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Articles by Jack McMullen
Top 10 Catchers in MLB for 2025
The catching position has seen as much change in recent years as any position in Major League Baseball. J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies topped our catcher rankings going into the 2023 season; now, he finds himself outside of the top 10. More than half of our group of 10 is 26 years old or younger, with so many young backstops making immediate impressions.
The Top 10 Designated Hitters in MLB for 2025
The designated hitter has long been considered a position meant traditionally for immobile power bats. It functioned as an extension of first base, for the players too defensively stretched to handle the workload of 162 games in the field and too athletically limited to impact the game outside of the batter's box. The narrative around the DH has changed drastically over the last several years.
The Top 10 Designated Hitters in MLB for 2025
The designated hitter has long been considered a position meant traditionally for immobile power bats. It functioned as an extension of first base, for the players too defensively stretched to handle the workload of 162 games in the field and too athletically limited to impact the game outside of the batter’s box. The narrative around the DH has changed drastically over the last several years.
Rule 5 Draft Preview: Which Prospects Will Be Selected?
Each offseason, the MLB Winter Meetings are capped by what many casual baseball fans wouldn’t be batting an eye at: the Rule 5 Draft. In essence, the Rule 5 Draft is an opportunity for clubs with less than 40 players already on their 40-man roster to add to their stable of talent from other teams’ pool of players that are not on their current organization’s 40-man.
The Top Prospects to Watch in the Arizona Fall League in 2024 Original
With the MiLB regular season in the rearview mirror, the prospect world now turns its focus towards the 2024 Arizona Fall League. For years, the AFL has housed many of the top prospects in the game who need additional reps after the traditional affiliated season concludes, whether that be due to injury, status within their organization, or other factors.
Just Baseball's 2024 Elite All-Minor League Baseball Team Revealed
The 2024 Minor League Baseball season is officially in the books. Each season provides a new opportunity for future stars to ascend through the ranks of the minor leagues, and the '24 campaign gave us plenty to be excited for in regards to the future of Major League Baseball, both on the mound and at the plate. From Quinn Mathews' 200-strikeout season to Deyvison De Los Santos' 40 home runs, here are the players that make up Just Baseball's All-MiLB Team.
Just Baseball's 2024 All-Minor League Baseball Team
The 2024 Minor League Baseball season is officially in the books. Each season provides a new opportunity for future stars to ascend through the ranks of the minor leagues, and the ’24 campaign gave us plenty to be excited for in regards to the future of Major League Baseball, both on the mound and at the plate. From Quinn Mathews’ 200-strikeout season to Deyvison De Los Santos’ 40 home runs, here are the players that make up Just Baseball’s All-MiLB Team.
Just Baseball's First Half All-MiLB Team: Who Are the Best Performers in the Minors So Far?
Major League Baseball has a tried-and-true method of acknowledging the standout performances from the first half of the season: the MLB All-Star Game. While Minor League Baseball used to follow suit, there hasn’t been a level-specific All-Star Game in MiLB since 2019. Prospects and career minor leaguers alike have enjoyed standout seasons through the first three months, and we figured those players shouldn’t go entirely unnoticed. Here are Just Baseball’s First Half All-MiLB selections.
The 10 Best Team Infields in MLB for 2024
Superstars line some of the best infields in Major League Baseball, including World Series MVP Corey Seager, Hall of Fame candidates Nolan Arenado and Jose Altuve, and a new infield stalwart in the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts. Complete infield units must have a blend of defensive excellence up the middle and prodigious power at the corners. When the middle infielders can swing it and the corner guys can pick it, that takes these units to a whole different level.
The 10 Best Team Outfields in MLB for 2024
Baseball is often described as a team sport played by individuals. While that may be the case, teams are constructed by finding individuals that complement each other’s skillsets, and the best teams at mixing and matching these individuals’ talents are the teams that end up playing deep into October. This trend may best be seen in the outfield, finding a perfect blend of speed, power, and defensive prowess to line the grass on a nightly basis.
Just Baseball's 2023 All-MLB First and Second Teams
The 2023 MLB season has come and gone, and now we have officially entered Awards Week. One of the newer accolades given out at season’s end is the All-MLB Team, which started back in 2019. MLB’s official All-MLB Team will be announced on Saturday, December 16, but we figured we’d get out ahead of the fan vote and make our own selections.
