BwM's Five Bold Predictions for the 2018 Regular Season 3/28/18

Hey baseball fans!

The 2018 MLB regular season starts tomorrow, so it's only fitting I give you five of my boldest predictions for the upcoming campaign.

Prediction #1: The Mariners break their playoff drought
The Seattle Mariners have the longest postseason drought of any major professional American (or Canadian, for that matter) sports team, but that streak is getting snapped this year. Seattle has been so close the last couple of years, but in 2018, thanks to a revamped lineup that now includes Ryon Healy and Dee Gordon, the Mariners will sneak away with the second AL Wild Card spot.

Prediction #2: The Nationals come close to breaking the single-season wins record
Yes, not the Dodgers or the Cubs, but the Nationals. Let me break it down: the Nationals are the best team in the NL East and it's by a long shot. The Marlins will finish with less than 60 wins this year, the Phillies haven't done anything in years, and the Mets and Braves might crack 75 wins this year. If the Nats win less than 100 games, I'll honestly be shocked, considering they play four subpar teams for almost half of their schedule.

Prediction #3: Nolan Arenado wins NL MVP
I've said it in years past and I'll say it again: Arenado is the most underrated player in baseball. So what if he plays in Coors Field? His home and away statistics were virtually identical in 2017. And his fielding? Immaculate. He's a better version of Mike Schmidt and considering Schmidt is my favorite player of all time, that's saying something. If you want me to go into specifics for Arenado's stats, his baseline, in my humble opinion, for 2018 is a .280 batting average with 35 home runs and 125 RBIs. And that's me being conservative.

Prediction #4: An unlikely candidate wins AL Cy Young
James Paxton? Carlos Carrasco? Marcus Stroman? Honestly, who knows and who cares? Chris Sale and Corey Kluber are taking steps back this year, so the AL Cy Young will be up for grabs for anyone.

Prediction #5: Yankees vs. Brewers in the World Series
The fact that I'm predicting the Yankees to be in the World Series shouldn't be shocking, but the Brewers pick might turn some heads. They added some key bats this past offseason and have a very underrated pitching staff. They'll sneak into the NL playoffs at least with the first Wild Card spot (but I think they're winning the NL Central, to be honest) and could make a Cinderella-type run that puts them in the 2018 Fall Classic.

Am I biased because my 2018 World Series prediction features my two favorite MLB franchises? Maybe a little. But anyway, leave me some of your MLB bold predictions for the upcoming season in the comments section below. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Greatest Game Ever Pitched 3/22/18

Hey baseball fans!

As most of you know, I celebrated ecstatically when Alan Trammell got into the Hall of Fame this past December, but at the time, I failed to shed light on his former teammate and fellow 2018 Hall of Fame inductee, Jack Morris. Well, that's what I intend to do in this post and I'll be doing that by backing up the following claim: Jack Morris's pitching performance in Game Seven of the 1991 World Series was the greatest pitching performance in baseball history. What a claim, am I right? Well, hear me out.

Reason #1: The Magnitude
Morris and the Minnesota Twins made their second Fall Classic in five years in '91, where they met the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta and Minnesota fought hard throughout the whole Series, setting up a Game Seven that would feature the mustachio-ed All Star on the mound for the Twins.

Reason #2: The Matchup
Morris didn't go up against some scrub, however. On the mound for Atlanta was none other than Hall of Famer John Smoltz. Any fan in the Metrodome that night had to have anticipated an unbelievable pitching duel.

Reason #3: The Duel
Morris and Smoltz went toe-to-toe through eight innings of ball, when the score remained tied at zero. Morris had allowed just seven hits and two walks to this point. Smoltz had put up similarly exemplary numbers, but exited after the eighth. Morris, however, was not ready to leave the mound.

Reason #4: What Happened After Smoltz Left
Morris sat down the next six Braves batters, setting up the walk-off, World Series-winning single by Twins pinch hitter Gene Larkin in the bottom of the tenth.

Separately, all of these reasons might sound pedestrian at best, but now let me put them together: Jack Morris pitched a ten-inning shutout in Game Seven of the World Series against a fellow Hall of Famer. Don Larsen's perfect game in Game Five of the 1956 World Series was literally immaculate and Madison Bumgarner did a great job fending off the Royals in his five innings of shutout relief in Game Seven of the 2014 World Series, but Morris stands alone and no one will convince me otherwise. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Guess That Hall of Famer!!! 3/18/18

Hey baseball fans!

Who's ready to play "Guess That Hall of Famer!!!"? Here's how the game works: I'm going to show you screenshots of the career statistics of five MLB Hall of Famers. The screenshots will increase in difficulty from the first to the last. You're job is to guess that Hall of Famer, as the name of the game suggests. I played this game recently for the first time and it was extremely fun!

