After Saturday night’s win, the Phillies decided to option third baseman Maikel Franco to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Along with the demotion, the team has activated utility player Brad Miller from the IL. Franco, 26, is hitting .231 with 15 home runs and 47 RBI’s. The move comes after the Phillies beat the visiting Chicago White Sox. Franco overall went 1-3 with a single. Philadelphia is currently third in the NL East, tied with the Washington Nationals and 7 games back from the division leading Atlanta Braves. Franco has proven that he has the power, averaging 25 home runs and 86 RBI’s. The Achilles heel for the third baseman is the average. Last season, Franco had a career high .277 and tallied 22 home runs and 68 RBI’s (min. 100 AB). 

In my opinion, this is a smart move for the team and their potential playoff push. Franco has been struggling all season, and after a promising start hitting in the 8th spot, he’s been disappointing. With this move, a couple of scenarios happen. Scott Kingery gets the chance to play every day and he’s been very consistent all year. With his demotion, Franco can work on hitting and changing his stance or swing in time for the playoffs. One other area the team needs to focus on is the pitching. Aside from Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta, the last three starters in the rotation are all up in the air. Nick Pivetta should stay in the bullpen with Vince Velasquez, and the team needs to work on finding a consistent third starter and finding a closer that can be reliable. 

​Along with free agency, the team needs to break the bank a little more and try to shoot for Gerrit Cole. The starter is going to be 29 and has a good second half of his career left. The state of the Phillies is still in the air, as it always is, and the team needs to focus on finding ways to win down the stretch and and hopefully squeak into the playoffs and attempt to do some damage.

Every year, the MLB offers a contest that brings us all back to out younger selves. This contest is called the Home Run Derby. Every child dreams in their backyard of hitting one over the fence and the celebrating afterwards. This contest reminds us that baseball is a game, and that players not only play for a living, but they play because of their raw love and passion for the game.

In this year’s contest, the following players are participating: Matt Chapman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alex Bregman, Joc Pederson, Pete Alonso, Carlos Santana, Josh Bell, and Ronald Acuna Jr. In a very young bracket, there is only one long time vet, with that being Carlos Santana.

My Predictions:

In the first round the four winners that I think will move on to the second round are Josh Bell, Alex Bregman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Carlos Santana. The biggest sleeper in the first round is Carlos Santana. Even though he is older than the rest of the field, the vet will show that he still has some pop in his bat and look to shock the doubters.

In the second round, the finalists that I have chosen are Alex Bregman and Josh Bell. Alex Bregman has always shown up in clutch moments and with this contest being all about clutch, I think he takes it away from Vladimir. Josh Bell is a human beast and loves to tear the cover off the ball, look for some balls in the Ohio River after tonight’s festivity.

Lastly, the final round. The final showdown between Alex Bregman and Josh Bell. My winner from this match up and the 2019 Home Run Derby is Josh Bell. Bregman is fantastic in the clutch, but I think Josh Bell’s raw power will find a way to outshine Alex and take the crown of Home Run Derby Champ. 

Overall, I think this year's Home Run Derby will one of the best ones in the last ten years. A major reason for the success will be the age. The younger the talent gets, the bigger the crowds get and it shows the fans that the future of baseball is in good hands.

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By: Peter Caceci


Authorities have made a major breakthrough in the Ortiz shooting case this past Friday, by arresting Victor Hugo Gómez, the man who was in charge of the decision making. Gómez, considered to be a dangerous fugitive, was detained in the Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic after trying to flee to Puerto Rico. It is unknown at the moment of the charges that he will face, not just with the attempted murder, but with the drug-affiliation with several cartels.

​For those who have not already heard about the incident, David Ortiz was spending some time in the Dominican Republic, where he was approached by three individuals who immediately opened fire on the ex-Red Sox player. He received gruesome injuries to the liver, but later made a full recovery at hospitals not too far from the crime and in the United States.  The hired gunmen were supposedly seeking Ortiz out due to an apparent affair that he was having with a “drug lord’s” wife. This story though has changed after further investigation.

