The Angels this year have had an impressive array of position players who you might not have been sure if they were still playing baseball or not.
Dan Szymborski
@dszymborski.fangraphs.com
Senior Writer for FanGraphs, ESPN contributor, data consultant, ZiPSetician, gamer, talkative, exasperated/ing, possibly the worst. BBWAA, Digital Dandy. Also known as Zebulon Igor, apparently.
Anyone who played a lot of Baseball Stars a lot ought to be familiar with this play. Also, if you force two of the infielders too close together during a rundown, one will eventually throw the ball into the outfield.
Bobby Nightengale@nightengalejr.bsky.social · 20h agoOrioles score a run on a double steal – and without a ball leaving the infield. Jackson Holliday purposefully stopped short of second base, entering a rundown, as Gunnar Henderson scored the tying run. Twins tied 1-1 in the fourth inning.
A little Yordan Alvarez Triple Crown update from me at @fangraphs.com . blogs.fangraphs.com/instagraphs/...
Yordan Alvarez Is Getting Close to a Triple Crown
The Astros slugger shouldn’t be planning the coronation dinner, but he should at least be pondering how to stop the Habsburgs.
blogs.fangraphs.com
Cats really piss me off sometimes. My nine-year-old cat suddenly improvised a new hiding place after nine years: sleeping on a 1926 Rosenthal serving platter inside a china hutch and somehow closing the door after herself. Spent two hours searching the house for her.
I swear someone at wunderground sets up their probabilities just in the hope that it'll set me off.
Well, it's suddenly black as night and the temperature dropped from 88 to 69 in 10 minutes, but I don't hear the civil emergency alarm so that's something
My @fangraphs.com chat is at the top of the hour. And before you say that there is no bottom or top of the concept of mine, then how come I have a mug sitting on top if it smart guy blogs.fangraphs.com/dan-szymbors...
Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat – 7/30/26
Has everyone recovered from their post-deadline hangovers?
blogs.fangraphs.com
With the deadline behind us, a few summary pieces to check out at @fangraphs.com! First, @benclemens.bsky.social takes you through some of the deadline's winners and losers:
Winners and Losers From the 2026 Trade Deadline
Let’s make some snap judgments about the tsunami of deadline activity we saw over the last few days.
blogs.fangraphs.com
Then @dszymborski.fangraphs.com breaks down how all the moves moved the ZiPS projections:
ZiPSing Up the Trade Deadline: 2026 Edition
Checking in with ZiPS to see who made the biggest short-term gains at the trade deadline.
blogs.fangraphs.com
No one born after the year 1999 should be allowed in any pro league until at least 2035
I was born in the late nineties and grew up with MVP Baseball 2005. When I first saw a player who was born after that game shipped, I felt that for the first time
There's something vaguely horrifying about writing about a trade for a player who was born when I was in my 30s.
Up on @fangraphs.com I discuss the Tyler Mahle and Brent Suter trades. blogs.fangraphs.com/braves-make-...
Braves Make Low-Key Depth Additions With Mahle and Suter
As moves go, these are more of the peaceful lazy river variety than a nearly vertical waterslide.
blogs.fangraphs.com
The Yankees got two things they love in the Luis García Jr. trade: A non-rental and a lefty-power bat. Meanwhile, the Nationals got exactly what they needed: pitching, pitching, pitching, and pitching. Here's Dan with more:
Dan Szymborski@dszymborski.fangraphs.com · last wk.Up on @fangraphs.com is my analysis of the Luis García trade. blogs.fangraphs.com/the-yankees-...
In honor of people being Mad Online about the Dodgers, Friday's Locked On #Padres about potential lockout stuff! 💛 @dszymborski.fangraphs.com joins the show! 🤎Will there...be a 2027 season? 💛What both sides will be fighting over, Dodgers villain arc, and more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBy9...
MLB LOCKOUT: Is Dodgers Record Spending Or Lack of Salary Cap to BLAME for 2027 Uncertainty?
YouTube video by Locked On Padres
youtube.com
Up on @fangraphs.com is my analysis of the Luis García trade. blogs.fangraphs.com/the-yankees-...
The Yankees Bulk up the Offense With Luis García Jr.
New York gets a player whose bat should play well in the Bronx to boost its beleaguered lineup, while Washington gets the pitching depth it sorely needs.
blogs.fangraphs.com
No power outage so far. I didn't expect there to be one; my neighborhood mostly only loses power in situations where it makes no sense.
For a nice change of pace, when I heard the civil emergency siren, I went right to downstairs bathroom with as many cats as I could catch instead of gormlessly noting on social media that I hear a warning siren until people tell me to get off the PC
Only thing better than hearing @baumann.bsky.social voice for 45m on my way home from playing 18 is if he had @dszymborski.fangraphs.com with him!
I had the true delight of doing something connected to @fangraphs.com (my favorite website) by appearing on an episode of Effectively Wild for a superhero baseball draft with host @benlindbergh.bsky.social and @explodingarrow.bsky.social. It was very, very fun, although it's only on their Patreon!
Effectively Wild Episode 2512: The Superhero Baseball Draft | Effectively Wild
Effectively Wild Episode 2512: The Superhero Baseball Draft by Effectively Wild on Patreon. Join Effectively Wild's community for exclusive content and updates.
patreon.com
![DOCTOR: Nurse, get me the patient info sheet for plantar fasciitis and only plantar fasciitis.
DOCTOR: Because that is what I am discussing with my patient today.
DOCTOR: There simply aren’t many surprises when you’re a foot and ankle specialist.
HARRISON BADER [half-severed foot still attached to fire truck in hallway] doc you’re not gonna believe this.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ltarvb3v2pb5elrsbbmweg6e/bafkreibeiyw6x37jatfofyepdggwyw3zcpk552bbn2ehfr5fvlvhpkfxfu)
Hi @dszymborski.fangraphs.com this was the first Q and A in your chat. Please read a terrific @sammillerbb.bsky.social piece on the same subject. pebblehunting.substack.com/p/i-dream-of...
Up on @fangraphs.com I did my yearly imagination trade deadline piece. blogs.fangraphs.com/lets-make-so...
Let’s Make Some Deadline Trades! (2026 Edition)
As usual, Szym attempts to make some reasonable fantasy trades that aren’t blown up in real life immediately after he files his piece.
blogs.fangraphs.com
My mom's kitchen pantry is fascinating. For some reason, she apparently decides that she's only hungry enough for 90% of a dried pasta box, so there are accumulating boxes just in case someone wants to boil two bites of pasta. Also like 15 jars of unopened, sealed vitamins and fiber from like 1995
Having someone in your life you care very much about being really into you going camping with them is a very unfortunate situation.
I only play the Eliminator in Forza Horizon 6 to fulfill the Playlist requirements, meaning that there's a racing game that, for all intents and purposes, has a mode called "hide in a forest" for me.
