Monthly Archives: August 2016
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 11, 2016
Adam Glanzman/Getty Images North America
Lisa Swan of Subway Squawkers and I wonder who the new Yankee scapegoat will be.
Then I deciding I am rooting for Tim Tebow to make it in baseball.
It is a try out for a team episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Follow Lisa Swan on Subway Squawkers by clicking HERE.
Edwin Jackson, Matt Carpenter, Ross Detwiler, Gary Sanchez, Bartolo Colon, Freddie Freeman, Jose Quinata and Jose Ramirez all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For Fanduel, DraftKings, and Fanpicks 8/11/16
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/11/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanduel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/11/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanpicks Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/11/16): MLB DFS Advice
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Daily Matchups for 8/11/2016
Pitcher
Noah Syndergaard
Corey Kluber
Jon Lester
Jose Berrios
Chris Tillman
Jameson Taillon
CATCHER
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Who Owned Baseball August 10, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
JUSTIN K. ALLER/GETTY IMAGES
Edwin Jackson took a no hitter into the 6th and finished with 7 innings of 2 hit shutout ball as the Padres blanked Pittsburgh, 4-0.
Matt Carpenter led off the game with a homer and reached base 2 other times to help the Cardinals squeak past Cincinnati, 3-2.
Ross Detwiler threw 8 shutout innings, giving up just 6 hits and earned the 1-0 A’s win over Baltimore.
Gary Sanchez collected 4 hits, including a homer and a pair of runs and sparked the Yankees 9-4 come from behind win over Boston.
They All Owned Baseball on August 10, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
In Memoriam Video For all baseball family who have passed since 2015 ASG.
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/11/16
P- Jameson Taillon (vs. San Diego Padres): $8,600. Taillon has been the definition of consistent. Over his last five starts, he has thrown exactly six innings, with a 2.40 ERA, and 28 strikeouts. Each one of those outings led to a quality start. He will be facing the Padres on Thursday, who doesn’t have a very impressive lineup.
P- Matt Garza (vs. Atlanta Braves): $5,700. In 120 career at bats against Garza, the Braves’ lineup is batting .217, with a .280 OBP, and a .331 slugging percentage. Garza has been very effective in his last three starts, which is a great sign for hopeful success against the Braves on Thursday. Over those starts, he is 2-0, with a 3.12 ERA, and 10 strikeouts.
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 10, 2016
Harry How/Getty Images North America
Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the NL, but he won’t win the 2016 Cy Young.
Mike Trout is the best player in the AL, but he probably won’t win the 2016 MVP.
Who will?
Who should?
I ask the hard questions on this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
John Lackey, Rick Porcello, Howie Kendrick, Jose Altuve, Miguel Cabrera, Neil Walker and Max Scherzer all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports.
Who Owned Baseball August 9, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski
John Lackey allowed just 3 hits and 1 run over 8 innings and earned the 5-1 decision for the Cubs over the Angels.
Howie Kendrick doubled and homered, driving in 3 and helped the Dodgers go into a first place tie by topping the Phillies, 9-3.
Rick Porcello gave the Red Sox 8 solid innings, allowing 2 runs to the Yankees and got the 5-3 victory.
Jose Altuve collected 4 hits, including an RBI single, scored 2 and stole a base as Houston came from behind to win over Minnesota, 7-5.
They All Owned Baseball on August 9, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
In Memoriam Video For all baseball family who have passed since 2015 ASG.
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/10/16
P- Jose Quintana (vs. Kansas City Royals): $10,300. Over his last three starts, Quintana has a 1-0 record, with a 1.74 ERA, and 16 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched. He is one win away from his 10th win, so he should be amped to succeed. Over the last 10 games, the Royals rank 26th in OPS with .654, so clearly they are struggling offensively. Quintana should have no problem taking care of business on Wednesday.
P- Jason Hammel (vs. Los Angeles Angels): $8,000. In 66 career at bats against Hammel, the Angels’ offense is batting .212, with two XBH, and a .286 OBP. Over Hammel’s last 21 starts, he has given up one or zero runs in 10 of those starts. He is also very effective at home this season, which is a plus for Wednesday night.
