Kyle Lewis Stands Out On Day 1

Seattle Mariners outfielder and reigning American League Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis stole the show on the first day of full-squad workouts at spring training on Tuesday. Lewis hit 17 home runs over 76 games with an .824 OPS and 128 OPS+ in the last two seasons, and he homered to the opposite field […]

Jack Flaherty's 2020 Struggles Not Entirely His Fault

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, who won his salary arbitration case last week against the team, was the unfortunate victim of bad timing in 2020. The right-hander made just one start before the team's COVID-19 outbreak, and his next turn in the rotation came 26 days after his Opening Day start. Flaherty was […]

Aaron Judge Plans To Play Smarter To Avoid Injuries

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge said he plans to play smarter in 2021 in order to stay on the field. The right-handed slugger hit nine home runs in 16 games to start last season, but he only played in 28 total games due to a right calf strain, and he's played in 242 of […]

Mike Trout's Numbers Defy The Odds

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is really good at baseball. Nobody can really dispute that, but a deeper dive into his numbers shows just how good he really is at hitting baseballs. Over his last 299 big-league games, he has a .299 batting average, a .440 on-base percentage over his last 440 plate appearances, […]

Alex Smith Wasn't A Part Of Washington's Plans

Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith, who won Comeback Player of the Year in 2020 after returning from a gruesome leg injury two years prior, said that very few people in the organization "actually thought I could do this." "When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team's plan. They […]

Matt Chapman Has No Restrictions This Spring

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (hip), who was limited to just 37 games last year due to a right hip issue that required surgery, slimmed down in the offseason after rehabbing and said that he has "no restrictions coming into spring training." The lingering hip injury required heavy daily maintenance in order to loosen […]

Texans Releasing Senio Kelemete

The Houston Texans are releasing versatile veteran offensive lineman Senio Kelemete on Tuesday, according to the league's transaction wire. The move will create around $1.5 million in salary cap space. The 30-year-old has started 42 games in his career. The Texans also released linebacker Peter Kalambayi on Tuesday. Kelemete, a fifth-round pick by the Arizona […]

Travis Snider Agrees With Braves

The Atlanta Braves agreed to a $600,000 minor league deal with free-agent outfielder Travis Snider on Tuesday. Snider hasn't resurfaced in the big leagues since 2015, when he hit .232/.313/.350 with four home runs and 28 RBI in 265 plate appearances over 87 games with the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates. The left-handed hitter spent […]

Jose Abreu Delayed At Camp

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu's arrival to camp will be delayed due to additional COVID-19 antibody testing, but he's expected to be at spring training on Wednesday. Abreu won the 2020 American League MVP by posting career-highs in nearly every offensive category. But he's entering his age-34 season in 2021, and fantasy managers […]

Kevin Plawecki Expected To Arrive Shortly

Boston Red Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki, who was placed on the COVID-19 list at the start of camp, is expected to arrive to spring training within the next day or two, according to manager Alex Cora. Plawecki hit .341/.393/.463 with 17 RBI in 24 games in his first season with the Red Sox. But the […]

Nick Yorke A Non-Roster Invite To Camp

Boston Red Sox second baseman Nick Yorke, an 18-year-old that was the 17th overall pick last June out of high school, is in big-league spring training camp as a non-roster invite. Manager Alex Cora said that Yorke is in a better place physically and has lost some weight since last season. Yorke was a surprise […]

Nick Pivetta Impressing In Bid For Rotation Spot

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta, who is fighting for a rotation spot this spring, has impressed the team's coaching staff early in camp. The Red Sox acquired Pivetta from the Phillies last August in exchange for relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree. "He proved it last year in a small sample size. I […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Throws Live Batting Practice

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (heart) threw live batting practice on Tuesday for the first time in spring training after missing all of the 2020 season due to inflammation of his heart. Manager Alex Cora said that Rodriguez "looks good" and that the ball was coming out of his hand effortlessly like before. […]

Injuries Continue To Hamper Tommy Pham

San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham was limited to just 31 games in the shortened 2020 season due to a left hamate fracture in his hand. The career .277/.373/.472 (126 OPS+) hitter batted just .211/.312/.312 (74 OPS+) when on the field in his first season with the Padres. But Pham walked and struck out as […]

Injury To Blame For Eugenio Suarez's Down Season?

