David Price And Zack Greinke Are Struggling With Their New Teams

The two biggest acquisitions of the off-season are struggling with their new teams. Year after year organizations shell out gigantic long term contracts knowing they are almost never worth it on the back end of the deals. However, that's simply the price of acquiring talent through free agency these days. The large market teams can afford it usually. While it's way too early to call David Price's and Zack Greinke's contracts busts the early returns haven't been great.

Through six starts this season Price has allowed the most earned runs in the American League. Yet he is 4-0. Wins are obviously a terrible stat on which to judge pitchers but an ERA of 6.14 is never a good thing. There are multiple reasons to be optimistic going forward on Price though. 

The first is that he is striking batters out at the highest rate of his career. He leads the American League with 49 strikeouts and a rate of 12 per nine innings (previous career high 10.5/9). The other reason is that Price's FIP of 2.89 is actually below his career average of 3.19. FIP is a stat that measures what a pitcher can control (strikeouts, walks, homers) and is generally a better indicator than ERA of how a pitcher has performed. The Red Sox are in first place at 17-11, which should take some pressure off Price as he works through his early season slump.

There isn't as much to be optimistic about with Greinke however. Through six starts he has a 5.50 ERA with just 32 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched. Greinke's 3.74 FIP is well above his career average of 3.32, which is not a good sign. The problem for him has been home runs. He is currently giving up ding dongs at his highest rate since 2006. His 1.2 home runs per nine innings is twice as high as his 2015 rate. Part of this could be due to Greinke moving from a pitcher's park in LA to a hitter's one in Arizona but is something to be monitored.

The other concerning factor for Greinke is his strikeouts, which at 7.6 per nine are decreasing for the third straight season. While this is just a month's worth of sample size it is not something a team wants to see after handing him one of the largest contracts of all time. The Diamondbacks are in win now mode and are off to a discouraging 12-18 start.

Ultimately the track records of these guys suggest they will be fine. The struggles to start the season are not ideal, however. Whether or not they are worth their contracts is a question for another day. Price signed for the most guaranteed money ever for a pitcher while Greinke signed for the highest average annual salary of all time. Below are the 12 highest guaranteed contracts in baseball history:

Why Aren't The Phillies In Last Place Yet?

The Philadelphia Phillies will be selecting first overall in the upcoming MLB draft. This is because they finished 2015 with the worst record in baseball. It was widely presumed that the Phillies would finish as a bottom three team again this year, if not have back to back number one picks come 2017. However, a tiny miracle has occurred. On May 4th, 2016 the Phillies are five games over .500 and just 2.5 out of first place in the NL East.

Much of the Phillies' success thus far is due to the rise of youngsters Aaron Nola and Vincent Velasquez. Nola started 13 games for the Phillies last season and was nothing special posting a 3.59 ERA and just 68 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched. This season though Nola has been the team's ace. Through six games he has a 2.92 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 40 innings. He was a highly ranked prospect last year and certainly has the stuff to stick around:

Velasquez was obtained as part of the Ken Giles trade this winter. While Giles currently sports a 7.94 ERA in the Astros bullpen Velasquez sits at 1.44 with a very impressive 11.2 strikeouts per nine. Back on April 14th he threw a complete game, three-hit, 16 strikeout shutout of the Padres. He became just the seventh pitcher in MLB history to throw a shutout with 16 strikeouts and zero walks.

The pitching has been the Phillies saving grace thus far, as they rank 13th out of 30 in team ERA but 27th in runs scored. While the 16-11 start is certainly encouraging odds are Nola and Velasquez will be on strict innings limits this year, regardless of whether or not the team is in contention. More help is on the way, as the Phillies have some of the best prospects in baseball. Their time will come. Just don't expect it to be already happening.

Bartolo Colon Passes Pedro On The All Time Wins List

Bartolo Colón earns 220th career win, passing Pedro Martinez for 2nd-most in MLB history by Dominican-born pitchers. pic.twitter.com/hCWuGGqpfi

— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) May 3, 2016

It's honestly incredible that Bartolo "Big Sexy" Colon is still pitching in the majors in 2016. It's even more incredible he's pitching effectively. Dude is about to turn 43 and his career was thought to be over several times over the past decade. Yet here he is just casually passing Pedro Martinez on the all time win list.

Colon's peak came with the Angels in 2005 when he won 21 games en route to winning the AL Cy Young award, beating out Johan Santana in his prime. After making at least 33 starts in eight consecutive years Big Sexy dealt with injuries following his Cy Young award and made just 37 starts over the next three seasons combined (2006-08).

Bartolo bounced around for a few more years before landing in Oakland, where in 2013 he became an all star for the first time since '05. That year Colon went 18-6, led the league in shutouts, and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting. The performance got him a contract with the Mets where he has taken on a leadership role to all their young phenoms.

This season Colon is off to his best start as a Met. Through six games he is 2-1 with a 2.56 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched. After passing Pedro he is now 23 wins shy of Juan Marichal's record for most by a Dominican born pitcher. 

We know that wins are a flawed stat, especially when discussing career totals. For example, somebody who pitches 20 years is likely to have more wins than one who pitches 15 years. However, it's still mighty impressive he has passed Pedro on the career wins list. About to turn 43 Colon has been around a long time. Hopefully he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

It's Time Nolan Arenado Became A Household Name

For roughly a year now Nolan Arenado has been baseball's best kept secret. He plays on the west coast for a shitty Rockies team, which means it's not often he gets talked about in the national media. But at 25 years old Arenado has become one of the best all around players in the league, and it's time we start recognizing it.

