Love is in the air https://www.yankeesteamfanstore.com/48-derek_jeter_jersey. Sure, it could just be the buzz from eating all those candy hearts, but there another, bigger reason: baseball and the Yankees are back. Pitchers and catchers have taken the field, and life just seems a little sweeter.Yet every year, we hear the same old story: baseball is dying. Falling attendance, sluggish pace of play, overlong broadcasts, cheating scandals, labor strife there no shortage of maladies that seem to threaten the sport existence.But wee heard claims of baseball demise decade after decade. Somehow, America pastime endures. Major League Baseball has stuck around thrived, in some ways through the NFL cultural hegemony, the NBA recent rise, and global soccer arrival in the U.S. market. Maybe I blinded by love, but this persistent concern about baseball survival actually seems like a sign of the game health. We fret over baseball every misstep and setback like it our own vulnerable child, tottering about like baby Yoda. We only want to see baseball flourish, and the players are no different. Whatever you think of him, Trevor Bauer rants about the state of Major League Baseball because he is deeply invested in its success ?and not just because he makes a living at it. No idea who made this new playoff format proposal, but Rob is responsible for releasing it, so Il direct this to you, Rob Manfred. Your proposal is absurd for too many reasons to type on twitter and proves you have absolutely no clue about baseball. Youe a joke.?Trevor Bauer February 11, 2020 Millions of fans may worry, like Bauer, that the league has alienated a generation of fans. But they worry precisely because they care. Even with all the chronic anxiety over the sport future, one thing is undeniably true: every new season offers moments that capture the hearts of new fans, and remind existing fans from the Bronx to Los Angeles why they fell in love with baseball in the first place. Every fan has at least one defining baseball memory. The game leaves indelible impressions, interwoven with its long, mythical (and often Yankees-oriented) history. For some it Cal Ripken Jr. glorious trot around Memorial Stadium after surpassing Lou Gehrig record for consecutive games played. Others look back at Mark McGwire happy feet nearly skipping first base after he supplanted Roger Maris as the single-season home run king in 1998. New Yorkers could revisit pretty much any game that year for the 114-win Yankees, who set a new, near-invincible standard for the club.Sometimes, fans recall certain moments with bitterness (looking at you, McGwire home run.) A precious memory can sour. But if that doesn sound like love, I don know what does. And while the memories listed above peg me as a child of the nineties, moments like these blossom every season. Yours might star Reggie Jackson stirring the drink in four-homer fashion, or feature a highlight reel of Hideki Matsui going Godzilla on the Phillies https://www.yankeesteamfanstore.com/25-branden_pinder_jersey. The romance of the game is irresistible in any era.Those 8 Yankees began my fascination, but the 2001 squad made me fall in love. I remember a dynasty on its last legs, gutting it out for a wounded New York, led by Mr. November himself. I remember feeling the dangerous, intoxicating hero worship fans lavish on athletes, grown men paid to play a little boy game. And most of all, I remember Alfonso Soriano with his fist in the air as he rounded the bases in Arizona, moments after lashing what I just knew was the World Series-winning home run off Curt Schilling. That was my Moment, capital M.We all know how that turned out. But heartbreak is part of the deal. The scars are as important as the successes. Worrying, agonizing, suffering theye the price we pay for the unforgettable stuff. So while the challenges baseball faces today and in the future are real, and most certainly won be solved by a shiny new playoff structure, they pale in comparison to the game promise of special moments to come. The new Yankees season is almost here, and again, maybe it the Valentine Day candy talking, but I going to love every minute of it https://www.yankeesteamfanstore.com/126-ronald_torreyes_jersey.