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez had surgery in January of last year after a freak right shoulder injury, and it could've been largely responsible for his down 2020 season. He hit .118/.268/.235 with just four extra-base hits in his first 20 games. Suarez slashed a more respectable .246/.336/.592 with 19 extra-base hits and 13 […]

Forty-Plus Homers In Reach For Cody Bellinger

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger won the National League MVP in 2019 when he hit .305 with 47 home runs and a 1.035 OPS, but his OPS fell by 246 points last year. While he may never be able to replicate that special 2019 season, there are reasons for optimism. Bellinger hit .284 with […]

Nolan Arenado Could Have Excellent First Season In St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado's disappointing 2020 season ended early due to a shoulder injury, but he still won his eighth straight Gold Glove Award and is joining a postseason contender. Arenado has never won an MVP, but he's finished in the top 10 in National League MVP voting five times, including three […]

Christian Yelich Should Bounce Back

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich's 34.6 percent swing rate last season was the second-lowest among qualified hitters in 2020. He had a 45.2 percent swing rate when he had his second straight MVP-caliber season, and the 10.6 percentage-point decrease was the largest among all hitters that qualified in 2019 and 2020. On the bright side, […]

Max Scherzer Progressing From Ankle Sprain

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (ankle), who sprained his left ankle during conditioning drills two weeks before spring training, is progressing and threw from 60 feet on Sunday. "He felt better -- he said he's about 80 to 85 percent," manager Dave Martinez said on Monday. The Nats are taking it day-to-day with their […]

Joey Gallo Still Has Elite Power

Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo didn't mash the ball like we're used to seeing in 2020 -- his .378 slugging percentage was the lowest mark in any season where he's played at least 20 games -- but his expected slugging percentage was at .413, ranking in the 49th percentile. He also had an average home […]

J.D. Martinez's 2020 Season An Aberration?

Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez had an uncharacteristic .389 slugging percentage in 2020 after posting a .619 mark from 2017-19. He hit 79 home runs in his first two years in Boston but only produced seven round-trippers in last year's shortened season. Martinez's hard-hit rate was down last year, but his 11.0 percent […]

Gleyber Torres Still Has A Bright Future

New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres hit 38 home runs in 144 games in 2019, but he finished last season with just three long balls in 42 games and his barrel rate dropped 6.4 percentage points, the sixth-largest drop in baseball. His hard-hit rate increased from 36.5 percent to 38.0 percent, but almost half of […]

Matt Olson Could Rebound In 2021

Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson hit 14 home runs while playing in all 60 games in 2020, but his wOBA fell to .311 while his batting average sat at .195. Olson struck out a career-high 31.4 percent of the time last year, compared to a career rate closer to 25.0 percent in his first […]

Isaiah Wilson Says He's Done With Titans

Tennessee Titans right tackle Isaiah Wilson, the team's first-round draft pick (29th overall) last year, was put on notice by general manager Jon Robinson last week after he failed to live up to expectations in his rookie season. Wilson wrote on Twitter on Monday night that he is "done with football as a Titan" before […]

Kenyan Drake Open To Anything In Free Agency

Arizona Cardinals impending free-agent running back Kenyan Drake, who is coming off his best season (955 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns), is open to anything as he approaches free agency next month. "There are gonna be several different circumstances that I guess I'll come together with my team to kind of deliberate with exactly who […]

Kawann Short Drawing Interest On Open Market

Free-agent defensive tackle Kawann Short said that he's receiving interest after he was released by the Carolina Panthers last week. "We had a few teams reach out, but none set in stone," Short said. "We're really trying to narrow it down to see what's the best fit for me, the best fit for my family." […]

Shin-Soo Choo To Play In KBO In 2021

Free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is expected to join the SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization in 2021, according to Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV. The 38-year-old left-handed hitter spent the last seven years with the Texas Rangers, and he hit .236/.323/.400 over 33 games in the shortened 2020 season. Choo was an All-Star in […]

Anibal Sanchez Not Rushing To Sign

Free-agent starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez turned down multiple MLB offers after he impressed during his showcase, and he plans to wait and see how the league's COVID-19 protocols go during spring training and hope that a contender calls while he's waiting. If things are under control with the virus, Sanchez will pitch in 2021. The […]

Carlos Correa Open To Long-Term Extension

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa said he's open to a long-term contract extension if it's completed before Opening Day. Correa avoided salary arbitration by signing a one-year, $11.7 million deal, but he can become a free agent after the 2021 season. He's spent his whole career with Houston after he was the first overall pick […]

Diamondbacks Finalize Deal With Asdrubal Cabrera

The Arizona Diamondbacks confirmed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with infielder Asdrubal Cabrera on Monday. The 35-year-old was in spring camp on Monday when the team went through their first full-squad workout. Cabrera made $925,926 in prorated pay from a $2.5 million salary last season in 52 games for the Washington Nationals during the shortened […]