The title for the next Star Wars movie has been released and it’s painfully teasing:
Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi
I love everything about that title, and can’t wait for the next movie. “Rogue One” was a nice distraction – and that ending, my god – but I’m ready to return to the original storyline (or whatever I’m supposed to officially call it).
But it’s time to check back in on some news from around the league, and unfortunatly, that news begins with something very sad.
As we noted Sunday, Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura (as well as former big leaguer Andy Marte) passed away after a car accident in the Dominican Republic. At Yahoo Sports, Jeff Passan provides his (and others that knew him) take on the fearless life of Ventura. It’s a good read on yet another tragedy for MLB, and a dedication to the young man who died.
[adinserter block=”1″]
Joe Posnanski (MLB.com) also writes about Ventura and his unexpectedly fast fastball, and ascent into the Major Leagues. I’d love to offer more – to even provide some comfort for my own mind – but I’m just not sure what to say in these moments that hasn’t already been said. This is a devastating story, and the type we’ve experienced too many times in the recent years. All we can do is remember Ventura fondly and continue to distract ourselves from the craziness of the world the same way he did: baseball.
There is no smooth segue here. So, then … the Pittsburgh Pirates’ ZiPS projections have been released by FanGraphs. Among the biggest stories is the expected bounce back for the five-time All-star, and one-time MVP Andrew McCutchen. In fact, he receives the highest wins projection on the team. After posting a .329 wOBA in 2016, McCutchen is projected to slash .276/.370/.474 (.361 wOBA) en route to a 4-win season. Starling Marte (.351 wOBA) and Jung Ho Kang (.350 wOBA) are the next best two offensive performs and then it drops off fairly significantly thereafter.
On the pitching side, however, a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow, James Taillon and Ivan Nova all project to be above average, although the rotation’s combined projected 10 fWAR falls a little short when compared to the Chicago Cubs (16 fWAR), mostly because none of the Pirates’ pitchers are project to throw a lot of innings. It’s difficult to tell what kind of season lays in store for the Pirates, but they do have a solid core already at the Major League level and as much talent bubbling in the Minors as anyone.
[adinserter block=”2″]
Also at FanGraphs, Travis Sawchik examines the disappearing middle class in baseball (i.e. players earning less than three times the average player salary (upper class) and more than 10% of the league minimum (lower class)). In 1995, 68% of players constituted the middle class, where as in 2016 that number shrunk all the way down to 52%. A big cause seems to be the increasing resistance towards paying mid-tier veterans for the type of production they can get out of younger, pre-arbitration players, but the gap is pretty shocking. While this may not seem like much of an issue on the surface, Sawchik is moderately concerned that the Players Union is focusing too much with the upper 10% of its constituency which could “set the stage for a larger labor fight,” in the future. Identifying these sorts of issues at their infancy is critical to crushing problems before they become too big to crush.
Wouldn’t this be something:
Pedro Martinez just told me & @jtomase he thinks Ortiz will come back to play next season. Says won't believe he's retired 'til season's end
Back at the beginning of the 2015 season, Starlin Castro’s future with the Cubs was difficult to discern. He was still very young, but intermittently struggled – on both offense and defense – for an organization with multiple top infield prospects on the way. Ultimately, as Addison Russell, Kris Bryant, and Javy Baez rose to prominence, the team shipped Castro off to the Yankees in exchange for Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan. Now, unfortunately, a similar situation may be brewing in the Bronx, including a push from yet another (former) Cubs middle-infield prospect, Gleyber Torres.
At Newsday.com, Steven Marcus writes about this familiar situation for Castro, who appears to be very aware of the momentum a youth movement can carry, telling Marcus: “That’s the second time it happened to me. That happened my last year in the Cubs. All the younger guys coming to the team. Here, the same thing.” Hopefully – that is, if Castro is as happy in New York as he seems to be – he can play up to his potential and carve out a permanent role at second base.
And finally, at Cut4, Chris Landers sets aside some much needed time to celebrate the most outrageous cheese-based concoctions from various Major League parks. The Cubs Deep Dish Hot Dog Pizza, naturally, makes the cut.
Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL.
In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy.