Just Baseball's All-MiLB Team
Just Baseball’s Minor League Team of the Year has arrived! Once again, some of the biggest names in the Minor Leagues put up magical years, further pushing them towards their ultimate goal of becoming big leaguers. Along with top prospects, some guys truly burst onto the scene, like Cincinnati’s Blake Dunn or Texas’ Abimelec Ortiz. Many of these names fall inside our Top 100 Prospects, including our MiLB Hitter of the Year in Jackson Holliday and MiLB Pitcher of the Year in Robby Snelling.
MLB Draft Grades for All 30 Teams
The signing period for 2023 MLB Draft selections has come and gone, and after some late holdouts finally put pen-to-paper (Minnesota’s Walker Jenkins and Baltimore’s Jackson Baumeister), all 30 teams’ respective classes are officially final. Our team at Just Baseball dove into each team’s newly-chosen crop of talent to determine how successfully each organization maneuvered the 20-round draft in early July. Each contributing author has their initials next to their respective write-ups.
Jackson Holliday, Marcelo Mayer Highlight All-Star Futures Game Rosters
Preseason Top 100 Rank: 18 The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft has lived up to the expectations and then some in his first full pro season. The 19-year-old put up video game numbers in Low-A to start the season, quickly earning a promotion to High-A where he has continued to dominate at the plate. The son of MLB All-Star Matt Holliday has a fantastic feel for the game for a teenager, walking as much as he has struck out this season while spraying the ball all over the field.
Performing Prospects: The Hottest Hitters in Minor League Baseball
If there was a comeback player of the year award in the Minor Leagues, Matos would be the runaway favorite. Injuries and an aggressive approach hampered the 21-year-old last season, but it’s a thing of the past. Matos is healthy, has cut his chase rate down significantly, and since being promoted to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, has simply been unstoppable. To put things in perspective, Matos has homered as many times (6) as he has struck out in his last 13 games.
Shane McClanahan is the New Best Pitcher in Baseball
Let’s start with the command woes that we’ve seen from McClanahan. Last season, he was as pinpoint as any pitcher in the game, walking three or more hitters in a start just five times in 28 outings, and only walking four hitters once. This season, he’s already walked four hitters four times. His start against the Yankees on May 13 was his worst start of the year, allowing four runs and five hits to go along with four free passes in four innings.
Luis Robert Has Shown Us Both Heights of the Rollercoaster
There are top prospects with all the tools needed to succeed in this league and then there are big league stars that make the most of their skill-set in order to have a successful MLB career. Some players are able to transition that first version into the second en route to becoming stars in this league, but ultimately a much larger portion are unable to do so completely and never reach their potential.
What Is A Sweeper? Inside Baseball's Newest Pitch
As Petriello notes, not only does a sweeper have roughly nine more inches of horizontal bend to the glove-side than the traditional slider, but the league-average sweeper is also about three miles-per-hour slower than the league-average slider. If you’re hitting the same internal checkpoints that I was for a new question, this may be your follow-up: “Okay, so more break. It’s like a slider with more slide. But, isn’t that a slurve?
Best MLB Relief Pitchers in 2023
Every once in a while, one of the best relievers in a given season is someone that no one expects. 2022’s example was Bautista, who went from making his High-A debut at 22 years old at the beginning of the 2021 season to dominating big league hitters for the entirety of 2022 as a 27-year-old rookie. Bautista’s breakout in the Minor Leagues was highlighted by 77 strikeouts and a 1.54 ERA in 46.2 innings, but command was a major issue, as he walked just under six hitters per nine innings.
The Top 30 MLB Starting Pitchers for 2023
Home » The Top 30 MLB Starting Pitchers for 2023 We have spent the last few weeks ranking all of the top players at the top positions in the game, but it all culminates with this, which is by far the deepest position in baseball. There are so many great starting pitchers in the game today, that we could make a whole separate list of 10 to 15 honorable mentions and that still might not be enough to get everyone.
Top 10 Team Outfields For 2023
Often in football, teams are judged by the strength of their “units.” How is a wide receiver group compared to their opponent’s cornerback room? We’ll break down one of the four main units in baseball here in the outfield. It’s an interesting unit to rank, and it certainly isn’t apples to apples. Where does the team with Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks in the same outfield rank compared to an outfield with four viable 3.5-4.0 fWAR players? We gave it a shot.
Top Prospects to Watch in the 2023 World Baseball Classic
One of the best hitters at the Minor League level last season, Julien is a walk machine who can really put a charge into the baseball. His .300 batting average and 19% walk rate helped him to a ridiculous .441 OBP in Double-A. With 17 homers and a 90th percentile exit velocity of 105 MPH, he was squaring up baseballs when he wasn’t taking his free passes.
