2019 Baseball Hall of Fame: Larry Walker’s numbers prove he’s worthy of induction, but he’s running out of chances | CBS Sports
Colorado Rockies great Larry Walker is worthy of the Hall of Fame, writes R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports. Here at Purple Row, we’ve delved extensively into the numbers on Walker and have made the case for his induction. The biggest problem facing Walker at this juncture is time. This is Walker’s penultimate year on the ballot. He’s made good traction, having garnered two-third of all votes thus far, but that still won’t be enough to reach the necessary 75-percent to join 2019’s class. We’ll continue trying to convince voters for one more year…
The Yankees might be betting on DJ LeMahieu and the Coors Field hangover | Pinstripe Alley
To be frank, reading the mentions on the New York Yankees’ Twitter makes me want to smuggle DJ LeMahieu back to Colorado. They already don’t appreciate him like we did! Yankees fans may indeed have a right to be upset about missing out on an objectively superior player in Manny Machado, but they’re still getting a quality defender who may have some untapped offensive potential. Jake Devin of Pinstripe Alley explores how the “Coors Field hangover” may lead to more offensive production than one might initially think from LeMahieu.
Rosenthal: Why the Braves may be hamstrung; more Brewers movement?; perspective on DJ LeMahieu signing | The Athletic ($)
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic offers a plethora of notes from around the league. Focusing on the Rockies, Rosenthal’s “industry sources” are skeptical of the ability of the triumvirate of Ryan McMahon, Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers to handle second base, but he says that the Rockies’ decision to pass on LeMahieu in favor of Daniel Murphy (who will play first base) was made out of want for increased offensive production. Rosenthal echoes the statements previously mentioned about the Yankees and their views on LeMahieu— they do indeed see untapped potential in his bat.
Hot stove update: The frontrunners to land Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, notable recent free agent signings and more analysis | The Denver Post ($)
Kyle Newman of The Denver Post rounds up the latest rumors around the hot stove. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain unsigned, perhaps serving as a hindrance for the Rockies in their talks with Nolan Arenado on a contract for the coming season.
As for the Machado market, things took an interesting turn on Wednesday. Over the weekend, Jeff Passan of ESPN had reported that Machado received an eight-year deal from the Chicago White Sox. The next day, this report was refuted by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who said the offer was only for seven years. On Wednesday, Buster Olney of ESPN reported that the White Sox had made an offer of seven years and $175 million to Machado. Shortly after, Jon Heyman of Fancred refuted Olney’s report, saying that the offer was “way off.” THEN, Machado’s agent, Don Lozano of MVP Sports Group, issued a statement condemning Nightengale and Olney, referring to their reporting about Machado as “inaccurate and reckless.” And that brings us to today. I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next!
Five moves we want to see this offseason | ESPN
Away from the Harper and Machado buzz, David Schoenfield of ESPN has other ideas for teams to get creative this offseason. Of note, Schoenfield proposes that the Rockies send Jon Gray to the Minnesota Twins for Byron Buxton in a “change-of-scenery” swap and also for the Los Angeles Angels to sign Adam Ottavino.
Each team’s lineup if season started today | MLB.com
All 30 of MLB.com’s beat writers have predictions for their teams Opening Day lineup. Thomas Harding takes on the Rockies’ predicting a 1-2 punch of Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl, with Arenado and Trevor Story in the middle of the order. Daniel Murphy bats fifth, followed by Ian Desmond, McMahon and Chris Iannetta.
Cold Takes: What They Make | Baseball Prospectus
In an interesting article at Baseball Prospectus, Patrick Dubuque opines that fans may be best served by letting front offices worry about what players are paid. Fans (including myself) can often get caught up in financial analysis when we really don’t have the full picture of what the reality is.
Advanced baseball stats: OPS+, wOBA, wRC, and wRC+ | Bless You Boys
If you’ve ever wondered about advanced statistics but were too afraid to ask, Ashley MacLennan at Bless You Boys has you covered! She breaks down OPS+, wOBA, wRC+ and even DRC+.