You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami
What a road it's been - continues to be - for Cubs outfield prospect Brennen Davis. The former top prospect was on a rocket ship to Triple-A in 2021, and then mostly lost the last two years to various injuries....
So much for all those words of optimism and negative X-rays. After colliding with the outfield wall last night, Cody Bellinger fractured his rib (Update: It's actually TWO fractured right ribs) and will hit the injured list today. Chicago Cubs...
CUBS LINEUP — The Chicago Cubs took Game 1 against the Houston Astros in convincing fashion last night. So tonight, they'll go for the quick series win against Spencer Arrighetti at Wrigley Field (it'd be a good idea to win...
Ed. Note: Since this article was published, a CT scan revealed a rib fracture for Cody Bellinger, who is now on the Injured List. You can find all the details of that news in our most recent article right here....
With Cody Bellinger headed to the Injured List with a rib fracture, the Cubs are in need of another outfielder: center field prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong is coming back up to the big leagues for the second time. https://twitter.com/670TheScore/status/1783217891195625709 Crow-Armstrong, 22,...
Hey, we're just having some early-season fun. So allow me to present the 'Mike Tauchman Is Clearly Better Than' list. As of this moment, Mike Tauchman has ... ... a higher wRC+ (151) than Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis Jr., and...
Name a player hotter than Kevin Alcántara right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. (He's already raking again today. Literally as I type this.) More on Alcántara's big day and the Smokies home run parade last night in today's Cubs Farm...
Just three starts into his San Francisco Giants career, Blake Snell is heading to the injured list with a left-adductor strain. Oof. You hate to even say it — and who really knows if this was related — but early...
In 1997, I was a miserable Chicago Cubs fan. I mean, that was true a lot of the time, but I mean it in a very specific way that year: the Cubs had started the season 0-14. They had literally...
Cubs rookie starter Jordan Wicks has been impressing us all season long with his apparent offseason transformation (which led to more velocity on his heater and movement on his slider). But last night against the Astros? That was a whole...
What a road it's been - continues to be - for Cubs outfield prospect Brennen Davis. The former top prospect was on a rocket ship to Triple-A in 2021, and then mostly lost the last two years to various injuries....
The Monster Mile roars to life this Sunday and the 2024 Wurth 400 odds have been revealed! Dover Motor Speedway welcomes NASCAR for its annual racing weekend and unlike last week’s Geico 500 from Talladega Superspeedway, the race favorites are...
The fleur-de-lis flags are flying, and the beignets are hot! The 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans tees off this Thursday, bringing back the PGA Tour's electrifying two-man team format. TPC Louisiana is set to be buzzing with a unique...
The new face of the Chicago Sky franchise officially arrived on Wednesday. Angel Reese met with media members at the Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield. The former LSU standout and NCAA National Champion is only nine days removed from hearing...
With Cody Bellinger headed to the Injured List with a rib fracture, the Cubs are in need of another outfielder: center field prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong is coming back up to the big leagues for the second time. https://twitter.com/670TheScore/status/1783217891195625709 Crow-Armstrong, 22,...
On Wednesday at 9:30 PM ET, the New Orleans Pelicans meet the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and Jonas Valančiūnas' 3-pointer prop for this clash requires just one trifecta.Jonas Valančiūnas' Three-Pointer...
So much for all those words of optimism and negative X-rays. After colliding with the outfield wall last night, Cody Bellinger fractured his rib (Update: It's actually TWO fractured right ribs) and will hit the injured list today. Chicago Cubs...
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes is hard at work today! It's fitting that just a day before the 2024 NFL Draft kicks off in Detroit, the Lions have locked up two franchise, homegrown cornerstones just hours apart. This morning,...
When you finish with the worst record in the NHL, it's hard to keep your job. Even when the front office strips your roster to the bare bones, apparently. And on Wednesday, David Quinn found out the San Jose Sharks...
While the NBA offseason will not officially start until June, it still can't hurt to familiarize ourselves with the Chicago Bulls' summer outlook. The organization finds itself at quite the crossroads, and it's not only because they disappointed fans with...
NEWSLETTER
The title for the next Star Wars movie has been released and it’s painfully teasing:
