Baseball Connection

Ronald Acuna Jr. made his return to the Braves lineup for the first time since tearing his ACL last July. Acuna played right field and wasted no time letting it loose by swiping two bases. Expect a strong year from him. It's early, but the Angels lead the AL West. What makes them better this year? Alek Manoah is an ace. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Getting off to a strong start is a great confidence booster for any hitter. It sets a tone for the season and provides a sense of relief. Who are some of the bats making an impact in the early going? When it comes to major milestones, you have to play at a high level for a long time. There is one active player who many believe will be the next in the 3,000 hit club. When it comes to discussing the...

When Willy Adames was traded from the Rays to the Brewers last season, he became a much better hitter overnight. He's back at it again after a massive performance on Tuesday night. How good is his bat truly? Can he keep it up? Don't look now, but the Mets are baseball's best team at the moment and their pitching is leading the way. Carlos Rodon is off to a hot start and he continues to rack up the...

Angel Hernandez, MLB's most infamous umpire, was at it again on Sunday night. Kyle Schwarber let him know it after erupting in anger after Hernandez called him out on what should have been a ball. Walker Buehler tossed the first complete game in MLB the season. Bo Bichette has had a slow start, but his grand slam might be just what he needed. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Miguel Cabrera has joined the 3,000 hit club. He did it in typical Miggy fashion with a base hit to the right side. Cabrera is just the 7th player in MLB history with 500+ HRs and 3,000+ hits. Yankees fans got into it with Guardians outfielders at the end of the Yankees walk-off victory. Michael Conforto is still a free agent but he won't be signing any time soon because he had shoulder surgery. H...

Two weeks into the MLB season, some storylines have begun to form. Veteran pitchers have led the charge in the early going. A way-too-early frontrunner for NL MVP has emerged in St. Louis. The Angels are surrounding Mike Trout with young outfielders. How is it going? All this (and more) on today's episode.

Marlins right hander Pablo Lopez is sporting a 0.52 ERA through three starts this season. That's good enough for the MLB lead. There's lots of young promise in Miami's pitching staff. Miguel Cabrera was one hit away from 3,000... and the Yankees intentionally walked him. Kevin Gausman turned in a dominant outing for Toronto, showing exactly why they signed him. All this (and more) on today's episo...

Rays shortstop Wander Franco has played 11 games so far this season. He has multiple hits in 7 of them. Franco is just getting started. Miguel Cabrera is closing in on 3,000 career hits. He has a great chance to do it in front of the home fans in Detroit. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Freddie Freeman faced the Braves for the first time. He also hit his first Dodgers home run. The guy who replaced him in Atlanta (Matt Olson) isn't doing so bad either. Yordan Alvarez returned to the Astros lineup for their home opener and delivered 2 HRs in a win against the Angels. Manny Machado is putting the Padres on his back as they wait for Fernando Tatis to return. There has been a hitter...

As with each hitter that makes the transition from Japan, there are questions of how they will adjust to MLB pitching. Seiya Suzuki has made it look easy so far. Mariners rookie Matt Brash issued an MLB high six walks, yet he still carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Mike Trout exited the game after being hit in the hand. Ronald Acuna Jr. will begin a minor league rehab assignment this week...

Mackenzie Gore has been one of baseball top pitching prospects for a while and he finally made his debut on Friday night. Gore brought strong velocity from the left side and looked the part. Its rare to see a player get walked with the bases loaded. Joe Maddon did it and his plan backfired. Everyone held their breath when Byron Buxton left the game with a knee injury. Fortunately, he has no struct...

The Red Sox reportedly made weak offers to Xander Boagaerts and Rafael Devers. They have a few more years before they need to worry about Devers but there are long-term reasons why Boston might be willing to let Bogaerts leave. CJ Abrams and Corey Seager welcomed themselves to their home crowds with the first home runs in their new uniforms. What specifically should you look for when watching a ba...