Gómez claims that he did not have any intention of killing Ortiz, and that the gunmen had found themselves in a case of “mistaken identity”. He went on to add that he was actually trying to go after his cousin, Sixto David Hernandez, who was sharing a table with Ortiz that night. Carlos Rubio, Gómez’s lawyer, did not add anything further to his client’s claims, but did post a long video on YouTube of Gómez apologizing for the crime. 

The murder attempt took a big shot to baseball players and fans everywhere, especially those in the New England area. David Ortiz is a legend in Boston, being a primary member of the infamous 2004 Red Sox team that won the World Series and broke the infamous “Bambino Curse”. He would follow this success by winning two more championships in 2007 and 2013.  Other major statistics would be hitting 541 home runs and batting in 1,768 runs throughout his entire career. Current and retired players took to social media to express their concerns for “Big Papi”, hoping for a speedy recovery.

Considering this was a mistake, tourists all over the world, not just in the Caribbean should tread lightly for their own safety. Ortiz is one of many for this summer that were either injured or killed by a local criminal. As a traveler myself, I have been to some pretty shady areas in the Caribbean, and I hope that for the sake of everyone out there, that everyone watches themselves. I hope that David Ortiz makes a recovery, which he is currently, and that he does not find himself in a similar situation again.

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What’s every young athletes dream? To make it all the way to the professional level. When you're playing T-Ball or Little League it’s so easy to imagine yourself in your favorite teams uniform, hearing your name called as you walk up to bat, but for most ballplayers, that’s all it ends up being, just a dream. The odds of playing a professional sport is as small as they come. The amount of time, effort, and sacrifice a young man or woman has to make to continue to chase that childhood dream is an amount that needs to be recognized. And for these four ball players, that work paid off this week. 

The 2019 MLB draft recently took place, beginning on Monday (June 3rd) and concluding on Wednesday (June 5th). If you aren’t already aware, the MLB draft is a long one, due to it’s very extensive minor league system, so that gives a large number of high school and college baseball players a chance to take their passion for the sport to the next level. It’s always amazing to see these players’ dreams come true when their name gets called, getting to celebrate with friends and family, but it’s even more amazing when it’s players that you knew and grew up with, and for myself, got to go to school with. 

I’m going to highlight four individual players who saw their Little League dreams become a reality this week. All of whom are out of the local Central PA area. One being Nathan Ocker, a starting pitcher turned closer who I had the privilege of growing up with in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The other three studs are also pitchers, and they all were on this years staff at Millersville University which (news flash) is where most of the Heated Sports team, including myself, attend college. 

Only 20 picks in the draft separated Nabholz from the third and final Marauder taken off the board and that was fellow RHP Daniel Ross. Ross had a very unconventional journey that lead him to Millersville. Ross actually spent most of his childhood in Yokosuka, Japan where his father was stationed while serving in the Navy. Similar to Nabholz, Ross was also a transfer student, transferring to Millersville from Fresno City Community College in California after two years. Throughout his Millersville career Ross made 22 appearances for a total of 47 2/3 innings. Going deeper into the numbers, the right hander ended his career a 3.66 ERA with a .235 opponent BA, while also tallying 43 strikeouts. 

All in all, it was really great to see all four of these guys get their names called, and have a chance to play professional baseball. This is just a great example of how every single college athlete's journey is different from the next. These guys all had to grind big time to get their shots, and I know for a fact that they're all going to take advantage of this opportunity, and give it their all each and every day. 

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Today, June 6, 2019, marks the 75th anniversary of the infamous D-Day landings. Over 70,000 American soldiers took part in what was the beginning of a long and grueling campaign against tyrannical forces.  What does this topic have to do with Heated Sports?  Well, one of the greatest catchers in the history of baseball took it upon himself to help fight for his country, Yogi Berra.

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, a 13 time World Series champion as both a player and manager, served as a gunner’s mate in the Normandy landings.  From here, he was part of a six-man crew on a Navy rocket boat that would fire rockets and machine gun ordinance at the German defenses trying to repel the soldiers on the beach.  Yogi Berra would later be discharged from the military at the end of the war, serving a total of 3 years in active service.

