Mike Petriello
MLB
New York, NY, United States
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Past articles by Mike:
The offseason's most improved teams
Who improved the most this offseason? It's a very different question than "who won the winter," which is largely, for lack of a better term, about vibes. We’re not saying improved since the last time you saw them on the field. We’re saying improved since the 2022-23 offseason officially began, → Read More
Next stop: Cooperstown? You can watch these potential HOFers
Last year, when you watched a game involving the Cardinals, a big part of the appeal was knowing that you were getting your last shot at seeing some living legends in no-doubt-Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols and slightly-less-assured-but-very-likely-a-Hall-of-Famer Yadier Molina. It’s part of the fun of going to a game. Sometimes you → Read More
World Series draft: Picking October favorites
The All-Star Game is now in the rearview mirror, and that means teams have all played more than half of their games. As a result, we’ve learned a lot about where teams are, and where they want to be. We’ve got five Very Good Teams, and something like eight teams → Read More
Is this stacked position the best in MLB?
Every year, MLB Network previews the upcoming season with its “Top 10 Players Right Now” specials, which break down the best at each position. The latest installment, on the Top 10 right fielders, aired Wednesday night. Now, MLB.com is continuing the debate with a panel of experts -- Mark Feinsand, → Read More
Every move of the 2021-22 offseason, tracked
It took less than a day after the Braves won the World Series for the first offseason move to be made. If we've learned anything from offseasons past, there are going to be dozens and dozens more such moves to follow it. As we've regularly done in the past (2018-19, → Read More
This is why projections are low on Braves
The projections do hate your team, Atlanta fans. Here's why. The Braves are the three-time defending NL East champions, having won nearly 60% of regular-season games in the past three seasons. In 2020, they came within a game of going to the World Series; they have the defending NL Most → Read More
Who needs Springer the most? We rank 'em
"George Springer's bat is even better than you think," read a headline here on MLB.com for a story by Matt Kelly on Nov. 18, which is pretty high praise, because we already thought his bat was very good. Consistent, too, because in parts of seven years in the Majors, his → Read More
Every uniform number ever, ranked by value
As we count down the days for baseball to return, let's break for something frivolous. Let's talk about uniform numbers. Not necessarily the players wearing those numbers, as you've certainly seen many lists of in the past. (Like: "Ozzie Smith was the best No. 1, and Hank Aaron was the → Read More
A new way to measure MLB's best infield defenders
Here's a list of baseball's best infield defenders in 2019: **+19 Javier Báez, Cubs +17 Nolan Arenado, Rockies** **+16 Andrelton Simmons, Angels +16 Nick Ahmed, D-backs** +15 Trevor Story, Rockies +14 Matt Chapman, A's If you were to come up with a list of guys you'd think would be atop → Read More
Phillies, Yankees won the 2018-19 offseason
Now that Bryce Harper and Manny Machado have found new homes and all 30 teams are playing games across Arizona and Florida, it feels like the offseason is over. Yes, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel and others are still unsigned, and they're quality players, but there's no one left who is → Read More
Phillies should pursue Harper and Machado
The narrative for Philadelphia's 2018-19 offseason is clear, and has been for some time now. The Phillies' rebuilding years are done, they're ready to contend now and they have lots and lots of money to spend in order to do so. That being the case, they're favored to come away with at least one of this winter's major available superstars -- either Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. Maybe the Phils… → Read More
Lorenzo Cain likely to age gracefully
Lorenzo Cain is the best all-around free-agent outfielder available this winter, but for all of his obvious skills, interested teams have to wonder about two important questions before they agree to sign him to a long-term contract. First, he'll be 32 years old in April, meaning a new club may be signing up for his mid-to-late thirties. Second, as a player best known for elite speed and defense,… → Read More
Trout is carrying Angels like history's best
Mike Trout is the best player in the Major Leagues. With all due respect to Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve and everyone else, this is a fact that's not really in dispute. Not yet 27 years old, he's put up a career that, if it ended today, would already warrant inclusion in the Hall of Fame. If there's any argument against Trout, it usually goes like this: He's never won a playoff game. The Angels are… → Read More
Mike Trout has improved his defense in center
Every time you think that we've reached "peak Mike Trout," that there's not anything baseball's greatest player could do better, he does something better. A few years ago, there was an argument that he wasn't a true "five-tool player" because he didn't have a strong throwing arm. It got better. Then word came that Trout had a weakness hitting high fastballs. He fixed it. After an 11-steal season… → Read More
Yankees can challenge home run record in 2018
Last year, the Yankees hit 241 homers. It was the highest mark in baseball in 2017, and it was one of the 16 highest totals in the history of the game. Perhaps most importantly, it was done entirely without National League Most Valuable Player Award winner Giancarlo Stanton, who hit 59 homers for Miami last year and will be a big part of the Yanks' lineup in 2018. The next question, then, is… → Read More
2018 Astros offense could be historically good
In 2017, the Astros had the best offense in baseball, and that's not a particularly controversial statement. Houston scored the most runs (896), had the fewest strikeouts (1,087 -- 17 percent of its times to the plate), and had the second-most home runs (238). Like traditional stats? The Astros had the highest batting average (.282) and slugging percentage (.478). Prefer advanced metrics? They… → Read More
Jose Martinez has earned playing time in 2018
As every St. Louis fan knows, the Cardinals had an unexpected breakout season from a power-hitting righty outfielder in 2017. This is a player who was born in 1988, entered the professional ranks in 2006 and put up impressive stats at several levels of the Minors around a variety of injuries, finally managing to stick in the bigs in the year he turned 29. You're probably thinking of Tommy Pham,… → Read More
Jose Martinez has earned playing time in 2018
As every St. Louis fan knows, the Cardinals had an unexpected breakout season from a power-hitting righty outfielder in 2017. This is a player who was born in 1988, entered the professional ranks in 2006 and put up impressive stats at several levels of the Minors around a variety of injuries, finally managing to stick in the bigs in the year he turned 29. You're probably thinking of Tommy Pham,… → Read More
Potential Hall of Famers who will play in 2018
For any given game in the upcoming 2018 season, no matter which two teams are playing, there's a possibility you'll be watching a future Hall of Famer. Often, it will be easy to identify who that player will be, as there are plenty of stars with tons of awards on their shelves already. But sometimes, it won't be so obvious, because you might be seeing a struggling rookie at the start of their… → Read More
MLB starters who maintain production late
Pitchers generally get less effective the deeper into a game they go, as the forces of fatigue and familiarity work against them. We've seen this change how pitching works at a fundamental level, as most starters are no longer expected to go deep into games. Both the Dodgers and Astros used this idea smartly in 2017, and teams like the Mets and Rays have indicated they'll do the same in '18. The… → Read More