AGRI Biz

The Marlins have one of the most underrated lineups as well as a very strong one-two punch in Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco. Nolsaco’s overall numbers from last year look poor, but his FIP of 3.35 points to his 5.06 ERA is an aberration. Nolasco struck out 10 batters per nine innings in the second half of last year. He is a legit No. 2 starter. More or less, this also ...

Brian McCann came into today's game against the Philadelphia Phillies batting .440 with two homers, and Tim Hudson entered his fifth spring start with a 1.93 ERA and a 13-1 K/BB ratio. With Hudson facing the tough Philadelphia lineup and McCann batting against tough, young left-hander J.A. Happ, it would have been easy to expect those numbers to come back down to Earth. McCann ended up hitting two homers off Happ, and ...

Today, Nate McLouth hit his first single of spring training in his 36th at-bat. McLouth entered Tuesday's game against the New York Mets with a .029 batting average in official spring training games, with his lone hit being a double. It is reasonable to be worried about Nate's performance. Going 1-35 may not just be a slump, it could be a problem. Since McLouth joined the Braves last summer, his average and on base ...

Coming into this evening, Jason Heyward was leading all players in walks (nine) along with car damaging home runs (two) during batting practice.  At 6'5" and 250 lbs, it is clear that Heyward would pack a great deal of power in his swing. What is not so clear, is that he has the ability to wait and his game plan at the plate is similar to that of a ten-year veteran's. The ...

One of the biggest stories for the Atlanta Braves this spring has been the progression of top prospect Jason Heyward . Heyward's become a batting practice legend, shattering a car window and forcing the grounds crew to put a net up at the Braves' spring training home at Champion Stadium in Walt Disney World Resort.  There are a number of other issues involving the Braves this season outside of their remarkable ...

CBSSports.com and Bleacher Report are teaming up to offer a special package for a fantasy baseball league. This special package will give you the opportunity to receive a 50 percent discount on CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball Commissioner, the web’s most powerful league manager which won eight out of nine Fantasy Sports Trade Association Awards. The normal price of a CBS.com Fantasy Baseball Commissioner price is $179.99, but with this special discount the price will be lowered ...

The Atlanta Braves have been known for one thing over the past 20 years, starting pitching. Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Kevin Millwood, John Burkett, Steve Avery, and Denny Neagle are some of the top pitchers to toe slab for the Braves since 1991.  The new rotation is highlighted by veterans Tim Hudson and Derrek Lowe, followed by youngsters Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson, with import Kenshin Kawakami rounding out the ...

The Atlanta Braves have a great tradition of drafting and developing players. No other team has had the international pressence or pre-draft scouting success that the Braves have had since the late 1980's Chipper Jones, Tom Glavine, Andruw Jones, Javy Lopez, David Justice, Steve Avery, and Rafael Furcal are some names that the Braves have developed from the past. Some from the present are Yunel Escobar, Brian McCann, Tommy Hanson, Kenshin ...

When you think Pittsburgh Pirates you probably don't think of a sturdy, young, and reliable rotation. What probably comes to mind is 16 straight years of losing, 17 if you want to count the strike-shortened 1994 year.  This year may not be any different, but if they extend the streak it will likely not be attributed to a poor starting staff. The Pirates have quietly built a talented and tough starting ...

Javier Vazquez struck out 239 batters in 2010, second in the National League. Vazquez actually struck out more batters than the number of grounders he forced, 237. Javier was the definition of a big-time strikeout pitcher last year, and this takes a lot of pressure off a defense. The man replacing him in the rotation this year, Tim Hudson, is a notorious ground ball pitcher. Hudson has had four seasons in which ...