This Week in Baseball
-Taylor Ballinger, Matt Korte, Jeff Gangloff
Good morning, Nation. Sorry for our conspicuous absence last week. A series of unrelated and unfortunate events put the three of us out of commission. But, not to fear, we’re back and better than ever with our weekly installment of “This Week in Baseballâ€Â, where Taylor, Matt, and Jeff will highlight interesting and/or important stories happening throughout baseball. As always, hope you enjoy – and let us know what you’ve been reading by posting in the comment section below.
The Most Unconventional No-Hitters by Paul Casella, Sports on Earth
In honor of Chris Heston’s no-hitter for the Giants on Tuesday, Paul Casella compiled some of the most unusual no-nos on record. My favorite story will always be that of Dock Ellis and the LSD-riddled no-hitter. Jim Maloney’s 10-inning, 10-walk gem for the Redlegs against the Cubs in 1965 tops the list. Seeing a no-hitter in person is definitely on my bucket list. Unfortunately, it’s pretty much completely out of my control… (Ballinger)
How the Tigers Fixed One of the Worst Fielders in Baseball by Ben Lindbergh, Grantland
Not a lot to add here. I found this one particularly interesting to see how a team has managed to keep its proverbial window open despite losing effectiveness in some areas. The Tigers’ pitching staff isn’t what it once was, but they’ve made up for it with the most improved defense in baseball, keeping them in the hunt for the AL Central or a Wild-Card berth. (Ballinger)
MLB Must Promote Superstars Better by Aaron Boone, si.com
This is more of a video than an article, but I think this is a great topic that isn’t talked about nearly enough. Aaron Boone discusses how Major League Baseball has failed when it comes to marketing and promoting their best players and what they can do to change it. (Gangloff)
The Border, the Prospect, and a Baseball Dream Decided Today by Eli Saslow, espn.com
Octavio Arroyo, a high schooler trapped in Tijuana, Mexico with a dream in San Ysidro, California, was once considered a definite mid round pick in this years MLB draft. See how his recent deportation from the United States changed all of that and what Arroyo is doing to keep his dream alive.  (Gangloff)
2015 MLB Draft Results: Biggest Winners and Losers by Zachary Rymer, Bleacher Report
Ranking the 10 Biggest Steals of the 2015 MLB Draft by Jacob Shafer, Bleacher Report
I’m featuring two articles here as this past week we enjoyed the 2015 MLB draft.  For any professional league, drafts area  measured crapshoot with little guarantees, but perhaps no draft is done is merkier waters than the MLB draft.  The above articles highlight the draft’s winners and losers as well as the 10 biggest steals of the draft.  Of course, a small percentage of those taken in this draft will ever get above Double-A…but it’s always a fun past time to argue about draft winners and losers.  If you are looking for any future Reds on this list of biggest steals, you won’t find any, but never the less, perhaps there are some future MLB stars who will develop from relative obscurity. (Korte)
Bartolo Colon’s Perfect Swing, as Examined by Hitting Experts by Jesse Spector, Sporting News
As we enter the dog days of summer, we as Reds fans will need every reason we can find to smile and continue to enjoy the game we all love.  If breaking down the batting approach of Bartolo Colon doesn’t do it for you, I would challenge both your love of the game and your sense of humor.  This article gives a technical breakdown of the hitting approach of Colon, who, before this season was a career 2-62.  Surprisingly however, this year he is a respectable 4-24 with 3 RBI’s…numbers that most pitchers would be satisfied with.  At 42 years old, and a “listed†285 pounds, Colon and his newly-developed hitting skills highlights the true definition of “athlete.†(Korte)