Slider first

A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show and an analyst demonstrated that a pitcher likes to throw his slider at the first pitch. After listening to the show, I was just thinking about other pitchers who did the same in the 2022 season.

BB/K

A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast show and in the show, a guest indicated that a team made a great decision to ink a deal with an infielder because that player had a high BB/K ratio in 2022. After listening to the show, I was thinking about the leaders for the BB/K ratio last season.

From 1996 to 2012

In late January, Scott Rolen received a call from Cooperstown that he was selected to the Hall of Fame. Scott Rolen spent 17 seasons in the majors, hitting .281/.364/.490 with 316 home runs and 1287 RBI. In his career, he collected 2077 hits. There are lots of discussions whether Rolen belongs to the Hall of Fame.

All-Star game in Seattle

Just a few days ago, I was listening to a podcast show and a guest indicated that the 2023 MLB All-Star game would be in Seattle. And, the guest is very excited. I was wondering why the guest was so excited and began to check when was the last time that the Mariners hosted the Midsummer Classic.

The best 1-2 punch?

In early December, the Mets and Justin Verlander agreed to a 2-year deal. Last year, Justin Verlander had a fantastic season. He made 28 starts, posting a great 1.75 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP in 175 innings. Additionally, he punched out 185 batters. Moreover, he won the 2022 AL Cy Young award, and it’s the third time that he won the award. After finishing a fantastic season, he decided to leave Houston and move to New York. And, this move means that he will reunite with Max Scherzer.

Get on base

In early January, I listened to a podcast show and in the show, a guest indicated an interesting number. He showed that a player finished several seasons with an on-base percentage of .400 or higher and that player used to win an MVP award. After listening to the show, I was thinking about records of on-base percentage.

A win-win deal?

Last month, the Minnesota Twins and Carlos Correa agreed to a 6-year deal. And, the Twins front office didn’t stop. Just a few days later, the Twins decided to make a trade with the Marlins.

Coming back to L.A.

In January, the Dodgers decided to acquire Miguel Rojas from the Marlins and sent top prospect Jacob Amaya to the Marlins. The trade is quite interesting because Miguel Rojas was actually traded to the Marlins from the Dodgers a few years ago. Miguel Rojas is back to the Dodgers and that makes me think about the trades between the Dodgers and the Marlins.

More balls in play?

In 2023, there will be several rule changes. A key change is to limit defensive shifts and with this rule change, balls in play are expected to increase. While seeing these changes, I was wondering about the changes in balls in play in MLB history.

Changes in draft

Just a couple days ago, I watched the movie “Moneyball” again. I guess many people used to watch this movie or read the book. Additionally, there have been several changes in baseball since the book “Moneyball” was released in 2003.

2022 Topps Archives Blaster

Well, I made a mistake a few weeks ago. A huge mistake. I was looking for the 2022 Topps Archives, however, I ordered a blaster box of the 2020 Topps Archives by accident.

Save Boston?

A couple of weeks ago, I passed by a sports card shop and I chatted a lot with the card shop owner. He's quite nice and we talked about lots of things. Moreover, we all hope to see some cool products in 2023. Additionally, I saw some packs of 2022 Topps Chrome Update available. I used to buy some packs of Topps Chrome Update. This time, I decided to get some backs of 2022 Topps Chrome Update, trying to see whether I can get a cool rookie card.