AL East | AL Central | AL West Welcome to Baseball Prospectus’ predictions for 1998. We’ll go division by division and each of our staff members will tell you what they think about the races. Remember, there’s a reason we don’t print this stuff in the book; there is no good way we know of…
As some of you know, the ToutWars experts’ rotisserie league held its NL auction on Saturday at New York’s All-Star Cafe. The 14-team league completed its entire auction in a mere six hours, thanks to some speedy auctioneering by Mike Bikales, and by ignoring basic biological necessities for most of the proceedings. The auction produced…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed INF Carlos Garcia; optioned OF Orlando Palmeiro to Vancouver; returned C Eric Helfand, INF Steve Scarsone and CF Gary Thurman to Vancouver; outrighted RHP William VanLandingham to Vancouver; acquired INF Craig Shipley from St. Louis for 2B Chip Hale. [3/30] Ick. Adding Garcia and Shipley give them "options" to Paco Martin at…
CHICAGO WHITE SOX Bolstered by last season’s trade with the Giants, the Sox can expect contributions from a number of young players. Several rookies will be with the team on Opening Day, and how much the team sticks to those commitments will help determine how well the team does, both now and into the future….
SPRING TRAINING "The main thing you want to do here is to keep from getting hurt, and we did that." — Joe Carter, Orioles DH "I thought I was coming in to get ready for April 1st. But I guess they still consider me a 19-year-old rookie and I’ve got to win a job." —…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Outside of non-rookie Todd Greene and spring training monster Troy Glaus, the Angels aren’t going to be the beneficiaries of significant help from their farm system. Glaus is a defensive whiz with legitimate bat speed and the potential to develop a ton of power. He won’t be developing it in Anaheim, where half…
Recently, newly appointed Phillies General Manager Ed Wade was kind enough to speak to our own Keith Law to discuss issues around player evaluation, player development, and poor Calvin Maduro. BP: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. One issue of interest to us and our readers is how you evaluate players. How…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Waived RHP Hector Carrasco. [3/25] For all of the hullaballoo about this, Carrasco isn’t a unique talent, and that’s his problem. Finding relievers who throw moderately hard just isn’t very difficult, and if you’re not wedded to the belief that situational usages reflect ineffable qualities like "closer’s moxie" or whatever, you’re left with…
Here are some picks from various BP authors about who they think will crash and burn, and who will break out this year… Steven Rubio The idea is a simple one: name the three players most likely to crash in 1998, and the three most likely to have a breakthrough season. The only guy I’m…
The Atlanta Braves’ offense was almost as formidable as its pitching staff last year, scoring 791 runs – the second highest total among teams playing in oxygenated atmospheres, and only four fewer than San Diego. A large portion of that was due to the excellent performance of the hitters in the Braves’ leadoff slot. Kenny…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed C Angelo Encarnacion on the 15-day DL. [3/22] Optioned RHP Geoff Edsell to Vancouver. [3/23] With Jason Dickson a probable health risk, and Jack McDowell and Omar Olivares being their uninspiring selves, there’s a very good chance that Edsell could start some games for the Angels this year. He had a rocky…
The sought-after "sleepers" aren’t the only players in your auction whose actual values are likely to exceed their purchase price. Plenty of established players are likely to step their game up – or down – a notch or two in ’98, but their prices won’t fully reflect that probability. Since most of you are heading…