BALTIMORE ORIOLES The Orioles’ best prospects are probably a couple of years away from making an impact in the majors. Two who might appear with Baltimore in 1998 are Danny Clyburn and Nerio Rodriguez. Clyburn had his first truly strong season at Triple-A last year, most notably improving his strike zone judgment. His future with…
In 1982, after several years of self-publishing, Bill James released his annual Baseball Abstract with a major publisher for the first time. Since then, the baseball world has never been the same. The influence of James’ work during the 1980s cannot be overestimated; while some might argue that if not James, then someone would have…
The Giants recently traded for Robb Nen, putting to rest the rumors that Julian Tavarez would have to be the team’s closer in 1998. Nen struck out 81 batters in 74 innings last season, and has struck out more than a batter per inning throughout his major-league career. The alternative, Julian Tavarez, is three years…