Archives › Bob Harkins

Adam Dunn strikes out a lot. Everyone knows that. The Chicago White Sox designated hitter has whiffed more than 1,600 times in 10 seasons, including 199 times in 2010. And he’s continuing to strike out quite a bit this spring – 22 times in just 53 at-bats. So is there reason for White Sox fans to be…

New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano is a very good player, and with a few more seasons like 2010 (.319, 29 HRs, 109 RBIs, 103 runs), he could even become great. But even he knows it’s wise to keep expectations in check. So on Wednesday when Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said he wouldn’t…

Tim Lincecum is beefing up his diet in an attempt to put on some weight this spring. From the sound of things, the Giants would be smart to keep Pablo Sandoval far, far away from their ace pitcher. According to John Schlegel of MLB.com, Lincecum is dining with gusto this spring, devouring fast food as…

Last week I published a seven-part series on the difficulties players face on the road to the major leagues. Now comes the story of a player trying to make it back. John Maffei of the North County Times has all the details of the comeback opportunity the San Diego Padres are giving to David Newhan,…

Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker thinks that Joey Votto, fresh off winning the NL MVP award, will begin to be treated like great MVPs of the past by opposing pitchers. Baker, speaking on Saturday at spring training camp in Goodyear, Ariz., said he noticed some special treatment from pitchers last season, when Votto hit .324…

There is no denying that Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga will forever be linked in baseball history. But did they really need to have a book out already? Yes, that’s right. The pitcher who nearly threw a perfect game last season, and the umpire who blew the call that would have clinched it, have co-authored…

The Milwaukee Brewers could have had Mike Trout, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. As you probably knew, Trout, an outfielder in the Los Angeles Angels minor league system, is widely regarded as a rising star. He was all anyone was talking about at the Futures Game in Anaheim last July and…

After a pretty nondescript career spent mostly in the minor leagues, San Francisco outfielder Andres Torres became a key player in the Giants’ championship run last season. Torres put up a .268/.343/.479 line, stole 26 bases and played fine defense at all three outfield positions. In August, it was revealed that Torres suffered from attention…

What will it take for Brandon Webb to get you into a car? The former Cy Young Award winner, who is trying to make a comeback from shoulder surgery with the Texas Rangers, is selling used cars with his brother-in-law in his hometown of Ashland, Ky. A lot of pro athletes have businesses on the…

Red Sox Nation is brimming with confidence these days, and rightly so given the amazing offseason Theo Epstein put together. They bolstered their bullpen with Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler, added Adrian Gonzalez’s big bat to the middle of the lineup and nabbed speed merchant Carl Crawford. So obviously, there is reason for plenty of…

Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post caught up with Washington Nationals phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg, and has some information on how the right-hander has been handling his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery, how he has been spending his time this offseason, and his prospects for returning to action. There are some good nuggets, so check…

The St. Louis Cardinals will not be moving Matt Holliday to right field to make room for Lance Berkman, manager Tony La Russa said on Sunday. La Russa’s statement came at a press conference shortly after Holliday stated publically he would like to know if he would be switching from left to right field for…

For those of you Cubs fans out there who would like to see general manager Jim Hendry (pictured) sent to work on a goat farm somewhere … I’m sorry but it’s not going to happen. The “Cubs Convention” was this weekend, and a fan asked Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts “How does Jim Hendry still have a…

Future Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez is keeping quite busy as he decides whether or not to return to play in 2011 (don’t bet on it). The 39-year-old, who compiled a 219-100 record with a 2.93 ERA in 18 seasons, is launching a new school on Monday in his native Dominican Republic. It will…

Have trouble understanding Sabermetrics? Do advanced metrics make your ears bleed? Bradley Woodrum is here to help. Woodrum, who writes about the Tampa Bay Rays at DRaysBay.com, has created a rather entertaining video explaining the statistic of Fielding Independent Pitching. It’s 1:43 of good wholesome fun and a straightforward explanation of why the stat is a…

“There’s never been a ballplayer slept with me who didn’t have the best year of his career. Making love is like hitting a baseball: you just gotta relax and concentrate. Besides, I’d never sleep with a player hitting under .250.” – Annie Savoy Who can forget everyone’s favorite baseball groupie, Susan Sarandon’s Annie Savoy, from…

We don’t do a whole lot on college football here at HBT — for obvious reasons — but this story from MLB.com’s Peter Gammons was too good to pass up. Gammons writes a nice profile on Red Sox prospect Brandon Jacobs, who committed to play football at Auburn before his senior year of high school…

The Chicago Cubs are close to making a deal to acquire starting pitcher Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. The report, which did not mention what players the Rays might be seeking in such a deal, said that the Cubs became frontrunners to acquire Garza after…