Baseball Connection

Clayton Kershaw added another milestone to his Hall of Fame resume as he secured his 200th career win on Tuesday. Spencer Strider is the best strikeout pitcher in baseball right now and the Braves have won 8 straight. Hunter Greene agreed to a 6-year, $53 million extension with the Reds. Greene's deal will soon prove to be a bargain for Cincinnati. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Are the Braves the new hottest team in baseball? Atlanta sits atop this week's Power Rankings. Giancarlo Stanton landed on the IL with a hamstring strain. How many games per year will he average for the rest of his potential Hall of Fame career? Luis Castillo flirted with perfection but settled with 7 shutout innings and 9 strikeouts. Top prospect rankings matter more than you may think. All this...

Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day across the league. All players wore 42 in honor of the American hero. The Padres are holding steady for now but they have more help on the way soon. Fernando Tatis Jr. is wrapping up his suspension and will rejoin the Padres on Thursday. The Rangers are first in the AL West but the Astros sent young righty Hunter Brown to the mound in response....

Bo Bichette and the Blue Jays handed the Rays their first loss of the season. Bichette was 5-5 and collected his 500th career hit. Jarred Kelenic is having the breakout we've all been waiting for. It's going to be a long year in Oakland. A's pitchers walked 17 batters in one game. All this (and more) on today's episode.

The Rays have won 13 straight games to start the season - the longest such streak since 1987. Adley Rutschman hit a walk-off HR for the Orioles. Baltimore is the most fun team in baseball right now. The Twins hit back-to-back-to-back home runs as part of a 9-run first inning in the Bronx. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Ian Happ and the Cubs have agreed to a 3-year, $61 million extension. Happ was set to be a free agent after this season where he likely would've earned more. Chicago has secured several key pieces on their roster. Max Muncy continued to torment the Giants with 2 more home runs on Wednesday. Muncy is now tied for the league lead in RBIs. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Luis Arraez is a complete package at the plate. Arraez won the 2022 AL batting title and now he's become the first Marlin to hit for the cycle. Do the Orioles have a fearsome lineup all of a sudden? Jordan Walker & the Rays extended their season-opening streaks. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Oneil Cruz will be sidelined for two months with a fractured ankle after undergoing surgery on Sunday night. Cruz and the Pirates were off to a strong start. Similarly, Adam Duvall will miss 6-8 weeks for the Red Sox after suffering a fractured wrist. Duvall has been one of the hottest bats in the game so far. Jordan Walker has a 10-game hit streak to start his career. All this (and more) on today...

The Rays are 8-0 and have the best run differential to start a season that we've ever seen. The Phillies scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth en route to a walk-off victory over the Reds. Nick Lodolo shoved for Cincinnati and Bryon Stott continued his hot hitting at the plate. Mike Trout is off to a powerful start to the season. All this (and more) on today's episode.

It's important for a hitter to get off to a strong start at the plate. It eases tension and builds confidence moving forward. Is Gleyber Torres all the way back or will the Yankees "sell high" on him this year? Wander Franco is healthy and mashing. Will Adam Duvall make Boston forget about losing Bogaerts? We discuss the 10 hottest bats to start the 2023 season. 

Dustin May looks like an upgraded pitcher now that he's fully back from Tommy John Surgery. May will be a top-line ace in short order. Can Vladimir Guerrero return to his 40-HR power numbers? Chris Sale logged his first win since 2021. How good is he at this stage of his career? All this (and more) on today's episode.

The Rays are 6-0 and making it look easy. They're outpitching and outhitting their opponents by a wide margin. Josh Jung hit his second HR of the year for the Rangers. Who is the young 3B in Texas? Jacob deGrom fanned 11 and Gerrit Cole fanned 8 as both aces looked sharp in their second start of the year. All this (and more) on today's episode.

