Author Archive

Mining the News (10/15/24)

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

American League

Mariners

Jorge Polanco had knee surgery.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee and expects to be ready for the beginning of spring training, sources told ESPN. Read the rest of this entry »


Mining Injuries & Roster Moves (10/11/24)

Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

MLB.com has a unique news section where each team updates their injuries and transactions. I’ve found this information useful but it’s unique. Each team’s webpage (not an article) is in flux with information constantly appearing and disappearing. I plan to check for updates (each blurb is dated) and report any information. I’ll quote the page to preserve the information. The information disappears into the abyss so quoting the source is the only way to keep it.

I won’t report headline news but will try to dig a little deeper. Additionally, I want this article to be a quick reference so don’t expect a certain word count. I’ll provide the useful info and then fantasy managers can figure out how best to utilize it.

The last edition was on October 4th, so any news was taken on or after that date.

Mining the News Archive
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Crowdsourcing: Hitters Who Played Through an Injury in 2024

For several seasons I’ve attempted to collect the hitters who have played through an injury. These banged-up guys underperformed their projection by ~20 points of OPS the next season. That works out to a 5% drop in production. What I need is help trying to collect all the possible batters while this season is still fresh in everyone’s mind. Here are the names I have so far:

Documented Players Collected So Far
Name Location
Alex Bregman elbow
Alex Kirilloff back
Alex Verdugo tattoos
Anthony Santander knee
Bo Bichette calf
Brandon Drury migraines and injuries
Brandon Lowe toe
Brooks Lee bicep
Bryce Harper elbow, wrist
Chas McCormick hamstring
Christian Yelich back
Cody Bellinger finger
Dansby Swanson knee
David Fry elbow
DJ LeMahieu hip
Evan Carter back
Fernando Tatis Jr. leg
Francisco Lindor back
Freddie Freeman finger
Gleyber Torres groin
Heliot Ramos plantar fasciitis
Hunter Renfroe back and leg
J.T. Realmuto knee
Jason Heyward back
Jazz Chisholm Jr. shoulder
Jett Williams wrist
Joey Ortiz neck
Jonny DeLuca unknown, rumors
Jorge Polanco knee
Juan Soto hand
Jurickson Profar patellar tendinitis
Ke’Bryan Hayes back
Ketel Marte ankle
Kris Bryant back
Kyle Tucker shin
Logan O’Hoppe concussion
Luis Arraez thumb
Marcus Semien uknown, horrible after collision
Mark Canha hip
Masataka Yoshida shoulder
Masyn Winn back
Max Kepler hernia
Michael Massey back
Miguel Rojas abductor muscle
Nick Ahmed wrist
Nolan Jones back
Nolan Schanuel thumb
Oneil Cruz possibly ankle, no source
Rafael Devers shoulder
Sal Frelick shoulder
Shohei Ohtani hamstring
Starling Marte knee
Steven Kwan bumps and bruises
TJ Friedl not at 100%
Thairo Estrada multiple injuries
Trevor Larnach toe
Tyler O’Neill knee
Will Wagner knee
William Contreras hand
Wilmer Flores knee
Wilyer Abreu late-May injury, no SB
Yandy Díaz knee
Zach Neto shoulder

Does anyone know of any others and I’d love to have a link to verify? I’ll assemble a complete list with the links in a future article. Thanks.


Mining the News (10/10/24)

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Free Agents

José Abreu hopes to increase his value by playing winter ball.

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2024 End Of Season Closer Report

D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

After a 2023 blip where some trends started reverse, everything Saves-wise is back to normal in 2024.  This past season is close to the results of 2021 and 2022 with no noticeable changes. The only item of note in all the tables is that only four closers were able to keep their jobs (with the same team) through the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Read the rest of this entry »


Mining the News (10/7/24)

Free Agents

Tomoyuki Sugano and

Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, the most successful Japanese pitcher of his generation to have spent his whole career in Nippon Professional Baseball, will come to Major League Baseball as an international free agent this winter, sources told ESPN.

Sugano, who turns 35 in a week, is in the midst of a renaissance season that has seen him post a 1.67 ERA over 24 starts for the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants. He is a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award — the equivalent of the Cy Young — two-time Central League MVP and four-time ERA champion, and his reemergence paved the way for him to finally reach MLB.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara plan to be posted this offseason.

Left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara is looking to move to the majors, and as per a report from Yahoo Sports Japan (Japanese language link), he’ll ask the Chunichi Dragons to make him available to MLB teams via the posting system this offseason. The Yakyu Cosmopolitan also reported earlier this year that Ogasawara was aiming to pitch for a big league team in 2025, and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported (via X) back in April that Major League scouts were watching Ogasawara pitch in Japan.

While the pair are eight years apart in age, their production last season was similar making their comps similar when comparing them to other pitchers coming from Japan to the States. Read the rest of this entry »


Mining Injuries & Roster Moves (10/4/24)

MLB.com has a unique news section where each team updates their injuries and transactions. I’ve found this information useful but it’s unique. Each team’s webpage (not an article) is in flux with information constantly appearing and disappearing. I plan to check for updates (each blurb is dated) and report any information. I’ll quote the page to preserve the information. The information disappears into the abyss so quoting the source is the only way to keep it.

I won’t report headline news but will try to dig a little deeper. Additionally, I want this article to be a quick reference so don’t expect a certain word count. I’ll provide the useful info and then fantasy managers can figure out how best to utilize it.

The last edition was on September 27th, so any news was taken after that date.

Mining the News Archive
Read the rest of this entry »


Mining the News (10/3/24)

Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Note: There are a ton of end-of-season team reviews I need to get through. Here is round one. Once I get through this group of articles, the news cycle dries up.

American League

Angels

Brandon Drury blames his struggles on migraines, nagging injuries, and attempts at adding exit velocity.

Migraines and some nagging injuries played a role in these struggles, but Drury told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that some swing changes last offseason might’ve been the biggest culprit, as his attempts to add exit velocity backfired badly.

Read the rest of this entry »


Crowdsourcing: Beginning of Season Closers

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Every season, I try to determine how much closer turnover there is from the last drafts to the season’s end. For example, here is last season’s report.

I try to verify the beginning of the season section before every manager disappears for a much-needed break. Here are the values I think are right after consulting my Twitter followers. Could people spend a minute looking over the list and help verify the name on their favorite team(s)? Thanks. Read the rest of this entry »


Final(ish) Games Chat

2:03
Jeff Zimmerman: I’ll be watching the AZ-SD game

2:08
Jeff Zimmerman: Summary of the eight different scenarios.

2:08
Clark Olson: Go SD. End the season today.

2:09
Jeff Zimmerman: I would have preferred a Sale start this week, but I understand.

2:10
Jeff Zimmerman: Pfaadt has been horrible against lefties, five in the lineup today.

Read the rest of this entry »