Monthly Archives: November 2015
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 17, 2015
It is Tom Seaver’s birthday. His amazing legacy extends to how teams are compensated for losing free agents.
Plus I bump into Rick Monday’s cousin on an airplane flight.
It is a Franchise Loving episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 16, 2015
I compare the Los Angeles Dodgers to the movie Green Lantern… and that is not a good thing.
It is a money NOT spelled wisely this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
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Los Angeles Angels Payroll in 2016 + Contracts Going Forward

The Angels have needs at Catcher, 3B, 2B and a OF spot. They have great depth in the Pitching Rotation, however are bogged down by the Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson costing them a combined $40 MIL. Add in $30 MIL in buyout/dead money and the team will have a tough time competing in 2016 without nearing $200 MIL in total team payroll.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Halo’s will reel from the Josh Hamilton contract for a few more years, however they will see C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver come off the books for 2017. But that also leaves a massive void in a Starter staff.
Mike Scioscia needs all sorts of help on offense and defense to compete in the AL West, but they should really try to solidify the Starting Staff for future years.
I would try for one legitimate ace, and then I would go after 1B/OF and AL HR king Chris Davis.
It is time for Albert Pujols to retire to a permanent DH like David Ortiz. Having a legitimate 1B like Davis to sneak in between Trout and Pujols would be dynamite. All 3 guys could club 35+ HRs and Davis and Trout may near 45 again each. Read the rest of this entry
Its Time For Boston To Break From Philosophy + Sign An Ace: Red Sox State Of The Union 2016

The Red Sox will need to spend some money on Starting Pitching this season – and preferably and ace.. They orchestrated a trade for Closer Craig Kimbrel on Friday. A bona fide shutdown guy with 225 Career Saves and an ERA of 1.63 lifetime. The winter has just started for the Beantowners. With many veterans currently aging, and the young nucleus all being under team control, the time to capitalize on the higher drafting as a result of finishing last in the AL East 3 times in 4 years is right now.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Okay, for years the Boston Red Sox would never pay for a #1 Starter on the Free Agent Market – even their owns. They traded away Jon Lester prior to trying to resign him in 2014, and it backfired on them when he hit the Free Agency market not having played his entire career in Boston.
For the most part, I have agreed with the idea of not paying a guy as an ace. Here is the problem..The team had finished last in the AL East 3 of the last four campaigns, and that is unacceptable.
You add in Ben Cherington doling out long term deals to Rick Porcello, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval in the last year, and all had bad years. So the temptation may not be to sign anyway. Again, wrong.. You are the Boston Red Sox.
Well mired in the lower tiers of records the last 4 years (except for the 2013 season), the club has accumulated a great deal of talent in the Minor Leagues.
The franchise is in great shape heading forward, but this comes down to the right time to strike on the rest of the league. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 15, 2015
It is THE SUNDAY REQUEST!
@sullybaseball is college baseball doomed to insignificance in terms of fandom? It seems more people are interested in the little league WS!
— Hilson Reidpath (@higehilson) November 13, 2015
College baseball is fun. College baseball is cool. But it will never be anything but a fringe enjoyment.
Go to class for this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 14, 2015
I recorded a podcast ahead of time, wanting the Padres to start rebuilding in earnest. And then I looked up and saw they did and made my podcast irrelevant.
So I recorded another one.
Consider this take TWO of the November 14 episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Read the rest of this entry
MLB Top Free Agent Predictions (Picks 1 – 25)

The Red Sox will need to spend some money on Pitching this season. But don’t be surprised if they overstock on a few more offensive pieces in the lineup, and then use some of their prospects to obtain even more pitching. They orchestrated a trade for Closer Craig Kimbrel on Friday. A bona fide shutdown guy with 225 Career Saves and an ERA of 1.63 lifetime. The winter has just started for the Beantowners.
Jordan Gluck (Part Owner/Featured Writer) Follow @jgluck777
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
MLB Free Agent Predictions
I will be using mlbtraderumors.com top 50 free agents to make things easy. To be clear there are other free agents outside this list (some who I think should be on it) who will be available and many could have breakout or comeback seasons.
Additionally there will be players that get non tendered during arbitration. Well so here are my predictions.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 12, 2015
Are the Colorado Rockies a smart organization who will use Carlos Gonzalez as a valuable chip? Or will they get fleeced because they are an organization in disarray?
It is a Rocky Mountain High episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
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Odds To Win The MLB 2016 World Series

The Cubs are the NL favorite to win the championship, and are tied with the Jays for the overall favorite. You have to think they will do anything to sign a premiere Starting Pitcher this winter. David Price, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann should all be on their list to sign. The only real loss from their roster this winter is Dexter Fowler at the CF position. They may even try to re-sign him, or another version of him with Denard Span. I would say to lay off this bet, as the NL Central is a tough division to win. They may have the top 3 teams in the MLB again next campaign.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I said last week that vegasodds.com had the wrong odd for the KC Royals to win the 2016 World Series. Every other gambling entity I have seen since has had the club almost favored doubly to that.
In the recent website check at bet365.com – we see the defending champions tied with the Washington Nationals for the 6th best favorite odd of +1100.
We also said the Los Angeles Dodgers should not be the favorite. They are not on this site either. The Doyers are tied for 3rd with the Cards and Mets for the odd with a +1000 clip.
The two top clubs are the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays. I can’t say I disagree with these two picks necessarily. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 11, 2015

