Kuzul

Any fair weather baseball fan is aware of the steroid era we currently suffer through, filled with bureaucratic reports, player confessions (or lack thereof) and widespread cheating (to put it bluntly). 

As unfortunate as it is to say, the battle towards purity is far from over.

Even after the swift suspension of 12 MLB players in early August, some stars have escaped the grasp of the league unscathed. 

Is this fair?

Players that have made, and continue to make, a significant impact on the game are also admitted users of PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs). This calls into question the enormous grey area the MLB has created surrounding the use of illegal substances.

To many it should be black and white—if a player has used PEDs, the result is a lifetime ban. And we may be heading in that direction.

For now, let’s direct our attention to six players who have eluded the league’s guillotine.

H/t to Baseball’s Steroid Era

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There are few other places on Earth I can classify as havens other than MLB ballparks. The sights, the sounds and the smells are all experiences I cherish each time I set foot in any ballpark around the country.

From my first experience at a professional baseball game to my most recent game attended, I still receive a childlike thrill each time the field comes into view.

There are the classic stadiums of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, the well-aged Kauffman Stadium and Dodger Stadium as well as modern marvels such as Miller Park and Citi Field. 

All 30 MLB ballparks can’t be favorites, though. In some cases, a stadium may not seem worthy of the team it houses and vice versa (i.e. the Miami Marlins and their brand new park). That’s where our outside-the-box thinking comes in.

Taking a look at the physical amenities of each ballpark, here are seven constructive criticisms to improve those that are not (and will never be) a wonder of the world.

H/t to Baseballparks.com

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As the pennant races heat up and teams begin to fall by the wayside, big-name players will be relied on to step up in pressure situations. When given the opportunity, certain players will have the chance to redeem themselves.

For an organization to make a run at the World Series, all 40 players on the roster must work as a well-oiled machine. If one part is broken, the whole system can shut down. But, if that part can be fixed, it’s full-steam ahead to the pennant.

These 12 players have hobbled their way through the 2013 season, hampering the potential of their respective teams. Whether via underachievement or injury, these major leaguers with subpar seasons can make a serious difference down the stretch.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

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Part two of the 2013 MLB season premiered last night, and while the season is already 60 percent complete, there is still two-thirds of the league vying for 10 playoff spots. 

In the American League, the East is stacked with talent, pitting four teams within seven games of each other. The Central and West Divisions are largely two team races at the moment, but a key deadline move or winning streak could bring teams like the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels back to life.

The National League features a rejuvenated Central Division where three teams—the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds—stand just five games apart. The Atlanta Braves are in control of the East while the West Division is completely up for grabs, as the top four teams are separated by just five-and-a-half games.

The following 10 teams were deemed fringe playoff teams or teams that have underachieved despite high preseason expectations. Each may make a move (or more) at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline that could be the missing piece to kick the squad into high gear.

The creative fixes are current knowledge-based rumors, my own personal opinions or a combination of the two.  

Rumor information is courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors, and stats and contract information are courtesy of Team Rankings and Spotrac, respectively, unless noted otherwise. 

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Whether one is lost in the wild world of Westeros or perusing the latest MLB box scores, parallels can be drawn between the two distinctly different entertainment genres.

Oddly enough, there are eleven MLB teams who possess similar traits and demonstrate comparable actions to eleven of the Great Houses in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Based off of George R.R. Martin’s epic book series entitled A Song of Ice and Fire, the immensely popular television program depicts feuding houses in competition for power, dominance and the imperial Iron Throne.

The comparison between the show and professional baseball does not end at a fight to be the top dog, as certain characteristics are present in both the sport and the fantasy land.

Plus, is it a coincidence in how similar the Commissioner’s Trophy and the Iron Throne appear? Think about it.

***Spoiler Alert***

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Whether you’re Asher Roth or Sam Adams, college isn’t for everyone. It certainly isn’t in the cards for some high school pitchers who dominate their age group start after start.

The complexity of the MLB draft can muddle the future of high school pitchers—whether to commit to a career straight out of high school or to test their draft stock and see how they perform at the collegiate level.

It’s a daunting decision that will affect the rest of a pitcher’s professional career, but as baseball scouts are prone to say, “When you’ve got it, you’ve got it. And you, son, have got it.”

The following five hurlers have got what those in baseball call “it”.

Evaluations refer to Keith Law’s Top 100 Prospects on ESPN.com.

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When is the 2013 MLB draft? 

I’ll give you the amount of time it takes for your eyes to cross the following ellipses to figure it out…June 6-8. In those three days, the top amateur baseball players from high schools and colleges around the country will be selected somewhere within the draft’s 50 rounds.

You read that right, 50 rounds—and therein lies one of the draft’s clearest flaws.

The MLB draft can learn something from its superior NFL counterpart by cutting back. Finding a professional-caliber player in rounds later than the 15th is like finding a needle in a haystack.

However, there are more pressing issues as to why the MLB draft pales in comparison to the media-crazed (and frankly overhyped) NFL draft.

For one, the talent from the high school or college level to professional competition does not translate the same way between the two sports. As we saw last season with Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson, for example, a draftee can be ready enough to seamlessly step into the leadership role after just a preseason.

But in baseball, a dominant college starting pitcher like Mark Appel—who was drafted eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012 and offered a $3.8 million initial contract before deciding to return to Stanford for his degree—may not reach a major league mound for one, three or even 10 years. There are no guarantees in the MLB.

Without the instant gratification fans receive from NFL rookies, who can make an immediate impact on one’s favorite team, the spectator interest is stunted, leaving a challenging hurdle for the MLB to overcome.

Let’s consider a few scenarios that can increase the popularity of the MLB draft.

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The joys of signing a brand-spanking new contract can quickly subside due to a luke-warm start to the season. 

A lucrative contract is only worthwhile when the on-the-field production is present, and for some newly signed players, the transition to a new team has come with a price. 

Whatever the reason may be—a new park, a new hitting coach, the pressure to perform or simply an early season slump—the thought of winning over hundreds of thousands of loyal fans can weigh heavily on a player’s psyche.

It’s easy to play well as a hometown favorite. Sometimes it’s reaching that recognition which proves challenging.

Here are 10 players with new teams fighting for acceptance.  

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How much of an impact do early season trades make? They occur infrequently and usually do not involve big-name players.

The MLB trend is to anticipate the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline and strike a deal on or before that date. It’s one of the most exciting days during the baseball season, as contending teams look to land a player for their playoff push while cellar dwellers dump stars for prospects.

So why aren’t there any titillating transactions in April? 

For one, most teams craft their rosters in the offseason, and it may take more than a few weeks in April to step into the rhythm of success. Also, with such a small sample size of games, determining the problem that a trade would solve is not always possible.

Plus, those non-contending teams who could provide a worthy veteran or power bat are not willing to raise the white flag on a young season, succumbing to more dominate teams and crippling the fan base.

All that said, here are the five greatest, if not the smartest, April trades of all time.

(H/T to articles written by Bleacher Report’s Doug Mead, Joel Reuter and Ely Sussman)

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Who says you have to pump iron (or, in these days, pop PEDs) to be a slugger? For goodness sake, Babe Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer!

Power hitters come in all shapes and sizes, from a rounded Prince Fielder to a towering Adam Dunn to a perfectly proportioned Albert Pujols. 

But wait, what about the skinny guys? You know, the ones who frequently take off days from the gym just because they weren’t in the mood (we’ve all been there). 

Surprisingly, some of these players are renowned as some of the best home run hitters in the game. 

Let’s see who made the list.

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