Mel Antonen

Red Sox the favorites in the American League East

Red Sox the favorites in the American League East
After going 11-3 in the postseason en route to winning the 2018 World Series, the Red Sox are taking aim at becoming the first repeat World Series winner since the Yankees won their third consecutive in 2000. History says the Red Sox have an uphill climb. Since 2000, only the 2001 Yankees and 2009 Phillies returned to the World Series after winning it the previous season. Nine of the World Series champions didn't make the postseason. The Yankees and Red Sox are the favorites in the American...
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Mel Antonen

Multiple teams will contend in wide-open NL Central

Multiple teams will contend in wide-open NL Central
The Milwaukee Brewers - thanks in part to former Oriole Wade Miley and former National Gio Gonzalez - won the National League Central last season by a game and then came within a victory of winning their the NL pennant, their first pennant since winning the AL pennant in 1982 and losing to St. Louis in the World Series. Miley and Gonzalez are gone, so the Brewers will bank on young pitchers in the rotation. The biggest addition is Yasmani Grandal, a switch-hitting catcher with power. He played...
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Mel Antonen

Is Tribe pitching strong enough to withstand challenge from Twins?

Is Tribe pitching strong enough to withstand challenge from Twins?
The Indians rotation is one of the best in baseball, and because of that, they are the pick to win their fourth consecutive American League Central championship. But unlike other years, the Indians' chances are at their most vulnerable. Their bullpen is weaker and their offense took a hit. They have a no-name outfield, although former Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez signed late a minor league contract with Cleveland. So which team has the best chance to catch them? The Twins are that team....
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Mel Antonen

Can upstart Rockies break Dodgers' stranglehold atop NL West?

Can upstart Rockies break Dodgers' stranglehold atop NL West?
The good news for the Los Angeles Dodgers is that they've been to the World Series two consecutive years. The bad news is that they've watched two teams - the Astros in 2017 and the Red Sox last season - celebrate a championship in Dodger Stadium. The Astros won Game 7, the Red Sox Game 5. The Dodgers vow to win the World Series this season, ending a championship drought that goes back to 1988, the year they beat the Athletics. But first things first: They have to take aim at winning their...
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Mel Antonen

Even with pitching questions, Astros look to be cream of AL West crop

Even with pitching questions, Astros look to be cream of AL West crop
The Astros won their first World Series in 2017 and followed that with a franchise-record 103 victories last season. But they were then beaten in the postseason by the eventual World Series champion Red Sox. "Last year was a disappointment, but we are an organization that's built to win multiple championships,'' says Jeff Luhnow, the general manager who puts the roster together. The Astros' core of players includes a healthy middle infield in Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. There's also...
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Mel Antonen

Some thoughts on new rules being implemented for 2019, 2020

Some thoughts on new rules being implemented for 2019, 2020
Baseball in 2020 will be finally getting rid of the most confusing rule in the game: the waiver rule that allows teams to make trades - even after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. What good is a July 31 trade deadline if teams can use a convoluted rule to make trades anyway? In 2019, the old system will stay in place. Teams can make any trades they see fit before the July 31 trade deadline. This season will be the final August that a team can trade a player after he clears waivers. It's...
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Mel Antonen

Even with Harper, Phillies must improve starting pitching to contend

Even with Harper, Phillies must improve starting pitching to contend
The Phillies this offseason have strengthened their defense, added to their bullpen and added three quality players - shortstop Jean Segura, catcher J.T. Realmuto and reliever David Robertson - and two former National League MVP outfielders, Andrew McCutchen and former National Bryce Harper, who has a 13-year, $330 million free-agent contract to play for one of the Nationals' division rivals. So, does that make the Phillies, who haven't had a winning season since 2011, the odds-on favorite to...
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Mel Antonen

Red Sox rotation, Yankees bullpen are cream of AL East pitching crop

Red Sox rotation, Yankees bullpen are cream of AL East pitching crop
The most persistent question in the American League East involves the Yankees and World Series champion Red Sox. Which team has the best rotation? Let's say the Red Sox. Which has the best bullpen? No doubt, it is the Yankees. The Blue Jays rotation banks on the health of its two best pitchers, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez and the rest of the rotation is a work in progress. The Rays rotation has a strong big three. But the Rays will likely continue to pioneer their "opener" ways. In...
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Mel Antonen

In NL East arms race, Mets and Nationals have the upper hand

In NL East arms race, Mets and Nationals have the upper hand
The National League East is an arms race, at least with the Nationals and the Mets. The Nationals, who missed the postseason in 2018, traded Tanner Roark and added Patrick Corbin and Aníbal Sánchez to a rotation led by Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. And, as good as the Nationals rotation is, the Mets rotation has fewer questions. The Mets' offseason focused on fixing their bullpen. Atlanta didn't add to a rotation that helped the Braves win the division next year. The Braves might...
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Mel Antonen

Reds retool rotation, but will aging Cubs starting five be an issue in NL Central?