Following his heroic actions to help preserve the freedoms of the American people, Yogi was later called up to the New York Yankees in 1946.  Despite his short 5’7” stature as a catcher, he would prove that size did not matter even then by being a strong defensive player and a slugger.  Following his tenure in baseball, Yogi’s statistics as a player were .285 batting average, 358 home runs, and 1,430 RBIs.  Along with those stats, he would also appear in more than 100 games in each of the fourteen years that he played, as well as play in 14 World Series, a record that is current to this day.

The members of Heated Sports would like to thank the soldiers who gave everything they could on top of their service on that long and violent day.  Being a player in a major league sport is easy, as well as writing up articles about such players, in comparison to fighting for the good of mankind like baseball legend Yogi Berra.

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Baseball’s popularity amongst the American population is dwindling with each younger generation. It seems to be extremely upsetting, since the sport has been identified as a social vehicle for our society. Helping by entertaining children during the great depression, to generating a winning feeling in such cities that no one would think of obtaining.  As time continues to advance, there are many factors that have diminished the excitement for the sport.

It seems with the rise of sports icons in different sports such as Lebron James or Tom Brady in comparison to baseball, and the decreasing physicality of the sport itself have taken its toll on the MLB.  If you were to go to any social media account on Instagram and search a certain baseball player, only a handful would currently have a large following.  That would be all-stars like Mike Trout or Bryce Harper, who are again, part of a handful of players that are in the headlines for baseball news.  

Nowadays, viewers are looking for a game that is rough, tough, and fast-paced like running down the court to go for a layup or to throw a game winning touchdown in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.  Even sports like hockey, which have a specific group of fans, can generate more appeal than a regular season baseball game. Sports writers from all around the country have expressed similar concerns, as their children’s baseball teams are having trouble trying to recruit.  

The bulk of people who are around 22 years old or younger also tend to have a low attention span.  If you would like to debate with me on that point, try reading at least two books without being assigned by a teacher.  Most would rather have some type of risk behind the game to give it more appeal, like a playoff or World Series game.  The average baseball game can take up to, if not over, 3 and a half hours.  Other sports like basketball only last half of that length, depending if the game goes into overtime.  The factors that add to the length are the commercial breaks, time in between batters going to the plate, the revolving door of pitchers, and time in between innings. 

From my own experience, the people that I know that watch baseball typically do not watch the entire game, unless there is an exciting factor behind it as I mentioned before.  The highlight reel that is later shown on major sports news sites is what most would watch.  It is also upsetting to see an American classic like baseball, which has spread its popularity to the far areas of the globe, disappear like an old building in its own country of origin.  Will the viewership change in the future? I do not know.  I hope that we acknowledge what is being lost, and as a result push ourselves to watch and teach young ones about the sport of baseball.

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Since 2012, the Minnesota Twins have struggled to succeed and become ready for a playoff spot. After missing the playoffs for the 6th straight year, the front office in Minnesota was ready to make some changes. Starting with personnel, the team hired former player Rocco Baldelli as their new manager. This move showed the players that they are done with older coaches and want their coaching staff to get younger as their roster gets younger. During free agency, the team signed vets Martin Perez and slugger Nelson Cruz to have some experience in the clubhouse. After losing franchise players Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier, this team was becoming one of the youngest in baseball. 

The statistics for the Twins speak for themselves. The team currently averages 6 runs per game, along with a slugging percentage of .518 and their OPS percentage is currently at .860. These numbers put the Twins around the top of the league in almost every category, including their record, which is a league best 36-16. Another big part of their success is due to the long ball. After roughly 50 games, they have a total of 100 home runs as a team, which is on pace to beat the current record set by the New York Yankees in 2018. The team is now on pace for 327 home runs, which would destroy the previous record by 60 homeruns.  

The outstanding part about this rejuvenated Twins team, is that they are playing as a complete unit and do not need to rely on one superstar talent to push them along each game. Every player is doing their part and they, as a result, have become a very nice surprise as the 2019 season continues to progress. 