Top 10 MLB Center Fielders for 2023
One of the best pure hitters at the position, Reynolds logged a well-below average season in 2022. The career .281 hitter with an .842 OPS experienced a 20-point dip in batting average, 40-point dip in OPS, and drastic drop off in extra-base hits. However, Reynolds did have his most prolific power-hitting season of his career, swatting 27 home runs in 145 games.
Top 10 MLB Third Basemen for 2023
Suarez will never hit for a remarkably high average, and his 31% K% was only marginally higher than his career average, albeit a career-worst. His calling card is his ability to lift the baseball, which he did at a career-best 39% clip this past season. Pair that with his ability to walk at an 11% clip, and Suarez has the makings of one of the most reliable middle-of-the-order mashers in a loaded American League West. 8.
Top Rule 5 Eligible Prospects Ahead of Wednesday's Draft
Home » Top Rule 5 Eligible Prospects Ahead of Wednesday’s Draft This year’s Rule 5 Draft is exceptionally unique; due to the MLB lockout last offseason, the draft was canceled in 2021, kickstarting a backlog of Rule 5-eligible prospects. Now, MLB teams have a crop of players that were not 40-man protected after the 2021 season and this past season to choose from.
Houston Astros Offseason Outlook
First came the reported rift from Jon Heyman of the New York Post between manager Dusty Baker and general manager James Click regarding Click’s heavy use of analytics and Baker’s reluctance to adopt similar thinking. Then came the report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan regarding a swap deal for Cubs catcher Willson Contreras that the Astros had drafted, but owner Jim Crane vetoed the move.
2023 Free Agent Profile: Xander Bogaerts
Home » 2023 Free Agent Profile: Xander Bogaerts | November 7, 2022 | | Comments count:0 Position: SS Bats/Throws: R/R Age: 30 years old (October 1, 1992) Traditional Stats: 150 G, .307/.377/.456, 15 HR, 53 XBH, 73 RBI, 84 R, 118 SO Advanced Stats: 134 wRC+, 19% K%, 9% BB%, .149 ISO, .363 wOBA, .323 xWOBA Path to Free Agency Xander Bogaerts was born in Oranjestad, Aruba and was signed for $410,000 by the Red Sox in 2009 as a 16-year-old.
2023 Free Agent Profile: Dansby Swanson
Position: SS Bats/Throws: R/R Age: 28 years old (February 11, 1994) 2022 Traditional Stats: 162 G, 696 PA, .277/.329/.447, 32 2B, 25 HR, 96 RBI, 18-25 SB 2022 Advanced Stats: 6.4 fWAR, 116 wRC+, 7% BB%, 26% K%, .337 wOBA, 21 OAA Ahead of the 2022 season, many assumed that the upcoming free agent class was going to be chock-full of everyday-caliber shortstops, including the Atlanta Braves’ Dansby Swanson.
Chicago Cubs Offseason Outlook
Home » Chicago Cubs Offseason Outlook | November 3, 2022 | | Comments count:0 The 2022 season for the Chicago Cubs felt like the first couple weeks of living in a new apartment after a breakup.
Welcome to Bryce Harper's Magnum Opus
Waiting for the Wonder-Boy One line jumps off the page of Verducci’s feature on a teenage Harper back in 2009: “Golf has Tiger Woods, basketball has LeBron James, hockey had Wayne Gretzky and military history had Alexander the Great, but baseball, like jazz, is a discipline that does not easily engender prodigies.“ Harper was given his golden ticket in 2010, when the Washington Nationals drafted him No. 1 overall out of the College of Southern Nevada.
Ranking the Best Starting Rotations in the MLB Postseason
Home » Ranking the Best Starting Rotations in the MLB Postseason | October 7, 2022 | | Comments count:0 As the old saying goes, “a team is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher.” In the postseason, the importance of having both top-end talent and depth within a starting rotation is taken to a new level. If pitching wins championships, here’s who’s got the best chances to ride their starting rotation to a World Series title. 1.
MLB Trade Deadline 2022: Outlook for All 30 Teams
Over the past few weeks, the staff at Just Baseball has been hard at work writing up trade deadline outlooks for all 30 teams. What will your favorite team be hunting at the deadline? Who will be on the trading block? And, for some, what direction is the organization headed over the next week? For a full write-up from our talented team, click on the link embedded into the team name.
