baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
A Token of Appreciation: Andruw Jones
Greetings, Vocal readers and subscribers. This past weekend, three players were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. One of those players is a name very familiar with Atlanta Braves fans: Andruw Jones. Three months ago, I ran into a video of highlights including him. Underneath the comments section in that video, one stated that he deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. Fast forward to Sunday, Jones is now part of Cooperstown. When you think of the Atlanta Braves, players that automatically come to mind are Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, and Greg Maddux. Andruw Jones hardly got the credit he rightfully deserved for his amazing career but finally being inducted alongside the greatest players in baseball, everyone should give him his flowers that were long overdue. He was the kind of player that you couldn't keep your eyes off of during the 1990s and 2000s. My Token of Appreciation series here on Vocal, which I started before 2025 came to a close, featured my first story of Marcus Semien. This series isn't limited to just praising baseball players, both active and retired. Whenever I see someone do something admirable, I'm going to talk about them in a positive light. Let's learn more about Andruw Jones' life and career.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 months ago in Unbalanced
Who's Hot and Who's Not in Sports: Chicago
Of course, when I started this series, the logical route was to start with the three biggest markets in the country. First was Southern California , mainly Los Angeles (the "City of Angels"). I started with that because it's my neck of the proverbial woods. Next, New York/New Jersey, mainly New York City (the "Big Apple). So it makes sense that this third installment in the series centers on the "Windy City," Chicago.
By Clyde E. Dawkins3 months ago in Unbalanced
108 Years in the Making
Where were you on the evening of November 2, 2016? Most likely, you were watching Game 7 of the World Series: either in person, at a bar, at home by yourself or with a group of people. Baseball in November is a rare occurrence, but whenever your team wins a World Series title, it's always a great feeling to experience. Two years ago, I saw a compilation video on YouTube of different Cubs fans reacting to their team winning the World Series title for the first time since 1908. I completely related to the people in that video, because I did a reaction video back in 2023, which I posted on my social media pages. That was the year that my team, the Texas Rangers, won their first World Series title in franchise history. When Josh Sborz recorded the final out, I screamed in excitement. I cried happy tears and couldn't believe that my own team achieved something that slipped through their fingers twice before. I'll have links to two World Series stories I've written previously down below. In this story, I'll share my thoughts about the Cubs wining the World Series title back in 2016. Before I discuss that, let's learn some facts about them.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 months ago in Unbalanced
Swee Brand Works Makes winning Intergenerational
Scroll to the end for photos On Monday June 29, Swee Brand Works took to the upper field at Reis Park and a family feeling was in the air. Five sets of fathers and sons, the day began and mostly ended with the Sweeney clan.
By Rich Monetti3 months ago in Unbalanced
Baseball Show and Tell: My Texas Rangers Pins
Greetings, baseball nerds! The second half of the 2026 Major League Baseball season has arrived. With the All-Star Game behind us, many teams have Postseason aspirations on the line. What you see is my Texas Rangers backpack. I bought this for myself as a late birthday/early Christmas gift in 2023, soon after the team won their first World Series title. Back in March, I decided that I wanted to add some pins onto my backpack to go with my patches, which I need to buy more of. I'll go over each one and let me know in the comments if you customize your backpack with baseball-related pins.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 months ago in Unbalanced
Prime Pub Keeps it in the Family with 15-12 Victory
Scroll to the end of article for photos On Wednesday June 24, Prime Pub and the Horse and Hound had a rematch of last summer’s championship game at Onatru Farms Park. “We are the defending champs,” said James “Shamus” O’Connor of Prime Pub. But the Horse and Hound team jumped out early and then led late by six. So the champs got to work and followed through with a sense of order.