The Orioles are calling up their top pitching prospect, Grayson Rodriguez. Rodriguez is the no. 7 prospect in baseball and will take a crack at the Rangers in his home state of Texas. Sandy Alcantara threw a complete game shutout as the Marlins beat the Twins 1-0 in a blistering 1 hour 57 minutes. Tampa Bay remains undefeated. All this (and more) on today's episode.

David Dahl and Ha-Seong Kim hit back-to-back home runs to create a walk off victory for the Padres. San Diego's lineup is loaded but most wouldn't have anticipated that from the no. 8 and 9 hitters. The Rays are 4-0 to start the year thanks to dominant starting pitching. Homers were flying out of the yard in Chicago as the Giants teed off on Michael Kopech and the White Sox. All this (and more) on...

The Rangers made a statement by sweeping the Phillies in the opening weekend of the season. It's to early to make whispers of a World Series hangover in Philadelphia but Texas hopes to build off this momentum. Kodai Senga looked sharp in his first start, making his MLB debut for the Mets. We're seeing an uptick in stolen bases this year. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Orioles LF Ryan McKenna dropped a fly ball with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Two pitches later, Adam Duvall blasted a walk-off HR over McKenna's head. Trayce Thompson hit 3 home runs and drove in 8 runs, carrying the Dodgers to an easy win. Can Isiah Kiner-Falefa hold down CF for the Yankees? All this (and more) on today's episode.

The Padres and Jake Cronenworth agreed to a 7-year, $80 million extension that will take him through his age-36 season. Cronenworth is a 2-time All-Star and perhaps the most versatile player in baseball. Steven Kwan lifted the Guardians over the Mariners with a 5-RBI day. Anthony Rendon confronted a fan after hearing some heckles he didn't like. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Aaron Judge started his 2023 MLB season off with a bang by hitting a home run. What's in store for the reigining AL MVP? Adley Rutschman and George Springer are seeing the ball well already as each tallied 5 hits. CJ Cron has quietly been mashing for a few years  will anyone notice?  The Astros' Opening Day win streak came to and end. All this (and much more) on today's episode.

Baseball as we knew it, is gone. We'll see a new and revamped game in 2023 with faster tempo and more action. Opening Day is here with a full slate of games.

Andrés Giménez seemed like and afterthought in the Francisco Lindor trade. Not anymore. Giménez is coming off a monster 2022 season and the Guardians have rewarded him with a 7-year, $106.5 million extension. Did Cleveland win the Francisco Lindor trade? All this (and more) on today's episode.

Triston McKenzie will be shut down from throwing for two weeks as he rests a right shoulder strain. He could be out for eight weeks. How will Cleveland manage this in the meantime? Nico Hoerner and the Cubs have agreed to a 3-year, $35 million extension. It'll be a Swanson-Hoerner double play combination in Chicago for the foreseeable future. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Anthony Volpe and Jordan Walker will start for their teams on Opening Day. Volpe (shortstop) will become the first Yankee to make his MLB debut on Opening Day since Hideki Matsui in 2003. Walker (left field) is making the jump from AA to MLB thanks to his big bat. Max Scherzer will start on Opening Day for the Mets but Justin Verlander won't pitch until Game 3. All this (and more) on today's episo...

The Yankees have a shortstop battle at Spring Training this year and Anthony Volpe is leading the way. Jordan Walker has been turning heads at Cardinals camp all spring. Will he make the Opening Day roster? St. Louis extended Miles Mikolas with a 2-year, $40 million extension. All this (and more) on today's episode.

Rhys Hoskins has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, which will put him out for the season. The Phillies were already set to begin the season without Bryce Harper so this news comes as another big blow. Philadelphia will need a new first baseman immediately and they'll lean on Turner, Realmuto, Castellanos, and Schwarber. Jed Lowrie has retired after 15 MLB seasons. Michael Soroka has been sent down t...

MLB's new set of rules have shaved off 25 minutes from the average Spring Training game this year. With Opening Day around the corner, MLB has made some tweaks to the rule changes. We discuss each change in full detail. Who is the likeliest major award winner on each team? All this on today's episode.