Yordano Ventura Dies In Car Crash  —  Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura died in a car crash in the Dominican Republic on Sunday morning.  This was a separate crash from the one that took the life of fellow Dominican Andy Marte.  Ventura was 25 years old.

Blue Jays Claim Juan Graterol, Designate Leonel Campos  —  The Blue Jays announced on Monday that they've claimed catcher Juan Graterol off waivers from the Angels and designated right-hander Leonel Campos for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

How Much Hope and Faith Is in Major League Baseball?  —  Editor's Note: This article was originally printed in The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2017.  You can purchase a copy of it here. … In 2000, baseball was in a competitive crisis.  Success was increasingly tied to payroll, creating a struggle for many small-market teams.

Franco needs to become next Phillies superstar  —  A single superstar can be the foundation.  Get one and the building can begin in earnest.  —  “Over the last couple of years it has been, as I call it, an experiment,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said last week in describing the team's 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Prospectus Feature: Command and Control by Jeff Long, Jonathan Judge and Harry Pavlidis  —  About a year and a half ago, Baseball Prospectus revealed a suite of catching stats that formed the basis for our industry-leading valuation of catchers.  These new stats would shape how we perceived …

Former Giants ace Tim Lincecum not ready to call it quits  —  Tim Lincecum couldn't reestablish himself as a productive major league pitcher with the Los Angeles Angels last season, but the two-time Cy Young Award winner and Giants legend hasn't given up on recapturing his previous form.

Yankees need Aaron Judge to adjust his swing, cut down on his strikeouts  —  The potential is there.  The power is, too.  —  Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge showed as much when he got called up to the big leagues last season, homering in his first at-bat.

Altuve, Odor have Venezuela loaded at second  —  The Astros' Jose Altuve and the Rangers' Rougned Odor are among the best Venezuelan-born — correction: Earth-born — infielders in baseball today.  —  And they play the same position, which presents a quandary for Venezuelan manager Omar Vizquel ahead of the World Baseball Classic.