Horsehide Chronicles

  1. 2013 MLB Draft Prospects: 5 Best First Basemen in the 2013 Draft Class

    In the realm of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft, first base is hardly the sexiest position. The guys who make scouts drool the most are the guys who have either eye-popping fastball velocity or all five tools...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 13 hours ago 680 reads 0 comments

  2. Proof That the Steroid-Era Power Surge in Major League Baseball Has Been Stopped

    The Steroid Era isn't that far in the rear-view mirror. Major League Baseball hasn't even been testing for PEDs for a decade yet, and it was only a dozen years ago that Barry Bonds broke the single-season home run record...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 17 hours ago 9,981 reads 26 comments

  3. Can Mariano Rivera Win the AL Cy Young in His Farewell Campaign?

    Mariano Rivera has many awards in his collection, but he doesn't have an American League Cy Young Award yet. Maybe you missed it tacked onto the end there, but the key word in that lead-in would be "yet...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 1 day ago 3,618 reads 15 comments

  4. 2014 MLB Free Agency: 8 Players Who Need Major Turnarounds to Boost Their Value

    In Major League Baseball, how a free agent-to-be finishes the season is much more important than how he starts...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 1 day ago 696 reads 0 comments

  5. Do Injuries Like Ryan Vogelsong's Show the National League Needs the DH?

    The designated hitter has been in the American League since 1973, and it probably won't be much longer before it's in the National League, too...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 1 day ago 2,842 reads 62 comments

  6. Are Early-Season Offensive WAR Leaders Breakout Stars or Just Lucky?

    Last week, the case was made for WAR as baseball's best statistic . Now it's time to dig a little deeper to find out if some of the early-season leaders in Wins Above Replacement are for real...

    Jason Catania Written by Jason Catania about 2 days ago 12,482 reads 2 comments

  7. How Seriously Should the Cleveland Indians Be Taken as a Contender?

    Do the Cleveland Indians have your attention? If not, they should. After concluding a four-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners with a walk-off win on Monday afternoon, the Tribe ...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 2 days ago 6,039 reads 28 comments

  8. 5 MLB Teams Watching Jurickson Profar's Performance for Summer Trades

    Now that Jurickson Profar will be a semi-regular in the Texas lineup for at least the next couple of weeks as Ian Kinsler recovers from a strained intercostal , per Todd Wills of ESPNDallas ...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 3 days ago 9,893 reads 0 comments

  9. Do Taller Pitchers Throw Harder Than Average?

    Simple logic says that taller pitchers should be able to throw a baseball faster than the average pitcher. They have longer limbs and more body mass, and should thus be able to put more "oomph" behind the ball...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 3 days ago 762 reads 2 comments

  10. MLB Trade Rumors: All the Latest Whispers, News and Speculation

    Do Cubs Have 2 Top Starting Pitcher Trade Candidates? In his latest blog (insider subscription required), Buster Olney of ESPN.com ranks nine starting pitchers that could be available in a very limited trade market...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 3 days ago 2,298 reads 0 comments

  11. Why Hack Wilson's RBI Record Is Impossible to Break in Today's MLB

    Reigning American League MVP Miguel Cabrera is at it again. Through 42 games, the Detroit Tigers third baseman is hitting .387 with 11 homers and 47 RBI, numbers that put him in fine shape for a run at a second straight Triple Crown...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 3 days ago 15,962 reads 56 comments

  12. Making the Case for WAR as Baseball's Most Perfect Statistic

    Who needs peace when we've got WAR? Wins Above Replacement, that is. With sites like Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus making all sorts of statistics easily ...

    Jason Catania Written by Jason Catania about 5 days ago 10,966 reads 46 comments

  13. 6 Players MLB Teams Regret Not Re-Signing This Offseason

    It’s not too early for a team to have buyer’s remorse after spending good money on a free agent who has yet to produce. I’m looking at you, Josh Hamilton, Melky Cabrera, B...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 5 days ago 4,288 reads 2 comments

  14. The Death of the Pure Contact Hitter in Baseball

    There's a certain type of hitter that you just don't see all that much in Major League Baseball anymore. Remember pure contact hitters? You know, guys like Rod Carew , Wade ...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 6 days ago 12,312 reads 55 comments

  15. One Quick Roster Fix for Six MLB Contenders

    It’s highly doubtful that any minor league player is going to have the type of impact Mike Trout had on the Los Angeles Angels when he joined the team in late April of last year and went to have one of the best rookie season’s ever (...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 6 days ago 1,016 reads 0 comments

  16. What Reid Ryan as President Means for Astros, Nolan Ryan, Astros-Rangers Rivalry

    The Houston Astros have their Ryan. Maybe not the Ryan they were hoping for, mind you, but the Ryan the Astros have hired certainly comes to them with baseball cred, and his hiring ...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 6 days ago 978 reads 1 comments

  17. Is a Vote of Confidence Truly the Kiss of Death for MLB Managers?

    So, Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia was given a vote of confidence by team owner Arte Moreno this week. Moreno's super-expensive baby may be a super-disappointing 15-25, but he's not about to flip out...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 7 days ago 2,233 reads 4 comments

  18. What Is Baseball's More Powerful League, the AL or NL?

    Which of Major League Baseball's two leagues features more muscle? The American League or the National League? I don't have the time, the energy or the clipboard, but if I were ...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 7 days ago 5,743 reads 50 comments

  19. Grading the Impressive Return of Dodgers Ace Zack Greinke

    Los Angeles Dodgers ace Zack Greinke 's return to the mound went better than expected. Unless you're an optimist, of course, in which case it went about as expected...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 7 days ago 2,832 reads 10 comments

  20. 5 Win-Win MLB Trade Ideas That Will Never Happen

    By now, you’ ve probably read at least one of the many articles on why an Oscar Taveras -for-Jurickson Profar trade would make sense...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 7 days ago 14,049 reads 9 comments

  21. Tracing the Evolution of the MLB MVP Award

    The history of Major League Baseball's Most Valuable Player award is pretty good fodder for a Dan Brown novel. It started with a conspiracy. Then there was a power struggle...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 8 days ago 6,874 reads 19 comments

  22. How Much Should the Angels Be Encouraged by Josh Hamilton's Turnaround?

    The big story concerning Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton these days has to do with him dealing with a nagging ailment; a revelation that, given his history, should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 8 days ago 4,714 reads 19 comments

  23. Blueprint to Assembling the Perfect Major League Bullpen

    If a bullpen is like a band, consider this the audition. Every member of the ensemble has a role: The lead singer who gets the publicity, the backup vocalist who brings the harmony, ...

    Jason Catania Written by Jason Catania about 8 days ago 6,396 reads 38 comments

  24. How Much Is Zack Greinke's Return Going to Help the Struggling Dodgers?

    When Zack Greinke broke his collarbone in a collision with a very angry Carlos Quentin last month, the word was that the Los Angeles Dodgers would have to make do without their $147 million right-hander for eight weeks...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 8 days ago 17,902 reads 22 comments

  25. Explaining Why the Bunt Is Foolish in Today's MLB

    Over the years, the bunt has been attacked again and again...and again for good measure. Yet you still see bunts in Major League Baseball games...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 9 days ago 3,346 reads 21 comments