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$300 million.... That was the big number this off season with a ton of big names. Bryce Harper came out of free agency with a new home and a $330 million contract. This signing for the Phillies felt like hitting the jackpot. Jerseys were selling out and tickets were being bought at alarming rates. With this leading into the season, Harper showed exciting promise for the fans of Philadelphia, rejuvenating this fanbase entirely. 

Now fast forward two months into the season, has the signing been worth the price? Harper currently has a career low 29% strikeout rate along with a sub .240 batting average. These numbers do not seem worth $330 million. Now to Harper’s defense, he leads the majors in walks with 31 and has a very high OPS. Even with these couple promising numbers, the home runs, RBI’s and batting average have all been well below, at least in terms of what is expected of Bryce. 

This first half is vert reminiscent to a year ago where Bryce also struggled before heating up in the back half of the season. For the sake of Bryce Harper and his reception in Philly, he needs to step it up. Philadelphia has one of the most brutal and emotional fanbases in all of sports. The fans at Citizens Bank Park have already booed Bryce and they will continue to boo him as long as he struggles. Contrasted to the booing, the fans will also lose their mind for Bryce the moment he starts to heat up.

I hope to see Harper regain his superstar play and help the potential loaded Phillies go far this season. Fans will wait as long as it takes, but the question is; Is Bryce Harper a $330 million bust? Right now it definitely looks like it, but the season is still young so we'll just have to sit back and pray that he can turn things around sooner rather than later... 

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This past weekend, the MLB finished their Mexico Series with the Houston Astros taking on the Los Angeles Angels. The third set of games in the country south of the United States, showed promise for the future with some fireworks to tie it all together. 

The Astros came into Mexico looking to reset and get their offense back to championship caliber, and that is exactly what they got. In only two games, the Astros outscored the Angels, 24 to 6. The team cranked 8 home runs, with Alex Bregman hitting three of them. The starting pitching was solid, and the team looked like their 2017 title team. On the other side, the Angels were a complete mess. The first part was in their starting pitching. Between both starters, veterans Trevor Cahill and Matt Harvey, the duo pitched only 8 innings, allowing 11 combined runs, and only struck out 3 hitters. The bullpen also struggled, especially pitcher Chris Stratton. The reliever gave up 8 runs in only 4 innings on Saturday. The silver lining for the Angels amid this confusion, is that legend Albert Pujols hit another home run and continues to establish his legacy. 

This series showed that traveling has different effects on teams. For Houston, the effect was that the team was ready to play and put on a show. For the Angels, the effect was the team was sluggish and just full-out not ready to compete. The series also showed an exciting amount of potential for the future international series. The MLB has already released a schedule, coming out last season, showing that in 2020, the MLB will expand to Asia, Mexico, either Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic, and even the United Kingdom. This idea of expanding to many different countries is great for the MLB. Not only does it show the sport to different people, but the players also have a chance to go to their home countries and celebrate the sport and their careers. This inspires many young fans to pursue their dreams, no matter what that may be, but it gives them hope and courage to follow their aspirations just like the current players. 

​The international series in my opinion is great and I hope to see it continue in the future. They have been playing in Mexico and other countries for over a decade, and it gets better every year. I also hope to see that all 30 teams have traveled and played in a different country. That gives everyone a variety so the international fans aren't seeing the same teams and players each year.  

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Article by: Zach Henley​ 

Over the last 15 years, many exceptional players have come and gone. One of the best in that group is first baseman, Albert Pujols. Pujols is a two-time World Series champion with the St. Louis Cardinals, and has accumulated eye grabbing stats from his rookie year in 2004. The 39-year-old has tallied 637 homeruns, 1,997 RBI’s, along with a stellar average of .302. These stats alone prove that he deserves to be in the top 10 all time players list. The next couple stats show that “The Machine” is a top 5 all time great, such as having 3,102 hits, with 643 of them being doubles, and has stolen 111 bases, while only being caught 41 times. The stats show that he does not only hit for power, but that he has consistently been reliable to reach the base and be a threat at the same time. To further show that Albert is a major baseball treasure, he is 6th all-time in home runs, third in RBI’s, 22nd in hits, and 9th in doubles in the history of major league baseball. 