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For Fanduel, DraftKings, and Fanpicks 8/10/16
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/10/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanduel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/10/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanpicks Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/10/16): MLB DFS Advice
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Daily Matchups for 8/10/2016
Pitcher
J.A. Happ
Scott Kazmir
Dallas Keuchel
Justin Verlander
Jose Quintana
CATCHER
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8 GIFs That Prove Prince Fielder Running the Bases Was the Best Thing Ever
It’s been one helluva week for veteran sluggers at the end of their respective MLB careers.
Just a few months ago, New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira said he wanted to play in the big leagues for another five years. After struggling to a .200/.288/.343 triple slash through 280 at-bats, the 36-year-old has decided he’s had enough and will retire at the end of this season.
Alex Rodriguez has struggled just as much (.204/.252/.356 in 216 at-bats), but basically had to be forced into getting released by the Yankees at the end of this week.
Now, while Prince Fielder isn’t officially retiring, the first baseman/designated hitter won’t be able lace up his cleats as a ballplayer any longer.
As Prince ascended to the big leagues and made a name for himself with the Milwaukee Brewers, he was known for his ferocious home run swing and hitting baseballs a country mile.
However, watching him run the bases might have been even more entertaining, which these eight GIFs will show:
Who Are Some Of The Most Underrated Players In Major League Baseball In 2016?
Underrated ball players are those who continue to create opportunities for their organization to win, but they don’t get the credit they deserve. Today I will be covering some of the top unsung heroes of the 2016 season. Before jumping into the analysis, let me tell you how I discovered these hidden gems.
After researching some sabermetrics articles, I decided to develop a statistic that I could use to determine the players that are creating the most offensive opportunities for their team to win. This statistic is basically a more simplistic form of the “runs created” formula established by Bill James. You can see my run opportunities formula (it will now be referred to as “ROF”) and underrated players below:
Run Opportunities Formula= (Total Bases+Walks-Strikeouts+Stolen Bases-Caught Stealing Attempts+Sacrifice Flies+Sacrifice Bunts)/Plate Appearances
SEE THE REST OF THE ARTICLE AND UNDERRATED PLAYERS
Los Angeles Dodgers Were Supposed to Crumble Without Clayton Kershaw, But the Opposite Has Happened
Baseball sure is a fickle game, isn’t it?
Through his first 16 starts of the 2016 season, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw was creating a whole new meaning to the word “ace”. In just 121 innings of work, the southpaw posted an 11-2 record with a 1.79 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 145 strikeouts and just nine walks allowed.
Whenever Kershaw took the mound, the Dodgers were basically guaranteed a win. That was helpful because it was awfully tough for Los Angeles to come out on top when he wasn’t pitching. Manager Dave Roberts saw his club post a 14-2 record with his ace in control of things, but they were just 27-34 while anxiously waiting for his turn in the rotation to come around again.
After losing his last start on June 26, the Dodgers were just a half game out of a Wild Card spot, but were struggling to find a groove at 41-36, leaving them eight games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants.
The Giants got off to a hot start, it’s an even year and Kershaw had just gone on the DL – all were valid reasons to think the NL West race was over before the calendar even flipped to July. That’s why they play the game, though. LA’s starting rotation hasn’t gotten a whole lot healthier since then, but the entire roster has done nothing but come together as a group and rise to the occasion.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 9, 2016
Superfan @Cu8sfan asked a bunch of questions, including about sliding into first, Las Vegas and Ichiro Suzuki.
It is a grab bag episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Brandon Crawford, Rob Whalen, Devon Travis, Hisashi Iwakuma, Christian Yelich, Tyler Anderson, Michael Fulmer and Logan Forsythe all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
Follow Cubs Fan with an 8 on Twitter by clicking HERE.
