- 2009 Impact Rookie: James McDonald
Marc Hulet Tommy John surgery, allowed 38 hits in 19.2 innings of work and will start the season in the minors.
McDonald has much more talent than his numbers would suggest. The 24-year-old hurler spent time
- Johnson Traded for Hill and McDonald: Fantasy Implications
Jeff Zimmerman John McDonald in Arizona – McDonald's value jumped the most from this trade. He looks to be the everyday SS in Arizona since Stephen Drew is out for the season. He will occur the same downgrades
- James McDonald Loses Steam
Chris CwikJames McDonald looked like one of the biggest surprises during the first three months of the season. His performance was a big reason for the Pittsburgh Pirates status as contenders in early-July
- Regarding James McDonald
R.J. Anderson is the placement of James McDonald in the starting rotation.
Despite making a cameo in the Dodgers playoff run late last season, McDonald is still a relative unknown. A low-90’s fastball and mid-70’s
- Ol' McDonald... Made the Right Choice
Marc HuletIt might have taken James McDonald a little time to settle on pitching but it looks like it was the right choice for the former two-way player.
Originally drafted as a pitcher at the age of 18
- James McDonald Adds a Slider, Dominates
Ben DuronioOne of the biggest surprises for the first place Pittsburgh Pirates (!) has been the outstanding performance of James McDonald. Before this year, McDonald had a career ERA above 4.00 and a strikeout
- McDonald Pitching Like An Ace for Pittsburgh
Jack Moore, in the form of James McDonald, the Pirates finally have a pitcher who at least looks the part of an ace.
Back at the trade deadline, I wrote that the Pirates were big winners. A big reason
- McDonald Shows the Stuff of a Top Prospect
Joe Pawlikowski, they traded the Pirates their Nos. 1 and 2 prospects from 2009, Andrew Lambo and James McDonald. Of course, both players' situations have changed since the start of the 2009 season. Lambo had a so-so
- FanGraphs Audio: Will McDonald of Royals Review
Carson Cistulli and the Antiquarian Bookstore
... and unparalleled insights!
Featuring
Will McDonald, Royals Reviewer
Finally, you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or other feeder things.
Audio on the flip
- James McDonald: NL Starting Pitcher
Dan Wade hasn’t been bad at all, and while they both would have been in contention for the title of Cy Young on the 2011 Pirates, they’re both sitting a ways behind the team’s ace, James McDonald.
The 27-year
- Mike Minor, James McDonald, and Tricks of the Mind
Dan WadeIn the two drafts the Rotographs staff has done so far this winter, James McDonald hasn’t exactly been a hot commodity. In the snake draft, he was skipped entirely and he hardly fared better
- May Day Dotes: Colón, McDonald, Perkins
Robert J. BaumannBriefest of giddy dotings for May Day:
Darnell McDonald Does His Best Manny Ramirez
If you're like me -- or, if you're like Darnell McDonald -- you can't wait for Manny to get to be Manny
- McDonald Gets Another Shot at L.A.'s 5th Starter Job
David GolebiewskiThe Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to recall right-hander James McDonald from Triple-A Albuquerque sometime over the next few days. McDonald, who was scratched from his scheduled Sunday start
- Call John Buck
Dayn PerrySince John Buck has the name of a Dodge City sheriff with nothing left to lose, it's somewhat fitting that he's a hero in real, actual life:
Buck ran to the overturned car and went to work
- James McDonald, Kyle McClellan, Josh Johnson: NL Starting Pitchers
Zach SandersIn today's version of NL Starting Pitchers, I tell you about a pitcher I like, a pitcher I don't, and a pitcher I'm skeptical of.
James McDonald, Pirates
McDonald was a stud muffin while pitching
- Darnell McDonald Makes 7 of 10 Red Sox Fans Very Happy
Robert J. BaumannLast night, Red Sox OF Darnell McDonald made a great catch on a fly ball hit by Blue Jays 2B Kelly Johnson.
It was so good, that it made seven of ten Red Sox fans very happy -- if this photo
- John Jaso And Mountain Mantality
Bradley WoodrumTampa Bay Rays catcher and celebrated mustachioed gentle-man, John Jaso, was apparently on a mountain sometime recently.
