(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)   It took some time, but the Minnesota Twins have caught up to the Cleveland Guardians at the top of the AL Central standings. Minnesota was actually on top at one point this past weekend, but Cleveland is now up half a game in first place. In any case, the Twins’ recent run has been impressive, and it has been fueled by elite starting pitching. Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods-Richardson, and Chris Paddack have all been in top form since late-April, and have been winning games virtually on their own. The numbers, as always, don’t lie ..read more

(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)   In the last few days, MLB and Statcast unveiled their newest stat: average bat speed. It’s obviously self-explanatory, but comes in handy in the analysis of certain things. For example, bat speed depends on many factors, but the average hitter feels inclined to alter speed depending on the count. The count is, of course, one of the most underrated aspects of hitting. Plate discipline and hitting go hand in hand. Putting yourself in a hitter’s count will allow you, as the batter, to swing harder on the next pitch looking to inflict damage. On the othe ..read more

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)   During the offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers extended center fielder Jackson Chourio, a top-five prospect in baseball, and gave him the keys to the middle of their outfield. Chourio is blessed with natural athleticism, power, and speed, but his hit tool might not be ready to succeed against MLB pitching just yet. This reality has become evident with each passing game. Chourio is slumping, and his manager is no longer confident in playing him every day. The numbers don’t lie, and they show a harsh reality for the talented youngster. “Jackson Chourio over ..read more

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)   For years, MLB hitters have been taught to hit the ball hard and in the air. Numbers show that a hard-hit ball that has been lifted and in an ideal launch angle leads to the best results. MLB, or Statcast to be more specific, has been able to measure how hard balls are hit for a few years now. How about how hard hitters swing? That’s a new one. Of course, as you probably expected, New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton leads the league in average bat speed, Statcast’s newest tool to measure how hard a batter swings. “Giancarlo Stanton leads the league in ..read more

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)   For the first time in the official MLB Power Rankings era, the Baltimore Orioles are at the top. That’s right: after being historically bad from 2017 to 2021, the team’s ascent began in 2022 with a record above .500. The O’s kept growing in 2023 and led the American League with 101 wins. Now, according to the league’s official site, they are the best and hottest team in baseball. “A new team atop this week’s power rankings … for the first time ever. Welcome to No. 1, @Orioles!” MLB tweeted, with the rest of this week’s rankings. A new team ato ..read more

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)   It doesn’t take much to make a baseball fan smile, as a signed ball or even a quick meet and greet could give a fan a moment that will last a lifetime. That relationship goes both ways, as sometimes fans are the ones making players smile and giving them a moment they’ll remember forever, which is exactly what happened yesterday in a clip that surfaced out of Milwaukee Brewers camp. A clip was shared on X of Brewers catcher William Contreras signing autographs in a recent meet and greet, and one fan that runs the X account @yelichfans printed out a ..read more

(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)   Baseball doesn’t get highly-anticipated debuts quite as often as you see in the NBA or NFL, but when a prospect does generate that next-level sort of hype and the anticipation leading up to their debut results in a full stadium and the kind of electric atmosphere fans were treated to on Saturday, it’s a special moment unlike any other. In a debut as hyped as any we have seen since Stephen Strasburg came up with the Washington Nationals in 2010, Pittsburgh Pirates fans and baseball fans, in general, were able to turn on Saturday’s game and feel li ..read more

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)   The Pittsburgh Pirates have been mediocre for a while. Their last winning season came in 2018, and they are 17-21 as of Friday afternoon. However, their time might be coming. They are currently competitive, but still missing a few pieces. One of those pieces is starter and former No. 1 draft pick Paul Skenes. Skenes will be called up ahead of Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, and the entire baseball universe will be watching with enthusiasm. We might be in presence of a special pitcher, one that had a 0.99 ERA in 27.1 innings this year in Tr ..read more

(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)   OPS, a combination of on-base percentage and slugging, is a fantastic way to have an idea about a player’s offensive ability in a specific timespan. However, it doesn’t tell the story of how much a specific player was affected by external factors. For example, there are different ballpark dimensions, altitude conditions, and more. OPS+ adjusts for those factors and give us a number that tells us how much better or worse than the league-average hitter a batter has performed. OPS+, therefore, will tell you that the Baltimore Orioles have a myriad of w ..read more

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)   If you were worried about Shohei Ohtani’s transition from the American to the National League, it’s safe to say he hasn’t had any issues with that. He dominated for six years with the Los Angeles Angels, and is now dominating again with the Los Angeles Dodgers. When there is a unique talent like him involved, a simple switch in uniform won’t stop him. Ohtani, however, seems to be playing the best ball of his career. He is seeing the ball very, very clearly, and there aren’t any issues with his swing, either. The numbers, as always, prove that. “Th ..read more