COMMENTARY | The importance of defense in baseball might be illustrated by considering, in simple terms, the requirements for scoring a run: The batting team must cover four bases, in sequence, before making three outs. More »Dreary Defense Dooms Los Angeles Angels
COMMENTARY | For some major leaguers, a .262 batting average, two home runs, and eight RBIs are considered normal levels of production during a 14-game stretch. Detroit Tigers superstar Miguel Cabrera isn't like most of his colleagues, but so far, those are the numbers he's produced in June. More »Who Holds the Key to Breaking Miguel Cabrera's Slump?
COMMENTARY | The Boston Red Sox's starting rotation has performed above average thus far in 2013. It is markedly improved from just one year ago, but it could also be better. Replacing one of the starters is more than possible, and the risk of such a move is more than manageable. Who might that be? The answer to that question follows the consideration of a fairly recent development. More »Should the Boston Red Sox Explore Making a Change to Their Starting Rotation?
COMMENTARY | Ten former All-Stars have taken the field for the Washington Nationals this year, and a number of them have disappointed. More »Season-Long Implosion of Dan Haren Continues
COMMENTARY | Let's be honest, with the fans in charge of voting in the starters for the All-Star Game, no Chicago Cubs are going to get within shouting distance here in 2013. And -- more honesty -- no Cubs player deserves the honor anyway. When a team is 28-39 (as of June 17), it's no surprise when that team doesn't have too many All-Star-caliber players running around the diamond. More »The Top Three Chicago Cubs Who Could Be All-Stars in 2013
COMMENTARY | Let's not get too excited here. We're all aware of the late-season collapses the past two years, how the bottom fell out so fast and so hard that it left fans with a disgusting, bitter taste for the entire offseason. There are plenty of fans today who simply can't or won't root for the Pirates early in the season, given their propensity to break hearts at a moment's notice, regardless of how many games above .500 they are. More »The Pittsburgh Pirates Are Halfway to Their First Winning Season in 20 Years
COMMENTARY | Despite a dramatic victory on June 16th off the bat of Kirk Nieuwenhuis, the New York Mets' offense is awful. They rank among one of the worst in baseball. Top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler is set to make his major league debut June 18th against the Atlanta Braves, but he won't help the position players hit. Matt Harvey's season is proof of that. To give the offense a jolt, they should promote Wilmer Flores right now and insert him into the lineup at second base. More »New York Mets Should Promote Wilmer Flores
COMMENTARY | For six weeks last season, Trevor Plouffe put on an offensive show that was one of the few highlights of the 2012 season outside of Josh Willingham. Since then, he's been trying to live up to that explosion and his quieter contributions in 2013 have been undervalued. More »Minnesota Twins: Trevor Plouffe’s Value Emphasized with Time on DL
COMMENTARY | Talk about coming out of nowhere. More »Surprising Corey Kluber Coming on Strong for the Cleveland Indians
COMMENTARY | If your boss decides to give you a raise, is it your responsibility to inform him that Sally from Accounting may actually deserve it more? The Atlanta Braves' left fielder, Justin Upton, now finds himself in a similar predicament as he is clinging to one of the three National League starting outfield spots for this summer's All-Star Game. More »Atlanta Braves: Does Justin Upton Really Deserve His All-Star Selection?
