John Watson - Baseball Analysis

During the eight seasons of his prime, Prince Fielder was one of the top-10 hitters in the game and played every single day while always being a joy to watch. Read more »

On the moves by the Rangers, Astros, A's, Yankees and Indians at the deadline, headlined by Jonathan Lucroy. Read more »

Matt Moore, Matt Duffy, Matt Kemp, Josh Reddick, Rich Hill, Jay Bruce and Mark Melancon were some of the big names to move at the deadline. Read more »

A swap of a close-to-the-majors pitching prospect for a utility infielder having a banner season is pretty ho-hum stuff in and of itself, but the fact that it's the Giants who made the deal is a bit surprising, considering their biggest needs were rotation and bullpen help. Read more »

The Cubs did get better, but it's certainly not clear that they got that much better to warrant giving up what they did. For this deal to truly work out for the Cubs, the flags will need to actually fly. Read more »

With a few more teams being little more than a sweep of a fellow Wild Card wannabe away from a playoff spot, there's more intrigue in the standings in the AL (eight teams fighting for two spots!!!), even if it means less excitement in the form of bodies on the block before the trade deadline. Read more »

The Astros jumped on an interesting player who was available with no strings attached other than cash money. If it works out, they address the so-called problems of figuring out where to play players or trading them later. Read more »

On the Dodgers' rotation gamble, the Giants' old-school approach, the half-mortal Cubs, Washington's pitchers, Mets' issues, Pirates' cheapness, Cardinals' devil magic and whether the Marlins are for real. Read more »

Baltimore's uptick in OBP means those dingers count for more a lot of the time and it's paying dividends for the Orioles' offense and giving them the runs they need to stay in and win games when their rotation needs help. Read more »

The Giants' bullpen isn't that different from last season, but they have been the weakest part of their team even with all of the injuries to their everyday lineup. Read more »

It was clear the Rangers were getting a great one-year deal on Ian Desmond’s services at $8 million for the year. What wasn't clear at that point whether Desmond would make the switch from shortstop to the outfield successfully or whether his hitting would improve after a rough 2015. Read more »

In a time when pitchers are throwing harder and harder, when teams are always on the lookout for the next Moneyball-style advantage, we'll see more pitchers joining this exclusive club and bringing a little more chaos to the masses. Read more »

The Cubs' rotation has all been pitching better than you would expect based on their raw numbers. The defense is certainly helping the cause and maybe there's some catcher magic going on. Whatever they are doing, if they keep on doing it, this team is going to be scary come October. Read more »

The Pirates are contending because they have a smart front office who makes due with the financial realities that face their team. The way in which the Bucs are contending this year is a bit surprising, at least when compared to their recent templates for success. Read more »

There is a real Ichirenaissance going on in Miami with Ichrio hitting .323/.388/.376 and putting up his best numbers in years with him being even more selective and hitting the ball harder than ever. Read more »

The Mets re-signed Yoenis Cespedes for at least a year, popped off a good looking trade for Neil Walker and signed Asdrubal Cabrera, three moves that have worked out exceptionally well. Read more »

Dexter Fowler hasn't made some huge change to his approach that has turned him from a really good player to a superstar. Rather, he is simply doing everything just a little bit better at the plate and then icing that cake with a heaping helping of good luck, which is unquestionably a recipe for a breakout season from an already solid player. Read more »

Adam Eaton's been very good at the plate, but he has been spectacular on defense since he moved to right field full-time, which has pushed him up into the top tier of valuable players. Read more »

At $6.5 million a pop for 2018 and 2019, if the new Jose Altuve turns out to be for real, he’ll not only be one of the most valuable players in baseball, but also one of the best values. Read more »

The Marlins have been competitive despite Giancarlo Stanton being mortal and that's largely been due to the long awaited emergence of Christian Yelich. Read more »