MLBTR Originals

Here’s a look back at MLBTR’s original analysis and reporting over the past seven days:

• In the second edition of the MLBTR College Series, Chuck Wasserstrom spoke with Cubs vice president and general manager Jed Hoyer about his time at Wesleyan University, where he enjoyed an accomplished baseball career at multiple positions.
• On this week’s MLBTR Podcast, prospect guru Ben Badler of Baseball America chatted with host Jeff Todd about the early major league success of youngsters like Trevor Story and Nomar Mazara. Badler also touched on some of the intriguing players on the international market, particularly those coming from Cuba and Japan. A new episode of the podcast is released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
• Steve Adams examined how six teams’ early season bullpen decisions could impact the earning power of their late-game relievers through arbitration or free agency next offseason.
• Continuing MLBTR’s Draft Prospect Q&A Series, Chuck interviewed hard-throwing University of Oklahoma right-hander Alec Hansen, a prospective first-round pick in June’s amateur draft. Hansen touched on why he chose to attend Oklahoma, what it would’ve taken for him to eschew college and sign with the Rockies as a 25th-round pick in 2013, and which big-time pitching prospect he likens himself to, among other subjects.
• In another trip down memory lane with a baseball executive, Chuck talked to Phillies VP and GM Matt Klentak concerning his days at Darmouth College. Klentak helped set the stage for his current role back then by earning a degree in economics and making some important connections.
• Chuck also had a discussion with Mercer University center fielder Kyle Lewis, who’s rated as one of the draft’s premier prospects. Lewis spurned a potential college basketball career elsewhere to play baseball at Mercer, where he has worked his way up from the bench to perhaps become the only major league first-rounder the school has produced.
• To conclude a busy week of MLBTR College Series interviews, Chuck spoke to Tigers executive VP and GM Al Avila – a St. Thomas University alumnus. Interestingly, one of the people who helped Avila climb the ranks in baseball was Hall of Fame football coach Don Shula.
• In the final edition of MLBTR’s 2016 Offseason In Review Series, Steve looked back at the Royals’ winter moves. Kansas City followed its World Series-winning 2015 campaign with a busy offseason headlined by the re-signing of outfielder Alex Gordon, the expensive contract given to right-hander Ian Kennedy, and the return of reliever Joakim Soria.