Reds retool rotation, but will aging Cubs starting five be an issue in NL Central?
With three new starters, the Cincinnati Reds are shooting for at least a .500 record in the National League Central. The Cubs have experience in their rotation, but check out their ages: Could they have too much experience? The Pirates think their rotation will surprise. The Cardinals' best story is Carlos Martínez and whether he can lead the rotation after injuries put him in the bullpen last year. And the Brewers, the team that lost to the Dodgers in last October's NL Championship...
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Mel Antonen

Dynamic rotation boosts Indians, makes things difficult for rest of AL Central

Dynamic rotation boosts Indians, makes things difficult for rest of AL Central
The Cleveland Indians rotation is one of the best in baseball, which makes life difficult for the other four teams in the American League Central, so that makes them the favorite. Minnesota has the most improved team, but will the Twins rotation help them make up 13 games in the division race? For drama to happen in the AL Central, the Twins need a consistent rotation. Kansas City is banking of health for Danny Duffy and a bounceback from Ian Kennedy. The White Sox will have at least two former...
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Mel Antonen

Dodgers have top mound staff in NL West, but Rockies are close behind

Dodgers have top mound staff in NL West, but Rockies are close behind
The best overall pitching in the National League West belongs to the Dodgers, but the Rockies aren't far behind, at least when it comes to youth and depth. The Dodgers' biggest addition is reliever Joe Kelly, who grew up a Dodgers fan and ate Dodger Dogs sitting in the left field seats at Dodger Stadium. Kelly, 30, helps a bullpen that goes thin when the postseason arrives. He pitched for World Series champion Boston last season. Arizona is without Patrick Corbin, now a National. The Giants...
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Mel Antonen

In AL West, question marks aplenty on patchwork pitching staffs

In AL West, question marks aplenty on patchwork pitching staffs
Where has all the pitching gone? That's the theme for rotations in the American League West. Houston had to replace three starters going into the offseason. Oakland isn't sure who is going to be in the final three rotation slots. Texas is hoping for a bunch of injury comebacks. Los Angeles is banking on comebacks, some from injuries others from subpar seasons. Seattle traded its No. 1 starter, James Paxton, to the Yankees. The Mariners pin their hopes on pitchers such as Mike Leake and Wade...
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Mel Antonen

Remembering Frank Robinson: feared slugger, Triple Crown winner, baseball trailblazer

Remembering Frank Robinson: feared slugger, Triple Crown winner, baseball trailblazer
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who hit 586 home runs and helped the Orioles win World Series in 1966 and 1970, and later managed the Nationals, died Thursday in Southern California. He was 83. Here are things to know about Robinson: * He was born in Beaumont, Texas, the youngest of 10 children, and when his parents divorced, his mom moved the family to Oakland, where Frank was a high school basketball teammate of future NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell and baseball teammates of future big league...
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Mel Antonen

Will proposed rules changes help commissioner speed up the game?

Will proposed rules changes help commissioner speed up the game?
Major League Baseball is getting serious about quickening the pace of a game. And, MLB isn't just talking about cutting a few minutes here and there. The idea is to get away from games that drag for three hours. It's better to get the average time of game down to 2 hours, 30 minutes. MLB is discussing several rule changes with the players association. ESPN's Jeff Passan writes that his sources say that owners and players are thinking about a variety of ideas and rule changes that would...
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Mel Antonen

Hall of Fame cap controversies are nothing new for Cooperstown

Hall of Fame cap controversies are nothing new for Cooperstown
Newly elected Hall of Famer Mike Mussina played 10 years with the Orioles and eight with the Yankees, so which team's logo will appear on his cap in Cooperstown? Mussina announced Friday that his cap on his plaque will be blank when he's inducted July 21. He said at the Hall of Fame press conference that he didn't know which team to choose, because he wouldn't have been going to Cooperstown without playing for either team. Mussina pitched in six postseason games for the Orioles, 17 for the...
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Mel Antonen

History-making vote swells Hall of Fame class by four players

History-making vote swells Hall of Fame class by four players
The Baseball Writers' Association of America on Tuesday elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame two starting pitchers, a designated hitter and a closer with a history-making vote total. For the first time in 75 years, there's a unanimous selection on the BBWAA ballot. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera got every one of the 425 votes cast. Who would have thought that a closer would have that honor instead of someone like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson or Henry Aaron? Ken Griffey Jr. had...
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Mel Antonen

Dubious performance, link to steroids should keep Bonds, Clemens out of Hall of Fame

Dubious performance, link to steroids should keep Bonds, Clemens out of Hall of Fame
Pitcher Roger Clemens and outfielder Barry Bonds are moving closer to the 75 percent threshold needed for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it is still a mystery as to why they should be in. As a voting member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, I can't vote for them. I don't understand or agree with the arguments that BBWAA members use to vote for Bonds and Clemens. A vote for Bonds and Clemens is a vote for steroids usage. That means a voter thinks that Clemens'...
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Mel Antonen

As the holidays approach, some answers to pressing baseball questions

As the holidays approach, some answers to pressing baseball questions
Here are answers to questions that might come up at family gatherings over the holidays: Question: The White Sox haven't had a winning record since winning 85 games in 2012. Why would Bryce Harper or Manny Machado consider going to Chicago's South Side? Answer: The White Sox hope to have two things going for them: money and a team that is loaded with young talent. The White Sox, tired of playing in the shadow of the crosstown Cubs, have to get Harper or Machado to believe that they would be...
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Mel Antonen

Minus blockbuster deals and signings, Winter Meetings end with lots of unanswered questions

Minus blockbuster deals and signings, Winter Meetings end with lots of unanswered questions
LAS VEGAS - The symbol for this year's Winter Meetings is the strikingly empty scene at the far end of the media work room at the Madalay Bay Resort and Casino: There's a stage with a backdrop, podium and microphone, risers for TV cameras and a couple of hundred chairs lined neatly into rows. The tableau is baseball's version of a ghost town. Except for a charity auction event, the announcement of Nathan Eovaldi's deal with the Red Sox and the Hall of Fame press conference introducing new...
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