MLB

There's a certain type of hitter that you just don't see all that much in Major League Baseball anymore. 

Remember pure contact hitters? You know, guys like Rod Carew, Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn?

The 2002 World Series Loss Still Stings

Winning World Series titles in 2010 and 2012 should have pushed any lingering pain of the San Francisco Giants 2002 World Series loss far into the stratosphere—especially since I was among the million at the purely joyous 2010 parade.

At some point in every Major League Baseball season, small sample size ceases to apply, context can be applied and conclusions on players, teams and pennant races can be made.

While we may not be there on all accounts, the clock is ticking on the 2013 season.

After enduring a truly brutal week of umpiring, Major League Baseball intends to expand the use of instant replay in time for the 2014 season, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). 

Buster Posey is the reigning NL MVP after completing a season where he helped lead the San Francisco Giants to their second World Series title in three seasons.

In 2012, Posey hit .336 with 24 home runs and 103 RBI. Posey also led the Giants with an OPS of .957.

It’s highly doubtful that any minor league player is going to have the type of impact Mike Trout had on the Los Angeles Angels when he joined the team in late April of last year and went to have one of the best rookie season’s ever (.326 BA, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 129 R, 49 SB). His team went 83-59 the rest of the way.

The Houston Astros have their Ryan.

Maybe not the Ryan they were hoping for, mind you, but the Ryan the Astros have hired certainly comes to them with baseball cred, and his hiring could potentially lead to a fascinating shake-up of the baseball landscape in Texas.

For an athlete, being labeled a bust might be worse than being labeled as bad or underwhelming because busts fall so far short of expectations that many wonder if they will ever turn back into themselves.

Occasionally, a player turns into a bust just because of time. Athletes age much faster than anyone else, and when the decline hits, it isn't pretty to watch. 

Other times, when a player turns into a bust, it is because we put unfair and/or unrealistic expectations on him due to an unexpectedly successful season. 

On Thursday night, Yu Darvish beat the Detroit Tigers and threw 130 pitches. It wasn't his best performance this year or even this month, but it may end up the most scrutinized. 

The San Francisco Giants have a reputation for winning with pitching and defense.