MLB

While much of the nation was focused on preparing for the Super Bowl last Friday, ESPN’s Jim Caple instead had his eyes on baseball and the latest trend of the statistical revolution.

In the article, Caple takes a closer look at Wins Above Replacement (WAR, for short) and how it ended up causing baseball’s latest statistical Holy War in this year’s MVP debate.  Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels had the statheads on his side, leading the league in WAR (among other stats) by a significant margin.  Voters, however, elected to go with Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, who led the league in batting average, home runs, and RBI to become the game’s first Triple Crown winner in 45 years.

In what is already being referred to as the East Coast BALCO, the Miami New Times has published a bombshell of a report revealing that Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic not far from the University of Miami campus, has been supplying steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to athletes in numerous sports.  The list of athletes to have visited this clinic included several prominent baseball players, including future Hall of Famer Alex Rodriguez and suspended stars Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon.

Miami New Times Uncovers East Coast Balco: A-Rod, Melky, Gio Gonzalez Amongst Named

I guess Victor Conte was right after all.

A stunning report released by the Miami New Times has uncovered a lab run out of Miami by Dr. Tony Bosch has been selling performance enhancing drugs to professional athletes. Among the people named: Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, Yasmani Grandal, Gio Gonzalez and Nelson Cruz.

One of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball finds himself back in the news, as Chicago White Sox legend Frank Thomas made it clear that he does not have much sympathy for the hitters of his era whose careers are clouded by PED usage.  Thomas said unequivocally that his numbers are “clean” and that he fully expects to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2014 class.

This would be welcome news for the Hall itself, as the BBWAA failed to induct a player for the first time since 1996 despite a loaded ballot stocked with great candidates.  Many voters could not get past the PED usage of some of the better players on the ballot, and the arrival of a PED-free candidate like Thomas should make for a welcome change.

But will the era he played in cause Thomas to be lost in the shuffle?

Despite growing up in a baseball-centric household, B.J. and Justin Upton had never been teammates for any significant amount of time.

Thanks to the Atlanta Braves, all of that is about to change.

The Braves, who signed B.J. Upton as a free agent earlier this offseason, scored a major coup last night when they added younger brother Justin in a seven-player trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Uptons are the latest in a long line of brother tandems to team up in the Majors and are the first since Scott and Jerry Hariston back in 2010.