Some quick notes:

• Bolded numbers means league-leading
• Highlighted career numbers means all-time leader
• A star next to a year means he was an All Star
• "GG"= Gold Glove; "SS"=Silver Slugger
• There is an answer key at the bottom
• These pictures might be hard to see. If so, get a friend to look up the Baseball Reference pages for the players listed in the answer key in the order that they're listed, but make sure you can't see the players' names on their pages. 

Let the game begin!

How'd you do? Tell me your results in the comments section below. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Answer key (first to last): Babe Ruth, Pedro Martinez, Frank Robinson, Goose Gossage, Rogers Hornsby

Oldies, But Goodies 3/13/18

Hey baseball fans!

A lot of baseball players tail off in terms of their yearly statistics after their early 30s, but that's not always the case, especially with these special players.

Willie Mays, Johnny Mize, and Barry Bonds
"The Say Hey Kid" and fellow Hall of Famer Mize are two of the oldest players to ever hit 50+ homers in a season. Mays hit 52 homers in 1965 at the young age of 34, while at the same age, Mize smacked out 51 bombs of his own in 1947. However, it is Bonds (pictured below) who is distinguished, having set the record for the most home runs hit in a single season with a whopping 73 in 2001 at 36 years young.

Tony Gwynn
Gwynn won four consecutive batting titles from 1994-1997... from the ages of 34 to 37! His 1994 performance is probably the most impressive of the bunch, when even though the season was shortened due to a players' strike, the Hall of Fame member of the San Diego Padres batted .394, the highest single-season batting average since Ted Williams's .406 batting average in 1941.

Pete Rose
Although mostly remembered for his time on the Cincinnati Reds, Rose actually had a lot of success with the Phillies as well. "Charlie Hustle" made four straight All Star Games for the Fightin' Phils from 1979-1982, even though he was 38 years old or older in all four years. And in those four years, he batted a solid .300 while also helping out during the Phillies World Series championship run in 1980.

David Ortiz
The greatest clutch player in Red Sox history had one of the greatest farewell seasons of all time in 2016. That year, at the age of 40, he set records for single-season homers and RBIs for a 40-year-old (38 and 127, respectively). Oh, and he also batted .315 that year while leading the league in slugging (.620, also a single-season record for a 40-year-old).

Jamie Moyer, Satchel Paige, and Nolan Ryan
No list of great geezers is complete without talking about these three pitchers. Moyer retired when he was 49 years old after playing for 25 seasons in the Majors, making his first career All Star Game at 40 years old in 2003. Paige played most of his career in the Negro Leagues, and didn't make his Major League debut until he was 41, but he actually made two All Star Games at ages 45 and 46 in 1952 and 1953 and didn't pitch in his final Major League game until he was 58. Ryan's (pictured below) career ERA at age 40 and after (he pitched until he was 46) was a respectable 3.33, while leading the league in strikeouts in four consecutive seasons and collecting career no-hitters #6 and #7.

What performances, am I right? If only more players could age as gracefully as these guys did. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

BONUS: Babe Ruth averaged 42 homers a season in his 30s. Holy cow.

Yay for Alan Trammell! 2/22/18

Hey baseball fans!

Finally, Alan Trammell is in the Hall of Fame! For the first time, my annual Alan Trammell appreciation post won't be one of yearning, but one of celebrating! Let the confetti rain down!

For those of you who are confused, let me explain: Alan Trammell was a shortstop for the Tigers in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and me and him happen to share a birthday: February 21st. For almost every year that I've blogged on my birthday, I've pleaded for Trammell to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The reason is that without Trammell, I would have no Hall of Fame birthday buddy (yes, former Red Sox owner and HoFer Tom Yawkey does share a birthday with me as well, but it's not the same). And it's not like Trammell hadn't been deserving of induction; he was a six-time All Star, four-time Gold Glover, three-time Silver Slugger, and 1984 World Series MVP. It just took him a little longer to get in than he deserved.

For 15 straight years on the BBWAA ballots, Trammell never got higher than 40.9% of the vote, roughly 34% less than what he needed to join his fellow All Stars in Cooperstown. But the Veteran's Committee thought otherwise because just this past December, Trammell and former teammate Jack Morris were voted into the Hall by the VC. When I watched Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson formally announce Trammell's introduction to the Hall of Fame, I was ecstatic. I finally have a Hall of Fame birthday buddy! I can't wait to watch his induction speech in July.

And, here's a bonus: my live interview with Alan from 2015. Just click here.

