At 2:00am (UK time) on Sunday 12 March, GB players will line up at Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona for their first game of the World Baseball Classic 2023. It is hard to imagine a tougher opening fixture for Drew Spencer’s
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Tag: Mike Trout
A month in baseball. MLB Review: May 2022
Indulge me with five minutes of your time, and we will review the month in MLB together. Which team led MLB with 46 homers? Full marks if you said the Milwaukee Brewers, just ahead of the Los Angeles Angels with
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Sometimes, baseball is much more than just a game
As I sit writing this, staring at the gloomy London skyline, worlds apart from the Newport Beach bench I was watching the world go by on last week, I am struck by the magnitude of what my Anaheim trip meant
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Stat kings: Early season stat leaders
With 30ish games in the books (120ish at-bats), we have enough data to give us a leaderboard for various statistical categories. HOME RUNS Aaron Judge is the only player with double-digit homers. The Yankees’ superstar, who becomes a free agent
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The Best player in MLB is not in this photo
This article is not an argument over the MVP awards. I have no problem with Bryce Harper getting the nod ahead of Juan Soto in the NL. And I was definitely on the Shohei Ohtani side of the argument ahead
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Isiah Kiner-Falefa not Dua Lipa is the decade’s singles superstar
Foolishly, I thought Dua Lipa had the most singles since the start of 2020, but I was wrong. It is Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The 2021 season is now about as long as the one in 2020, so we have enough data
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Episode 233 – Appreciating Albert
In an unprecedented development, big baseball news breaks before the pod instead of immediately after it. Ben, Russell and Darius react to the Angels designating Albert Pujols for assignment and take a look back at the highlights of his stellar
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Early season overachievers & underachievers
Early season numbers blah, blah, blah. Small sample size yadda yadda yadda. There have been hot starts – looking at you Tyler Naquin – and there have been cold starts, like Miguel Sanó with three hits in 48 plate appearances.
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Man Crush (The AL version): one from each team
I have always formed somewhat unhealthy fondness for players across different teams: Jimmy Rollins, Matt LaPorta, Gordon Beckham, Cody Decker, Russell Martin. These are my current beaux: Chicago White Sox: Nick Madrigal I’m a sucker for an on-base guy. Madrigal
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Early season MVP candidates
Assuming that the season plays out and that the trophy for Most Valuable Player is awarded, then here is a quick look at that current favourites. Fernando Tatis Jr. The WAR leader has launched eight homers with 15 runs and
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