Players selected #12 overall throughout the history of the MLB Draft haven exactly cemented their legacies in the annals of baseball lore. To date, there have been 55 such chaps, and not a single one of them has yet made it to the Hall of Fame. On top of that, it not as if there have been any notable snubs, either, as none has yet put together a career that even sniffs worthiness of enshrinement in Cooperstown.So, on the surface, that isn exactly the greatest endorsement of the Cincinnati Reds upcoming 2020 draft slot, since they, too, will be drafting 12th overall after their 75-87 performance during the 2019 season. It is worth noting that there have never been Hall of Famers selected 11th or 13th overall https://www.redsmlbstore.com/vada_pinson_jersey-145, either, though that will change five years from the moment Max Scherzer (11th overall in 2006) hangs up his cleats. (Manny Ramirez, who went 13th overall in 1991, might sneak into the Hall in 2078 when the robots in charge of our day to day lives become wholly impartial to PED use at the turn of the century.)That isn to say that there haven been phenomenally successful #12 overall selections, however, despite the inauspicious start to their collective careers. Only five of the first twelve 12th overall picks actually made it to the big leagues, and their collective career bWAR totals just 4.7 - buoyed by the 7.8 career bWAR of Nesconset, NY own John Curtis (1966). Things picked up from that point forward, though. Kirk Gibson, former MVP and twice a World Series champ, went #12 overall in 1978.Nomar Garciaparra, perhaps the most gifted contact hitter of his generation, went 12th overall in the strike-shortened 1994 season.Relief-God Billy Wagner was a former #12 overall selection (1993), as was current Reds 1B coach Delino DeShields (1987). Jered Weaver rewarded the Los Angeles Angels decision to take him #12 overall in 2004 with 35.8 bWAR and a trio of Top 3 finishes in the AL Cy Young Award, too.In other words https://www.redsmlbstore.com/joel_kuhnel_jersey-153, there have been and always will be plenty of talented players available for teams to select 12th overall, and that shouldn be any different for the Reds in 2020. And if their own history with that pick is any indication, they might well be plenty happy to be picking 12th over most any other spot in the 1st round.The Reds have picked 12th exactly twice in the history of the modern draft format, and both times theye managed to strike gold. Back in 2005, they took a raw, yet toolsy OF from Beaumont, Texas with the #12 pick, and that him in the picture above pleading his case for being safe after sliding into home plate. That Jay Bruce, of course, he of 312 career dingers, a pair of Silver Slugger Awards, a trio of All Star appearances, the affable hair-flip, and the single greatest dinger in recent Reds history. A repeat of that selection would certainly be just fine for the Reds, of course.The second time the club selected 12th overall came back in 2010, and though it has materialized in a much different manner Trevor Bauer Jersey, the player they picked at that time certainly validated their ability to evaluated prep talent at the time, as he has turned himself into quite the impressive big leaguer. He, too, is in that picture atop the page, then plying his trade as catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, though after wrapping another All Star campaign in 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers, he now entering free agency for the second time in his career. That would be one Yasmani Grandal, and considering he already being connected to the Reds as a potential free agent signing this winter, there a chance the Reds could technically reel in a pair of #12 draft picks as part of their overall 2020 body of work.As for which players the Red might target at #12, well, there an ungodly amount of time and baseball to play out before we even begin to narrow our focus on specific players. The fact is, though, that while the Reds will no longer be selecting in the top handful of picks in this upcoming draft, they still will have a chance to land a franchise-altering talent with the #12 pick, a feat which they have had a success rate of 100% with so far in their history of drafting in such a spot.

The GM Meetings wrapped up earlier this week and the Atlanta Braves exited with a bang signing one of the top relievers on the free agent market in Will Smith. Atlanta made a significant financial commitment to Smith signing him to a three-year, $40 million contract. That of course brought up the question as to how Smith signing might effect the rest of the offseason for the Braves. As MLB.com Mark Bowman pointed out in his Friday mailbag, it shouldn take Atlanta out of the running for Josh Donaldson. If anything, the Smith signing shows that the club is more willing to spend freely this offseason. The Braves still have a hole at third base that could be filled by Donaldson or another free agent like Mike Moustakas. They also need to add a catcher and remain in the market for a starter Cristian Pache Jersey. How they fill these holes remains to be seen. Smith signing cost Atlanta their second round pick and that may impact their thinking on signing a free agent with draft pick compensation. A trade for a starting pitcher or another big bat in the outfield would also seem like a possibility. More Braves News Dan Szymborski takes a closer look at the signing of Smith and what it means for the Braves in 2020. We also took a look at the free agent pitching market with closer looks at the available starters and relievers who are available to sign. MLB NewsThe Pittsburgh Pirates have reportedly reached an agreement with Ben Cherington to become the team new general manager. Cherington has spent the last several seasons with Toronto serving as their Vice President of baseball operations. The Chicago Cubs may be entertaining the thought of trading some of their core players but one that will likely be hanging around is shortstop Javier Baez. The Cubs have reportedly initiated discussions on an extension for Baez in recent days. There will be a number of rule changes coming to Major League Baseball in 2020 including a change with how the injured list works. MLB Network Jon Heyman reports that teams will operate under separate rules for hitters and pitchers. Hitters will continue to have a 10-day injury list option while pitchers will go back to the 15-day minimum placement if the rule is finalized for the upcoming season Shane Carle Jersey.