Remember when nobody wanted Munetaka Murakami? The Japanese slugger was the most sought-after foreign free agent, then statistics came out that he couldn’t hit velocity, and he had to settle for a two-year, $34 million contract with the White Sox. Well, Murakami is proving just about everyone wrong, and currently is tied with Yordan Alvarez for the major league lead in homers with 11. Oh,...
Baseball hasn’t been kind to the Big Apple. The Mets and Yankees both struggled mightily last week, costing the Bombers a few spots on the top 10 and the Mets to fall off the list. The Amazins’ have dropped nine games in a row after starting 7-4 and fundamentally look like one of the worst teams in baseball. And the Yankees got swept by the Rays, split a series with the Angels, and...
Long live the robots. The robots are here to stay. After trial runs in both Triple-A and spring training, the Automated Ball Strike Challenge System [ABS] has made its way to the big leagues in 2026. Starting on Opening Day 2026, players have been able to turn to ABS to issue a final judgment on close ball/strike calls. ABS is the first system to take away unilateral ball/strike decision-making...
The World Baseball Classic is down to its elite eight and every game from here on out is single elimination. (Mark DeRosa, do not bench any stars.) Also, 17 Mets (including minor leaguers) were on WBC rosters at the outset and now a lucky seven still have a chance for a ring. Friday’s games Korea vs. Dominican Republic at loanDepot park in Miami, 6:30 p.m. ET on FS2 Korea is the only team...
First, a confession. Prior to last Friday night, I had never watched a full inning of a World Baseball Classic game. After going to two games over the weekend, I am looking forward to my next one. Pre-Game The experience, however, started off poorly. There is a list of 17 instruments that are allowed at the WBC and it includes bongos, tambourines, trumpets and trombones. There is also a list of...
MMO Readers, you know that in addition to covering Spring Training, we’ve also been covering the WBC, like this team preview of the United States. Of course, we have to share our thoughts on the WBC with you all, too! Here’s who we think is going to win it all, and who we think will be named MVP. Before we get into it, we also want to quickly share that we have some new WBC merch up...
Chinese Taipei, per Jordan Shusterman of Yahoo! Sports, includes nine players in MLB organizations and more players on MLB Pipeline’s top 30 team prospect lists than any other team in the tournament. Notable Players Setting an example for the youngsters will be infielder Yu Chang, who became the first Chinese Taipei player to make an all-WBC tournament team in 2023 when he went 7-for-16...
An old man, a muscle man and four players following in the footsteps of Tommy Edman will try to help Korea advance out of the first round for the first time since 2009. Notable Players Hyun Min Ahn, 6-feet tall and 198 pounds, is nicknamed Muscle Man for his impressive physique. More impressive, the 22-year-old hit 22 home runs in the KBO last season in 482 plate appearances while...
In most years, Team Puerto Rico is a juggernaut in the World Baseball Classic. The American Territory has boasted stars on the roster over the years, including Yadier Molina, Iván Rodríguez, Carlos Beltrán, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and Javier Baez. Their 2026 roster is far less star-studded than past years, largely due to insurance problems. (Bad Bunny reportedly offered to pay the...
The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will announce its latest inductees on January 26th, 2026. It’ll be an interesting ballot with Carlos Beltran looking to be the one sure thing. If Beltran gets in, he expects to go in as a New York Met. Then, of course, there’s David Wright, who will be a debatable name as long as he’s on the ballot. Then there’s...
ROBERT SÚAREZ, RP Position: RP B/T: R/R Age: 34 (3/1/1991) 2025 Traditional Stats: 70 G, 56 GF, 0 HLD, 40- SV, 4 BS, 69.2 IP, 4-6, 2.97 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 75 SO, 16 BB 2025 Advanced Stats: 144 ERA+, 27.9% K%, 5.9% BB%, 3.66 xERA, 2.88 FIP, 3.33 xFIP, 2.3 bWAR, 1.9 fWAR RUNDOWN Robert Suarez did not reach Major League Baseball until 2022, at age 31. He had previously pitched in the Mexican League...
One game. That’s all the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers have left to decide who goes home with the 2025 World Series Trophy. Does it seem fair to the teams? Maybe not. But it sets a great scene for the viewers, and leaves all of us with the potential to witness an all-time baseball moment. The Blue Jays and Dodgers series has been one of the most exciting World Series in recent...