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For Fanduel, DraftKings, and Fanpicks 8/9/16
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/9/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanduel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/9/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanpicks Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/9/16): MLB DFS Advice
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Daily Matchups for 8/9/2016
Pitcher
Max Scherzer
Kenta Maeda
Chris Sale
Zack Greinke
Chad Kuhl
Steven Matz
CATCHER
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Who Owned Baseball August 8, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
(Eric Espada / Getty Images)
Brandon Crawford tied a National League record with 7 hits, including a double, a triple,a stolen base, a run scored and 2 RBI. The second run batted in was the game winner in the 14th as the Giants held on to take the 8-7 marathon in Miami.
Rob Whalen struck out 7 Brewers in 6 innings, walking only 1. He did not get the decision but he set up Atlanta’s 4-3 victory over Milwaukee.
Devon Travis got 4 hits, scored twice and drove in the go ahead run as the Blue Jays topped the Rays 7-5.
Hisashi Iwakuma threw 7 shutout innings, striking out 8 Tigers and earned the 3-0 decision for Seattle.
They All Owned Baseball on August 8, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
In Memoriam Video For all baseball family who have passed since 2015 ASG.
Congrats Ichiro on 3,000 Hits
By: Mike Carter
I tend to read pages and pages of baseball statistics every week. Some of it is in preparation for fantasy baseball games (I’m a geek), but most if it has to do with general interest in my favorite game.
As I was thumbing through my Who’s Who in Baseball 2016, I stared at the statistics of Ichiro Suzuki. Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player in his first season, 2001. Ten consecutive seasons with more than 200 hits. The all-time hit record for a season with 262. Over 500 stolen bases in his career.
Read the rest of Congrats Ichiro on 3,000 Hits via 9 Inning Know It All
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 8, 2016
(KATHY WILLENS/AP)
The Alex Rodriguez press conference took place on Sunday. I didn’t know what it was going to be about.
I got Yankee fanatics Lisa Swan of Subway Squawkers and Jason Keidel of WFAN to predict what the press conference is about.
And afterwards, I saw who was accurate.
It is a before and after episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Ichiro Suzuki, Manny Machado, James Paxton, Kyle Hendricks, Nolan Arenado, Tony Kemp, Madison Bumgarner and Anibal Sanchez all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
Follow Lisa Swan on Twitter by clicking HERE
Follow Jason Keidel on Twitter by clicking HERE
Who Owned Baseball August 7, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
Ichiro Suzuki tripled off the right field wall to become the 30th member of the 3,000 Hit Club. He also walked and scored in Miami’s 10-7 victory in Colorado.
Manny Machado homered in each of the first 3 innings, driving in 7 to help the Orioles clobber the White Sox, 10-2.
Kyle Hendricks kept the A’s scoreless for the first 7 innings and finished with 1 run over 7 1/3, 3 hits and no walks and got the 3-1 win for the Cubs.
James Paxton pitched into the 9th, allowing 1 run over 8 1/3 innings, 1 walk and 5 hits and earned the 3-1 decision for the Mariners over the Angels.
They All Owned Baseball on August 7, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
In Memoriam Video For all baseball family who have passed since 2015 ASG.
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For Fanduel, DraftKings, and Fanpicks 8/8/16
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/8/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanduel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/8/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanpicks Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/8/16): MLB DFS Advice
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Daily Matchups for 8/8/2016
Pitcher
Jose Fernandez
Johnny Cueto
Michael Fulmer
Julio Urias
Michael Wacha
Rob Whalen
CATCHER
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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/8/16
P- Jake Odorizzi (vs. Toronto Blue Jays): $9,900. In 99 career at bats against Odorizzi, the Blue Jays’ offense is batting .141, with a .274 OBP, and a .341 slugging percentage. This includes a .053 batting average from Jose Bautista, .214 from Josh Donaldson, .091 from Edwin Encarnacion, .083 from Russell Martin, and a .143 batting average from Troy Tulowitzki. Not only have the Jays struggled against Odorizzi, but they have also struggled over the last seven games, with a .201/.276/.370 slash line. Odorizzi has not allowed a run in 20.2 consecutive innings, so clearly he is on a roll.
