Here’s everything you need to know about the 50th anniversary draft. MLB DRAFT: Worst No. 1 picks | 2015 mock draft | Best players picked 1-50 1. Who will be the No. 1 pick? It’s a little hard to say. The draft does not have a consensus No. 1 overall prospect like Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper. And the Diamondbacks, who hold the top pick, have a new front office with no track record to use as a guide to its thinking....
The latest edition of the draft is here. The next wave of baseball talent is joining the professional ranks. Each year, evaluating teams’ selections can be a challenge for their fan bases. Unlike in the NFL and NBA, the players selected will not reach the majors for several years in most cases, and while some players might have been in the collegiate spotlight, others might be from high school or smaller college programs that haven’t attracted the same attention....
Sheffield was a nine-time All-Star, a World Series champion and played in over 2,500 games for eight different franchises. On paper, he is a worthy and deserving candidate for the HOF. In his prime, Sheffield was regarded as one of the league’s elite hitters. The issues with him surround his alleged use of steroids in an era when many players have been accused of the same. Many believe that this may be the reason he is yet to be accepted into the HOF....
MLB odds: Current baseball betting lines This matchup looks lopsided in favor of the Nationals, based on each team’s current form and Zimmermann pitching his best ball of the season. The Giants come in on a five-game losing streak, while the Nationals have won eight straight at home and 11 of their past 14 overall. They’ve also beaten the Giants 11 of the past 15 at home. Zimmermann hasn’t allowed a run over his past two starts spanning 15....
The reigning world champs’ season ultimately rode on the shoulders of closer Wade Davis, who hung on for a six-out save to help end the Dodgers’ undefeated postseason run and allow the Cubs to play a Game 5 on Thursday night in Chicago (8 p.m. ET, TBS). MLB PLAYOFFS: Three takeaways from Cubs’ series-saving win over Dodgers Chicago’s offensive struggles continued, but the Cubs had just enough help from the long ball to win....
Sometimes you’ve gotta throw out “the book,” that disgusting piece of literature that says closers can only pitch the ninth inning. MORE: Best photos from NL Division Series games | Mets-Dodgers: Five takeaways Sometimes you’ve “gotta roll the dice” to win the prize. Terry Collins rolled the dice Thursday night — and his team won the prize. Rightly recognizing that the magnitude necessitated an unconventional approach, the Mets’ manager brought in his elite closer, Jeurys Familia, for a six-out save in the decisive Game 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers....
Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong celebrated after hitting a double against the Cubs on Friday night by hitting the “The Whip.” MORE: 10 greatest Cardinals of all time | Cubs manager Joe Maddon grew up a Cardinals fan Have fun, young man. It’s your world.
It was 5:01 p.m. ET on Thursday when Robinson Chirinos, the Rangers’ No. 9 hitter, belted a two-run homer off the Blue Jays ace and Cy Young candidate, giving Texas a three-run lead in the fifth inning of Game 1 of the teams’ American League Division Series. Suddenly, the Blue Jays were faced with the prospect of going down 1-0 in a best-of-five series, facing Cole Hamels in Game 2, and then having to go to Texas....
It suspended the Dodgers right-hander for eight games Wednesday after he threw a fastball behind the head of Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and sparked a benches-clearing staredown by trolling Astros shortstop Carlos Correa. MORE: What Joe Kelly said to Carlos Correa to spark get-together MLB also suspended Dodgers manager Dave Roberts for one game because of the intentional pitch. Kelly is appealing the suspension, which means he will be available out of LA’s bullpen for the Dodgers’ game in Houston on Wednesday night....
In a tweet released by the official MLB The Show account this week, the Legends roster will have another member on board, and this time it appears to be a pitcher. The announcement comes this Thursday, and if it follows what the developers did with its reveal of Utley, baseball fans could see a new gameplay feature live on stream. RELATED: MLB The Show Should Make The Jump To PC...
With that deadline approaching, here’s a look at the past five World Series champs and the trade acquisition that made the biggest impact on their push to the postseason and, finally, to a championship. MORE: Watch live MLB games all season long on fuboTV (7-day free trial) 2018 Red Sox, Nathan Eovaldi The deal: July 25, traded from Rays to Red Sox for lefty pither Jalen Beeks Thoughts: Eovaldi was long the guy with the triple-digit fastball who seemed to be injured or slightly more ineffective than his stuff said he should be....
REPORTED BY: ESPN’s Jayson Stark on “Baseball Tonight.” MORE: Seven best destinations for Jonathan Papelbon | Little less talk, little more action needed from Mets’ Alderson THE DETAILS: Despite having the worst record in the American League, the Red Sox are willing to dip into their farm system and open their checkbook to land Hamels. THIS SEASON: Hamels has been slumping as of late but still owns a 3.46 ERA with a 1....
According to Peter Gammons, Chapman is likely to be traded from the Reds by the end of the weekend. MORE: Chapman and other stars who could get traded Chapman, 27, has recorded no fewer than 33 saves in the last four seasons as the Reds closer. However, he’ll hit free agency after the 2016 season, and the Reds reportedly have no plans to keep him as he’ll certainly command even more than the $13 million he’s set to make in his final year of arbitration....
The biggest free agents are still on the market, as you know. J.D. Martinez is looking for his $200 million deal. Eric Hosmer seems to be still looking for a landing spot on a team not using the word “rebuilding” in its mission statement. Top starters Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish are still trying to figure out where they’ll pitch next year, and next-tier starters Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn are waiting for contenders to decide it’s worth paying for a quality No....
And that makes sense. McCann, with two years and $34 million (plus a $15 million club option for 2019) left on his contract, won’t be the Yankees’ primary catcher in 2017. After Gary Sanchez’s otherworldly MLB debut — he hit 20 home runs in 53 games — they want to see how he’ll do as the primary guy behind the plate. MORE: Worst free-agent signings in MLB history So they are open to trading him, and a recent report suggested they may already have a trading partner, though it failed to name that team....
“Three teams in one week? That’s a first for me, definitely,” Altidore told Sporting News. “It’ll be a challenge, but it’s an exciting challenge. I think everybody’s excited to be here.” At age 27, Altidore is in the MLS All-Star Game for the second time. He has recorded nine goals and five assists in 16 games for Toronto FC, which owns the highest point total of any team in the league....
LA Galaxy striker Ibrahimovic was named in the side for the second successive campaign after scoring 30 goals and assisting seven more in 29 regular-season matches. Vela has enjoyed a stellar year with Los Angeles FC, meanwhile, having netted a single-season record 34 goals to win the Golden Boot and earn links with a move to LaLiga giants Barcelona. LAFC won the Supporters’ Shield and are well represented, with midfielder Eduard Atuesta and defender Walker Zimmerman also included....
Players from Orlando City SC and Inter Miami CF took at knee along the midfield circle, while all around them the MLS group Black Players for Change raised gloved fists in a Black Power salute reminiscent of Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ gesture in the 1968 Summer Olympics, wore T-shirts with phrases such as “Black and Proud,” “Black All the Time” and “Silence is Violence,” and were covered in “Black Lives Matter” facemasks....