These stats show that he is a great player and an obvious first ballot hall of famer. Other than the stats, Albert embodies what a baseball player is and what a player should always be. When he was a rookie, people were not excited, but his rookie campaign changed their minds in the end. In only 2 years, he helped the Cardinals win the 2006 World Series. This showed the immediate impact that he made on the team and caused the rest of the league tremble at what he could accomplish. After winning the title in 2011, he then signed with the Los Angeles Angels, to play along a kid named Mike Trout. Pujols saw this opportunity to help mentor a future star and eventually finish his career. That year, Trout won the rookie of the year award and has become the biggest star in baseball.  Since switching teams and establishing himself as a mentor, Pujols has seen the postseason only once in 2014, but the lackluster Angels have not been able to return since.

Overall, Albert Pujols should be in every conversation as an all time great. Not only because of what his contributions are on the field, but also what he did off the field. His foundation, the Pujols Family Foundation, supports impoverished families in the Dominican Republic, and supports children who are suffering from Down’s Syndrome.  The group, since its creation in 2005, has many different events around the country and has raised a large amount of money. The best players in the sport have been productive for their teams by producing outstanding numbers and providing insight for other teammates, as well as making their organizations an option to play for.

​My personal top five goes; Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Ricky Henderson, and Lou Gehrig.  

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After one month into the regular season, the National League already has a race for league MVP. As of right now, it's a clear two-man race between Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger. After 23 games, the stars have 24 home runs with 59 RBIs with a combined .389 batting average. As we can easily see, both players are on historic paces to begin the season. Christian Yelich, the reigning National League MVP, has recorded a .353 batting average along with 13 home runs and 31 RBIs. Since the second half of the 2018 season, Yelich has hit 38 home runs, with 98 RBIs and his average is a ridiculous .360. Last March and April, Yelich hit 2 home runs, with 9 RBI’s and a batting average of .271. Over a years’ time, Yelich has improved his already superstar status and has become even more valuable to the Brewers. 

On the other side, Cody Bellinger has raised some eyebrows and has made his case to be a future MVP. Bellinger has totaled 11 home runs, with 28 RBIs and a league leading .424 batting average. Last season, the 23-year-old won the rookie of the year and the NLCS MVP award. Before last year’s all-star break, Bellinger hit 17 home runs with 44 RBIs and below an average of .245. Bellinger has already shown what he is capable of and shows that he is the most important player on the Dodgers’ squad right now. 

​So far this season, the Dodgers have kept the wins coming, with a 15-9 record. That record is the best in the National League. The Brewers’ current record is 13-10 and that is good for third the competitive central division. If Yelich continues to dominate, then the Brewers will have no problem improving that record. These two stars show that the league is going in the right direction and that young players are starting to take over.  

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After a long off-season and exciting spring training, baseball is finally back. On Thursday, all 30 teams were in action and it was electrifying. Teams who were buyers in the off-season have the chance to show off their new acquisitions, and it's a brand-new start for teams who are in a “win now” state of mind.

The action-packed day started with reigning NL Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom and his Mets as they took on the Cy Young runner up Max Scherzer and the Nationals. The Nationals are starting a new era without MVP Bryce Harper, who signed with Philadelphia before spring training. deGrom went lights out, striking out 10 in 6 innings pitched, and allowing no runs. Scherzer also played well, striking out 12 in 7 innings pitched, but allowed two runs. Robinson Cano hit the first home run of the new season in the first inning and drove in both runs for the Mets in their 2-0 win. 

In the National League Central, the Brewers and Cardinals squared off. Christian Yelich started the season the way he left it last season. The MVP winner hit a homerun and drove in three of the five runs for the Brew Crew. Pitcher Jhoulys Chacin also hit a homerun to help seal the deal for Milwaukee. In his first game with the Cardinals, Paul Goldschmidt went hitless and drawled one walk. In the ninth inning, Jose Martinez of the Cardinals almost tied the game, but center fielder Lorenzo Cain robbed him of the homer and won the game for the Brewers.

