The Adam Jones situation in Boston, May is here, in-depth analysis of April performances, trade rumors and other MLB news and notes from around the FanSided network.
Baseball is a great game, and baseball fans are some of the most passionate in all of sports, particularly in Boston. Unfortunately, several senseless Red Sox fans made headlines this week for racist taunts directed at Orioles outfielder Adam Jones, which understandably led to national headlines.
Such an incident has no place in baseball, as I touched on earlier hits week. Also, as our Joshua Sadlock pointed out, the situation speaks to a larger issue in MLB.
On a more positive note, Sadlock took a close look at the most surprising player for all 30 MLB teams in the month of April. Similar reviews were a common theme across the FanSided MLB network as the month came to a close, and for good reason.
In-depth MLB content from around the FanSided network
When the month of April came to a close, the Dodgers and Giants, and the rest of the division, were looking up at the Colorado Rockies in the standings. At Rox Pile, Kevin Henry explored five numbers fans need to know about the club’s hot start to the season.
The San Francisco Giants suffered through an ugly April in which the team finished 9-17 and in last place in the NL West. Jake Mastroianni ran down the good, the bad, and the ugly of the first month of the season for Around the Foghorn.
The rival Dodgers weren’t nearly as bad, but Los Angeles didn’t exactly tear it up coming of the gate in April, either. As part of the evaluation process at Dodgers Way, Michael Wittman graded each member of the LA outfield through the first month of the season.
Similarly, Connelly Bock graded each member of the Texas Rangers starting rotation for Nolan Writin’.
There were several disappointing starters across the majors in April. Adam H. McGinnis listed the five most disappointing from a fantasy baseball perspective at Fantasy Baseball Cracker Jacks.
Which Cleveland Indians surprised most in April? Michael Smith staked a claim for five players at Wahoo’s on First.
Who should hit leadoff for the Cubs? Joe Maddon made headlines this spring when he announced slugger Kyle Schwarber would be considered for the job. In 27 games this season, Schwarber has hit first in the lineup 27 times. The Cubs are 15-12 in those games, but Schwarber has hit just .190/.315/.343 – very poor for a top of the order hitter.
Given Schwarber’s struggles, Cubbies Crib’s Jacob R. Misener explored whether Ben Zobrist, Jon Jay or a resurgent Jason Heyward might be a better option for the top spot in the batting order.
It’s never too early to look forward to the trade deadlines, and despite a surprisingly strong start to the season, the Phillies are likely to be sellers in July. With that in mind That Ball’s Outta Here’s George Stockburger explored the 10 players most likely to leave Philadelphia this summer.
The Royals currently lead the trade deadline sellers power rankings, if there were such a thing. With that in mind, the crew at Kings of Kauffman has been breaking down the potential departures, and named veteran lefty Jason Vargas No. 1.
On that note, Stephen Tolbert of Tomahawk Take pointed out five potential buy low targets the Atlanta Braves could acquire.
At FanSided, Brad Berreman named five players the Mets should trade.
Speaking of New York, no one is happier that the Braves ditched Turner Field than Mets fans. John Pefficone took a trip down memory lane for the Mets house of horror for Rising Apple.
Reds lefty Cody Reed has been a curious case in Cincinnati. As Nick Vorholt of Blog Red Machine noted this week, there are several potential outcomes for Reed in Cincinnati.
The MLB Draft is right around the corner, and Benjamin Chase released version 1.1 of his mock draft at Call to the Pen.
AL MVP Miguel Sano? Jordan Ison made five bold predictions for the Minnesota Twins for the next five years at Puckett’s Pond.
Other MLB news and notes
It’s been a rough start to the 2017 season for the Mets. The most recent, possibly worst, bad news is Noah Syndergaard heading to the DL for what will likely be several months. In search of answers, Rising Apple’s Michelle Iannou wondered if the Mets are having just bad luck, or making poor decisions. Michael Lecolant asked whether or not Syndergaard’s off-season regimen was too strong.
One of the most beautiful things about the FanSided network is the ability for fans to dive into every detail of the club. At Motor City Bengals, Kristen Bentley did exactly that after Tigers DH Victor Martinez laid down a bunt for a base hit this week.
Led by the slugging rookie Aaron Judge, many things are going right for the Yankees in the early going this season, However, the attendance at Yankee Stadium isn’t one of them. Yanks Go Yard’s Steve Contursi points to the front office’s small vision as the reason behind the small crowds.
Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton has a reputation as a Pirates killer. Rum Bunter’s Jim Sutter dove into the numbers to determine whether or not Hamilton is worthy of that reputation.
The Arizona Diamondbacks travelled to Washington to face the Nationals this week in a matchup of the top two scoring offenses in Major League Baseball, as well as two first place teams. To prepare for the excitement of the situation, Joseph Jacquez of Venom Strikes sat down for a Q&A session with District on Deck’s Ron Juckett.
On the other side, Washington starter had a weird outing against the D-Backs, which Ricky Keeler analyzed for District on Deck.
The Red Sox have missed David Ortiz in the middle of the lineup this season, but as Sean Penney noted for BoSox Injection, Hanley Ramirez is in the midst of a power surge at the plate.
Dexter Fowler is heating up for the Cardinals, as Dr. Michael D. Miles noted for Redbird Rants.
On the other hand, Carlos Gonzalez is ice cold. At Rox Pile, Kevin Henry discussed what the Rockies need to do with CarGo.
Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar is off to a strong start at the plate this season. However, as Chris Henderson pointed out for Jays Journal, Pillar’s defensive skills made him a valuable player in terms of WAR even when he wasn’t hitting.
Astros utility man Marwin Gonzalez is the definition of a team player, as Eric Huysman wrote for Climbing Tal’s Hill.
What’s up with Jonathan Villar? Matthew Dewoskin dove into exactly that question for Reviewing the Brew.
At Halo Hangout, Vincent Page made the case to remove Yunel Escobar from the leadoff spot in the Angels lineup.
Could the impending Marlins sale be a good thing for the Tampa Bay Rays? David Hill made the case at Rays Colored Glasses.
The Marlins and Rays met in both Miami and St. Petersburg this week, and Marlin Maniac‘s Sean Millerick explored three stories to watch in the underrated interleague matchup.
Count the Mariners among MLB’s most disappointing teams so far in 2017. Could Seattle’s slow start signal a fire sale? William Stone explored that topic at Sodo Mojo.
Fans all across baseball were saddened when Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully retired in 2016 following a 67-year career. However, as Anthony Perez wrote for Dodgers Way, the new guy – 29-year old Joe Davis – is off to a great start following the legendary Scully in the booth.
Interestingly, the Padres have three Rule 5 draft picks on their roster this season. At Friars on Base, Diane Calkins took a look at each draftee’s April performance.
Brian Draus has done some sabermetric work for South Side Showdown over the past several months. The latest is a pitching metric he named Magnum Start Value, or MSV.
There are more than 30 baseball-specific sites across the FanSided network. Our Oakland A’s blog White Cleat Beat, as well as Birds Watcher, which covers the Baltimore Orioles, is in need of a site expert. If you’re up to the task of running a site, or are interested in joining the team throughout the rest of the network, apply now.