the lineups against southpaws. Right-handed batters face right-handed pitchers in the majority of their plate appearances because, of course, they are of the dominant handedness, but teams generally try to limit left-on-left exposure. On the surface, there is a good reason for ...

Yankees’ status quo under Brian Cashman resulted in ‘disaster’ season, and a fresh perspective is needed

Numerous missteps have led the Yankees to where they are today and GM Brian Cashman, who has been at the helm since 1998, is under more heat now than at any other point in his tenure. We know this because, on July 9, the Yankees fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson. It was the first time they fired a coach during the season since 1995. It was a clear act of desperation.

“It has been well documented that I have been reluctant in the past to make changes to our coaching staff in the middle of a season,” Cashman said in a statement after Lawson was let go. “I am a big believer that successes and failures are collective efforts. However, I ultimately felt that a change was needed and that a new voice overseeing our hitting operations would give ...

Carroll makes more history: 1st rookie to have 25-HR, 50-SB season

Can we just go ahead and give Corbin Carroll the National League Rookie of the Year Award already?

The D-backs outfielder continues to pile up impressive accomplishments. In Arizona’s 7-1 win over the Giants on Wednesday at Chase Field—which gave the D-backs the season-series win over San Francisco—he stole his 49th and 50th bases of the season and belted his 25th home run.

With those steals and the homer, Carroll became the first rookie in MLB history to compile 25 or more home runs and 50-plus stolen bases.

The Athletic: How the $445 million Mets crashed and burned

As Tommy Pham, the perpetually intense veteran outfielder, bluntly put it in a recent interview, “We had a terrible f—ing June.”

Often after games or during meals on the road, players discussed how they could turn things around.

After a devastating sweep in Atlanta, Pham, infielder Eduardo Escobar, catcher Francisco Alvarez and star shortstop Francisco Lindor talked about small things that the Mets needed to improve in between bites of food at a Brazilian steakhouse, Fogo de Chão, in Pittsburgh. Pham, 35, has played on seven teams, and organizations know when negotiating with him that he brings an edge, strong work ethic and little tolerance for lackadaisical effort.

For weeks ahead of the dinner, Lindor had held himself ...

Oakland vs. the A’s: The inside story of how it all went south (to Las Vegas)

Thao was stunned. Since taking office in January, she and her staff had picked up where previous mayor Libby Schaaf left off, negotiating with A’s owner John Fisher to facilitate a massive, city-altering $12 billion project for a ballpark village on 55 acres along the waterfront at Howard Terminal. The work to keep the A’s had been a long haul, spanning several mayoral administrations and three A’s ownership groups, but Thao believed they were $101 million away from procuring the required amount of public funding for the infrastructure outside the ballpark. It was a paltry sum for such a vast project, and Oakland had just been assured of another $65 million in federal grants that would have brought the difference down to $36 million. Thao ...

The ragtag team that saved Darryl Strawberry’s career

Back in 1996, Strawberry was in a different place. He was a slumping star with drug, alcohol, legal and tax issues on his resumé—a player no affiliated team would touch. The Saints, who were then an independent bunch known more for their marketing mischief than their developmental pedigree, were Strawberry’s last chance.

He was hesitant to take it.

“I didn’t really want to come to play,” Strawberry says. “I thought I was completely done with baseball.”

The story of how Strawberry lifted up the Saints and himself for a few amazing weeks in the summer of ’96—and the unlikely friends he made along the way—is one of the many poignant moments in “The Saint of Second Chances,” a new documentary about former Saints co-owner ...

Republicans propose $614M in public funds for Brewers’ stadium upgrades

Republican legislators announced a bill Monday that would devote more than $614 million in public funding to repair and renovate the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium—far more than taxpayers spent to build it more than two decades ago.

Under the proposal, the state would give the team $60.8 million next fiscal year and up to $20 million each year after that through 2045-46. The city of Milwaukee would contribute a total of $202 million, and Milwaukee County would kick in $135 million by 2050.

The team would contribute about $100 million and extend its lease at American Family Field through 2050, keeping Major League Baseball in its smallest market for another 27 years.

Reports commissioned by the Brewers and another by a state consultant found ...

200 WINS! Adam Wainwright caps career with long-awaited milestone

Welcome to the 200-win club, Adam Wainwright! In one of the last scheduled starts of his decorated MLB career, Wainwright reaches a long-awaited milestone.

Wainwright and the Cardinals defeated the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 for Waino’s 200th career win. Wainwright allowed four hits and struck out three in seven innings.

With the victory, Wainwright becomes just the third pitcher in history to win at least 200 games with the St. Louis Cardinals and just the sixth active hurler to reach 200 victories.