Perhaps one of the most anticipated games of the day was happening in the city of brotherly love. Bryce Harper was making his exciting debut, as the Phillies took on current NL East champions Atlanta Braves. Aaron Nola took the mound along with the new look Phillies and they started showing their positive changes fast. Andrew McCutchen, Maikel Franco, and Rhys Hoskins all homered and the biggest coming in the seventh. After walking Harper, who went hitless in his debut, the bases were loaded for Rhys Hoskins. The slugger found a pitch he liked and hit a grand slam to increase the run total to 10.

Overall, opening day showed that baseball back and it is still relevant. From dominant pitching to exploding offenses, baseball is more exciting than it has been in 5 years. New teams showed that they deserve to be talked about and could be potential playoff teams. The season is still relatively fresh, but predictions can be made just based on one day. 

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​​News broke out this morning that the Los Angeles Angels and CF Mike Trout were in the process of finalizing a contract extension that would be worth a whopping $430 million over 12 years. This news took the whole sports world by surprise, and this extension would be the largest contract in SPORTS HISTORY by a long shot. The current largest contract in baseball was signed just a few weeks ago by free agent right fielder Bryce Harper, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on a 13-year $330 million contract. Trout and Harper’s contracts do have something in common however in that Trout’s also has no opt outs, meaning that Trout is guaranteed to be tied to the Angels for the entire length of the contract.
 
But now the question still remains, is Trout making the right move by committing to the Angels for what will most likely be the rest of his career? Let’s just get the obvious out of the way first, the world needs to see Mike Trout in the postseason. This entire topic is just extremely bizarre. Mike Trout has been the clear-cut best player in baseball since 2013, and has three, that’s right, THREE playoff games to show for it. These three games came back in the 2014 season when the Angels got swept by the Kansas City Royals in the Divisional Round, and Trout has not seen the postseason since.
 
This just shows how much of a team sport baseball is in comparison to sports like basketball. One star can’t carry a team to a playoff run, you need several pieces in place to create a legitimate World Series threat. This idea is what brings on my main concern for Trout choosing to stay with the Angels. With this new deal it seems like the Angels will be stuck. Yes, they got the best player in baseball to finish his career in LA, but how are you supposed to be able to build a team around him? The Angels have done nothing in the last few years to do so, finishing at an average 80-82 record the last two seasons. Not to mention with this massive extension, how will they be able to pay out other big-time free agents to join Trout if they couldn’t make any moves before?
 
At the end of the day, you can’t blame the Angels for doing whatever they needed to do to keep Trout in LA, but I think I speak for everyone when I say I’m absolutely shocked Trout didn’t at least test the waters of free agency come 2020. There has been a lot of speculation that Trout had interest in joining Bryce Harper in Philadelphia, thus making them an instant World Series favorite for years to come. Others also predicted the Yankees to be a prime candidate to land the once in a generation talent. We knew if Trout would hit the market, he would be granted a record-breaking contract, but it’s tough to say now if any teams interested would have offered $400+ million like the Angels did. Maybe this is what caused Trout make this decision before he hit the market. I’ll never blame a professional athlete for going after the money. However, at the same time, I would want to win as well. So, if I could join a top tier franchise to constantly compete for a championship, but have to take slightly less money to do so, that’s probably the route I would take.
 
For myself though I’m not mad or angry at Trout for this decision, I’m just disappointed. Trout has been my favorite player since he entered the big leagues, and I’ve always rooted for the Angels to make some moves and to get into the playoffs, but they simply can’t get over that .500 hump. I would’ve loved to see Trout test free agency and maybe even sign to another high market franchise such as the ones mentioned above. Unless you’re an Angels fan, I think we can all agree that Mike Trout consistently being in the postseason would be a gift that keeps on giving. 

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​With the new MLB season less than a two weeks away, spring training is already showing how exciting this season will be. Two major free agents, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, changed the baseball world by becoming two of the richest players in the league. With each making at least $300 million, the expectations are very high. For the Padres, they are hoping Machado helps improve the team and make them a possible threat to the NL West. The Phillies are hoping Harper take them over the line of potential playoff teams and helps them become a postseason regular again. Other winners of the off-season are the Mets, who acquired Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz from the Mariners, and the St. Louis Cardinals who traded for Paul Goldschmidt from the Diamondbacks. Two other prime free agents who have yet to find a new home are closer Craig Kimbrel and starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel. Both are expecting to be paid healthy contracts by their new teams.

