7:00 AM ET The middle part of the 1990s took a major toll on the baseball card industry. All those ambitions of striking it rich off personal collections proved to be grossly overstated. The supply got out of hand, growing too large to keep pace with the anticipated values. There was also an MLB work
MLB
7:00 AM ET Let me get this part out of the way: I don’t like the idea of the universal designated hitter. At the same time, I recognize it as the best option for what will already be a strange season, if we get even that. However, we shouldn’t let this be the end of
3:19 PM ET Some players are hoping for tweaks to MLB’s recent health-protocols proposal as discussions continue about how to safely restart during the coronavirus pandemic. Mostly, players want to know whether some in-stadium and clubhouse restrictions can be loosened based on the plan to frequently test players and staff for the virus. “The daily
7:00 AM ET While we’re stuck amid a spring and summer unfortunately free of both Major League Baseball (so far) and the Hall of Fame’s induction weekend because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Hall that so many of us visit in our mind’s eye whenever we take stock of greatness or look back on baseball’s
8:00 AM ET Sam MillerESPN.com Close ESPN baseball columnist/feature writerFormer editor-in-chief of Baseball ProspectusCo-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” The World Series is a story, and stories produce heroes. But while we all love clear, obvious heroes — the Aryas and the T’Challas, the Gibsons and the Bumgarners — it’s often
12:02 PM ET ESPN staff MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S plan to start the season by July 4 relies on a dizzying array of moving parts, including the cooperation of 27 U.S. cities and a foreign country, the availability of more than 200,000 reliable coronavirus tests and a promise not to interfere with the nationwide fight to
8:00 AM ET The 10-minute walk to Sajik Stadium is a lot quieter these days. Typically, whether it’s Sajik Stadium in Busan or Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, Kerry Maher, an American from Waycross, Georgia, gets stopped by his fellow fans at Korea Baseball Organization games, where he’s known by three different nicknames: “Santa Grandfather,” “Lotte
7:00 AM ET Marly RiveraESPN Writer Close Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. Before baseball shut down for the coronavirus pandemic, the news that ace Chris Sale had elbow trouble had already cast a pall over spring training for the Boston Red Sox. In the wake of the shutdown, he and the
9:13 PM ET Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Starling Marte announced Monday on social media that his wife, Noelia, has died of a heart attack. “Today I go through the great pain of making public the unfortunate death of my wife Noelia, due to a heart attack,” Marte wrote in an Instagram post, which included a
8:00 AM ET You love baseball. Tim Kurkjian loves baseball. So while we await its return, every day we’ll provide you with a story or two tied to this date in baseball history. ON THIS DATE IN 1937, Brooks Robinson was born. Twenty-five years later, future Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts joined the Orioles.
7:15 AM ET Two weeks into the season, we have a new team atop our Korean Baseball Organization Power Rankings. Plus, we had a continuing surge in home runs (including one that won a player new car!), which means we also had a continuing surge of bat flips. On to the latest in KBO …
10:45 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” What’s most striking about Major League Baseball’s 67-page health-and-safety protocol outlining an attempt to return amid the coronavirus pandemic isn’t its little, snicker-worthy details — that players won’t be able to take
12:25 PM ET By saying he will not play this season for a reduced salary, Rays starter Blake Snell triggered a cacophony of angry responses the other day — a tidal wave of social media backlash, talk-show lectures (delivered from here, among other lecterns) and, under the radar, expressions of disgust from some of Snell’s
8:42 AM ET You love baseball. Tim Kurkjian loves baseball. So while we await its return, every day we’ll provide you with a story or two tied to this date in baseball history. ON THIS DATE IN 1948, the 17th day of the month, Carlos May was born. The number mattered. He was a good
3:54 PM ET How eager are we for baseball? More than a little — heck, a lot. And now that we’re witnessing the industry tiptoe toward a plan for reinitiating the 2020 campaign for Major League Baseball, we can’t help speculating what a baseball season will look like. Last night, Bryce Harper got into the
8:20 AM ET You love baseball. Tim Kurkjian loves baseball. So while we await its return, every day we’ll provide you with a story or two tied to this date in baseball history. ON THIS DATE IN 1965, Jim Palmer recorded his first major league victory. Jim Palmer was 19 — long, lean, loose and
8:00 AM ET If you’re really going to get into this thing, you’ve gotta pick a team. That was my first thought as rumors swirled that KBO broadcasts might be coming to ESPN and that there might be a way for this MLB editor who is very much missing the sport to watch live baseball
1:17 PM ET Major League Baseball plans to hold the 2020 MLB Draft remotely, according to a memo obtained by ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Friday. As of now, teams are not allowed to have draft rooms and will do all drafting via video conference. That could change, the memo says, as the draft date approaches.