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Anthony Castrovince has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2004.
 | If 2012 is to be remembered as the year Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were first unleashed upon the Major League Baseball world, then 2013 is shaping up to be remembered as the season Matt Harvey and Shelby Miller established themselves as aces in the making, the type of top-end starting talent teams dream of developing.
More» Harvey fans seven over seven strong frames |
 | This month has already seen Yasiel Puig's dazzling debut with the Dodgers, Anthony Rendon's return to D.C., Gerrit Cole's promotion in Pittsburgh and Mike Zunino's assumption of Seattle's catching duties. On Tuesday, two particularly prominent promotions will be added: Wil Myers will bring his right-handed power bat to the Rays' lineup, and Zack Wheeler will toe the rubber for the Mets.
More» Collins excited for Wheeler's MLB debut |
 | Stephen Strasburg has always had to balance reality vs. the public perception. While his big league performance has not yet lived up to the tremendous hype, the Nationals right-hander continues to grow as a pitcher.
More» Strasburg goes five coming off disabled list |
 | Seventy-five years ago this weekend, Johnny Vander Meer tossed his second no-hitter in as many starts.
More»Relive Vander Meer's consecutive no-hitters |
 | It has been a strange year for the defending World Series champions, with the offense carrying a struggling starting rotation. However, injuries to key hitters will force the Giants to get more from their starters.
More» Vogelsong breaks hand, exits game in fifth |
 | In a place like Pittsburgh -- a place that can be a great baseball town, on the condition that it gets great baseball -- the hype and the hope are particularly palpable. But the Pirates' top prospect, righty Gerrit Cole, to put it plainly, did not disappoint en route to winning his Major League debut Tuesday night at PNC Park.
More» Cole holds Giants to two runs in his debut |
 | Once the First-Year Player Draft passes, general managers begin turning their focus toward the Trade Deadline. Why should we be any different? The non-waiver Deadline remains July 31, and the way this season is playing out, we might have plenty of sellers to make for an active July swapping season.
More» Nolasco fans six, holds Phils to two runs |
 | Credit to the nine young men who let their Draft day developments play out in living color, in the shadow of the New Jersey Turnpike, in an MLB Network studio loaded with MLB royalty. For in this room, you could see the tears of joy, but you could also feel the anxiety.
More»Frazier interviews with Ryan after being drafted |
 | The Nationals have struggled to recapture their 2012 magic, thanks in large part to injury woes. And their frustrations have grown considerably with the recent losses of Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg.
More» Harper collides with wall, exits the game |
 | Aren't we due for a no-no here in 2013? And if so, who's going to be the one to throw it? If the questions sound presumptuous, preposterous or simply greedy, there are a few things to be considered about this year's pitchers.
More» Scherzer strikes out 10 over eight innings |
 | The Rays are -- dare we say -- an offensive juggernaut right now. They scored the most runs per game in all the Majors last month, taking full advantage of the presence and production that comes from having a healthy Evan Longoria in the middle of the order and reaping the benefits of rebound seasons by offseason additions James Loney and Kelly Johnson.
More» Longoria launches a two-run homer to right |
 | Relievers are being identified and developed earlier than ever before, sometimes even at the amateur level. And while this trend might very well be stunting the potential starting strengths of some of the more high-velocity arms in the baseball world, it's made for some particularly bullish bullpens in the big leagues.
More» Chapman strikes out Santana for the save |
By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince This great debate erupted in the media dining room at Progressive Field about the proper way to identify Westlake?s Crocker Park. Well, I guess it wasn?t a debate so much as it was one sportswriter (and Crocker Park resident) willing to go to great lengths to argue with much […]
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 | Thanks to their patience at the plate, Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto are on pace to become just the third pair of teammates in the past 75 years to reach base 300 times apiece.
More» Votto goes 4-for-4, reaches base six times |
 | When it comes to the ninth inning, the statistical and the psychological simply don't mesh. While we have a mountain of mathematical data to suggest that so-called proven closers are, indeed, overrated, the psychological impact of instability in that inning cannot be overstated.