P- Zach Davies (vs. Atlanta Braves): $8,600. Davies has been incredibly consistent over his last few starts. He has won his past three starts and holds a 2.45 ERA in that time span. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs since June and he owns a 1.97 ERA over that stretch of starts. The Braves’ offense isn’t overpowering, so Davies should be able to take care of business.
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A Few Questions with Oakland Athletics 2016 First-Round Pick A.J. Puk
The Oakland Athletics are in the midst of their second straight season of floundering in the second division, on pace for a 70-92 record. Accordingly, they recently saw their struggles translate into a higher draft pick than normal. They capitalized, grabbing massive University of Florida left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk with the sixth overall selection in the 2016 draft; giving them the kind of top-tier prospect that teams can only usually dream about.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 7, 2016
Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images North America
It is Sunday and time for The Sunday Request.
@sullybaseball will the batflip “display” go the way of the NFL endzone celebrations. Do you think the batflip is disrespectful.
— Laurens Groenendijk (@ItsLaurensG) July 30, 2016
Sure it is disrespectful. But does that make it a bad thing?
It is an entertainment episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Jake Arrieta, Ryan Braun, Corey Kluber, Jonathan Lucroy, Brandon Phillips, Doug Fister and Mike Trout all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
Who Owned Baseball August 6, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
JASON O. WATSON/GETTY IMAGES
Jake Arrieta threw 8 shutout innings, allowing 3 Oakland hits and earned the 4-0 decision for the Cubs.
Ryan Braun reached base 4 times, homered twice, stole a base and drove in 7 as the Brewers outslugged Arizona, 15-6.
Corey Kluber allowed 2 runs and 5 hits over 8 strong innings and won the 5-2 Cleveland final over the Yankees.
Jonathan Lucroy homered twice in the Rangers 3-2 win over Houston.
They All Owned Baseball on August 6, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
In Memoriam Video For all baseball family who have passed since 2015 ASG.
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/7/16
P- Gerrit Cole (vs. Cincinnati Reds): $9,200. Cole has been on fire recently. Over his last three starts, he has only given up one earned run in each start. During that time, hitters are only batting .219 against Cole. The Reds’ offense has been pretty lackluster in 2016, so Cole should be able to take care of business.
P- Adam Wainwright (vs. Atlanta Braves): $8,000. Over Wainwright’s last six starts, he has a 1.99 ERA. He will be facing the Braves’ offense, which shouldn’t pose a huge threat to the righty. At only $8,000, Wainwright provides a lot of value to this lineup.
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 6, 2016
Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America
I celebrate the Johnny Appleseed of baseball happiness, Juan Uribe while feeling empathy for Nate Schierholtz and his pending PED suspension.
It is a “run the spectrum of emotions” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Devon Travis, Steven Wright, Yasmany Tomas, Jaime Garcia, Wil Myers, Jose Abreu and Anthony DeSclafani all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For Fanduel, DraftKings, and Fanpicks 8/6/16
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/6/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanduel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/6/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanpicks Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/6/16): MLB DFS Advice
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Daily Matchups for 8/6/2016
Pitcher
Corey Kluber
Jake Arrieta
Jose Berrios
Stephen Strasburg
Patrick Corbin
CATCHER
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Who Owned Baseball August 5, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings
ORLIN WAGNER/AP
Devon Travis hit two homers, the second with 2 outs in the top of the 9th that gave the Blue Jays a 4-3 win in Kansas City.
Steven Wright threw a complete game 3 hits shutout, striking out 9 Dodgers as the the Red Sox cruised to a 9-0 final.
Yasmany Tomas homered twice in the Diamondbacks 11 inning walk off 3-2 victory over Milwaukee.
Jaime Garcia struck out 11 Braves in 8 innings of shutout ball, earning the 1-0 decision for St. Louis.
They All Owned Baseball on August 5, 2016.
To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.
In Memoriam Video For all baseball family who have passed since 2015 ASG.