Can Freddie Freeman Re-Open the 3,000 Hit Club?

What makes the nadir of the 3,000 Hit Club so jarring to a baseball fan is the newness of this phenomenon. The explosion of offense in the 1990s wasn’t just homers, but batting average as well. Even going back 10 years, there were always a lot of players with career hit totals somewhere north of 2,000.

In 2023, that number is seven, and that’s only because there were four new members this year: Freeman, Jose Altuve, Elvis Andrus, and Andrew McCutchen. (I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that Evan Longoria won’t get 72 hits over the next two weeks.) Contrast that with 2004, which featured 27 active players with 2,000 career hits.

That brings us back to Freeman. While he was always good at hitting for average throughout his ...

MLB playoffs 2023: Orioles clinch postseason berth

AFTER THE ORIOLES improved from 52-110 in 2021 to 83-79 last season—the ninth-biggest year-to-year improvement in MLB history—Baltimore fans expected, or at least hoped, that Elias would address the rotation. The Orioles had ranked 23rd in the majors in ERA, 26th in strikeout rate and 25th in FanGraphs WAR—not exactly a playoff-caliber rotation. The big moves were anticlimactic: The team signed veteran innings eater Kyle Gibson to a one-year, $10 million contract and acquired Cole Irvin from the A’s. Thus, the less-than-stellar projections.

There are three ways to view the offseason:

(1) Elias saw the 2022 season as a bit of a fluke, viewed regression as likely and didn’t want to commit big money in free agency just yet, not until it was ...

Rays to announce St. Petersburg stadium deal this week

Here’s what we know:

After 16 years of speculation, dating back to the change from Devil Rays to Rays, the team is staying in St. Petersburg, FL.
The stadium plan remains what was reported earlier: a fixed roof stadium seating 30,000 and anchoring a larger overall development in the Historic Gas Plant District, which is where the current stadium is located today.

The new stadium would open for the 2028 season, but the overall development may not be complete until a decade later. You can view the Rays stadium redevelopment proposal here.

Last week, Topkin also reported the Rays would be willing to take on around $600 million to fund a new stadium, with rumors floating that Stu Sternberg was interested in selling a stake in the team for ...

How the knee-down revolution changed catching - without downgrading defense

Swanson initially thought that having a knee down might affect how umpires perceived pitches: Since umpires typically position themselves between the batter and the catcher’s inside shoulder, Swanson experimented with dropping the right knee for a left-handed batter and the left knee for a right-handed batter.

“I thought there was a chance umpires were using the catcher’s body, specifically their knees, to gauge the height of pitches,” he said. “I thought if we remove the knee from their visual field, maybe they’ll lose perception. … I was never able to validate the hypothesis.”

However, he found there were other benefits to catchers being closer to the ground: The best framers got most of their borderline strike calls in the lower ...

Knuckleballer does something not seen in MLB since 2018

It’s 2023, and the knuckleball still plays in the big leagues.

Matt Waldron and the Padres beat the A’s, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. It was a fairly straightforward victory—one team trying desperately to stave off elimination from playoff contention, over another team long since eliminated.

Still, this wasn’t just any Padres victory. This was Waldron’s victory—the first in the career of the 26-year-old right-hander. And it had been a while since the last time a knuckleballer earned a win in a big league ballgame. Nearly five years, to be exact.

Waldron pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, using his knuckleball-heavy mix to induce plenty of weak contact. In the process, he became the first pitcher to use ...

Shohei Ohtani done for season, cleans out locker before Angels announce IL move

With nothing left for him this season beyond medical procedures, Shohei Ohtani has cleared out his locker with the Los Angeles Angels. Potentially for the final time.

The two-way superstar, who tore the UCL in his pitching arm last month, missed his 11th straight game Friday and it became clear after the game that he would miss more, as his locker was cleared out once reporters entered the clubhouse for postgame interviews.

Some of his things were even in the trash, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The next morning, the team announced that Ohtani is on the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury and will miss the rest of the season. General manager Perry Minasian finally elaborated on the story Saturday afternoon, telling ...

Giants’ all-Alou outfield made history 60 years ago. It almost didn’t happen

Easily, however, we wouldn’t be in position today to celebrate that historic feat. Easily, we could have been deprived of knowing about the Alou family royalty. Easily, none of the brothers could have played a single inning in the majors.

“It almost didn’t happen, the three brothers playing together,” Felipe Alou, 88, told the Chronicle this week. “I really wanted to go back home, back to the university that I was attending. I had a ticket back to the Dominican. If I went home that day in 1956, I wasn’t going to return.”

Alou seriously considered quitting baseball in his first professional season in the New York Giants’ farm system because of extreme racism surrounding his first farm team in Lake Charles, La., where he ...