The MLB has discussed new rules to the game such as a shift ban and a shorter pitch clock. When asked about how the fans feel about the pace of the game, Bryce Harper replied “If you don’t want to come to a baseball game, don’t come. We’re not a timed sport.” The shift ban would disable any shift that a team would perform to have the advantage against an extremely pull type of hitter.

Since joining the Phillies, Bryce Harper has made some heads turn. After a mistake at his introductory press conference, Bryce said that he’d be heavily recruiting outfielder Mike Trout. Being a New Jersey native, Trout has been known to have some interest in joining the city of brotherly love. After hearing Harper’s comments, the Los Angeles Angels instantly went to the MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about the possibility of tampering. As of today, there has been no news about the case.

With all the acquisitions in the off-season and the eventful spring training, the upcoming season looks exciting and possibly bringing baseball back into the mix as one of the top sports in the country. 

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After the college football season ended in January, the most talked about topic was arguably which sport Kyler Murray was going to choose to pursue at the professional level. For those living under a rock when it comes to sports, Kyler Murray was the starting quarterback for Oklahoma this past season, and a great one at that. He took the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and won this year’s Heisman Trophy in the process. However, football is not the only sport that Kyler Murray can play at a high level, as he was also drafted 9th overall in last June’s MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. When this was first brought to light, it was just assumed that Murray would choose to play baseball at the professional level after the football season ended. As the season progressed though, and him continuing to dominate on the football field, the debates started flowing as to what sport he would ultimately choose.
 
Now this is a very unique topic in sports, as it is very rare that a player has the option to play two different professional sports. Since Murray was already a top pick in the MLB, and will most likely be a top 10 pick in May’s NFL draft, this is a decision that a lot of people were following. With all of the speculation and debates circling around, Kyler Murray did not take too long to make an official decision. A little over two weeks ago, Murray took to social media to announce his commitment to football.
 
“Moving forward I am firmly and fully committing my life to becoming an NFL quarterback…” (per @TheKylerMurray on Twitter). With this decision, he turns down a signing bonus that would have been around $5 million with the Oakland Athletics, but in the long run, I think Murray made the right choice. If Murray chose baseball, he would most likely be in the minor league system for at least a few seasons, even after signing the above average signing bonus. On the other hand, with Murray choosing the NFL, whichever team drafts him will most likely put him into a starting role right away. With that, he will also make more money right away with his first NFL contract. Simply put, he will be a well-known star right away in the NFL, which would not be the case if he chose baseball.
 
Now that the decision has been made, a whole new set of questions began to arise. Some of the main questions all pertaining around Murray’s size. Kyler Murray recently attended the NFL Combine, and on Thursday morning, his official combine measurements were released. Kyler Murray was measured at 5-foot-10 1/8 inches tall and weighed in at 207 pounds. The other main measurement that most NFL scouts will be concerned with is Murray’s hand size, which came out to be 9 1/2 inches. Overall these numbers are not the greatest when it comes to your average quarterback prospect, but Murray has not let his size limit his ability at the college level, and I do not expect that to be an issue at the NFL level either.
 
Murray has been compared to several successful NFL quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, and Baker Mayfield, who are all on the smaller side as well. To put numbers to numbers, during Russell Wilson’s NFL Combine, he measured at 5-foot-10 5/8 inches and weighed in at 204 pounds. Wilson’s hand size was also 10 ¼ inches. So, in comparison Wilson was only a fraction of an inch taller, with slightly larger hands. In conclusion, this proves that a quarterback of Murray’s size is more than capable of succeeding in the NFL.
 
