Baseball

After quietly returning to the big leagues in 2014 after a one-year hiatus, New York Mets outfielder Bobby Abreu has officially called it a career.  

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Abreu made the announcement Friday with a simple, quiet message:

My mama always told me, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Well, if you go by that philosophy, there hasn't been much to say about the Oakland A's over the past two months.

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker, who is hoping to return from an oblique injury for the playoffs, set a franchise rookie record in recording 16 wins this season, per MLB Stat of the Day. The previous record of 14 was held by Dean Chance (1962), Marcelino Lopez (1965) and Frank Tanana (1974).

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and outfielder Marlon Byrd are the first teammates in MLB history to each strike out 180 or more times in a season, per Lee Sinins of Complete Baseball Encyclopedia.

Justin Verlander has struggled this year.  Actually, that’s a bit generous. 

Sugarcoating aside, he has been terrible.  His current 4.54 ERA is the second-highest of his career, and his strikeout total is at its lowest since 2006, his first full season in the big leagues.  His 1.40 WHIP is tied for the highest in his career, and he just hasn’t been the dominant ace he once was.

Ah, yes. The old switcheroo.

The bait-and-switch is a mainstay of old ballpark cons, but one young ball boy wet his feet in the art at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night. 

A prospect-churning player development system is a luxury every organization throughout Major League Baseball would like to have. In St. Louis, the pipeline begins in Palm Beach, Florida, and ends under the Arch in front of the best fans in baseball. The Cardinals are loaded with prospects. 

It is often said that in Major League Baseball, playoff spots cannot be won early on in the season, but they can certainly be lost.  

For the Pittsburgh Pirates, it looked as if that may have been the case early on.  

From two decades without a winning record to two straight postseason berths: The Pittsburgh Pirates' ascent to relevancy is here to stay.

The Cincinnati Reds are wrapping up a disappointing 2014 season, and there are a few things the organization must do this offseason in order to make sure next season goes much better.

Bryan Price's first season as manager didn't go as planned. Fans can put the majority of the blame on injuries, but there is no question that the team could use some help even when its healthy.