Wooo, winter is over!
Hello and happy Monday, BCB friends! Baseball is officially here! At least if you count pitcher and catcher reporting as the first day of baseball season, because the Cubs reported for duty earliest, coming to camp yesterday. The rest of the teams will be reporting between the 11th and 13th, with the bulk of teams reporting on the 12th. But in terms of the long winter wait of speculation, signings, and predictions, it’s exciting to finally get to see real baseball action happening, get a look at players in their element, and get ready for the season ahead.
It’s one of the most exciting times of the year, as we shake off the winter cold and start to get excited about what is to come for the 2025 season.
Now on to the rest of today’s links!
- Tommy Pham is now a Pittsburgh Pirate! Story by Jay Jaffe.
- Chad Jennings has a free agent for every team. (The Athletic subscription required)
- Wade Boggs reports he is now cancer-free. (ESPN)
- Another example of data for all things…
#Statcast How close should batters stand to edge of plate?
You will not be surprised to learn: batter should stand as close as possible. Every inch matters
Metric I’m using: Best Speed, which is (for each batter) their 50% hardest hit balls
Image from: https://t.co/0EejUz5Nrk pic.twitter.com/ofMLY8BoQl
— Tangotiger (@tangotiger) February 8, 2025
- David Adler offers up 12 must-watch pitchers ahead of Spring Training.
- Will Leitch makes some hopeful predictions for Spring Training.
- Are the Kansas City Royals missing opportunities in their outfield? Dan Szymborski thinks so.
- Gosh I love hyper-specific team hats. (Here’s a direct link for those on Apple News)
The Yard Goats will play one game as the Hartford Leaf Peepers 9/3. The Leaf Peepers is a tribute to the 10 million people who travel to New England each year to see the leaves change. Let us know what you think; we’re here to rake in your feedback.
tinyurl.com/y2a4m42a
— Hartford Yard Goats (@yardgoats.bsky.social) 2025-02-07T20:41:08.799Z
- Kevin Kiermaier has joined the Blue Jays as a special assistant. Story by Keegan Matheson.
- Ken Rosenthal shares his thoughts on whether MLB owners should take a stance on salary caps. (The Athletic subscription required,)
- Happy anniversary BRef! (Here’s a direct link for those on Apple News)
25 years ago today, Baseball Reference was created.
We’ve had a few different looks over the years, but our mission has stayed the same—to make baseball stats accessible for everyone. ⚾
— Baseball Reference (@baseball-reference.com) 2025-02-07T16:07:52.060Z
- Kiké Hernández is heading back to the Dodgers. Story by Sonja Chen.
- Trey Mancini is hoping for a comeback with the Diamondbacks. Story by Patrick Andres.
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.