By Rich Monetti3 months ago in Unbalanced
A Token of Appreciation: Zack Wheeler
The 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia took place earlier this week, but that isn't why I'm writing this story. I know that I've been a bit critical of the Phillies in past stories, but this one is a feel good one. This one is about Zack Wheeler and the respectable act he displayed. After not being selected as an All-Star for the midsummer classic, Wheeler was less than pleased. Major League Baseball offered him a spot on the All-Star Game roster but declined, saying that the league doing that in his opinion was disrespectful. Becoming the fifth fiddle was something he wanted no part of. He was also critical of the process involving selecting players to be part of the All-Star Game. I'll offer my two cents on that in a moment. He turned down MLB's request as a way to stand up for other pitchers that were snubbed. Before I go any further, let's learn some things about Zack Wheeler.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 months ago in Unbalanced
American League West Check-In: The First Half (7/17/2026)
With the All-Star Game behind us, the second half of the 2026 MLB season will begin tonight. That means teams are vying to win their respective divisions and clinching Wild Card berths. As far as who will win the American League West title: it'll come down to the wire. In this story, I'll go over how each team from this division fared since my last update by highlighting their records as of June 9, their current overall record, where they stand in the division and Wild Card races, and their schedules for the remainder of July and the entire month of August. Plus, I'll be using Fangraphs to see what the chances are of a team winning the division or clinching a Wild Card spot.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 months ago in Unbalanced
Texas Rangers First Half Check-In
It's been an up and down season for the Texas Rangers as they push for a playoff berth and try to avoid missing the Postseason for the third consecutive season. Before every season, I would share my predictions on how well the Rangers would do. That includes how many wins they would have, as well as how well some players would perform. We're going to check up on the predictions I made earlier this year and see if they're near what I predicted. In case you missed my original story, you can read down below.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 months ago in Unbalanced
The Ending of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series Was Epic
Take a good look at this picture. One of the reasons why I love the World Series is because of moments like this. 2028 will mark the 20th anniversary of one of the best finishes of the Fall Classic in MLB history. Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and pitcher Jamie Moyer were the best group of Phillies players I enjoyed watching. Sure, I love seeing Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh. However, the Phillies of 2008 were that team. They were the team that was destined for greater success. I included them on my list of the greatest World Series games in the last 25 years in a story a year ago. You can check out the rest of the teams that made the cut in the link down below.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 months ago in Unbalanced
A Look Back at the 2006 MLB All-Star Game
This past Saturday, July 11, marked the 20th anniversary of the 2006 MLB All-Star Game. This was the first All-Star Game I watched on TV. Around that time, I was about a month away from starting my senior year of high school. Before I go any further with this story, I want to share a few things about the All-Star Game in general that I like and dislike. My likes: In my honest opinion, the 2000s were the last great decade of these games. Also, the winning league had home-field advantage in the World Series, which is no longer present. Finally, the vibes were so positive back then. I've watched some clips of All-Star Games from previous decades, and many people commented that the midsummer classic were both watchable and enjoyable. My dislikes: I'm not a fan of the celebrity softball games, the Home Run Derby, or red carpet shows. I'll address each one in order. It seems like anyone who is considered a "celebrity" or "influencer" participates in them, even though I wouldn't recognize half of those people. Second, I used to love the Home Run Derby. The last one I watched was back in 2008 and Josh Hamilton was one of the participants. Even though he didn't win, I enjoyed watching him hit long balls. Today's Home Run Derby is too flashy and unwatchable. Finally, the red carpet shows. My question is why? What's the whole point of them? Many of these modern-day players are super entitled, spoiled, and have inflated egos that they don't like interacting with or enjoy being around their own fans. I've discussed this toxic behavior in one of my previous stories. Unless they're nominated for an award, there's no need for MLB to have a red-carpet show. I'm not interested in these players showing off what they wore or talk about themselves nonstop. I know I'm being a bit insensitive, but I am. It's another of me saying I don't care. I'm not interested. The only two exceptions of athletes being part of a red-carpet event are the ESPYs and end of the year awards. That's it. Don't get me wrong. I love fashion and want to look good myself, but those should be strictly kept to those mediums. Finally, I loathe announcers who constantly talk about the same two or three players for an entire evening. The last All-Star Game I watched on TV was back in 2024. The Rangers were hosts of that year's All-Star. It was great seeing Adrián Beltré and Nolan Ryan again before the game began. The game itself was amazing and the American League won that game. It's okay to praise a player or players every now and again, but it's a huge turn off for me when the same players are mentioned throughout one evening, even though there were other players participating in a meaningless game who deserved to be acknowledged. Now that you've seen my likes and dislikes regarding the All-Star Game, let's get on with the story. The 77th annual MLB All-Star Game took place at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Ozzie Guillén was the manager for the American League while Phil Garner was the National League manager. Nearly 40,000 people were in attendance, and the rosters of both leagues included several future Baseball Hall of Famers, with names such as Pudge Rodríguez, Ichiro, Mariano Rivera, Andruw Jones, who will be inducted near the end of this month, and the late Roy Halladay. Looking at the rosters of both leagues is one of the reasons why the game of baseball was more exciting to watch back then. I had only become a Rangers fan for nearly five years at that point. The two players from the roster that stood out to me the most were Roy Halladay and Bobby Jenks, who are both sadly no longer with us. They're gone but not forgotten. Both men left behind remarkable careers and memories for their fans. Going back to the 2006 MLB All-Star Game: let's fast forward to the ninth inning. Something remarkable was about to happen. The National League was leading 2-1 and Trevor Hoffman appeared on the mound to secure the save. Just when they appeared confident to put the game away, the American League made sure that didn't happen. Michael Young hit a triple off of Hoffman, scoring José Lopez and Troy Glaus, putting the American League in the lead 3-2. That would be the final score, with Mariano Rivera securing the save. Michael Young of the Texas Rangers (shown above) was named All-Star Game MVP. According to Nielsen, over 14 million viewers watched the 2006 MLB All-Star Game. This game was very enjoyable, and I wish today's All-Star Games were worth viewing, because there's too much advertising from brands. Plus, they're too boring. I encourage everyone to watch an All-Star Game from the 2000s and earlier. You would be surprised to see why they're a thousand times better than what's being shown right now.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 months ago in Unbalanced
