My favorite baseball websites are as follows (no particular order):

www.BaseballAmerica.com

Not taking the major leagues into account, baseball is played all over the United States. You can find minor league teams in towns and cities all across the country. Baseball America is a great source for finding out about your favorite major league team’s farm system. They provide comprehensive lists of players, sortable stats and commentary for all minor league teams. They also do a fine job covering college baseball, which is growing rapidly in popularity.

www.RotoWorld.com

Primarily a fantasy sports site, RotoWorld is not just for fantasy geeks. RotoWorld reports sports news in a very timely manner. Because of their superior coverage, they usually get their news items up faster than bigger sites like Yahoo or MSN. Plus, they report or comment on a much greater amount of players on a daily basis. You can look up a great number of professional sports players in their vast database, which gives you vitals as well as career statistics. You can also find quality articles in abundance there.

www.RotoJournal.com

A fantasy sports blog that currently covers baseball almost exclusively, Roto Journal provides quality articles and commentary on topics such as Division Inequality in Baseball and The Wisdom of Bill James.

www.TheBaseballCube.com

The Baseball Cube is a historical almanac providing major league, minor league and college statistics. The major league records go back over 100 years. I have often visited this site when I am trying to find information on minor league players, as they tend to have more info on the minors than any other site I’ve visited. You can also ’sponsor’ your favorite player’s webpage on their site.

www.Sabr.org

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) was established in 1971. Their desire is to promote the study of baseball, both current and historical. Of primary interest on the site are their studies on everything from The Deadball Era (1901-1919) to Women in Baseball. It’s a fine source for anyone wanting to examine the history of baseball, and how the game has changed through the years.

www.Baseball1.com

This site is a nice archive of various topics, ranging from Sabermetrics to the Negro leagues. It also has a fine database of downloadable stats from baseball’s early era.

www.Baseball-Reference.com

In my opinion, this is the premier website for baseball stat junkies. Here, you will find current standings and boxscores, and past stats going back to 1871.
You’ll also discover a comprehensive list of past players, managers, post-season results and awards.

www.BaseballThinkFactory.org

A general discussion site, with articles on all kinds of topics, including the minor league draft and current baseball events. At any given time, you might find up to 1000 people viewing the site.

By: Scott Campanella

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The Phillies Baseball Club took home the prize of 2008 World Series Baseball Champions and the pitching of Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer was for me the difference maker of the World Series. Going into the series I thought that the Tampa Bay Rays pitching would be too strong. On paper most felt that the Rays would win the match ups of Matt Garza vs. Jamie Moyer and Andy Sonnanstine vs. Joe Blanton, with Kazmir and Shields winning a game each, but it didn’t pan out that way.

Both Moyer and Blanton are not renowned for throwing strikeouts yet combined they managed to strike out twelve Tampa Bay rays batters over 12 innings of pitching. When you couple that with the fact they only walked three batters between the two of them it was no wonder the Phillies where able to win both games. Not just against Blanton and Moyer but through out the series the Rays top order seemed to be rushing too much and not waiting for the ideal pitch. The allowed Blanton and Moyer to get ahead, and you just can’t afford to do that against those two as their off speed pitches become more powerful.

Unfortunately for the Rays the bats got cold during the World Series. This was a surprise after they where able to overpower the White Sox and the Red Sox in the previous two match ups with their bats. During the World Series the Phillies hit nine home runs to the Rays four. Luckily for the Phillies this helped overcome their poor hitting with runners in scoring position.

I thought Cole Hamles was a worthy MVP recipient after his awesome pitching performances in Games 1 and 5 against Rays ace Scott Kazmir. The fact that Kazmir was unable to win either of those two match ups was another key reason for the Phillies winning it all. Moyer and Blanton clearly required recognition as they, for me, where the two players that stood up during the key middle stages of the series.

Questions will always be asked did the Rays choke on the big stage or where they simply just out played. When a team doesn’t lose a post season game at home they are going to be pretty tough to beat and when you look back at all three opponents for the Phillies their pitching was dominant.

So now the question gets asked can the Phillies Baseball Club repeat? Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge are staying put and with Ryan Howard , Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins also coming back you would have to raise a case that the Phillies have enough pieces in place to be more than a one season wonder. Statistically the Phillies will be up against it as only the Blue Jays and Yankees have repeated in the last thirty years.

Only Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer will be free agents in the off season. Both will probably get bigger offers to play somewhere else but the lure of Moyer finishing hise career in the town he grew up in may give him a reason to stay for less.

The Phillies will have a tough job of keeping their payroll at $104.5 million with players such as Howard, Hamels, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Ryan Madsen and Chad Durbin all eligible for arbitration.

At the beginning of 2008 the players made a statement by walking around the clubhouse during spring training wearing t shirts that stated “Winning Starts Now”. The mindset was clearly where it needed to be for the Phillies from start until finish in 2008. The question will now be asked.

Can they do it again in 09?

