Baseball Analysis

Kris Bryant is the best player in the National League who also happens to play for the best team in baseball, which makes the MVP award an easy choice. Read more »

There is a legitimate possibility that Mike Trout will once again come in second and be elected the MVeeP, finishing behind Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve or David Ortiz. Read more »

The Mets are looking like a team that deserves another crack at the postseason this year, even if there was a long stretch there where they didn't. Read more »

Individual teams' records in one-run games are having a profound effect on the playoff races in the AL this season, and it's worth taking a look at, because it’s pretty wild. Read more »

Michael Fulmer, Chris Devenski, Tyler Naquin and Gary Sanchez headline the American League's best rookies. Read more »

Corey Seager has the NL Rookie of the Year award locked up though Trevor Story, Aledmys Diaz, Ryan Schimpf, Steven Matz, Kenta Maeda and Seung-hwan Oh also deserve mention. Read more »

We always knew Billy Hamilton was fast as hell. The question was whether or not he would be able to hit enough to make his defensive and baserunning contributions worthwhile. Read more »

We don't often see players who were as good as Carlos Gomez was as recently as he was getting released in late August by teams that aren't out of the playoff picture yet, even if the player has been struggling mightily, so all this bears a little deep thinking. Read more »

The Rockies are starting to look like they have some young pitchers who can get results in Coors Field. We'll have to wait and see if the move away from breaking-ball-reliant pitchers is something they fully embrace and whether it's a strategy that's going to work in the long run. Read more »

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 »

After making a series of trades and helping usher Alex Rodriguez out the door, Brian Cashman has the Yankees in much better position than they were just two weeks ago. 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 »