Fun with crazy hot starts: José Soriano, 0.24 ERA first 6 starts (5.15 next 14) Ildemaro Vargas: 1.041 OPS first 27 games (.484 next 56)

Write about how if you want a right-handed bat at the deadline: good luck with that On the lowest % of RH PA in decades, the .271 RH OBP Philly has, and who even the RH bats may be to look for. --> www.mlb.com/news/the-tri...

Kyle Schwarber is striking out a lot more than last year and is on pace to break the single-season K record by kind of a lot That's not what you *want,* obviously. But also, if he does it with 45+ HR and another 150 wRC+, there's no reason to care, either.

oh, is that all gothamist.com/news/smoke-d...

Is the argument here that HR Derby participants hit longer HR in a batting practice scenario in mid-summer than every other guy does off real pitching in all weather? I don't get it

Write about how if you want a right-handed bat at the deadline: good luck with that On the lowest % of RH PA in decades, the .271 RH OBP Philly has, and who even the RH bats may be to look for. --> www.mlb.com/news/the-tri...

Top 5 defensive OF per Statcast 2025: Rafaela, PCA, Young, Scott, Pages 2026: PCA, Rafaela, Young, Pages, T. Peters That's pretty cool. Basically the same guys, and Scott is off because his bat got him demoted.

Riley O'Brien First 19 IP 1 BB 1.3 BB% Next 20 IP 12 BB 13% BB Weird?

I’m finally going to listen to my doctor and eat more vegetables and get more fresh air

I think most of the time when you have a guy who suddenly rates great or terrible in defensive metrics, it earns a bit of a side eye; this is happening with Arraez a little. But in Trea Turner's case .. 24 (bad) 25 (solid to quite good) 26 (brutal) .. feels like an accurate reflection of reality?

the prevent defense only prevents victory true in football as in futbol

I get that it's more of a worldwide audience than an American one, but also thinking about what would happen if Game 7 of the NLCS started at 3pm on a Wednesday

Not 100% convinced he gets there

Bat speed, I'll easily admit, is not *everything,* but: Of the top 25 swingers: - 2 are having poor years (Riley, Duran) - 4 are moderately below-avg (Vlad, Adell, Smith, Chapman) - 19 are having above-avg-to-excellent years

Everyone losing their minds over all the Ks in the ASG (of which I agree, too many) but in some sense: people love to say "good pitching beats good hitting," so [even if that's not quite right]

Lance McCullers getting traded to Milwaukee after 600 years with Houston is such an oddly interesting move

In the last two weeks of the first half, Mookie Betts had ONE strikeout in 50 PA. That is truly incredible. He also had a .619 OPS in that time Baseball is funny, and weird.

The Tigers are the best team in the AL (.611) over the last six weeks. Everyone's all "where is Skubal going," and yet: "nowhere" is still a real option. I wrote about this like, a month ago: www.mlb.com/tigers/news/...

Thinking ahead to the Home Run Derby next year, and where it is, and what the Cubs roster currently looks like, and ... PCA HOME RUN DERBY, LET'S GOO

Inky Mark

Pretty fun to look at the 3d spaghetti strands of the 2026 Derby. While Caminero had longest HR (491), Caglianone was the only one to hit the third tank. (Remember: hitting something higher doesn't make it longer. That's a never-ending conversation.) --> baseballsavant.mlb.com/hr_derby?yea...

In the last four Derbies, there have been 6 total oppo homers. There were zero in 2026, for the first time in at least a decade. Going back to 2016, in HRD: 76% pull 20% center 4% oppo

I appreciate that even the Derby catchers have a knee down

The hardest-hit homers of the first round baseballsavant.mlb.com/hr_derby

First time since 2017 I haven't been doing TV for a Derby. Fun change of pace to watch from my couch with my son, for once.

One thing I found when trying to game out this year's Derby participants: All 8 have a real, serious shot to win. That doesn't always happen. By one measure, this is the deepest, most balanced Derby field we've had in at least a decade. --> www.mlb.com/news/predict...

Ezequiel Tovar OPS+ 2024 // 100 2025 // 83 2026 // 49 (!) His once-excellent defense has fallen apart, too. But he's still only 24. Other than "Rockies," what on earth happened there?

What leads to HR Derby success? Is it even possible to predict? I tried to build a fun tool, looking back at 64 past participants. 6 of top 9 ranked made the finals (4 wins). Only 1 of the bottom 30 made the finals. What does that say for 2026? --> www.mlb.com/news/predict...

I don't think it feels like it at all, but the Mets offense has been quietly improving each month

What leads to HR Derby success? Is it even possible to predict? I tried to build a fun tool, looking back at 64 past participants. 6 of top 9 ranked made the finals (4 wins). Only 1 of the bottom 30 made the finals. What does that say for 2026? --> www.mlb.com/news/predict...

Always go see Weird Al

Blown save (Lindor, 1)

The most impressive part of Luke Weaver not being allowed a run for two months is that he doesn't get to face the Mets

The Rays DFA'd Tristan Peters last winter and traded him for cash. The "never trade with the Rays" myth takes another hit.

Part of the reason I still check out sports radio sometime is because I get to hear things like "a host strenuously advocating for the Yankees to trade for Rafael Devers"

If newly-acquired Blue Jay Ryan Sprock makes it to the Majors in the next few years, maybe he'll be Toronto's backup catcher maybe it'd be Kirk, and then Sprock

Hmm

I have no particular opinions on if Aaron Boone is doing a good job or not, but man, I'm not sure what he or absolutely anyone does about things like "Paul Goldschmidt is 0-for-his-last-35." That's "you stepped on the wrong grave" level cursed.

All of this is fascinating sports history (from a good @defector.com piece defector.com/the-bears-wo...)

Apologies to those who lost loved ones in 1898, but we will no longer be remembering the Maine

Liked this a lot. I view these as 'pitcher fingerprints' in a lot of ways, too.

Bo Bichette's actually been hitting pretty well for a while now. Since June 1: .324./349/.504.

For the first time since 2017, i will not be doing television at the Home Run Derby, so instead I am using my powers for good, not evil: writing about how to predict the Home Run Derby

One thing I've tried to get better at as the years have gone on is when I do some research and save it because I might come back to it, reminding future me what current me was even up to:

José Alvarado has a 7.03 ERA (!) .. but the K/BB is OK, and the hard-hit rate is WAY down. Best of his career. It's a 3.83 xERA .. .. in some part, because he's got the highest BABIP any reliever (w 30 IP) has had in at least 50 years www.fangraphs.com/leaders/majo...

Call me (call me) on the line Call me, call me any-anytime Call me (call me), I'll arrive You can call me any day or night But not after the first inning Because I used all our challenges already

I think the Reds should trade Spencer Steer, just so that I stop confusing him with Sal Stewart

4 of the last 7 Reds have homered.

One thing I don't think gets enough play when talking about SP getting pulled is how much longer the postseason is now, and how to prepare for that. Yamamoto threw 37.1 IP in the playoffs last year. Sandy Koufax threw 57 total playoff innings in his career.