AGRI Biz

Nearing the midway point of the season, the differences between the "haves" and "have nots" have become relatively clear. With this, comes the debate of which players from the latter group could help teams in the former. This season, pitchers seem like the rage in the trade market, with various ideas for Roy Oswalt, Kevin Millwood, and the rejuvenated Brett Myers. However, many of the contenders, such as the Red Sox, ...

As fans, we see it every year. Players get off to hot starts, pleasing their fans and giving many a sportswriter a story to write about. Of course, most of the time, the player reverts right back to the level of play we as fans expect, or worse. Maybe their overall statistics still look shiny, or maybe no one notices. This season saw a large number of quick starters. As expected, many ...

Whitaker and Trammell. Morgan and Concepcion. Tinker and Evers. Maz and Groat. So often, the 2B and SS are linked together on great teams. Why should they not be? What part of baseball more encompasses teamwork than the ability to turn a double play? While top defensive pairings are not exactly a dime a dozen, the majors definitely have their fair share of talent at the pivot. Let's take a closer look ...

A great start can do wonders for a player. For some, it is the fulfillment of hard work, whether it be a new workout regiment, a changed approach at the plate, or new found work ethic in the field. For others, it is merely a flash in the pan, a one or two week hot streak where the player goes right back to being the man we expected as the season ...

With the fall of the pictured Joe Nathan, the American League was rocked. As it should be. A Closer/Relief Ace is the primary guy in the bullpen, and the one stable asset in what is a volatile part of any team. But what men are true "relief aces" among the ranks of current AL closers, and what men live off of big moment reputations and a "closer's mentality". One of the ...

When people think lineup positions known for big bats and power, the first two that come to mind are first basemen and designated hitters. As they should, since one position is not required to play defense, and the other is playing the easiest position on the field. For this reason, a first baseman in free agency with an .800 OPS is often considered a "decent piece" or a third corner IF ...

The 2000s were a hell of a decade for baseball. We saw home run power, the walk become en vogue, the Red Sox win as many World Series as the Yankees, and the statistical revolution take over almost all MLB front offices. When trying to craft an all-decade team, a number of considerations come up: How well did a player play during his peak years? How well did he play in total? Is ...

In contemporary America, they are known as the Nationals, and to many, as the six year purgatory that Stephen Strasburg, and soon Bryce Harper, will begin their likely long, successful careers in. In the 1980's, however, these Nationals we know and love (to play) were in Montreal, and were home to some very good players, most notably future Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Andre Dawson. In Tim Raines, we may eventually ...

For me, there are three things that symbolize the end of winter, and beginning of spring. My birthday (March 17), the ability to actually leave my apartment and go outside during the day, and of course, baseball season. It has been a busy off season, and an entertaining one. The defending world champion Yankees, intelligently not standing pat, added a very good outfielder in Curtis Granderson, and Javier Vasquez, who finally ...

As anyone who has read examples of my past writing can attest, I tend to focus a lot of my historical analysis pieces on the Hall of Fame. Today, I will divert myself from that path a little bit to argue my Hall of Fame case for a great in our generation whose contributions have been highly underrated: Scott Rolen. A lot of words come to mind when discussing Rolen: grinder, ...