Horsehide Chronicles

  1. Could Escape from Boos, Struggles Repair Matt Kemp's Mental Health?

    Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp isn't going to set foot on the diamond for a while, and maybe that will end up being a good thing in the long run...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 19 days ago 2,746 reads 5 comments

  2. Updating Each MLB Team's Biggest Trade Asset Heading into June

    As of today, there are still 24 teams who have a legitimate shot at a playoff spot, in my opinion, while the other six can already start looking ahead to 2014...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 19 days ago 114,921 reads 158 comments

  3. 2013 MLB Draft: Are High School or College Arms the Better 1st-Round Risk?

    If you read Michael Lewis' Moneyball after it was first released in 2003, you might remember what it had to say about high school pitchers in relation to the MLB draft...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 19 days ago 10,624 reads 10 comments

  4. The Evolution of the Scouting Process in Major League Baseball

    Things would be a lot easier for Major League Baseball teams if they had crystal balls instead of scouts. They could gaze into the futures of every young player on their radar and determine right then and there which ones were worth pursuing...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 20 days ago 3,901 reads 5 comments

  5. Is Noted Surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum Worthy of MLB Hall of Fame Enshrinement?

    The baseball world lost a gem on Tuesday, as the Los Angeles Angels announced that team physician and renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum had passed away over the weekend at the age of 65...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 20 days ago 25,380 reads 5 comments

  6. Major League Baseball's 10 Most Brilliantly Run Franchises

    The best major league organizations are defined by wins, division titles and championships. But there’s also a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that enables a franchise ...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 20 days ago 35,515 reads 169 comments

  7. MLB Teams That Are One Pickup Away from Seriously Contending

    By this point, teams are probably well-aware that they might not have enough talent on their roster to contend for very much longer. In some cases, there isn't a thing they can do about it...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 21 days ago 11,692 reads 39 comments

  8. Comparing the 2013 Yankees to the 1996 Championship Team

    Back in 1996, the New York Yankees were on the verge of something big. The club, of course, would go on to win the World Series that year and then three of the next four...

    Jason Catania Written by Jason Catania about 21 days ago 4,482 reads 4 comments

  9. The Luckiest Hitters in Baseball in 2013

    Not even Miguel Cabrera can will every ground ball he hits past the fielders, and even Justin Upton needs to hope for a long fly ball to sneak over the fence now and again. What do they have in common? Not much aside from the fact that they're hitters.

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 21 days ago 4,820 reads 18 comments

  10. Jhonny Peralta and 6 Others Providing Huge Seasons in Walk Year of Contract

    Teams in need of a shortstop in 2014—the A's, Cardinals, Mariners, Pirates, Tigers, Twins and Yankees are my early picks—will have slim pickings on the free-agent market ...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 21 days ago 816 reads 3 comments

  11. Which Is Baseball's Superior Overall League, the AL or the NL?

    Like Democrat or Republican or Star Trek or Star Wars , American League or National League is one of those furious debates. Ask it out loud in a room full of people, and there will be raised voices...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 21 days ago 3,503 reads 57 comments

  12. 4 Teams Who Could Pull off Jose Bautista Blockbuster If Star Becomes Available

    After an offseason in which they traded away several of their top prospects —catcher Travis d'Arnaud , center fielder Jake Marisnick and pitchers Justin Nicolino and Noah ...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 25 days ago 26,257 reads 23 comments

  13. Anibal Sanchez Further Cements Ace Status with 1-Hitter vs. Twins

    Anibal Sanchez came this close . The Detroit Tigers right-hander was staring his second career no-hitter right in the face at Comerica Park on Friday night, making it through 8...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 25 days ago 251 reads 39 comments

  14. Exposing the Luckiest Pitchers in Major League Baseball in 2013

    Ah, to be lucky. They say it's preferable to being good. When it comes to Major League Baseball pitchers, it's best to be both...

    Jason Catania Written by Jason Catania about 25 days ago 285 reads 49 comments

  15. 2013 MLB Rookie of the Year Stock Watch, Week 8

    With the one-quarter mark of the 2013 season in the rear-view mirror and June just on the horizon, we have a pretty good idea of which youngsters are Rookie of the Year contenders...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 25 days ago 3,970 reads 5 comments

  16. At What Point Should MLB Lower the Mound Again to Curb Pitcher Dominance?

    We're just about two months into the 2013 Major League Baseball season, and so far, pitchers are doing their world-domination thing again. It was a shocker when the league's ERA dropped to 4...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 25 days ago 116 reads 18 comments

  17. 8 MLB-Ready Prospects Turning Veterans into Trade Bait

    It's getting close to that time where MLB teams start discussing internal moves within the organization that could make their big league roster better...

    Jason Martinez Written by Jason Martinez about 26 days ago 29,605 reads 48 comments

  18. Predicting the Next MLB Prospects Who Will Impact Their Teams in 2013

    It's been a busy week on the border between Major League Baseball and the wild land beyond where top prospects roam free, waiting for their chance to break through...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 26 days ago 987 reads 1 comments

  19. How It All Went Horribly Wrong for Don Mattingly and the Los Angeles Dodgers

    For the Los Angeles Dodgers , the disappointing start to their 2013 season isn't a question of when it all went so wrong so quickly—it's a question of how. The short answer? There's plenty of blame to go around...

    Jason Catania Written by Jason Catania about 26 days ago 148 reads 21 comments

  20. Why This Is No Ordinary Era of Dominating Young Arms

    "Youth! Youth! There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!" Oscar Wilde wrote that in "The Picture of Dorian Gray...

    Zachary D. Rymer Written by Zachary D. Rymer about 26 days ago 122 reads 48 comments

  21. 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 27 days ago 5,629 reads 1 comments

  22. 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 27 days ago 22,105 reads 68 comments

  23. 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 28 days ago 387 reads 31 comments

  24. 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 28 days ago 151 reads 0 comments

  25. 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 28 days ago 94 reads 62 comments