1. American League MVP: Why Justin Verlander Should Not Win

    In 2011, Justin Verlander easily, and deservedly, won the AL Cy Young award. He posted a league-best 2.40 ERA in a league-best 251.0 innings pitched. Like Felix Hernandez last year, that pretty much ends the Cy Young conversation...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 1 year ago 710 reads 24 comments

  2. MLB Playoff Races: How I Anticipate Each Division Winding Up

    With a month remaining in the season, I offer up my predictions for the remainder of the season. I attempt to identify which team will win the division and how the rest will shape up...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 1 year ago 1,002 reads 5 comments

  3. MLB Trade Deadling 2011: Koji Uehara a Steal for Texas Rangers

    The Orioles and Rangers have been involved in deals that send overvalued parts from one team to the other (see Kevin Millwood)...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about almost 2 years ago 214 reads 0 comments

  4. MLB: Ranking the Shortstops

    Here, every MLB team's shortstop is ranked, starting with the worst, and ending with my pick for the best in the game...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about almost 2 years ago 4,133 reads 29 comments

  5. MLB Outlook: The Ten Worst Hitters for Average This Season so Far

    The ten worst hitters in baseball also happen to be the only ten players who, as of today, are hitting below the Mendoza line...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 2,020 reads 8 comments

  6. New York Yankees: Top Ten Teams That Can Stand in the Way of Championship No. 28

    The road to the World Series consists of heated division battles, intense rivalries and several short series in which anything can happen. Any major league team is capable of beating another on a given day, or even in a given series...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 1,910 reads 5 comments

  7. Kansas City Royals: Can Their Torrid Start Turn into a Winning Season?

    If you look at baseball with a limited enough scope, the game is full of more surprises than the Cracker Jack stand at Yankee Stadium. Through 15 short games, we really can’t learn much about anything...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 190 reads 6 comments

  8. MLB 2011: Is Pittsburgh Pirates' Charlie Morton a Fantasy Stud in Waiting?

    No. ESPN analysts recently tabbed Morton as an option worth keeping an eye on. The case for him is his sparkling 1.64 ERA and 2-0 record, as well as the fact that he has changed his delivery and developed his sinker...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 384 reads 3 comments

  9. Fantasy Baseball: Widely Available Middle Infielders

    Often the key to winning your fantasy baseball league is making the right additions as the season wears on. There are only so many Hanley Ramirez or Troy Tulowitzki types to go around...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 138 reads 0 comments

  10. Fantasy Baseball: 5 Widely-Available Starting Pitchers Worth a Look

    I took a look at starting pitchers available in at least half of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues. Most guys in that range are either hurt or unproven, but there are some viable options in case the back end of your rotation is still shaky...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 642 reads 0 comments

  11. 2011 AL Central Predictions: Twins, Sox or Tigers on Top?

    This is how I think the AL Central is likely to play out. Generally considered one of the weaker divisions in baseball, I've seen three teams cited as possible division winners by different sources...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 511 reads 0 comments

  12. Jake Fox and Unwritten Baseball Rules: What's the Big Deal?

    In general, unwritten rules are stupid. That’s why no one took the time to write them down. Think about it...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 1,069 reads 31 comments

  13. MLB 2011: Ranking the Starting Rotations

    Here's how I rank them. I used the starting rotations indicated by each team's depth chart on MLB.com. In some cases I didn't include a guy listed there (because I didn't think he'd ...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 2,949 reads 3 comments

  14. Tampa Bay Rays Preview: How They Will Win in the Post-Crawford Years

    The 2010 Tampa Bay Rays’ opening day first baseman, left-fielder, shortstop, designated hitter and catcher are all gone. One of the three starters who made at least 30 starts has departed, and six of the eight most-used relievers were not retained...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about 2 years ago 256 reads 5 comments

  15. Atlanta Braves: Rebuilt and Gearing For Another Run at the Wild Card, or More?

    The Braves ’ lineup is chock full of talent this year, from young guys ready to emerge as productive every-day players to proven veterans familiar with the long grind of a baseball season...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 242 reads 0 comments

  16. Minnesota Twins Season Preview: Building a Home Atop the AL Central

    I’ll continue my previews of the upcoming seasons of each major league team with the Twins. I’m trying a different format for this one...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 861 reads 8 comments

  17. San Francisco Giants 2011 Preview: Can Pitching Bring Them Another Championship?

    The Giants are a team carried by pitching. Their rotation stamped their ticket to October, from which point, the offense came alive...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 1,609 reads 4 comments

  18. Philadelphia Phillies: Offseason in Review and a Preview for 2011

    The Phillies’ dream rotation is getting a lot of press, and it gets more here. It will be a spectacle when the regular season comes around. The offense, however, is in decline...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 1,621 reads 11 comments

  19. New York Yankees: Offseason in Review and a Preview for 2011

    Unlike the previous two seasons, the New York Yankees are not the widespread favorite to win their division in 2011...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 1,026 reads 2 comments

  20. Clay Bucholz's Great 2010 Season: A Response to Encounters With Sabermetriphobes

    Luck. Amongst the comments of an article I recently read, I encountered claims that Clay Buchholz’s 2010 season was a product of his burgeoning talent and completely luck-free...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 195 reads 0 comments

  21. Cincinnati Reds: Offseason In Review and a Preview For 2011

    I have semi-randomly chosen to start with the Reds, and will write a piece about each of the thirty teams, talking about what they’ve done in the offseason up to this point and how that projects for the upcoming season...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 1,046 reads 5 comments

  22. Rafael Soriano to The Yankees: A Good Deal All Around

    Rafael Soriano, the best relief pitcher on the free-agent market this year, has reached a three-year deal with the New York Yankees worth about $35 million...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 844 reads 10 comments

  23. Trevor Hoffman: On the Meaning of Saves and 601 Quality Appearances

    When Trevor Hoffman announced his retirement yesterday, immediate talk about his Hall of Fame candidacy, his 601 saves, and his reputation as a great Padre surfaced...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 333 reads 6 comments

  24. Washington Nationals at First Base: Adam vs. Adam

    I have seen some rejoicing by Nats fans over Adam LaRoche’s new deal with the team. While two years at roughly eight million dollars each seems reasonable for him, I am not ...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 469 reads 1 comments

  25. MLB Hall of Fame Voting 2011: My Ballot for This Year's Class

    This year's hall of fame ballot may be underwhelming. The ballot doesn't have any new surefire candidates. There is no one player people have been waiting to see elected...

    Max Borland Written by Max Borland about over 2 years ago 689 reads 1 comments