More» Indians fall on Ellsbury's walk-off double |
 | What the general populace has come to accept is that Miguel Cabrera is, indeed, the Best Hitter on the Planet. It's a subjective term, surely, but it's also difficult to dispute. And although there might be subtle fluctuations from month to month or year to year, only a select few carry that distinction for a true, sustained stretch.
More»Miggy hits six homers in his last four games |
 | Justin Verlander has struggled in recent starts, but he will end up where he should -- maybe not in line for another American League Cy Young Award, but probably not far off.
More» Verlander reflects on rough start |
 | In today's game, be it because of deep bullpens or more sophisticated advance scouting or any of the oft-cited elements that have created a culture of run-suppression, it's in your best interest to score early. Or else.
More» Baker discusses Leake's start and offense |
 | You'd have to assume there isn't a discerning fan alive who would, at this moment, not vote Cabrera to be the starting third baseman on the AL All-Star team. It's a no-doubt-about-it no-brainer. I mean, it's not like there's some kid in his age-20 season who is deemed by the advance metrics to actually be having a season comparable to that of Cabrera, right?
More» Miggy belts three homers vs. Rangers |
By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.comOn Twitter: @Castrovince All right, fine, I?ll bite: I believe in the Indians. I believe that what?s happening these last few weeks — the wins in 18 of their last 22, the plus-54 run differential in that span, the relentless pursuit of runs even against Cy-caliber arms and the opportunistic approach to the […]
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 | While the Mariners have struggled, their crop of young players give them reason to be optimistic. If hitters like Jesus Montero and Dustin Ackley get on track, they can help support a young group of pitchers waiting to come up from the Minors.
More» Montero launches go-ahead homer in seventh |
 | Winners of 18 of their last 22 games, the Cleveland Indians are starting to look like real contenders in a tough AL Central. Their current run may be enough to make anyone a believer.
More» Indians walk off three times vs. Mariners |
By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince The Indians have been a contending team at this late (and by late, I of course mean ? not at all late) juncture of the season schedule for three consecutive years. They have established a tradition of early season excellence. Or at least competence, which, even when followed by […]
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By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince Naturally, nothing I write in this space can compare to the captivating nature of the Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight story. Or frankly, to the entertaining nature of the now-viral interview with Charles Ramsey. But if you?re up for a distraction from the biggest story in Cleveland […]
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By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince Spinning, I?ve come to learn in recent months, is a great way to expend a tremendous amount of energy while going absolutely nowhere. It is both exhilarating and defeating, offering all the physical benefits of performance cycling without any of the beautiful vistas or genuine sense of accomplishment in […]
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By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince We?ve spent the last few months talking about how interesting these 2013 Indians would be. Well, they?re interesting, all right. In what was supposed to be the ninth game of the season, the Indians were set to use their seventh starting pitcher (Corey Kluber: No. 7 in your depth […]
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By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince You can?t tell the players without a scorecard. Or so the old saying goes. But you really don?t know the players? hopes, dreams, fears and quirks without a media guide. Or so the public relations departments would lead you to believe. Media guides, both figuratively and quite literally, don?t […]
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By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince We watched Steve Olin on that old television set in my mother?s living room. It was 1989, and my brother and I were tuned into the Triple-A All-Star Game. Olin represented Colorado Springs and, therefore, represented the Indians. They were our team, so he was our guy. And when […]
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By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince I?ve spent the better part of the last month or so traveling around the various camps in Arizona and Florida, and it dawned on me while sitting at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale the other day that I have now been to every Spring Training stadium in Major League […]
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By Anthony Castrovince/MLB.com On Twitter: @Castrovince There is shock in the numbers, sure. A $48 million guarantee to a 30-year-old speedster named Michael Bourn? A $56 million guarantee to a 32-year-old run-producer named Nick Swisher? These numbers don?t mesh with our mindset about the Cleveland Indians. Numbers like these are the reasons the Indians trade […]
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