By: Josh Hammer

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With the 2008 baseball season upon us, the fantasy baseball season is about to begin. Here are some tips to creating a successful fantasy baseball team.

1) Be smart

When you are drafting your baseball team, don’t take unnecessary risks. This year you shouldn’t be taking Pedro Martinez (36 years old and diminishing health) or Chris Carpenter (might be out until All-Star break) in any of the early or middle rounds. You may not know every player in the MLB, but it isn’t hard to use good judgement. Don’t fall into the mentality that you need to get certain positions early in the draft, just because the rest of the league makes a run on a specific position. You cannot afford to take catchers, like Victor Martinez and Russell Martin, in front of other Top 40 players such as Aramis Ramirez, Magglio Ordonez, Alex Rios, and Curtis Granderson. Closers fall into this same type of category; there are plenty of good closers that will be available after the 8th round. Decide what is more important: having the best catcher and closer or getting more stats for your draft picks.

2) Make a plan and stick to it

Have a plan before the draft starts. Of all the fantasy baseball teams of mine that have been good, only one or two have been very balanced. More so than in other fantasy sports, such as football or basketball, you need to choose some categories that you want to dominate your league in. Whether that is good pitching (Wins, ERA, K’s), power hitting (HR, RBI), or speed (SB, R), it doesn’t really matter what it is, but pick something and stick with it.

3) Drafts cannot make a season, but they can break one

It’s true that you need to research, know your stuff, and have a plan going into the draft, but don’t put too much emphasis on the draft. The baseball season is six months long and you can’t underestimate the value of staying on top of your league every day. Because of the length of the season, it is very easy to turn around a baseball league in the summer months by simply checking the free agents every day, watching what players get on hot streaks, and updating your daily lineup.

By: Jacob Davis

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Signatures of popular baseball players have always had great appeal to collectors. Autographs of baseball hall of famers such as Babe Ruth, Tee Cobb, Roberto Clement and Lou Geri top the list of the most sought-after collectibles. Even autographs of other baseball players who did not make the Hall of Fame but had outstanding careers, such as Roger Mares, Thurman Munson and Tony Consigliore, are also wonderful additions to a collection.

Where to find baseball autographs

Baseball autographs can be found in almost all baseball memorabilia (such as baseballs, caps, jerseys, etc), but checks, documents and letters signed by the players themselves are high in terms of collectible value. Autographed photographs are also scarce and highly valuable.

Fakes

Authenticity is the major concern of all autograph collectors. Recognized dealers have the expertise in determining and establishing the authenticity of an item, so try to buy only from them. The internet is especially full of fake vendors, so be very cautious.

One can almost always trust the authenticity of the signatures from old autograph books, because the original collector was probably fortunate enough to get an instant autograph. There is still a risk, however – forgers can easily find an old blank autograph book and fake signatures.

It is wise to have your baseball autographs authenticated. Authentication by special audit groups (such as Arthur Anderson) can get quite pricey, so go to trusted individual authenticators who have worked as auditors for a more affordable quote. Authentication can range from $20 to $150, depending on the rarity and overall condition of the autograph.

Collecting baseball signatures as a hobby has a lot of drawbacks, but it can also be very rewarding. Be sure to do your research and buy only from trusted vendors, and keep yourself informed of the latest trends in collecting so you can grow your own collection wisely.

By: Kristy Annely

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The assumption here is that you have either found the title of this article amusing to some extent, or you are looking for information on how to become more mentally tough as an athlete. Maybe both, which would be a bonus for you. Now, a little group participation… I want you to stop reading for a minute after you read the following question. Don’t read past until you have an answer.

The Question: What did you do differently this season (compared to last) to prepare yourself for a successful experience in baseball?

If your answer is nothing, many athletes have since passed you and have consequently helped improve their chances of getting to the next level, whatever that may be for them. However, if you have added something else to your game, then the opposite is true.

In order to become a mentally strong athlete, players must develop two types of skills.

A. Physical skills: those that help you throw, run, pitch, hit, and field more effectively.

B. Mental skills: those that help you in dealing with failure, build confidence, get you in “the zone”, keep you out of slumps, etc.

The problem is that there is consistently more importance placed on physical development over mental. There are a few reasons physical skills are taught far more than mental skills.

1. Physical skills are more easily taught through the ease of information access in videos, books, and private baseball instruction.

2. The fixation on massive home runs and big power numbers fuel athletes’ desire to improve and learn the skill of hitting a baseball 400ft like the guys in the Bigs.

3. The results can often be noticed by everyone right away. Therefore, there is more of an immediate feeling of improvement with physical skill work through baseball drills, etc.

The mental side of baseball is taught far less for a multitude of reasons. Some include:

1. There are simply fewer resources available on the topic of sports psychology and mental training.

2. Many sports psychology and mental training information is written in a complex fashion making it difficult for a reader to comprehend the information.

3. Practice time is limited for many teams. Therefore, fewer coaches can afford to carve out the time to work on the mental game (assuming they know how to teach it).