George Kirby is The Pitcher That Baseball Needs
The New-School Obsession We all know what that obsession is. The Driveline-ification of baseball has placed an overwhelming emphasis on velocity and spin, particularly on the fastball. It’s purely coincidental that Driveline’s main complex is in Kent, Washington, just a 23 minute drive south of where Kirby will call home for the foreseeable future. Radar guns are as overworked as they’ve ever been in this era of baseball.
Inconsistent Hall of Fame Voters Cast Shadow Over Cooperstown
By Jack McMullen | January 31, 2022 | | Comments count:0 SAN FRANCISCO - JULY 09: National League All-Star Barry Bonds #25 of the San Francisco Giants and American League All-Star David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox talk on the field during the 78th Major League Baseball All-Star Work Out Day at AT&T Park on July 9, 2007 in San Francisco, California.
Mathis homers but TinCaps drop series opener against Loons
by: TinCaps Media Relations, Jack McMullen - TinCaps Media Relations Posted: Aug 31, 2021 / 10:55 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 31, 2021 / 10:55 PM EDT MIDLAND, Mich. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps fell to the Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate), 4-3, in the series opener at Dow Diamond on Tuesday night. Starting pitching dominated the early goings of the game.
Hassell debuts, but TinCaps rally comes up short
by: Jack E. McMullen - TinCaps Media Relations Posted: Aug 30, 2021 / 01:22 AM EDT / Updated: Aug 30, 2021 / 01:22 AM EDT FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Despite three top-20 Padres prospects making their High-A debuts, including the 2020 MLB Draft’s eighth overall pick Robert Hassell III, the Fort Wayne TinCaps fell 8-6 to the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) in the series finale at Parkview Field on Sunday.
TinCaps drop opener at West Michigan
by: Jack McMullen - TinCaps Media Relations Posted: Aug 17, 2021 / 11:08 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 17, 2021 / 11:09 PM EDT COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers affiliate), 5-3, at LMCU Ballpark in their series opener on Tuesday night. The Whitecaps (43-48) broke the scoring seal right away, with two runs in the bottom of the first. Right fielder Daniel Cabrera, the Tigers’ No. 4 prospect, delivered an RBI single to center.
TinCaps recap: Fort Wayne 7, South Bend 2 - 8/13/2021
Just a day after being no-hit, the Fort Wayne TinCaps piled up 13 hits in a 7-2 win over the South Bend Cubs on Friday night at Parkview Field. Kerner Belts First Pro Homer in Win By Jack McMullen Fort Wayne, Indiana (August 13, 2021) – Just a day after being no-hit, the Fort Wayne TinCaps piled up 13 hits in a 7-2 win over the South Bend Cubs (Chicago Cubs affiliate) on Friday night at Parkview Field.
TinCaps ReCap: Fort Wayne 6, Great Lakes 3 - 8/8/2021
The Fort Wayne TinCaps ended a winning road trip and took a series-clinching win on Sunday in the finale against the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond, 6-3. TinCaps End Winning Road Trip With 3rd Consecutive Victory By Jack McMullen Midland, Michigan (August 8, 2021) – The Fort Wayne TinCaps ended a winning road trip and took a series-clinching win on Sunday in the finale against the Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate) at Dow Diamond, 6-3.
TinCaps fall to Lugnuts in a four-hour affair
by: Jack E. McMullen - TinCaps Media Relations Posted: Jul 31, 2021 / 12:02 AM EDT / Updated: Jul 31, 2021 / 12:02 AM EDT LANSING, Mich. (WANE) – The Fort Wayne TinCaps fell to the Lansing Lugnuts (Oakland Athletics affiliate) on Friday night at Jackson Field, 9-6. The game lasted 4 hours, 2 minutes, which is the first time a TinCaps game has gone over four hours this season.
TinCaps drop doubleheader against West Michigan as Whitecaps throw no-hitter in nightcap
by: Jack McMullen - TinCaps Media Relations Posted: Jul 15, 2021 / 11:52 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 16, 2021 / 12:11 AM EDT COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps had their four-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark against the West Michigan Whitecaps. The Whitecaps claimed both games of a doubleheader, winning 5-0, and then 4-0.
TinCaps ReCap: Fort Wayne 7, Lake County 4 - 7/11/2021
The TinCaps have won back-to-back games for the first time in more than two weeks after a 7-4 win over the Lake County Captains on Sunday afternoon. TinCaps Earn Series Split with Another Win By Jack McMullen Fort Wayne, Indiana (July 11, 2021) – The TinCaps have won back-to-back games for the first time in more than two weeks after a 7-4 win over the Lake County Captains (Cleveland affiliate) on Sunday afternoon. That followed a 5-4 victory on Saturday night.