COMMENTARY | The Milwaukee Brewers knew they were rolling the dice when they decided to enter the season with Wily Peralta and Mike Fiers in their starting rotation. More »Milwaukee Brewers: Why Wily Peralta Needs to Be Removed from the Starting Rotation
COMMENTARY| The lineup that the Cincinnati Reds were planning to use at the outset of this season had second baseman Brandon Phillips slotted in the two-hole, where his ability to make contact and advance runners would help the Reds feast on scoring opportunities for the meat of the order. That plan changed in a hurry after Reds' cleanup hitter Ryan Ludwick sustained a shoulder injury on opening day that still has him out of action. More »What Brandon Phillips Must Do to Make His Hot Start Last All Year for the Cincinnati Reds
COMMENTARY | Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Don Mattingly said on June 16 that not only would phenom Yasiel Puig remain with the team when the outfield is fully healthy, but also that there would be enough at-bats for all four outfielders. More »Los Angeles Dodgers Intend to Keep Yasiel Puig in Majors, Which is Bad News for Andre Ethier
COMMENTARY | The St. Louis Cardinals own baseball's best record and look to be the most well-rounded team in all of MLB. There are several reasons why the team is the best in baseball. More »3 St. Louis Cardinals Players Unlikely to Continue Torrid Start to Season
COMMENTARY | One year ago, P.J. Walters made his debut with the Minnesota Twins. Nobody knew about the right-hander except for a pair of brief stints with the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals, but with the starting rotation struggling it was time to give the journeyman a chance. More »What P.J. Walters Needs to Do to Continue His Hot Start for the Minnesota Twins
COMMENTARY | Gordon Beckham has returned from the disabled list. but the Chicago White Sox's on-field results look frighteningly familiar. It seems that those who looked forward to Beckham's return as a potential spark plug for the season were just caught up in the kind of news that characterizes a bad season. More »Gordon Beckham is No Savior for Chicago White Sox
COMMENTARY | Before deciding on Michael Pineda's future with the New York Yankees, the team plans on seeing how the big right-hander does in about six starts. However, it's pretty clear that when Pineda is ready to join the Yankees, the club needs to part ways with Phil Hughes (3-5, 4.89 ERA in 13 starts). More »When Michael Pineda Arrives for the New York Yankees Next Month, Phil Hughes Should Go
It's that magical time of year when Major League Soccer clubs such as the New York Red Bulls schedule summer friendlies against well-known European opponents who are in preseason mode. I can't help but wonder if those within the front office of that particular MLS outfit didn't check a calendar before agreeing to play against a Ligue 1 team in July. More »NY Red Bulls Schedule Friendly Against Lyon on Same Night as USMNT Gold Cup Match and MLB All-Star Game
COMMENTARY | Though he doesn't sport an oversized baseball for a head, David Wright is Mr. Met. He was drafted by the Mets in 2001 and was named captain this year. He is, by far, the Mets' best position player and he holds many of the franchise's offensive records. He also signed an eight-year, $138 million contract last winter that made him the highest-paid player in team history. More »New York Mets Captain Takes the 'Wright' Approach
COMMENTARY | Brandon Beachy was scratched from his much-anticipated first start of the season after feeling tenderness in this elbow following -- what was supposed to be -- his final rehab assignment before rejoining the Atlanta Braves on June 18. After Beachy's first setback of his entire post-Tommy John surgery rehab, how cautious do the Braves now need to be with their would-be ace? Here are three likely options the Braves will consider. More »Atlanta Braves: Brandon Beachy's Return Scratched After Setback. When Should He Return?
COMMENTARY | Two years ago, Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila was in the middle of his first All-Star season, having clubbed 10 home runs and 47 runs batted in with a .286 batting average during the first half of the 2011 season. It was a drastic rebound from his 2010 campaign that posted numbers for an entire season that didn't match his first half in 2011. More »Now Is the Perfect Time for Detroit Tigers to Send Alex Avila to Minors
COMMENTARY | Remember when Eduardo Escobar was batting .500 at the beginning of the season? Well, Chris Herrmann is doing that right now. More »Chris Herrmann Could Become Ryan Doumit's Successor as Backup Catcher
COMMENTARY | The St. Louis Cardinals faced a tough decision as Jake Westbrook was activated from the disabled list in time to start the June 14th game against the Miami Marlins. Two young hurlers, Tyler Lyons and Michael Wacha, have pitched well during their debut seasons. The team was faced with the options of sending one of them down or moving one of them to the bullpen and sending out a bullpen arm. More »For the St. Louis Cardinals, Sending Michael Wacha Down is the Right Move
COMMENTARY | After Tuesday night's brawl between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, punishment was inevitable. Baseball took some extra time to review video and read the umpires' report on the brouhaha before releasing their decision on appropriate punishment earlier today. More »Analyzing the Lenient Suspensions Handed Down for Tuesday’s Pointless Los Angeles Dodgers-Arizona Diamondbacks Brawl
COMMENTARY | You always hear athletes say they don't read their own press. They say they don't watch themselves on television, either (though there are a few who will admit to screening highlight shows to see if they made the cut). More »Twitterati: Evan Longoria’s Tweets Reveal What It’s like Inside a Big League Ballplayer’s Head