Top News:
Alexis Brudnicki / Baseball America:
Pace-Of-Play Initiatives Get Mixed Reviews In AFL — MESA, Ariz.—Major League Baseball is using the Arizona Fall League to test methods to speed up the game, and players so far are mixed about the results. — The pace-of-play initiatives are being tested during games at Salt River Fields …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, baseballmusings.com, Minor League Ball, redsminorleagues.com and CBSSports.com
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Jim Callis / MLB.com:
Rangers Arizona Fall League overview — 2014 MLB.com Top Prospects: Nick Williams profiles as a middle-of-the-order hitter who can produce for both power and average — Perhaps more than any other farm system, the Rangers are teeming with toolsy, young position players.
Discussion:
Texas Rangers Blog, Lone Star Ball and Sports on Earth Writers
Teddy Cahill / MLB.com:
Astros prospect throws five shutout innings, now at 12 consecutive in Fall League play — 10/14/14: Mark Appel strikes out the side during the 1st inning of the Saguaros vs. Rafters AFL game — After a disappointing start to the season at Class A Advanced Lancaster, right-hander Mark Appel righted himself …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Associated Press:
Giants rock Royals in World Series opener — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — By the time Madison Bumgarner took the mound to throw his first pitch, the San Francisco Giants already held a three-run lead. — It might as well have been 100 with the way Bumgarner and this orange-and-black bunch play in the World Series.
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Andy McCulloughthe / Kansas City Star:
Royals' James Shields passed kidney stone during ALCS but is ready for World Series — The back pain surfaced late at night two Sundays ago. Waves of nausea soon followed. As the Royals wrapped up their first berth in the World Series since 1985 last week, James Shields was grappling …
Discussion:
Fox Sports, NESN.com, San Francisco Chronicle, baseballmusings.com, Royals Review, CBSSports.com, USA Today and HardballTalk
Lee Enterprises / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Jay set for surgery — and for CF in 2015 — • By Derrick Goold dgoold@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8285 — ST. LOUIS • The Cardinals view returning center fielder Jon Jay as their starter at the position for 2015, and they expect him to be healthy and ready for spring training …
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos, MLB.com, CBSSports.com and HardballTalk
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Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com:
Cards expect center fielder to resume offseason routine after 6-8 weeks — 10/20/14: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak discusses Jon Jay's injury to his left wrist, and his recovery time during the offseason — ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals intend to tender Jon Jay, a second-year arbitration-eligible player …
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos and HardballTalk
Justin McGuire / Sporting News Feed RSS:
Sporting News MLB awards: Mike Scioscia, Matt Williams voted top managers — Mike Scioscia of the Angels and Matt Williams of the Nationals are Sporting News' 2014 American League and National League Managers of the Year, respectively, as selected by a panel of 22 major league managers.
Discussion:
Washington Post
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Todd Zolecki / The Zo Zone:
Phillies Sign Williams — Jerome Williams made enough of a positive impression that the Phillies are bringing him back next season. — They announced today that they signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million contract, which includes performance bonuses. Williams, 32, went 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in nine starts this year.
Discussion:
NY Daily News, MLB Trade Rumors, HardballTalk and The Good Phight
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Free Agent Profile: Adam LaRoche — Though he's not technically a lock to hit the open market due to a $15MM mutual option ($2MM buyout), Adam LaRoche is a near certainty to be a free agent due to the rarity of such options being picked up by both sides of the agreement.
csnwashington.com:
Palm Beach approves funding for Nats spring complex — Your browser does not support iframes. — The Nationals' longstanding search for a new spring training home took a potentially significant positive step forward Tuesday when Palm Beach County commissioners voted to approve funding …
Discussion:
HardballTalk and Amazin' Avenue
Jackson Alexander / MLB.com:
Zimmer injures shoulder pitching in AFL — 2014 MLB.com Top Prospects: Kyle Zimmer complements his fastball with a curve, slider and changeup, and is athletic with clean mechanics — KANSAS CITY — A slight hitch in an otherwise joyous October came on Saturday, when right-hander Kyle Zimmer …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Greg Johns / MLB.com:
Young awarded Sporting News' AL Comeback Player — 8/17/14: Chris Young fires six scoreless innings vs. the Tigers, fanning four batters and allowing just four hits to push his record to 12-6 — SEATTLE — Believing he'd finally overcome a series of shoulder issues that had hindered much of his career …
Discussion:
U-T San Diego stories and Bluebird Banter
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Greg Johns / MLB.com:
Righty scratched from AFL start, team says he's completely healthy
Righty scratched from AFL start, team says he's completely healthy
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Andy McCulloughthe / Kansas City Star:
As focus faded and losses picked up in late July, Royals changed their game — The sight unnerved Rusty Kuntz as he entered the visitors' clubhouse at Fenway Park on July 20. The Royals had just dropped their third game in a row, silenced by Boston ace Jon Lester, and had fallen below .500 for the first time in a month.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, NESN.com and Deadspin