Last week, the Braves lost a dozen July 2 signings from 2016 and 2017, all notable six- or seven-figure bonus players, including the system’s ninth-best prospect Kevin Maitan. They also had their contract with Korean prospect Ji-Hwan Bae voided, were banned from signing top 2019 prospect Robert Puason, had significant restrictions applied to their international…
Deuteronomy has all sorts of things to say about debt and usury, but somehow leaves out Wild Card games. When you’re managing the Wild Card game, all you care about is advancing. Elimination games carry crazy leverage, the highest leverage, and you can’t fret over pulling a guy who isn’t pitching well. The Division Series,…
Like so many Japanese men of his generation, Shingo Furuya was a company man. Fresh out of college with an economics degree, he joined the Hanshin Electric Railway Company and devoted his life to it: worked ridiculous hours, floated through reorganizations and sideways promotions. It’s how he became the manager of one of Hanshin’s corporate…
There are dozens of medium-impact moves that litter the months between the playoffs and spring training, and most of them don’t give us the opportunity to see something new. For example, without much fanfare the Padres signed right-hander Trevor Cahill away from the defending champion Cubs for a relative pittance: only one year and less…
A Box Full of Things to Fill Holes By: David G. Temple He entered the house for the last time of the night — and only to pick up his bag and his phone. “Hey,” she said. “There’s still that big box of baseball cards in the guest room. I need you to take care…