Brian Bannister Q&A, Part 3

Royals starter Brian Bannister recently answered some questions for MLBTR readers. This post concludes the series; also check out Part 1 and Part 2 Q&A. Brian clearly took extra time out to answer thoughtfully, and we thank him for it. MLBTR: Since you originally went to college as a position player, how do you use your experience in the batter's box and in the field to your advantage when you're pitching? Playing in the AL, do you miss hitting? Bannister: I think it is as important to know how a hitter thinks and operates as it is to be able...

Brian Bannister Q&A, Part 2

Royals starter Brian Bannister was kind enough to answer questions for MLBTR readers. Check out Part 1 and Part 3 of the Q&A, also. MLBTR: What's the most misunderstood aspect of succeeding in baseball by typical fans, sportswriters, and announcers? Bannister: There are two things that make baseball unique from other sports. One, baseball is a game of skill that is accentuated by the physical tools of the person performing those skills. Most people superficially judge a position player solely on size, strength, and speed, when his eyesight, balance, rhythm, hand-eye coordination, and mental makeup are much more influential factors...

Brian Bannister Q&A, Part 1

We've done some Q&As with players before - Curtis Granderson, Jason Hirsh, and Michael Barrett. This time, for our Brian Bannister Q&A, we had readers submit the questions. Brian really went the extra mile to accomodate, providing thoughtful and elaborate answers. Great stuff - many thanks to him for participating. We'll break this up into several parts. (UPDATE: Read Part 2 and Part 3). MLBTR: What was your initial reaction when you heard that the Mets had traded you to the Royals? Where were you when it happened, and who told you? Bannister: As baseball players, all we want is...

About MLBTradeRumors.com

MLBTradeRumors.com is a clearinghouse for relevant, legitimate baseball rumors. The site focuses on the hot stove - trades and free agent signings. Rumors typically come from established journalists, and always include a link to the source material. All 30 teams are covered. MLBTR is written and maintained by Tim Dierkes. Tim can be reached at dierkes@gmail.com. MLBTR has new material 365 days a year, and attempts to post all rumors with analysis as soon as they are available. The site was created as a hobby in November of 2005, and has grown virally. MLBTradeRumors.com now receives over 100,000 pageviews per...

About Tim Dierkes

Tim Dierkes is the writer and creator of MLBTradeRumors.com. Baseball's premiere hot stove website receives over 100,000 pageviews per day; read more about it at About MLBTradeRumors.com. Tim worked in the search engine marketing field before taking the website full-time in January of 2008. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a business administration major in 2004. Tim originally met his lovely wife Agnes on campus. He currently lives with her in Roselle, Illinois. Tim is a lifelong Cubs fan, but swears it does not affect his objectivity on MLBTradeRumors.com. Tim has done many radio interviews, including...

Odds and Ends: Hillenbrand, Tsao, Uehara

Here are some random bits and pieces to hold us over until front offices re-open... Shea Hillenbrand has only received one inquiry this winter - from the Giants. He probably won't be earning $6MM again. Hillenbrand posted a .599 OPS in 267 ABs for the Angels and Dodgers this year. I thought perhaps that was one of the worst performances of the decade for guys with 250+ ABs. However it's only the 49th worst since 2000. Homer Bush's 2000 takes the cake - a .524 OPS for the Blue Jays in 297 ABs. The Royals inked Chin-Hui Tsao to a...