[ad_1] 9:26 AM ETJeremy MillsWith less than two weeks until the NCAA college baseball tournament field is announced on Memorial Day (noon ET on ESPNU), most conferences are wrapping up regular-season play this weekend.The first four tickets to the NCAA tournament will be punched this weekend, with the Ivy League, MEAC, Patriot League and SWAC all crowning champions on Saturday or Sunday.If you're just getting caught up on the first
[ad_1] A little confession: I've always been more of an American League guy. The designated hitter doesn't bother me. I grew up in Seattle, watching too many sub-.500 Mariners teams. I moved to Red Sox/Yankees territory during the height of the rivalry in the 2000s and saw the passion up close. I liked George Brett and Kirby Puckett and emulated Cecil Cooper's batting stance while playing whiffle ball (the Brewers
[ad_1] Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has long felt a connection to the Dominican Republic."It's obviously a significant place for baseball," said the three-time Cy Young winner, noting that several of his teammates have hailed from the country. When Kershaw and his wife, Ellen, learned of the rampant child trafficking in the Dominican Republic, they looked for ways to help.During the offseason, the Kershaws -- along with former major
[ad_1] In the early going, many fantasy baseball preseason aces have started slowly or scarily, thanks in significant part to the baseball's rejuiced physics.Heavy investors in pitching should look away:Fantasy aces, or near aces, with a 4.00+ ERA (through 4/30)PitcherK%BB%K%-BB%BABIPBARRELS/PALOB%HR/9ERAMax Scherzer34.03.130.8.3725.764.40.924.12Jacob deGrom37.78.829.0.3896.177.41.734.85Chris Sale24.17.516.5.3057.561.42.106.30Corey Kluber23.810.213.6.3636.864.11.165.81Aaron Nola22.79.213.5.3454.373.51.995.68Carlos Carrasco33.65.727.9.4207.465.01.305.86Noah Syndergaard26.46.819.6.3762.756.81.326.35Walker Buehler20.07.512.5.2863.154.20.615.22In the first month's SP1 massacre, Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, Blake Snell, Patrick Corbin, Zack Greinke and Stephen Strasburg have at
[ad_1] 11:24 AM ETAJ MassESPN Staff Writer CloseFantasy football, baseball and college basketball contributor. Author of book, "Yes, It's Hot in Here."Reynaldo Lopez of the Chicago White Sox threw what he called one of the best games of his career on Sunday, striking out 14 Detroit hitters in just six innings, en route to a 4-1 victory.Lopez has turned things around rather nicely since a very poor start to the
[ad_1] 7:00 AM ETJeff PassanESPN CloseESPN MLB insiderAuthor of "The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports"Long before radar and camera systems that log every imaginable measurement became necessities at minor league affiliates across baseball, they were like Christmas-morning toys to those who understood where the game was going. And in the Atlanta Braves organization, the most curious minds in the front office wanted to
[ad_1] FARHAN ZAIDI'S FIRST face-to-face confrontation as the baseball boss of the San Francisco Giants came from a stranger. Zaidi stood in front of a group of season-ticket holders at a January event and listened to one of his customers ask if he was serious about occasionally using a one-inning opener instead of a conventional starting pitcher. The slightly accusatory tone exposed the questioner's view on the matter, but Zaidi
[ad_1] Injuries were the big story of the fantasy baseball weekend, and a few could be major, so rather than spend too much time on any one malady here are my thoughts on what it means.Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees: His oblique strain was called "pretty significant" by manager Aaron Boone. That could mean months. Keep Judge rostered, but this means even when Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks return
[ad_1] 10:39 AM ETAJ MassESPN Staff Writer CloseFantasy football, baseball and college basketball contributor. Author of book, "Yes, It's Hot in Here."It's Monday. For fantasy baseball managers, this means a crucial weekly exercise is about to take place, where you take stock of your roster, see where it may be lacking, and then scour the waiver wire in the hopes that better options lie within. And, thankfully, without a ridiculously
[ad_1] The early portion of the fantasy baseball calendar requires us to discuss players starting the season on a hot streak. Of course, given the possible "juiced ball" trend that might be history repeating, I became dizzy trying to list all the ridiculously successful starts.1 RelatedI'm not going to lump too many stars into this discussion. Are we really surprised Christian Yelich and Khris Davis, among others, are scorching hot?Still,