TinCaps recap: Fort Wayne splits doubleheader, wins series - 6/27/2021
The Fort Wayne TinCaps split two games played against the South Bend Cubs on Sunday at Four Winds Field and won the series, taking four of six games. TinCaps Split Doubleheader, Win Series at South Bend By Jack McMullen South Bend, Indiana (June 27, 2021) – The Fort Wayne TinCaps split two games played against the South Bend Cubs (Chicago Cubs affiliate) on Sunday at Four Winds Field. The TinCaps (22-25) won the first game, 3-2, and dropped the second, 11-4.
TinCaps recap: Fort Wayne 7, South Bend 6
TinCaps recap: Fort Wayne 7, South Bend 6. TinCaps Overcome Six-Run Deficit to Win in South Bend By Jack McMullen South Bend, Indiana (June 22, 2021) – The Fort Wayne TinCaps came from six runs down to beat the South Bend Cubs (Chicago Cubs affiliate), 7-6, on Tuesday night at Four Winds Field. It marked Fort Wayne’s largest road comeback in more than three years, since June 1, 2018, at Great Lakes. The TinCaps also rallied from 6-0 down in that game against the Loons in Midland, Mich.
Down six runs, TinCaps rally to top South Bend Cubs in series opener
by: Jack McMullen - TinCaps Media Relations Posted: Jun 22, 2021 / 11:43 PM EDT / Updated: Jun 22, 2021 / 11:43 PM EDT SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Fort Wayne TinCaps came from six runs down to beat the South Bend Cubs (Chicago Cubs affiliate), 7-6, on Tuesday night at Four Winds Field. It marked Fort Wayne’s largest road comeback in more than three years, since June 1, 2018, at Great Lakes. The TinCaps also rallied from 6-0 down in that game against the Loons in Midland, Mich.
TinCaps recap: Fort Wayne 11, Dayton 2
TinCaps recap: Fort Wayne 11, Dayton 2 on June 20, 2021. Offensive Barrage Helps TinCaps Take Series Finale By Jack McMullen Dayton, Ohio (June 20, 2021) – Several hot bats propelled the Fort Wayne TinCaps to a dominating 11-2 series finale win over the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) on Sunday afternoon at Day Air Ballpark. The TinCaps (18-23) jumped out to an early lead thanks to the first home run of the year for third baseman Kelvin Melean.
TinCaps recap: Dayton 2, Fort Wayne 0 - 6/17/2021
TinCaps recap: Dayton 2, Fort Wayne 0 Pitching Shines, But TinCaps Shut Out By Jack McMullen Dayton, Ohio (June 17, 2021) – Despite a strong collective pitching performance, the Fort Wayne TinCaps were shut out by the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) on Thursday night at Day Air Ballpark, 2-0. The TinCaps (16-22) put together an exceptional pitching performance. Starting pitcher Gabe Mosser threw four innings, and allowed just three hits and struck out five.
TinCaps shutout in Thursday loss to Dayton
by: Jack McMullen - TinCaps Media Relations Posted: Jun 18, 2021 / 12:12 AM EDT / Updated: Jun 18, 2021 / 12:12 AM EDT DAYTON, Ohio (WANE) – Despite a strong collective pitching performance, the Fort Wayne TinCaps were shut out by the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) on Thursday night at Day Air Ballpark, 2-0. The TinCaps (16-22) put together an exceptional pitching performance. Starting pitcher Gabe Mosser threw four innings, and allowed just three hits, and struck out five.
BBC’s ‘Time’ Star Jack McMullen on the Secret That Transformed His Acting
The following Career Dispatch essay was written by Jack McMullen, who followed his star turn in Ford V Ferrari and The Souvenir with his current role co-starring with Sean Bean and Stephen Graham in Time – currently the BBC’s biggest new drama of the year. He writes here about his child-actor roots on Brookside, the immediacy of theatre, and how an existential crisis revealed to him a more successful approach to acting.
Caps edged by Dayton on Wednesday
by: Jack McMullen - TinCaps Media Relations Posted: Jun 16, 2021 / 10:57 PM EDT / Updated: Jun 16, 2021 / 10:57 PM EDT DAYTON, Ohio – The Fort Wayne TinCaps came up just short in their comeback effort against the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) on Wednesday night at Day Air Ballpark, falling, 3-2. Dayton methodically opened the scoring, with one run coming in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from shortstop Miguel Hernandez.
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