Dan Martin

Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Taking a closer look at La Piña’s tumultuous, frustrating, downright infuriating 2020 season 2020 was not kind to Yuli Gurriel. After posting career numbers in 2019, his production nosedived this year. Despite this, the Astros extended Gurriel late last month, right before the playoffs began. He’s now under contract for next season, with a club option for the 2022 season. Now 36, Gurriel might be playing on his final contract. There is some uncertainty about the Astros heading into next season. There is significantly more beyond 2021. Simply...

After the Yankees’ season ended, general manager Brian Cashman said the team’s rotation “was at risk” in the playoffs “and that needs to get improved upon.” Clearly, Marcus Stroman agrees, as the right-hander took to Twitter on Wednesday to explain why he would fit into the Yankees’ rotation. In response to a Twitter post saying...

Photo by Ezra Shaw/ The Astros did not play sound baseball in the ALCS, and it’s why their season is over The Astros were one win away from returning to the World Series. It would have marked the club’s third trip to the Fall Classic in four years. The 2020 ALCS will rightly be considered a classic. It was an epic seven-game series that featured a comeback so historic, it had only occurred once before in the history of baseball. It shouldn’t have been necessary. The Astros made critical errors throughout the series, and the Rays made them pay for each and every one. Game 2 In the...

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/ You know the why; here’s the how. Coming into the AL West showdown in the ALDS, the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s were fairly even teams, both statistically and on paper. Because of this, a closely played series that would need a deciding fifth game seemed to make the most sense. As it turned out, no fifth game was necessary, and the series itself wasn’t exactly a tightly contested one. The Astros’ offense obliterated the reputable Oakland pitching staff. Let’s examine how that came to be. A Balanced Attack The Astros outscored the A’s 33-22 in...

Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/ Sizing up the enemy General Overview The 2020 Oakland A’s are a well-rounded club. They lack the superstar talent that other contenders such as the Dodgers and Yankees possess, but they resemble a team that won back-to-back pennants and a World Series title several years ago: the Kansas City Royals. While the A’s are not totally identical to the Royals of five to six years ago, it’s not difficult to see the similarities. The A’s’ offense is unspectacular and their rotation is merely average, but their defense is solid and their...

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports This is like telling someone your name after having already talked with them for an hour Hello everyone. This should have been my first official post but it goes in-line with how unconventional 2020 as has been. With that said, my name is Dan Martin and I am a journalism student at the University of Houston. A few weeks ago, Bilbos asked me to join the staff, which is why my articles have mysteriously been appearing on the front page. Aside from attending UH, the only other interesting personal tidbit of information about me is that my brother, Tom, used to...

Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Getting intel from a Twins writer As part of the preview for the Astros’ upcoming Wild Card Series with the Minnesota Twins, I exchanged questions and answers with the Twins’ SBNation site, Twinkie Town. Here’s Twinkie Town’s managing editor, TJ Gorsegner: 1) The Twins’ offense was elite last year, now it appears to have been more middle-of-the-pack this year. What do you think has been the biggest regression, regarding the lineup as a whole? TJ: Injury is the big difference maker. In 2019, the Twins were largely healthy. This season, most of...

Photo by Abbie Parr/ Jose Altuve has been a friend to pitchers this season The Astros’ lineup is no longer a juggernaut. What was supposed to be one of the most feared offenses in all of baseball has been stymied this season. With George Springer and Michael Brantley entering free agency this winter, it’s possible — if not probable — that the lineup will be losing its top two performers from the 2020 season. This puts more responsibility on the shoulders of Jose Altuve, who has been dreadful in 2020, and is one of the biggest reasons why the offense has struggled this year....