So how do you begin to work on the mental game? You’re doing it now. Read, listen, and search for pieces of information on the topic. Post-game interviews from professional athletes are a good source. Countless players like Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken have devoted time to writing some of their thoughts on the subject. Buy their books or find them at a library.

Why should you develop you mental baseball skills? The answer to this question is lengthy and is a topic for another article at another time. But the simple answer is that you will be noticed by more college and professional scouts because they look for indicators of a strong mental game. And secondly, it will help to cut out slumps that linger and take away from consistent performance.

By: Nate Barnett

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If you want to maximize your draft and pick the best team possible, then there’s one question you should ask yourself before every pick. You can practice this during your fantasy baseball mock draft (remember to practice the mock draft on your own).

The question is, when you’re about to pick a player: “Is there a player of equal value still available in the draft and, if so, what round is that player expected to be drafted?” Okay, so that’s two questions in one. But that makes it doubly important.

If the answer to the question is yes, then you have to figure out which round that player is expected to be drafted in. If it is two or more rounds later, then you should seriously consider not drafting the player you have in mind and holding off for the latter player.

For example, in last year’s draft, it seemed odd to me that Joe Mauer was ranked so high (Yahoo average pick: 31). Here was a catcher who in 2006 batted an astounding .347, but racked up only decent numbers in other categories (86 runs, 13 home runs, 79 RBI, 8 SB), at least in terms of fantasy baseball strategy. Seeing as how Mauer batted .294 the year before, one could reasonably ask whether or not Mauer could sustain such a high average. And if not, did his other stats really make him a third round pick?

If you were to get to the third round and you were thinking of picking Mauer, it would beg the question, “Is there a player of equal value still available, and if so, where is he projected to be drafted?”

In my mind, that player was Russell Martin. In fewer games than Mauer in 2006, Martin had 65 runs, 10 home runs, 65 RBI, and 10 SB. His average was much lower at .282. But clearly that discrepancy did not justify Martin (Yahoo average pick: 179) being ranked that much lower than Mauer. Either Mauer was highly overrated or Martin was vastly underrated.

I tended to believe the latter. Thus, if Mauer was worth a third round pick, Martin surely should have been worth a fifth round pick or so. In such a case, I believe it was worth passing on Mauer and picking Martin at least a few rounds earlier than projected, which is what I did with my team last year and it paid off, as Martin went on to have a stellar year.
Where can we find such bargains in 2008? Right now, my number one player to look out for is Chris Young of Arizona. He won’t fly under the radar like Martin did last year, but if he’s slated for the ninth or tenth round because of his .237 average, bump him up at least a few rounds in your draft chart.

Others to potentially boost on your chart: B.J. Upton (2B eligibility), Ian Kinsler, and Corey Hart.

By: Gavin T

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Baseball Hitting is very challenging. Professional hitters are considered good if they get a hit 3 out of every 10 at bats. This essentially means they fail 70% of the time. With this type of rejection rate, it is easy to see why younger players can get frustrated with limited results. The good news is this will not be you if you are willing to put in some practice and apply our tips.

1. Get Lessons From a Top Baseball Hitting Instructor early in your career. A good hitting coach can help improve your swing and teach you the proper mechanics from the very start of your career. This will save you time and energy by doing it the right way first. Although the cost of the lessons may seem initially high, this will be quickly recouped when you start to see your batting average rise and begin to hit them deep.

2. Practice your Swing daily. Never let a lack of access to the batting cage or batting practice prevent you from practicing your swing. Just simply swinging the bat 100 times each day will provide loads of benefits for you. This repetitive practice will make your swing more natural and automatic in games and you will end up having some additional benefits of gradual improvements in your bat speed and arm strength.

3. Review your Swing regularly. Be sure to videotape your swing and determine if you are picking up bad habits. Also, periodically follow-up with your hitting instructor. This should be an ongoing relationship where he acts your mentor. You can provide him with the tape and he can point what he thinks maybe some things you can focus on.

4. Be loyal to your Hitting Coach. Although it may seem like a good idea to ask for multiple opinions on your swing, it is best to take advice only from one or two people. If you have chosen a top hitting coach from the start, it only makes sense to take your cues from him and follow his advice. Avoid other well intentioned advice from less experienced players and coaches if it is in conflict with your hitting coach. Remember your hitting coach’s advice only helps you if you follow it.

5. Practice Bat Speed Drills. Plyometric exercises can go a long way toward developing your fast twitch muscles. This is very important in your batting swing where bat speed is determined by how fast your fast twitch arm muscles respond. By simply swinging lighter bats, you will begin teaching your fast twitch muscles valuable muscle memory. This will translate into faster bat speed when using your regular bat in games.

6. Mental Preparation is key. Much like a pitcher must learn to block out all background noise. You too must learn to block everything else out except for the delivery of the baseball. By simply repeating a simple mantra like “See the ball” again and again while you are batting, you will find your concentration improves and the background noise is filtered out. This improved concentration will translate into more consistent hitting for you.

By: Jack D. Elliott

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