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 8/6/16
P- Aaron Sanchez (vs. Kansas City Royals): $10,800. Over the last seven games, Kansas City has struggled at the plate. They have a .202 batting average, .251 OBP, and a .300 slugging percentage. Sanchez has been dominant all year long and it shouldn’t be any different on Saturday as he faces this mediocre Royals’ offense.
P- Jose Berrios (vs. Tampa Bay Rays): $7,100. Tampa Bay’s offense has been lackluster in 2016. Berrios has struggled in his rookie season, but he continues to rack up the strikeouts. In 2016, the Rays have struck out 971 times, which is ranked 26th in baseball. Berrios has the potential to put up a huge game on Saturday if he can stay ahead in counts and keep the Rays lineup off balanced.
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Daniel Murphy, Jose Altuve on Track to do Something we Haven’t Seen Since 2004
With about two months of play to go, the National League and American League playoff races are just starting to get interesting. However, the batting races appear to be all but finished thanks to the raking Daniel Murphy and Jose Altuve have done all season.
Entering action on Friday, each second baseman has a stranglehold on their respective league’s leaderboard when ranked by batting average. What’s so special about this? Well, I was looking through the box scores this week and kept thinking to myself, “God, these guys are still hitting close to .360? In August? When was the last time the batting champ in both leagues finished with an average over .350?”
As it turns out, this particular scenario isn’t as common as it used to be. Between 1990 and 2004, it happened eight different times.
A handful of batting champs have come close to reaching this benchmark since 2004, but haven’t quite gotten there. Is this .350 benchmark rather arbitrary? Probably, but oh well. This gets more interesting upon seeing the similarities between Murphy and Altuve, both with regard to the season they’re enjoying and the current situation they find themselves in. Here are four that stood out:
Andrew McCutchen: Small Changes Add Up to Big Drop In Performance
Andrew McCutchen is slogging through the worst season of his professional career. His drop in production is a case of death by 1000 tiny cuts.
Andrew McCutchen‘s season is officially a cursed one.
What started off as an unsurprising bad start quickly mushroomed into one of the biggest storylines for the 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates. Now, something that was previously thought to be unthinkable has occurred. McCutchen has been benched for an entire series.
The search for answers is wide-ranging. Many have offered their own theories as to McCutchen’s struggles. The 29-year old center fielder is himself at a loss for words. He responded with exasperation when asked if he felt he needed to take a breather.
“I wouldn’t be taking days off”
The fact of the matter is that he is working to pull his bat out of its summer doldrums. But, as you will see, there is no easy fix. Rather, many small changes in McCutchen’s approach make up the large picture of a struggling former MVP.
Debunking The Lack Of Hittable Pitches
Andrew McCutchen has offered that he does not get many ‘hittable pitches,’ but the data culled from pitch f/x shows otherwise.
The table above shows the Zone percentages (percentage of pitches in the strike zone) as well as percentages of fastballs seen overall. McCutchen is seeing the most pitches in the zone than he ever has before, and 4.4 percent more than his 2013 MVP campaign.
On their own merits, Zone and fastball percentages can’t tell the full story. They are imperfect metrics. Just because a pitch lands in the zone doesn’t mean the pitch did not have enough deception to freeze the batter, or outright fool him. In this particular instance, fastball percentage lumps in all fastball types. Thus, we can’t fully lean on it to help explain away McCutchen’s inability to drive the ball.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 5, 2016
Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe
I know it isn’t Sunday, but I am doing a request anyway.
@sullybaseball thoughts about bringing baseball back to the Olympics https://t.co/FUaIlS3ixc
— Strictly Baseball (@strictlybba11) August 4, 2016
Olympic Baseball will always be running an uphill battle because the best players in the world won’t necessarily be playing it.
It is a pass the torch episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Dernard Span, Brandon Finnegan, Francisco Lindor, Drew Smyly, Ian Kennedy, Nolan Arenado, Ji-Man Choi and Ryan Vogelsong all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
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