Clayton Kershaw was throwing a perfect game through seven innings... and then he got pulled from the game. Was this the right move? Logan Webb continues to show why he's the Giants ace and they will lean on him all year long. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 4-4 with 3 homers and a double against the Yankees. We are all witnesses. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Reds top pitching prospect Nick Lodolo will make his MLB debut on Wednesday. After Hunter Greene impressed in his debut over the weekend, the Reds will try their hand with another young arm. Lodolo doesn't have that many professional innings under his belt, so he might be under a limit this year. Juan Soto hit his 100th career home run, becoming just the seventh player to do so at age 23 or younge...

Alec Bohm committed three throwing errors, which led to a chorus of boos from the home crowd in Philadelphia. He turned the page, though, as he started a late-inning rally to push the Phillies to a comeback victory over the Mets. It's a face-off of twin brothers in the Bay Area for Taylor and Tyler Rogers. Alek Manoah is only a 2nd year player, but his numbers against the Yankees are already turni...

Nelson Cruz hit his 450th career home run in the Nats first win of the season. Cruz, 41, is now 40th on the all-time list. Not bad for someone who didn't hit his first home until age 25. Hunter Greene pumped triple digits all afternoon as he impressed and picked up the win in his MLB debut. Cleveland's Steven Kwan is off to great start in his career. Bat-to-ball skills are his specialty, just like...

For the first time since 2018, the Blue Jays hosted a sellout crowd at the Rogers Centre. They didn't disappoint their home fans as they erased a seven-run to completed a comeback against the Rangers. Aaron Judge declined a sizable contract offer from the Yankees. The Astros are back and they brought out the big bats in Anaheim. All this (and more) on today's episode.

The regular season has begun. What went down on the first day of the 2022 season? Adam Wainwright is 40 but he'll still give you 6 scoreless innings and look great doing it. Diamondbacks rookie Seth Beer delivered a walk-off home run on National Beer Day. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are the two biggest pieces of the Red Sox lineup. Neither player will enter the season with a contract extension after the team failed to reach an agreement with them. Both are primed for big paydays in the future if they go to free agency. Chris Paddack is headed to Minnesota in a trade sending Taylor Rogers out to San Diego. Ke'Bryan Hayes agreed to an 8-year, $...

The Cleveland Guardians have been known to trade away elite talent in order to avoid paying top dollar. They've finally chosen to keep a homegrown star, Jose Ramirez. Ramirez agreed to a 5-year, $124 million deal. It's the largest contract in franchise history since Edwin Encarnacion got $60 million. Other players like Manuel Margot and Ryan Pressly have gotten contract extensions. Spring Training...

The Mariners Opening Day center fielder will be top prospect Julio Rodriguez. Rodriguez is a top-3 prospect in all of MLB and projects to be the future face of the franchise. Only 21, Rodriguez's best tool is his top-of-the-scale power. The Tigers continue to add pieces as they've acquired Austin Meadows in exchange for prospect Isaac Paredes and a sandwich pick. A contender is brewing in Detroit.

Sean Manaea has been traded to the San Diego Padres. It was a four-player swap between Oakland and San Diego. The Athletics have now traded away all their notable players as they hope to operate with a low payroll. The blows keep coming for the White Sox pitching staff as Lance Lynn will be out for at least a month due to knee surgery.

Top prospects are making their way to Opening Day rosters at a greater rate than we typically see. This is due to the new Prospect Promotion Incentive which awards teams with additional draft picks if their top prospects accrue a full year of service time and also finish near the top of major award votes. The Angels have moved on from Justin Upton, but another team will likely pick him up. All thi...

The White Sox and Dodgers have completed a one-for-one trade involoving Craig Kimbrel and AJ Pollock. Kimbrel will take the 9th inning role in LA while Pollock will be the White Sox new everyday left fielder. Shortly after the trade, it was announced that White Sox star lefty reliever Garrett Crochet will need Tommy John surgery. Jacob deGrom is heading for an MRI on his shoulder. What's going on...

The Reds have announced that top pitching prospect Hunter Greene has made the starting rotation. Greene and his triple digit fastball will debut on April 10. He was the #2 overall pick in the 2017 draft and signed for $7.2 million out of high school. With the new collective bargaining agreement, teams now have incentive to promote their top prospects earlier. Are the Kansas City Royals suddenly mo...