Page 20 - Dwight Smith News Today

Cubs top pinch hitters, Part 1 By JohnW53 on Mar 17, 2021, 6:13am CDT + Pinch hitting has not exactly been the Cubs strength down through the years. In the 105 seasons since 1916, the first for which baseball-reference.com has batting splits, Cubs pinch hitters rank 20th of the 30 Major League teams in batting average (.223), 26th in on-base percentage (.302), tied for 22nd in slugging (.323) and tied for 24th in on base plus slugging (.625). Their OBP is the lowest of any non-...

TORONTO — When you combine today’s social media landscape with the fan-driven demand for prospect coverage, Yosver Zulueta is about as mysterious as it gets. As the 23-year-old Cuban with wide shoulders sits down in the Toronto Blue Jays’ worn out Zoom room this past week alongside team translator Tito Lebron, he looks a touch nervous and a little bit confused. Almost like, ‘Why do you want to talk to me with George Springer, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. around?’ Well, Yosver...

Copied! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently slated to pick 32nd in the opening round of the 2021 NFL Draft, a fact that will serve as my latest mechanism to shoehorn into every article the other fact that the Buccaneers are the reigning NFL champions. By beating Kansas City, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV, Tampa Bay locked themselves into that 32nd and final spot in the round. You know, because the champions always pick last. The Buccaneers have made the 32nd-overall pick in a draft befor...

MLB Trade Rumors The Reds announced Thursday that they’ve signed outfielder Tyler Naquin to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training. The Excel Sports client and former first-round pick his spent his entire career to date with the Indians. Naquin, 29, hit the IL early in the 2020 season due to a broken big toe in his right foot. He returned in mid-August and scuffled through one of the worst stretches of his career at the plate, batting just .218/.248/.383 with fou...

Those fortunate enough to have known Donna Jane (Kindschy) White are greatly saddened by her death Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, after a courageous battle with cancer. Donna was born Aug. 23, 1947, in Kalispell, Mont., to Dwight and Mary Jane Kindschy. She grew up in Moscow, graduated from Moscow High School in 1965 and received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Idaho. Even as a child, Donna was a bright spark of energy, always adventurous and excited to explo...

AL East teams at the start of spring training By The Associated PressFebruary 11, 2021 GMT ___ 2020: 40-20, first place, AL champions, lost to Dodgers in World Series. Training Town: Port Charlotte, Florida. Park: Charlotte Sports Park. He’s Here: RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Chris Archer, C Francisco Mejia, RHP Luis Patiño. He’s Outta Here: LHP Blake Snell, RHP Charlie Morton, OF Hunter Renfroe, RHP Aaron Slegers, 1B Nate Lowe, LHP Aaron Loup, LHP Jose Alvarado, 1B Brian O’Grady, RHP Chaz Roe...

TSNs top 50 Blue Jays prospects: 11-30 TSNs Scott Mitchell digs into the farm system to rank the top 50 Blue Jays prospects in a series of three pieces. Up today are names 11 through 30 with the top 10 arriving on Thursday. Blue Jays Top 50 Prospects , TSN By: Scott Mitchell TORONTO — After kicking things off with the back end of the list yesterday, we move to the meat of the top 50 prospects in the Jays system and the group that’s one breakout se...

Cubs leadoff hitters through the years By JohnW53 on Feb 7, 2021, 4:51am CST + Its possible to win a title without having a high-average leadoff man. The Cubs proved it in 2020, winning the Central Division despite ranking last of all 30 Major League teams in batting average for players who started games at the top of the batting order. The Cubs .211 average was 4 points behind that of the second-worst Reds, 6 behind the No. 28 Brewers and 10 behind the co-No. 26 Pirates and Ranger...

Las Vegas controls Winners Funny to hear them try to pull him back on topic but he keeps singing like a canary. This isn't news to me which is why I haven't been watching games past couple years....

Focus on Sport Super Bowl V was an offensive struggle for the Colts and Cowboys, with Baltimore emerging as the 16-13 winner. Howley won Super Bowl MVP with two interceptions despite being on the losing end with Dallas. Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan still hoping for a Super Bowl win during his lifetime. He doesnt often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto. More must-reads: