Recently, I wrote about some hitters that I really enjoy watching. Today, I’m shifting my focus to young pitchers. I am highlighting pitchers who have just begun their careers and are pitching well.  Quality pitchers don’t always end up with wins or saves. Quality starting pitchers keep their team in the game for multiple innings to help save wear and tear on the bullpen. Quality pitchers give their team a chance to win when they take the mound. For me, the six-inning quality start statistic is meaningful. It rewards the starter that has given up three runs or less in at least six inning ..read more

Last week, I began an analysis of recent player trades in MLB.  There was a flurry of major trades announced following the arrival of the July 31 trade deadline. As long as a trade had been approved in the New York MLB offices by the deadline, the trade is valid. Last week, I discussed just some of the player trades that have helped change the landscape of MLB. Today, I will review some more. Of course, space doesn’t permit an analysis of every player transaction in the past two weeks. I have chosen a few I think that have an impact. ASTROS GET AARON SANCHEZ, JOE BIAGINI AND MORE A ..read more

I had warned people on Twitter not to give up and think trading was over when the 4PM hour arrived July 31st on the East coast. I advised that deals could have been made, but not announced. As long as the deal has been communicated to the MLB offices in New York by the deadline, it is official. The folks at MLB Network were lamenting the lack of deals until an explosion of late announcements hit. Then they had a field day. I was struck by comments by former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd who said major league front offices are unwilling to take risks anymore. He and others on the MLB ..read more

I think we can all agree that baseball has changed. With an emphasis on metrics, with a baseball that flies out of ballparks, with bigger/stronger players, with the home run and strikeouts increasing and on and on. Baseball has been accused of not marketing their players with the same enthusiasm as football or basketball. We do hear about some star players, and the All-Star Game does bring some buzz to certain players, but there are some guys that just don’t get much publicity that are really fun to watch. Today I am sharing a list of guys I love to watch play. It isn’t my complete list ..read more

Prior to the beginning of this season, I listed my top prospect players on this site. At the time I listed White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez over Vlad Guerrero Jr. as my top rated prospect. I have no reason to change that ranking based upon what I have seen so far. Those two guys are off to fine starts to their careers. This edition of BERNIE’S BASEBALL WORLD includes my mid-season rankings. I have not included players that have had time at the big league level this season. My list does not include: Vlad Guerrero Jr.-Blue Jays Eloy Jimenez-White Sox Brandon Lowe-Rays Michael Cha ..read more

There were so many stars on display in Cleveland, Ohio this past week that I’m sure I won’t mention them all. For me, however, the biggest star was the City of Cleveland. Even Commissioner Rob Manfred mentioned how great the city responded to coordinating and hosting all the countless All-Star Week festivities. The city fathers and mothers should be very proud of the way the city looked and felt. It was beautiful. Congratulations to my home town. You did it right. FUTURES GAME For a scout and a baseball analyst like me, the Futures Game is the highlight of my week. It always has been. Ye ..read more

One of the greatest days of the baseball season is upon us. If you are reading this on Sunday, July 7, 2019, you are reading this on the day the MLB Futures Game is being held.  The Futures Game is the annual assembly of the finest baseball prospects from every major league club for the most meaningless, most meaningful game of the year. The Futures Game has no significance in the standings. The game is designed strictly as a “coming attractions” preview of the future of the major league baseball landscape. Meaningless, yet meaningful. Breaking with the tradition of having the finest ..read more

OK, if you read last week’s edition of BBW, you may think my ideas are really crazy. However, there are times in life when crazy ideas are needed. If you missed it, check out last week’s article in BERNIE’S BASEBALL WORLD, here on the site. Last week, I discussed my plan to revise and renew major league baseball. This week, I want to discuss specific ways to achieve competitive balance beyond making the salary structures more equitable to help achieve parity. Last week, I changed the salary structure in baseball to bring teams closer in the amount of money they spend on payroll. That is ..read more

As I have mentioned several times in BERNIE’S BASEBALL WORLD, I believe baseball is in serious trouble. Things have not improved this season. In fact, they may be getting worse instead of better. As of mid-June, attendance was down 6.5% from last season according to Forbes. It is barely mid-June and there are several teams in each division that are hopelessly out of their pennant races. No, that isn’t different from most other years, but there are several very serious factors that cause alarm. First, they are the same teams year after year that are spectators before the All-Star break. Seco ..read more

I always get a chuckle when I offer my opinion about a player and read that my opinion was wrong. I don’t think a person’s opinion is ever wrong. In fact, it is an opinion. Not a fact. Be that as it may, I certainly have opinions about baseball players. I began watching baseball seriously when I was eight years old. I believe by the time I was nine I could distinguish a good player from a bad one. I spent all my waking hours watching baseball when I wasn’t in school. Frankly, I even watched baseball when I was in school. I lived in what many call “The Golden Age of Baseball” of the 1950 ..read more