We explore the best nicknames in baseball history, pitcher injuries, statistical analysis, player interviews and other MLB news and notes from around the FanSided network.
As has often been said, baseball is a great and glorious game. Of course, part of the pageantry of baseball is everything that surrounds the action on the field – the crack of the bat, the stats on the back of the baseball card, the impossibly green grass of a major league outfield, and players named Chipper, Dizzy, Rabbit, Old Hoss and Country Breakfast.
More than 18,000 people have played in the big leagues, so ranking the best nicknames in the history of the sport is a tall order. Nevertheless, John Buhler took a shot this week, and gave us his take on the top 30. Was it Big Papi? Charlie Hustle? Catfish? Knucksie?
Of course, one of the drawbacks in the modern game is the vast number of injuries players face. Several top pitchers have already spent time on the disabled list, with the most noteworthy being Madison Bumgarner, Corey Kluber and Noah Syndergaard. Sarabeth Pollock explored the injuries wreaking havoc across the major leagues, and calls for teams to break out the bubble wrap to keep their aces safe.
Much has been made of Kyle Schwarber’s move to the top of the order for the Cubs. Joshua Sadlock checked in on the experiment to date. Also, take note of the sit down interview Schawrber gave our Mark Carman and Kayle Knierim at the top of the page.
Stats, deep dives, baseball history, and other FanSided MLB news and notes
Batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is a stat increasingly used by fans, writers and announcers in recent years. BABIP was one of the advanced stats I discussed, among many other things, in my weekly column. It’s a useful stat, and can provide clues as to whether or not a pitcher or hitter is lucky or unlucky, but also whether or not a pitcher or hitter has great talent.
At Tomahawk Take, Alan Carpenter gave a set of great guidelines for how and when to refer to BABIP and its strengths and weaknesses while also referencing several Atlanta Braves.
After spending several weeks in Triple-A, Ryan Howard was released by the Atlanta Braves. Though the slugger’s career has likely come to an end, it’s important to not Howard’s role in helping the Phillies win the 2008 World Series, as Chris Valenti explained for That Ball’s Outta Here.
Kirby Puckett was the driving force for two World Championship teams in Minnesota – but which was the best? Jordan Ison named the five best teams in Twins history for Puckett’s Pond.
The Seattle Mariners have arguably searched farther and wider for talent than any franchise in the majors. Dan Clark ranked the top five players in club history from outside the Americas for Sodo Mojo.
What are well-known Royals players from the 1970s doing now? Patrick Brennan explored that question at Kings of Kauffman.
Was it a mistake for the Red Sox to trade Travis Shaw to Milwaukee? Jake Sauberman explores a wide range of factors to answer that question at BoSox Injection.
Speaking of the Red Sox third base situation, Call to the Pen’s Evan Marinofsky makes the case for Boston to trade for Mike Moustakas.
At Rum Bunter, Jim Sutter took a statistics-based look into why Gregory Polanco has been struggling at the plate for the Pirates, and how panicked fans should be about Polanco’s slow start this season.
The Yankees are off to an incredibly hot start thanks in large part to an injection of young talent. At Yanks Go Yard, Cory Claus took a deep dive into several top prospects that will join the party soon.
Elsewhere in the city that never sleeps, Joshua White explored the pros and cons of parting ways with Matt Harvey for Rising Apple.
Quick hits from around the FanSided MLB network
Several of our sites had an opportunity to sit down with current and former players over the past week. At Rox Pile, Kevin Henry spoke with one of the first stars of the Rockies franchise, Dante Bichette. Joseph Jacquez spoke with a potential future member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Brad Keller, at Venom Strikes.
Similarly, District on Deck’s Ricky Keeler had a Q&A with Nationals prospect Carter Kieboom, and the newest member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Neil Ramirez, gave an interview to Matt Graves of Jays Journal.
Teams shuffle players from Triple-A to the majors all the time, but it’s worth noting how such players can impact the roster as a whole. At Wahoo’s on First, Duane Rohrbacher dove into Yandy Diaz’s impact on Cleveland’s first base, outfield and bullpen situations.
Catcher Willson Contreras has been good and bad for the Chicago Cubs this season. At Cubbies Crib, Andrew Colvert examined Contreras’ struggles at the plate and his success behind it.
Tigers fans are fed up with Francisco Rodriguez – and understandably so. As Kristen Bentley wrote for Motor City Bengals, the team works too hard to lose so many late leads.
The Marlins have also suffered bullpen issues, and what appeared to be one of the club’s biggest strengths entering the season has become a weakness, as Phil Kimmel noted for Marlin Maniac.
A strong bullpen has long been a reason why the Orioles often overachieve, and this year is no different. At Call to the Pen, Benjamin Chase explored the long and winding path Brad Brach has taken to his current closer role in Baltimore.
After losing two of three to Seattle, the Rangers have now lost four series in a row. Connelly Bock offered three takeaways from the Mariners series for Nolan Writin’.
Fans are struggling to deal with the hard truth: the Giants are the worst team in baseball, as Jake Mastroianni wrote for Around the Foghorn.
On the other hand, the Washington Nationals have been great this season, but the team is far from perfect. As Ron Juckett explained for Districk on Deck, there is no easy fix for the flaws on display in DC (you can say that again, Ron).
The Astros have also started strong. Cody Poage dove into the numbers to explain Houston’s success at the plate thus far for Climbing Tal’s Hill.
The Cincinnati Reds are off to a hot start this season, and the Cincinnati lineup is the biggest reason. Nick Vorholt of Blog Red Machine predicts a productive summer for the Reds offense as well.
Chris Taylor has been a key member of the Dodgers lineup this season, but as Michael Wittman explained at Dodgers Way, sadly, there’s no longer room for Taylor in Los Angeles. There is room for Cody Bellinger, however, and Anthony Perez thinks the slugging rookie might just have the same influence Yasiel Puig did in his first season with the club.
Rickie Weeks surprisingly won a spot on the Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day roster as a DH and first baseman. Despite poor results at the place, that job is safe – for now – according to David Hill of Rays Colored Glasses.
What will the future look like in Milwaukee? Steven Ohlrogge explored that question position by position for Reviewing the Brew.
It’s the little things in life. Or baseball. According to David Rice of Halo Hangout, the Angels are winning despite injuries because the team has done the little things right.
The feast-or-famine Padres offense is frustrating for fans, as Jonathan Goehring noted for Friars on Base.
Tim Anderson’s defensive struggles have hurt the White Sox this season, according to Etheria Modacure of South Side Showdown.
Finally, the crew at Redbird Rants have launched a new podcast.
Next: MLB Power Rankings: The Yankees are for real
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