This Month in Baseball (TMIB) - May

Another month is coming to a close, and we now have a clear front-runner in NoJR with Gmonie16 surging to an impressive .719 win percentage and 13.5 game lead in the division. His team has depth across stat categories and doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon, especially with...

Kaboom.

• Jackie Bradley Jr. on the squad. He has played the past month at an elite level and has really continued growing after a strong finish to last season, much to the delight of me and Red Sox Nation. As of May 30, his month includes 18 runs, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 2 SB, 17 BB, and a .406 BA. Let's not forget that 29-game hit streak either.
• When my Reavers faced off against Gmonie16, Bradley supplied a preposterous 6 runs, 15 RBI and .469 BA. Somehow I still won RBI, but lost the other two categories by razor thin margins to finish the week with a 5-6 L. JBJ!
• Another surprise performer of the past month is a blast from the past: C.C. Sabathia. He went a modest 2-0, but with 21 K in 20 IP and 0.45 ERA and 0.75 WHIP.
• C.C. currently ranks 24th all-time in Ks, and will likely finish the year in 22nd place. I haven't heard a lot of buzz about him as a candidate for the Hall, but if he keeps pitching for a couple more years (he'll be 36 at the end of the year), he could be in elite company statistically (250 wins and around 3,000 Ks).
• Clayton Kershaw also had a pretty good month - 49.2 IP, 5 W, 65 K, 0.91 ERA, 0.52 WHIP.

• From the very old to the very young, let's talk Julio Urias. He made his MLB debut on May 27 at 19 years old, and many were hoping to see a glimpse of the special pitcher that he projects to be. As happens so often, however, the youngster had some trouble in the spotlight and couldn't locate his pitches. 
• That being said, he's going to be great. He projects as a #1 starter as few have dominated the minors like he has, and none at such a young age. The one knock on him is his height (5'11"), but it only makes Pedro Martinez an even more fitting comp in this FanGraphs article.
• Expect more call-ups as the calendar turns to June. Some prospects I expect to see in the bigs shortly: 
• Tyler Glasnow - Front of the rotation stuff, has 2.25 ERA and 2.44 FIP with 11.09 K/9 in AAA.
• Jameson Taillon - I like how he projects based on an elite K/BB ratio (54/5); currently has 1.79 ERA and 1.94 FIP in AAA.
• Trea Turner - Danny Espinosa is coasting at the Mendoza Line, while Turner is raking: .319/.385/.481 plus 16 SB.
• Orlando Arcia - If only Jonathan Villar could start playing bad, Arcia's path would be secure. Hitting .293/.326/.414 with 8 SB.
• J.P. Crawford - good patience at plate and was recently promoted to AAA, only a matter of time.

Walk off grand slam!

• Khris Davis led all players this month in home runs (11), and his teammate Danny Valencia is starting to look like a power hitter (7).
• Adam Duvall has basically turned into what GMs hoped they were getting from Jay Bruce.
• Tough luck for Mike Moustakas, Lucas Duda, Devin Mesoraco, Garrett Richards, and Kevin Kiermaier, who are all looking at extended DL time after injuries this month.
• We focus a lot on the offensive side of the ball in fantasy, but if you want a good read on Kiermaier's unbelievable 2015 "Platinum Glove" defense, read this.
• As far as the league standings, the Cubs are still tops in the league. The Yankees were able to scrape their way up to .500, while the Royals managed to take back 1st place in the AL Central. The NL West will be a battle all year between the Dodgers and Giants, but the Giants have a solid 4.5 game lead right now.

TDZ Blowing Up in Russia

TDZ is baffled proud to say that its largest reader base is now in Russia. Здравствуйте, acolytes!

Wednesday

Bartolo Colon: Living Legend

Yesterday, a 43 year old pitcher hit his first round tripper, a feel-good historic moment that set off the home run trot of a lifetime. Soak it in, baseball fans - you will probably not witness anything like this ever again.