Baseball and Internet's friend and associate, Fernando Perez, shared
- John Smoltz and ERA
R.J. AndersonAll the Roy Halladay to Boston talk is centered around a line that goes something like this: “Off-season signings Brad Penny and John Smoltz have disappointed. Smoltz especially with a 7.04 ERA
- The Rise of the John Lackey Clause
Dave CameronWhen the Red Sox signed John Lackey as a free agent in December of 2009, they had some concern about an existing elbow injury, but not enough concern to walk away from the deal entirely. So
- Daily Graphing - John Patterson
David AppelmanAfter suffering various setbacks through out his career, John Patterson finally pitched his first full season in 2005 for the Washington Nationals. I guess you could say it was worth the wait, as he
- John Jaso is Free
Michael Barr." They jettisoned John Jaso and brought in Ryan Langerhans Mike Michael Morse. The fantasy impact has already been documented in these Rotographing pages. But I'd like to expand a little on Jaso.
First of all
- John Lackey Inks with Boston
Matthew CarruthA couple hours after reports surfaced stating the John Lackey was taking a physical with the Boston Red Sox, the rumors are now saying that a contract has been reached between the two. Jon Heyman
- John Lannan Demoted to AA
Joe PawlikowskiFor two years, John Lannan looked like the luckiest man in baseball. In 2008, he struck out just 5.79 per nine and walked 3.56 per nine, yet still ended the year with a 3.91 ERA. His 4.79 FIP
- Interview: John Coppolella of the Braves
Eno SarrisAt the winter meetings this week, John Coppolella, the Braves Director of Baseball Administration, was kind enough to sit down with me and answer some questions about the Braves, his role on the team
- Marlins Ink John Buck
R.J. Anderson Dime stage of their careers. The conversation briefly, ever so briefly, centered on Loria’s sudden generosity yesterday when the team inked John Buck for three years and $18 million … then the team
- John Jaso is a Catcher First
Eno Sarris find out that John Jaso is an asset with the bat and on the basepaths, it's no surprise that you can trace these things back to his training behind the plate.
Like when Jaso talks about his plate
- Introducing John Lannan
Dave CameronIf you don't live in Washington D.C. and you actually know something about John Lannan, raise your hand. Don't worry hands-in-your-lappers, you're not alone. This nondescript lefty has snuck up
- John Danks: Ace?
Chris Cwik season. That leaves John Danks, who has gotten off to a strong start this season. While he may not be a household name just yet, Danks has slowly developed into the White Sox best starter. If his
- John Grabow Gets Paid
Dave CameronAccording to Paul Sullivan, the Cubs will announce later today that they have re-signed John Grabow to a two-year contract. Previous reports have put the value of the deal at $7.5 million.
Once
- John Ely's Changeup
Dave AllenJohn Ely, acquired from the White Sox in the Juan Pierre deal this offseason, has been a helpful addition to a Dodgers' rotation dealing with an injury to Vicente Padilla. Although Ely's ERA
- Strasburg Meets Tommy John
Dave CameronIf you haven't heard yet, Stephen Strasburg needs Tommy John surgery, and is probably out until 2012. There's really one general reaction to this that everyone seems to be having - this sucks
- Appreciating John Buck
Howard BenderIf you polled 100 fantasy baseball owners a month ago and asked who would be the number one catcher through the first 10 games of the season, how many of them do you think would have said John Buck
- Daily Graphing - John Lackey
David AppelmanAfter winning game 7 of the World Series in 2002, John Lackey had two very mediocre seasons for the Angels. It was looking like 2005 might not be any different as he had an 8.27 ERA after his first
- John Patterson Retires
Matthew CarruthA cautionary tale to all of us never to under estimate the impact of injuries on a pitcher, John Patterson has retired from baseball after two surgeries and nearly three years were unable to rid him
- What to Make of John Lannan
Jack Moore to StatCorner's version of tRA, the starting rotation alone was nearly 100 runs below average. Our own measure of runs above replacement using FIP has the Nationals at roughly 62 runs below average.
John
- Free Agent John Lackey
Jack Moore Bay. On the mound, the closest thing to a superstar we have is John Lackey.