Who's your Hall of Fame birthday buddy? Tell me in the comments section below. Thanks for the birthday wishes and for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it and check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

7 Obscure Facts about the New York Yankees 2/13/18

Hey baseball fans!

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training today and I couldn't be more excited for baseball to be back! My mind has been going nuts without baseball and, because of my insanity, I've garnered a lot more baseball knowledge just out of the boredom I've had to endure due to a lack of America's pastime. Naturally, the team I've researched the most is the Yankees, so without further delay, here are seven super rare fun facts about the New York Yankees.

Fact #1
The Yankees have won 40 American League pennants in their history, the most of any team. But we can go deeper than that, right? Well, let's try. Even before MLB expansion started in 1961, the Yanks had beaten all eight original National League teams in the World Series at least once. Since expansion, the only NL team that has been to any World Series that New York has yet to face there is the Rockies. (The Nationals and Brewers haven't been to the Fall Classic as NL teams yet.)

Fact #2
The Bronx Bombers have finished last in their division only four times in their 115-year history and have yet to finish last since the American League expanded to three divisions back in 1994.

Fact #3
Including the postseason and in terms of winning percentage, the 1927 Yankees are the best AL team of all time; they posted a regular season record of 110-44 and swept the World Series for a total winning percentage of .721.

Fact #4
The Yankees' worst seasonal attendance, according to the team's official website, came in 1906. In their fourth year of existence, the Yanks only brought 35,500 fans to the ballpark, which is a shame because they finished the season at a very respectable 90-61.

Fact #5
Nick Swisher was a fan favorite for the Yankees from 2009-2012, bringing a very chill vibe to the clubhouse and a productive bat to the batter's box. However, after the 2012 season, he decided to sign with the Indians and the Yankees got a compensatory pick at the end of the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft in exchange for Swisher's services. Who did they use this pick on, you ask? Aaron Judge.

Fact #6
Since interleague play began in 1997, there is actually only one NL team that the Yankees have played against in more than 20 games and have lost in those games more times than they've won: the Phillies (13-14). Ironically, the Phillies have the most all-time losses in baseball history at 10,837.

Fact #7
I am one of three people in my family born during a year in which the Yankees won the World Series! My cousin Max and I are born five days apart in 1999 (Yanks swept the Braves) and my mom's mom was born in 1941 (Yanks over Dodgers in five).

I hope you learned a thing or two about the greatest baseball franchise in history. Oh, you want to make the claim that the Yankees won most of their World Series before free agency? Well, here's a bonus fun fact for you: in the Super Bowl era (since 1967), New York has won seven World Series, the most of any team during the time period. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Red Sox vs. Phillies: Who Will Win the Super Bowl? 2/4/18

Hey baseball fans!

Because the Super Bowl is today, everyone is comparing the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles to predict who will win the game. I, however, have a different technique. Instead of looking at these two teams in depth, I looked at their MLB counterparts to see which of those teams is better. So, who's better, the Red Sox or the Phillies? (Disclaimer: this is not my actual Super Bowl prediction. It's just a funny way to compare two MLB teams on a historical perspective.)

Category One: Overall Winning Percentage
During Boston's 117-year history in Major League Baseball, they've won an astounding 9,410 games and have only lost 8,776 games for a winning percentage of .517. Meanwhile, the Phillies have an all-time record of 9,664-10,837 for a winning percentage of only .471. After category number one, the Red Sox are up, 1-0 over the Fightin' Phils.

Category Two: Head-to-Head Winning Percentage
These two teams squared off in the 1915 World Series, with the Red Sox beating the Phillies easily in five games. Besides that series that was more than 100 years ago, the two squads have faced each other in interleague play many a time. In their 63 matchups, the Red Sox have won 39 of them. After two categories, Boston's up two on Philly.

Category Three: Hall of Famers
These two clubs have been around for more than a century each, so they each have plenty of Hall of Famers to go around. There are 14 Hall of Famers who wear the Red Sox logo on their cap in their Cooperstown plaques, including legends such as Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx, while the Phillies can only claim that distinction for six Hall of Famers. So Boston is now up 3-0, meaning that with one more categorical victory, the BoSox will secure the Patriots' sixth Super Bowl.

Category Four: World Series Championships
What better way to determine which of two teams is better than by looking at how many times they've won the big one. The Phillies didn't win their first World Series until 1980 and have only won one other since (2008). The Sox have won eight World Series, despite their 86-yearlong drought. Well, that settles is. Sox win, 4-0.

Sorry Eagles fans, but it looks like the Patriots will win Super Bowl LII. Maybe next year the Eagles will face the Texans or Chargers in the Super Bowl, because the Astros and Angels have less World Series championships than the Phils. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."