Steven Goldman
How Not to Manage the First Round of the MLB Draft
The MLB Draft is a guessing game, even in the first round. Here are the ten teams that have historically gotten it the most wrong, and how they've done it.
Throwback Thursday: Ted Williams Goes to War
In 1942, Ted Williams began a military career as a fighter pilot that ulitmately would take five years from his career as a ballplayer. History is uncompromising like that.
There's No Right Way to Turn Around the Braves, But There Are Many Wrong Ones
The Atlanta Braves are losing at a near-record pace as they continue working on a tank-aided turnaround. John Coppolella says he won't trade established players like Julio Teheran for a grab bag of prospects, but there are risks either way.
Throwback Thursday: One Last Slam for the Philadelphia A's, a Baseball Team That Died
Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's were once one of baseball's great franchises. By the time they finally left Philadelphia, they were a dark lesson in complacency.
Lights Out: What a Hot Start Does and Doesn't Mean in Baseball
Many more teams have gotten to the 50-game mark on a 100-win pace than have gone on to win 100 games. How and why they decline says a lot about how to prevent it.
Throwback Thursday: The Two Bad Trades of Mike Piazza
This week in 1998, two teams had a chance to hang onto the best hitting catcher ever to play baseball. Instead, Mike Piazza was traded twice in one week.
For The Angels, There's No Such Thing As A Good Trade For Mike Trout
Despite having the best player in baseball, the Angels are dead in the water. It's natural that Mike Trout trade rumors would follow, but also...nah. Just nah.
Throwback Thursday: The End Comes For Benny Kauff, Baseball's Unluckiest Renegade
Benny Kauff had the talent to become an All-Star. Instead, this week in 1921, he was banned from baseball forever for dubious reasons. He had that sort of career.
The Chicago Cubs Are Already In Rare Company, And Could Be Special
Even for a hot World Series pick, the Cubs are off to a historically hot start. Very few teams have been this good this early. Most of them finished strong.
Throwback Thursday: Herb Score, Gil McDougald, And The Liner That Kind Of Changed Everything
This week in 1957, Indians phenom Herb Score took a line drive to the face off the bat of Gil McDougald. It changed things, but then again things tend to change.
The Yankees Are Losing for All the Old, Familiar Reasons
George Steinbrenner was a tyrant and a meddler, but mostly he was a lousy owner—and the struggling 2016 Yankees are all too much like Steinbrenner's worst teams.
Throwback Thursday: When The Orioles Started The Season With 21 Straight Losses
...and proved a valuable lesson about luck, baseball weirdness, and possibly about an indifferent deity's cruel sense of humor in the process.