Recently, reports have come out linking Lackey to teams like the Brewers, Mariners, and Rangers, not to mention
- Appreciating John Jaso
Dave CameronJohn Jaso isn't much of a household name. A year ago, he was traded for felon-turned-reliever Josh Lueke, as the Rays decided that Jaso's deficiencies rendered expendable. The Mariners picked him
- The Next Tommy John?
Dave Cameron approach. We just haven't seen one who has been able to limit the longball enough to make it work since Tommy John, who had a career 80 percent ball in play rate and a 3.38 FIP. I'm sure we'll see
- Tommy John for Tazawa
Patrick NewmanGreetings Fangraphians. I have awakened from my six-week Fangraphs slumber to bring you... analysis of Junichi Tazawa's surgery.
Last month, the Red Sox learned that Tommy John surgery would knock
- John Jaso? Really?
Howard BenderDuring the spring of 2011, John Jaso was near the top of a number of sleeper lists for fantasy catchers. His outstanding walk rate won him a place both in the heart of Rays manager Joe Maddon
- John Buck's New Approach
Chris CwikJohn Buck cannot be stopped. Buck was an afterthought in the mega Blue Jays/Mets deal that sent R.A. Dickey to Toronto, but he's been the best player early on. In 66 plate appearances, Buck already
- John Farrell and Swapping the Skipper
Jeff Sullivan Blue Jays manager John Farrell. Last year, the Red Sox tried to get Farrell until the Blue Jays were like, "wait, no." Now the Red Sox want Farrell again, and the Blue Jays are listening. Farrell's
- What's Wrong With John Axford?
Chris CwikJohn Axford is struggling. After blowing another save last night, the Brewers' closer is now tied for the league-lead with six blown saves. Over the last two seasons, Axford had emerged as one
- John Ely Impressing
David GolebiewskiThis past off-season, the Los Angeles Dodgers shipped outfielder Juan Pierre to the Chicago White Sox for pitching prospects Jon Link and John Ely. Pierre is playing good D on the South Side, but his
- John Jaso: Unfairly Underrated?
Mike PetrielloAfter seven seasons spent meticulously climbing the Tampa organizational ladder, John Jaso finally got his first chance to play regularly in the bigs in 2010, and the then-26-year-old rookie catcher
- John Lackey: Waiver Wire
Dan Wade placed on the disabled list and wasn’t are few and far between.
I have no idea when in 2011 John Lackey tore his ulnar collateral ligament – if my life depended on guessing, I could talk myself
- Guy in John Franco Jersey Looks Like John Franco
Carson CistulliNEW YORK -- Several riders of a Queens-bound 7 train confirmed Thursday the presence of a passenger not only wearing a John Franco jersey, but also matching the precise physical description
- John Mayberry Jr's Strikeout Rate
Jeff ZimmermanJohn Mayberry started the season in AAA for the Phillies and eventually got the call to the majors. He has been a pleasant surprise by hitting 15 home runs in only 275 PA. He had shown power
- John Axford Needs Your Help
Dayn Perry
Brewers ender of ballgames John Axford wants you to help him choose his entrance music. As we all know, a closer's entrance music is as vital to his success as his fastball and his morning muesli
- Photo: John Bowker Holding an Eel
Carson Cistulli
It's not every day -- or even once, really -- that you see a professional base-and-ball player (in this case, former Giant and Pirate and Philly John Bowker) holding an eel. It's all a bit
- John Olerud's Hall of Fame Case
Jack MooreJohn Olerud is likely one of a multitude of players that doesn't pass the “feel test” for the Hall of Fame. He only made two all-star games, never won an MVP, and never even won a silver slugger
- John Buck Has a Big Night
Matt KlaassenToronto Blue Jays catcher John Buck had a big night on Thursday, blasting three home runs against the Oakland As.
The graph doesn't really convey Buck's contribution (only showing two of his
- John Smoltz: The Smartest Man Alive
Navin Vaswani. Massholes, help a brother out: Were you there? Do you remember this incredible occasion?
