Ordinarily, a rookie season like the one Jake Cronenworth enjoyed would be enough to guarantee him a regular job. Cronenworth posted a slash line of .285/.354/.477 in 2020, good for an OPS+ of 130, while playing primarily second base for San Diego, along with some fill-in at shortstop, first base and third base. But with […]
Starting pitching tactics in baseball’s postseason, which starts today, often differ from those of the regular season. Because of the off days needed for travel between cities in a playoff series, pitchers typically enjoy more rest. That allows teams to lean on their best pitchers more than they can in the regular season. For instance, […]
A glance at the most likely playoff teams in our MLB prediction model shows a lot of the usual suspects from before the season began. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros were all supposed to make the playoffs, and all have either clinched spots or are overwhelmingly […]
The San Diego Padres had to do something to improve their World Series odds leading into Monday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline. They did a lot. The Padres added nine major leaguers and traded away 14 players, including eight of the top 28 prospects from one of the game’s best farm systems. It all occurred […]
Fernando Tatís Jr.’s grand slam on Monday got the debate going again about baseball’s unwritten rules, but there’s no debating the talent of the San Diego Padres shortstop. The 21-year-old entered play Friday tied for first in the majors in wins above replacement, making the Padres’ deal to acquire him look like one of the […]