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The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we're running here at MLBDD and rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be shared? Hit us at @mlbdailydish on Twitter.
Good morning baseball fans!
The Twins are without their closer, as Glen Perkins has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder.
Braves third baseman Hector Olivera was arrested in a domestic violence incident.
Here are the top prospects to keep an eye on in 2016.
A bunch of players moved teams this winter. Our own Michael Bradburn looked at how some of these players are faring with their new clubs.
Could this Cubs lineup be the most disciplined lineup is history? August Fagerstrom of FanGraphs thinks it might be.
Last year’s Cubs were already impressive in both of these categories. Last year’s Cubs posted a 9.1% walk rate, indistinguishable from the league-leading Dodgers, and were a top-10 power-hitting team. Then, they added on. The skillsets the Cubs acquired in the offseason fit perfectly with their apparent offensive philosophy. They retained Dexter Fowler, whose career walk rate is north of 12%. They went out and got Ben Zobrist, whose career walk rate is north of 10%. Jason Heyward’s career walk rate is also north of 10%. That’s where the extra walks come from. It seems like this is the mark of Theo Epstein, whose Red Sox teams led baseball in walks fornearly a decade. This year’s Cubs seem poised to top that. This year’s Cubs will wear you down.
The latest edition of The Rosterbatorical was released yesterday, and you can listen to it here.
Here is a roundup of news surrounding the National League East.
Matt Jackson of Beyond the Box Score took a peak at what the shift does to offenses.
Since 2010, we've seen the use of the infield shift proliferate through the league to the point that there wasn't a team that didn't use it regularly last season. What isn't clear is whether the infield shift is actually suppressing offense. There are limitations to the data that's currently publicly available, but it could also be that teams have gone shift happy and are returning some of the hits they've saved against the most predictable players by using it against those whose batted ball tendencies aren't as prominent. Teams, it would appear, do not agree. The infield shift has been on for 30 percent of balls in play already this young season. There may be a good reason for the continued rise of the shift; we just don't have the evidence to support it, yet.
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Today in Baseball History: In 1969, the first major league game is played outside of the United States, when the Expos defeat the Cardinals 8-7.