So now, for the moment, we will have to wait. Murray most likely will not run or throw at the combine, and why should he? We already know that he is a top-level quarterback prospect, and all the NFL scouts are really worried about was his official size, which they now have. Right now, I think Murray is the number two quarterback prospect in this year’s draft behind only Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins.  I would be willing to bet that Murray will be a top 10 pick in this year’s draft, with some even reporting that he could go first overall to Arizona. Other teams like the Jaguars, Dolphins, and Redskins could also potentially trade up to snag the Heisman Trophy winner. I expect the New York Giants to draft Haskins, which leaves several teams in need of a QB, like the ones mentioned above, to all fight it out for Murray. There are however other prospects such as Duke’s Daniel Jones, and Missouri’s Drew Lock in this year’s draft class. Now not to say that these guys won’t succeed in the NFL, but I for one think that there is a pretty sizable gab between Haskins and Murray, and the rest of this year’s QB class. We'll just have to wait and see who gets drafted where, and what their NFL futures will hold. 

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After a long off-season of patience and negotiating, Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed on a 13-year, $330 million contract. The deal also includes a no trade clause, and no opt outs. Harper, 26, is coming from a seven-year stint with the Washington Nationals, who drafted him number one overall in 2008. When the off-season began, the Phillies made it clear that they would spend as much as free agents Harper and Machado wanted. As soon as Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the San Diego Padres, all the focus went to Harper. However, one day before the Phillies signed him, reports showed that the Los Angeles Dodgers had made a late push for the all-star free agent.
        
Both the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers were pushing to sign Harper to a short-term deal, even after the outfielder stated he wanted his deal to be more long-term. The NL West teams offered short-term deals due to the fact that many long-term deals in the past haven't worked out. There are many examples of teams offering 10+ year contracts, and if you asked them now, they'd probably say they regret them. Giancarlo Stanton signed a 13-year, $325 million contract with the Miami Marlins. After a couple years into that deal, Miami traded Stanton to the New York Yankees. Alex Rodriguez signed a ten- year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers. Later into that contract, the Rangers traded him, also to the New York Yankees. Some other regrettable long term contracts in baseball are Albert Pujols' 10 year, $240 million contract with the Angels, and Robinson Cano's contract with the Mariners being worth the same amount over 10 years.

It's pretty clear however that times are changing, and teams have more money to spend than they used to. Bryce Harper is one of the top names in all of baseball, and was one of the most highly sought after free agent in awhile. Both  sides seem to have faith in one another that this contract will be worth while for everyone. It's also worth noting again that there are no opt-outs or trade clauses in this contract, so both sides are guaranteed to be with each other for the next 13 seasons. 
        
Harper made it clear to the teams interested in him that he wanted to be the highest paid player in the league. Harper is going to make $330 million dollars over the course of what could be the rest of his career. The contract is signaling that both sides are committed to each other for over a decade and shows that the Phillies are all in for the upcoming season and beyond.

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​​After being revealed as a secret team, the San Diego Padres have signed free agent Manny Machado. The deal is reported to be a 10 year, $300 million deal with a five-year option. Machado is joining the Padres after being a part of the Orioles and Dodgers last season. The Padres are coming off a very disappointing season going 66-96 with a negative 150 run difference. After signing Eric Hosmer last offseason, the Padres went into 2018 with a positive outlook. With the team going 31-50 at home, they struggled all season on the road. Now that Machado and Hosmer are at the corners, the defense should be significantly better.

The Machado signing means one thing, where and when will Bryce Harper sign? According to recent reports, the Philadelphia Phillies have been rumored as the top team in the sweepstakes. That being said, the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals still have a fair chance to sign the all-star outfielder. Harper might change his terms due to the signing of Machado, and might revalue his worth. MLB GM’s knew that whoever would sign first, would immediately affect the other. The Padres are giving Machado a hefty paycheck, so any team looking for Harper, better have the guts to spend that much as well.

Earlier this week, the Giants reported that long time manager Bruce Bochy is going to retire at seasons end. This could change Harper’s mind, because maybe he won't want to get comfortable with Bochy, and then having to learn a new manager’s play style. In Philadelphia, Gabe Kapler showed promise leading his team to a much-improved season in 2018. That proved for now that Kapler is looking like he has a home for quite some time.

​Bryce Harper wanted to make his decision by the time Valentine’s day came around, but that clearly didn't happen. My prediction is that Bryce will sign late this week to the Philadelphia Phillies for the same amount as Machado, including a player option. 

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