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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The itinerary for the players here this week includes the Home Run Derby, the gala and Tuesday night's All-Star Game. But if you want to know the real reason a lot of players are still emotionally invested in this event, forg...

Blog | July 10, 2012

There isn't one player whose mind and body couldn't use a three-day break in July. But as Buster Olney writes, there are still unique incentives for players to participate in the All-Star Game, like the chance to pick the brains of their peers.

Blog | Conversation | July 10, 2012

CHICAGO -- Baseball writers who have votes for each of the major awards are told to submit their ballot the day after the end of the regular season, so there are roughly 14 weeks left to decide. But surely these numbers for a particular player, if...

Blog | June 17, 2012

If you looked only at Ryan Braun's numbers, there's no question he should be in the NL MVP discussion. Of course, given his positive steroid test, it's not nearly that easy. Buster Olney writes that Braun is creating an interesting dilemma for voters.

Blog | Conversation | June 17, 2012

For Matt Adams, baseball's amateur draft was going to be about confirmation of effort, about reward, for years of work that he had put in amid the hills of Philipsburg, Pa. Adams assumed that he would not get picked in the first three rounds...

Blog | June 03, 2012

Matt Adams knew he wouldn't be an elite pick, but he thought a team would call his name fairly early. But the rounds passed by, and Adams waited. The Cardinals finally called in the 23rd round and, as Buster Olney writes, Adams is now being rewarded.

Blog | Conversation | June 03, 2012

Dodgers players have exercised gallows humor in recent years, as former owner Frank McCourt's ugly financial situation manifested itself in organizational cutbacks. "I don't write any checks," one player said privately last summer, "until I...

Blog | May 17, 2012

It hasn't been long since the new Dodgers' owners officially took over the franchise, but there's already been significant change. As Buster Olney writes, the franchise is making an effort to reconnect with its fan base.

Blog | Conversation | May 17, 2012

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Josh Hamilton has 18 homers in the Rangers' first 34 games, something nobody has ever done in the history of baseball. But here's another number that is a little stunning: Hamilton has just 13 walks, with five of those b...

Blog | May 13, 2012

Josh Hamilton is doing things we've never seen before, and yet opposing pitchers continue to feed him pitches to drive. As Buster Olney writes, it's time to try one last option before walking him: expand the strike zone.

Blog | Conversation | May 13, 2012

And on the seventh day, Kendrys Morales rested, after a busy week. He hit a lot, and when he hit he ran, scoring from first base on a double in a minor league game Saturday, and after he ran Morales felt like he could run some more. The worst-cas...

Blog | March 19, 2012

Buster Olney writes that Kendrys Morales is recovering nicely from an injury he suffered in 2010, and he's on track to be the Angels' designated hitter, which would go a long way in balancing Los Angeles' lineup and making teams pitch to Albert Pujols.

Blog | Conversation | March 19, 2012

Buster Olney writes that when Ryan Braun won the appeal of his positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, it highlighted a much different opinion among players than it would have 10 or 20 years ago. Today, players want cheaters caught.

Blog | Conversation | March 01, 2012

TAMPA, Fla. -- CC Sabathia, a redwood of a pitcher at 6-foot-7, has a pants inseam of 36 inches. Ivan Nova, who is about 6-5, has an inseam of 40 inches. "But I have it that long because I wear my pants long," Nova explained, saying his legs really a...

Blog | February 21, 2012

Buster Olney writes that on his first day of spring training with the New York Yankees, Michael Pineda drew attention for his size and physical ability. Pineda has the chance to become a front-of-the-rotation starter alongside CC Sabathia.

Blog | Conversation | February 21, 2012

From the moment the news of Ryan Braun's positive test for performance-enhancing drugs broke in December, he has maintained his innocence, texting to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the PED charge was "B.S.," and he and his representatives f...

Blog | January 21, 2012