I also can't help but wonder if John Smoltz had to do everything in his power to keep a straight face
- Nationals Trying To Trade John Lannan
Dave CameronWell, it looks like we finally have an aggressive suitor for Edwin Jackson. Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Nationals are trying to trade John Lannan - who just lost his arbitration case
- Streaming John Lannan and Chris Archer
Ben Duronio others are in a similar situation, and after succeeding with Erasmo Ramirez last night I think John Lannan and Chris Archer are solid bets tonight.
Lannan is facing a struggling Dodgers team and has
- Post-Tommy John, Marcum Strong
David Golebiewski Twins among AL squads. The grizzled veteran of the group is 28-year-old Shaun Marcum, who has impressed in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
In 125 innings pitched, Marcum has struck out
- Joel Hanrahan vs. John Axford
Ben DuronioThe consensus around the fantasy industry seems to be that John Axford is a top tier closer while Joel Hanrahan is more of a second tier guy. Among closers, Axford has been drafted third in standard
- John Jaso -- Putting the Postseason in Perspective
David Laurila for looking at these inevitably tense battles as life and death. But they really aren’t. As seriously as we take the game of baseball, that is exactly what it is -- a game.
John Jaso understands
- An Appeal to John Hodgman, On Sport and Nerdom
Carson Cistulli
Mr. John Hodgman,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying life, preferably in some manner of overstuffed chair, drinking one of the more expensive fermented beverages available legally
- President John Farrell's Resignation Speech
Navin VaswaniOver the past two years, we in Toronto had taken to calling John Farrell "President Farrell." Fine, it was mostly only me who called him "President Farrell," and I enjoyed it. Being a Canadian, I can
- Q&A: John Gordon, Broadcasting Legend
David LaurilaJohn Gordon will call his final game one week from today — an event that will mark the end of a broadcasting legacy in Minnesota.
The venerable play-by-play man has been the radio voice
- John Barr: Scouting the Giants' Draft
David Laurila. The Giants have a solid core of homegrown talent — with reinforcements on the way — and in recent years much of the credit goes to John Barr. A member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame, Barr
- Audio: A Totally Professional Conversation with John Axford
Carson CistulliBoth the present author and Brewers reliever John Axford are professionals in their respective fields. As a result, any and all conversations conducted between them are, by definition, professional
- Mustache Watch: John Axford Joins A Bike Gang
Bradley WoodrumIt has become apparent John Axford has recently joined or is petitioning for membership in the ever-popular bike gang the Hell's Brewers. His time-tested, well-feared facial hair arrangement tells us
- John Kruk Is Having a Rough Morning
David G Temple
- Evening Quiz: Rafael Betancourt or John Cage?
Carson CistulliBelow is an audio clip that is either an audio clip of an avant-garde work by late American composer John Cage or the result of an attempt by the author to record, this afternoon, a conversation
- Slideshow: Photos in Which John Kruk Is Definitely Sweating
Carson Cistulli populated by seven images in which former major-leaguer John Kruk is definitely sweating.
To wit:
[slideshow_deploy id='44189']
- FanGraphs Audio: John Jaso and Geoff Baker
Carson CistulliEpisode 182
David Laurila (@DavidLaurilaQA), curator of FanGraphs’ Q&A Series, talks both to Mariners catcher John Jaso and Seattle Times beat writer Geoff Baker.
Don't hesitate to direct pod
- John McGraw Is Grateful for the Silver Decanter, Baby Leopard
Dayn Perry in his memory. That right-wise John McGraw, he was a Great Man of History!
The lesson, lads? One does not simply walk into Mordor. Unless one is John McGraw.
H/T: The lot of you, really.
- Mustache Watch: Ye Olde John Jaso
Bradley Woodrum-season push with quality submissions such as the above-featured John Jaso.
