Calvin Miller's Sample Writing

With the MLB lockout in full force and with no end in sight, what else is there to do but make arbitrary lists about what will happen if or when baseball comes back? The weeks leading up to December 1st saw some of the biggest names come off the board, with names like Robbie Ray, Corey Seager, and Marcus Semien inking massive deals. That being said, a number of quality players are still available for when the league and players association work out a contract. There are the big-time free agents like Story and Correa still available, but for cash-strapped or small-market clubs, these 3 guys could make a major impact at a lower price point.  1. Nelson Cruz: DH (Tampa Bay Rays) The ageless wonder himself, Boomstick is still producing at the age of 41. Cruz tore it up in the first half, with a WRC+ of 147 (league average is 100) and 0.930 OPS (league average of 0.728 in 2021) en route to an All-Star Selection. However, Minnesota realized that a 41-year-old didn't fit the timeline of th...

    It's undeniable that Kevin Gausman was a large contributor to the success of the San Francisco Giants in 2021. While he showed flashes in the shortened 2020 season, Gausman broke out in 2021. He ranked 8th in WAR (4.8), 6th in xFIP (3.28), and 16th in xERA (3.55) among qualified starters last year. Expected stats are used here as an indicator of future performance, and there is an argument to be made that Gausman's 2021 stats are better than deserved. His xERA was 0.74 runs above his actual ERA of 2.81 and additionally, Gausman had the 7th highest hard-hit percentage against in the league, at 34.2%.     In addition to Gausman's overperformance, his dropoff in the second half of the year was also concerning.  His ERA, which sat a sparkling 1.73 through the first part of the year, shot up to 4.42 in the second half. The hard-hit percentage increased by 11.5%, and batters hit significantly more line drives against Gausman during the back segment of the sea...