The Year of Living Less Dangerously
Late in a lost 2013 season, hours before a meaningless game against the Mets, Phillies battery mates Erik Kratz and Cliff Lee compared the dangers they’d face when they took the field. Kratz, a veteran...
View ArticleAbout Last Weekend: Farewell to the Cup
In case you were busy trying to figure out how to drink out of a solid gold soccer ball, here are the top six stories you missed in sports last weekend: In the World Cup of winners: Mario Götze’s...
View ArticleThe 30: Six P’s, One Giant Surge
Slowly but surely, the playoff field is starting to narrow. Three teams now lead their divisions by five or more games, meaning they’re nearing the point at which they can start to feel safe. Two AL...
View ArticleTo Give and to Receive: In Praise of Posey, Perez, and a Dominant Catchers’...
One of them is among the most valuable players in baseball; another is among the most dazzling talents. But perhaps the most extraordinary and singular thing about the two catchers who will be starting...
View ArticleWorld Series Preview: Five Keys to Victory for the Royals and Giants
On Tuesday night, the Giants and Royals will face off in Game 1 of the 2014 World Series. (That’s the matchup we all predicted this preseason, right?) As the even-year streakers in San Francisco...
View ArticleLegends of the Fall: The Giants and Madison Bumgarner Beat the Royals in Game...
For all but the briefest, highest-leverage slivers of its season, baseball is the sport in which it’s most difficult for a team to lean on its stars. The batting order is always implacable: Time after...
View ArticleMLB Trade Value Rankings, Part 2
On Monday we started the enormous task of bringing the Grantland Trade Value franchise to Major League Baseball. Now it’s time we wrap it all up with the rest of our top 50 assets in the league. Click...
View ArticleMLB Trade Value Rankings, Part 2
Part 1 of our second-annual MLB Trade Value Rankings debuted on Wednesday. Today, we’re rounding out the list by examining baseball’s top 35 trade chips. Remember, last year’s rankings appear in...
View ArticleMLB Trade Value, Part 2
Yesterday, we revealed Part 1 of our annual MLB Trade Value ranking. Today, we’re rounding out the list by dissecting baseball’s 35 most valuable chips. If you need a refresher on the rules that define...
View ArticleThe Melvin Model: 10 MLB Players Who Need New First Names
A few days ago, Braves outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. announced that he would henceforth like to be known by his given name instead of the nickname “B.J.” — short for “Bossman Junior” — which he’d used...
View Article2015 NL West Preview: The Dodgers Win the Division #EveryYear
We have reached the end! Our AL previews — East, Central, and West — wrapped up Monday, while we hit the NL East and Central over the past two days. And so we bid the division-preview series adieu with...
View ArticlePresenting the 2015 All-MLB.TV Team
Aesthetics are important in sports, which isn’t lost on us here at Grantland. In the spirit of the League Pass rankings and BestCoolest lists, I’ve started each of the past two seasons by making a...
View ArticleLightning Round: Giants Rookie Chris Heston (Yes, That’s Right, Chris Heston)...
Baseball fans! Have you heard of San Francisco starter Chris Heston? No? That’s OK, because until Tuesday night, there wasn’t any reason to have heard of him: He’s a 27-year-old rookie; he was a...
View ArticleGrown at Home: How the Giants Built the Best Infield in Baseball
The 2009 season marked a breakthrough for the San Francisco Giants. That year, 22-year-old third baseman Pablo Sandoval celebrated his first full season in the big leagues by hitting .330 with 25...
View ArticleLooking Ahead to #EvenYear: San Francisco’s Run to the 2016 World Series Has...
Barring a miracle of zero-percent-odds-busting proportions, the Giants will not repeat as World Series champs this year. Of course, 2015 isn’t an #EvenYear, so we probably should have expected some...
View ArticleTo Give and to Receive: In Praise of Posey, Perez, and a Dominant Catchers’...
One of them is among the most valuable players in baseball; another is among the most dazzling talents. But perhaps the most extraordinary and singular thing about the two catchers who will be starting...
View ArticleWorld Series Preview: Five Keys to Victory for the Royals and Giants
On Tuesday night, the Giants and Royals will face off in Game 1 of the 2014 World Series. (That’s the matchup we all predicted this preseason, right?) As the even-year streakers in San Francisco...
View ArticleLegends of the Fall: The Giants and Madison Bumgarner Beat the Royals in Game...
For all but the briefest, highest-leverage slivers of its season, baseball is the sport in which it’s most difficult for a team to lean on its stars. The batting order is always implacable: Time after...
View ArticleMLB Trade Value, Part 2
Yesterday, we revealed Part 1 of our annual MLB Trade Value ranking. Today, we’re rounding out the list by dissecting baseball’s 35 most valuable chips. If you need a refresher on the rules that define...
View ArticleThe Melvin Model: 10 MLB Players Who Need New First Names
A few days ago, Braves outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. announced that he would henceforth like to be known by his given name instead of the nickname “B.J.” — short for “Bossman Junior” — which he’d used...
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