While along the railroad tracks, I think about baseball award shows, more TV shows and why the Draft Kings controversy was so predictable.
All aboard this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
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2015 Final MLB Attendances + Analysis
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Attendance was up 162, 221 fans over the 2014 total, or 0.2%. The same five teams topped over 3 Million fans in 2015 as did in 2014. Dodgers, Cards, Giants, Yankees and Angels.
Philadelphia lost almost 600K fans year over year – and were the MLB’s club with the worst fall.
Oakland had that distinction the AL – taking a hit of 235K – amongst their 1st non playoff year in 4 seasons.
The World Series Royals set an all time franchise record for attendance in 2015, and had the biggest climb at the turnstiles at +752K. The club rounded out the top 10 for the MLB as well.
The Mets had the best jump in attendance at 420K in the NL. The other teams to eclipse a 400K jump were the Toronto Blue Jays (419K) Houston Astros (401K). All 3 teams made the postseason. Read the rest of this entry
Mastering the 48 Hour Weekend/Week Long Road MLB Trips

For people that work a Monday to Friday job, and are looking to see 3 games for the price of 2 for a weekend,, this blog gives a quick lesson on how to do that.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The whole travel industry works on the 24 hour clock. This actually works to the MLB road trip world out there. During my year long trip, I mastered the art of the 24 hour clock.
My favorite move was to rent a car for Friday – Sunday, that would only cost two rental days at a car company. Most of the time it would include leaving for a Friday game at 5:30 – and the car was due at a 5:30 on Sunday.
This is great for jamming at least 3 games in the 48 hours, and sometimes you can do a doubleheader on the Saturday.
I told my buddy Scott of breaking down the cost of watching baseball games into individual innings – kind of like bowling frames. Read the rest of this entry
Travel Tuesdays: Picking Off Gift Cards A Great Way To Go + Accumulate Freebies!

In buying $600 worth of Subway Cards (12 x $50 each) I earned 12 free premium foot long subs on my journey. The power of spending should always be investigated for what rewards may come.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
On my year-long road trip I vowed not to spend much money on the food at the Ballparks. I ended up only spending around $250 for 224 Games on the road. So where did I eat?
If I wasn’t at a home base somewhere, or at a free breakfast from a hotel, it was usually Subway, Wendy’s, Walmart (yep, they have food too), McDonalds, Burger King or Little Caesars Pizza.
Since I didn’t want to enter the USA with a wad of cash the several times I took entrance at the borders, my wallet was stacked with Gift cards from these establishments.
I also downloaded all of their apps on my mobile phone to look for deals.
Subway was the clubhouse leader for meals eaten. I bought 12 – $50 gift cards from this restaurant for this journey. Check with your local chain, but every time I did this I was able to secure a free foot long premium sandwich.
My food bill was saved a great deal by eating 12 meals on Subway just for buying $50 gift card on a dozen different occasions. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 10, 2015

Joeff Davis
Comedian and native of Kansas City Pat Brown joins the podcast.
We talked about her being a Royals fan living in New York City during the 2015 World Series among all the Mets fans. Pat also shared memories growing up in Kansas City, why she might be a championship good luck charm and how Bo Jackson was a viral star before there was an internet.
It is one more salute to the World Champions on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Follow Pat Brown on Twitter by clicking HERE.
Get information on Pat Brown and her shows by clicking HERE.
And enjoy Bo Jackson scaling the wall.
MLB Scheduling 2016: Sept And Oct Of 2016
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
All 2430 MLB Games In 2016 On One Page Post
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
MLB Scheduling 2016
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
MLB Season Opening Series
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 9, 2015
Byung-Ho Park and his strange free agent bidding shows how baseball should find ways to make the off season more like a game show
Let’s play the game AND this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
MLB Scheduling: Month Of August 2016
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Ranking The MLB Divisions For 2016

The NL may have the best division in best with the NL Central, however this is a top-heavy league. In the other Divisions. the Mets and the Nats in the NL East, and the Giants and Dodgers have been beating up the rest of their respective Divisions. With that being said they own the 1st, 5th and 6th best divisions. Of course a 12 year losing streak in Interleague has killed their win totals of late.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
(1) So the NL Central had 3 teams in the playoffs on the National League said and also boasted the best Divisional record at 427 – 383 (.527) – that was due largely to the Cards, Pirates and Cubs all posting 100, 98 and 95 Wins respectively.
(2) In a tough AL East, all teams almost made it to the even stature however just the Yankees and Blue Jays were over .500 – with both making the postseason. That Division’s .517 Win Percentage ranked them 2nd in the Majors. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 8, 2015

Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette
It is the first Sunday Request of the off season.
@sullybaseball @Royals What team will have more incentive and drive to win their division in 2016 than the Pirates?
— Ryan Ransburg (@xxRyno234eveRxx) November 2, 2015
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The answer is NONE. The Pirates need to be aggressive this off season and emulate not only the current World Champs but also an unusual strategy by Bill Veeck in the 1970s.
We are family in this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.


















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