Colon was already having a good year on the mound, but this is quite the cherry on top. If he can cap this year off with a World Series, it will be one of the greatest conclusions to a baseball career possible.

Now if only Jamie Moyer could come back and hit his first career home run, that would completely blow my mind. It seems like he quietly left baseball only yesterday, but he's now 53 years old!

This Month in Baseball (TMIB) - April

We're merely one month into the season, and already there have been quite a few interesting events shaping 2016. Here's a quick look around the horn:

• In terms of free agent acquisitions, Aledmys Diaz has perhaps been the "best of the rest" and may prove to be the best pickup this year (congrats, 'Toga). In an analysis by Fangraphs reviewing the 19-game debuts of players over the past decade, Diaz has had the best, even outpacing Yasiel Puig's in 2013. Oh yeah, and he's got middle infield eligibility.
• On the downside, his BABIP is sky high and will eventually drop, but if he can keep his K-rate where it is (only 8.2%), he might have a decent shot to finish the year with a BA above .300. That's if Major League pitchers don't find a major weakness in his game.
• Nolan Arenado is a beast. The only knock I had on him entering this year was that he had a relatively low walk rate for a slugger, but he's nearly double it this year (9.2% vs. 5.1%). Oh yeah, and he has more home runs than strikeouts. Costing AJ's Aces just $2, I currently have him as the most valuable keeper in the league.
• I couldn't rightly talk about April without mentioning Arenado's teammate, Trevor Story. The batting average is receding as expected, but we'll see if the power lasts long-term (10 HR so far).
• Does anyone else remember the cautionary tale of Chris Shelton? He hit 10 homers in April of 2006 only to end up with 16 in total for the year.

I like to make up my own sound effects when the ball hits the bat.

• Who would have thought that a little 171 lb. squirt like Dee Gordon would be the first major fantasy star to get caught for PEDs this year? A tough break for Grand Theft Votto, but Trea Turner is currently hitting well with plenty of steals and should slot in nicely later this year.
• Jake Arrieta is still doing what he does best, namely picking up W's and having an ERA around 1.00. Former Orioles pitching coach Rick Adair will never again work in MLB for stifling his awesomeness.
• Kenta Maeda-mania gripped Los Angeles for the first month as the Japanese export made an impressive transition to MLB. It's amazing what throwing strikes can do, and he's got pretty good "stuff" to go with that accuracy. If only I had bid on him some more!

Give it up, I'm hitting too!

• Noah Syndergaard's average fastball velocity is 98 mph according to Fangraphs. Average. As in a lot of his pitches actually go faster than that. I wonder how he'd compare to Aroldis Chapman coming out of the bullpen; it's hard to believe the human arm can throw that hard over so many innings as a starter.
• David Ortiz is off to a great start for his final season, hitting 5 home runs and slashing .306/.404/.612. I believe he will pass Ted Williams (521 home runs) and finish just shy of Jimmie Foxx on the all-time homers list, which would make him 19th on the list. 
• As a Sox fan, I know I'm biased, but I really believe that, even being a DH, he deserves to enter the Hall. He was a major factor in 3 World Series championships, and I'm old enough to remember "the Curse" and what a big deal it was to end that drought. Others might point to PED accusations, but he's been by the book - at the very least - since MLB changed their PED policy and has continued to perform at a high level even in his late 30's. He's simply one of the all-time great hitters.

Regardless of the Hall, Ortiz is in Boston's pantheon.

• Apologies in advance to any Cubs fans out there in case I jinx them, but they clearly look like the early favorite to win it all. They have the best record in baseball and by far the best run differential (+89; the next closest is St. Louis with 40).
• Things are looking pretty good on the South Side too, where the White Sox own the best record in the AL.
• The biggest underachievers? The Yankees and Astros, both postseason teams last year, are languishing in the bottom of the AL, but there's plenty of time to right the ship.