In the presented image, we Jaso's mantastic face-stache displays some of its incredible flexibility, miming the governial
- Extry, Extry: John Lackey Not Unfeeling Monster
Carson Cistulli
Every word on the internet to the contrary, the footage you see here seems to suggest that John Lackey -- who has recently not only divorced his cancer-addled wife but also called her repeatedly
- John Gibbons Is Getting Comfortable: North America Reacts
Matt KlaassenJohn Gibbons' return to managing the Toronto Blue Jays this past off-season was greeted with skepticism by some. After all, didn't he sink the ship five years ago? Why, with the Blue Jays re-making
- Audio: John Axford on Rumored Canadian Plot, Mustaches
Carson CistulliThe author had occasion Sunday -- during the Milwaukee Brewers' On Deck fanfest event -- to ask occasionally mustachioed and always Canadian John Axford three questions of considerable import. Below
- Mets Sign a Pair of Tommy John Survivors
Chris CwikOver the past two seasons, the biggest factor holding back the New York Mets has been injuries. Apparently undaunted by those injury concerns, the Mets signed a pair of pitchers coming off Tommy John
- Commercial: Alec Baldwin! John Krasinski! Hats!
Carson Cistulli
Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski have at least two things in common that I can think of at the moment. One, they both star in pretty excellent examples of that most modern of art forms
- Just How Broken is John Axford, Really?
Jeff Sullivan Henderson. Henderson allowed a little bit of damage, but he successfully slammed the door, picking up a save. Henderson pitched in part because John Axford threw 18 pitches on Sunday. Henderson pitched
- How Tommy John Surgery Helped George Kontos
Eno SarrisTommy John surgery might have been the best thing that could have happened to George Kontos. In 2009, the Giants' right-hander was in Triple-A for the first time, and he had the kind of stuff
- Nathan, Volquez, Zimmermann: Tommy John Surgery Returnees
Jeff ZimmermanEvery year a dozen or so MLB pitchers need to have TJS (Tommy John surgery) done on their elbows. Today I will look at 3 of those pitchers (Joe Nathan, Jordan Zimmermann and Edinson Volquez) that had
- Jarrod Parker On Tommy John Surgery and Sliders
Eno Sarris, and then Jeff Zimmerman followed with a more statistically robust approach that backed up the general finding that the slider and curve are tough on the elbow. The fact that a Tommy John survivor
- Baker Undergoes Surprise Tommy John Surgery
J.P. Breen is that the success rate for Tommy John surgery is now upward of 85-92 percent. The likelihood of returning to the big leagues in some capacity appears overwhelmingly positive. Most likely, though, his next big
- Phillies Find Back-End Bargain In John Lannan
Mike Axisa National (and rival) John Lannan.
Lannan, as Phillies fans surely remember, started his big league career by breaking Chase Utley's hand with a pitch back in 2007. The bad blood has lingered
- Daily Graphing - Matt Murton & John Rodriguez
David AppelmanTypically when you think of the best sluggers in baseball, names like David Ortiz and Vladimir Guerrero come to mind. How about the Cubs' Matt Murton or the Cardinals' John Rodriguez? Probably
- John Axford & Brandon League: Buy Low Candidates
Erik Hahmann, but there’s no reason you can’t hoodwink an owner in May whose panicking over small sample sizes.
Of all the relievers with 10 or more saves John Axford and Brandon League have the highest ERAs
- Waiver Wire: John Danks and Logan Morrison
Chris Cwik picking up injured players, but even the best of them are stashed on a team's disabled list far before they are ready to return. John Danks and Logan Morrison were injured to begin the year, but have
- Arodys Vizciano to Have Tommy John Surgery
Dave CameronThe recent spat of injury news continued this morning, when the Braves announced that RHP Arodys Vizcaino was undergoing Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2012 season. Vizciano was rated
- Joakim Soria to Have Tommy John Surgery
Dave CameronThis news was expected, but Bob Dutton confirms that Joakim Soria will have Tommy John Surgery on April 3rd and is going to miss the entire 2012 season. Given that the average recovery timetable
- Ryan Madson to Have Tommy John Surgery
Dave CameronThe hits just keep on coming. Per Ken Rosenthal, Ryan Madson is the latest pitcher to need Tommy John surgery, and will be lost for the 2012 season. The falling dominos will push Sean Marshall
- Extry, Extry: John Henry Is Not in Your Tax Bracket
Carson Cistulli
Though it contains little in the way of breaking news, Frank Dell'Apa's Boston Globe article about Boston owner John Henry's (pictured right) recent purchase of Liverpool FC does contain some