Defensively Arenado has been a star since he came to the majors. The third baseman has already won three gold gloves, which is one for every year that he's been in the league. Since his 2013 debut he leads all third basemen in defensive runs saved with 69. The next closest are Manny Machado with 56 and Josh Donaldson with 43. Safe to say nobody is catching him anytime soon.

Arenado's offensive production took a little longer but man did he eventually put it all together. After hitting a combined 28 home runs in 2013-14 Arenado erupted last season for a National League leading 42. He also led the NL with 130 RBI and 354 total bases. The first time all star finished eighth in the MVP voting and won a silver slugger.

Through the first month of 2016 Arenado has shown no signs of slowing down. He leads all of MLB with 11 home runs and 25 RBI and is playing his usual elite defense. The Rockies are off to a modest 12-13 start but do not expect to be contenders, especially with the Dodgers and Giants in their division. However, with Troy Tulowitzki out of town and Carlos Gonzalez not the player he once was, Arenado is the no question face of the Rockies. His combination of power and defense means it's time he becomes one of the faces of baseball as well.

Yu Darvish Pitches His First Rehab Game, Expected Back Mid-May

ESPN - Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish pitched two scoreless innings Sunday in his first rehab start since he underwent Tommy John surgery last year.

Darvish, pitching for Double-A Frisco against Corpus Christi, struck out two and allowed just one baserunner, via a walk, during his outing.

According to the Dallas Morning News, he threw 24 fastballs, averaged 94.3 mph and twice reached 97 mph on the radar gun.

It was his first time pitching in a game since Aug. 9, 2014 against the Astros in Houston.

The first place Texas Rangers have some help on the way now that Yu Darvish has had his first rehab outing following last season's Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old right hander will make a few more starts in the minors before he is ready to rejoin the Texas rotation.

Once Darvish does return expectations should be tempered, at least in the immediate future. Many pitchers coming back from TJ surgery admit it is not until their second season back that they begin to feel like themselves again. Darvish will also certainly be on a pitch count and an innings limit upon return so it is unlikely he will be able to go seven innings most nights.

However, this is still great news for Rangers fans and baseball fans in general. When healthy Darvish is one of the most exciting pitchers in baseball. His best season came in 2013 when he finished second in the Cy Young voting with a 2.83 ERA and an unholy 277 strikeouts in just 209.2 innings pitched:

Darvish is attempting to break the mold for the success of Japanese pitchers in Major League Baseball. Japanese starters struggle in the States for a variety of reasons and their shelf life seems to be only a few years. Darvish had a more dominant start to his career than any fellow countryman though. His return to MLB is one that should excite all baseball fans.

The Braves Hit Their First Home Run In 15 Games Last Night

The streak is over.

Freddie Freeman goes deep to end a 15-game homerless streak for the Braves. pic.twitter.com/nt7A0TFtBY

— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) April 28, 2016

These aren't your older brother's Atlanta Braves. Gone are the 11 straight division titles from 1995-2005. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Chipper Jones aren't walking through that door anytime soon.

Following last night's loss to the Red Sox the Braves have fallen to an MLB worst 4-17 on the season, good for a .190 winning percentage. It has been a steady decline for the Braves since their latest division title in 2013:

Despite the struggles there is reason to be optimistic about the Braves, who are following the Astros model of "tanking". That word is in quotes because tanking in baseball is not as egregious as it is in the NBA. Make no mistake though. It is about as close as you can get to trusting the process in MLB.

Atlanta realized they could not compete and instead of trying to remain a .500 team they decided to rebuild. They shed Melvin Upton's contract by including him in the Craig Kimbrel trade a year ago and continued that process this past offseason by trading Andrelton Simmons for prospects.

However, the best trade Atlanta has made recently was sending Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks for the 2015 number one overall draft pick. Never before had the first overall draft pick been traded that quickly. The early signs from the move look promising as Miller is struggling in Arizona with a 8.69 ERA through five games while Swanson is hitting to a .333/.438/.520 clip in the minors.

As frustrating as the next couple of years will be for Braves fans the thought process makes sense. The team won't compete for division titles this year or next so there is no point in trying to reach .500. Instead Atlanta will spend some time building up their minor league system, which is a process that has proven to work for teams such as the Astros, Cubs, and Royals.

Bryce Harper Has Overtaken Mike Trout As Baseball's Poster Boy

ESPN - "MAKE BASEBALL FUN AGAIN." Four words, stitched in red onto a white trucker's cap, sitting atop Harper's head as he addressed the media after homering on Opening Day. Let the fun begin. Let the culture war begin.

Mike Trout or Bryce Harper? This was the question all of baseball was asking themselves back in 2012 when both players were rookies. Trout had the better season, finishing second in the MVP voting, but Harper was still an all star and at just 19 years old was a year younger than Trout.

In the two years that followed Trout dominated Harper in every aspect, finishing second in the MVP voting in 2013 and finally winning the award a year later. Trout was humble and durable while Harper was thought of as an injury prone jackass. 

Things began to change last year when Harper became the youngest unanimous MVP in baseball history. In his age 22 season Harper led the league in OBP, slugging, and WAR while hitting .330 with 42 homers. Trout was still great with another second place MVP finish, but it became clear Harper had figured things out. If all of baseball had a re-draft Bryce should be taken first overall.

What most separates Harper from Trout is his marketability. Trout is the humble, soft spoken golden boy who calls his mom after every game. Aside from his gameplay he doesn't make many headlines. Harper is bold and brash. He isn't afraid to run into walls or say that baseball is tired. Now Harper is making headlines with his "Make baseball fun again" slogan.

Even baseball diehards will tell you that the game needs a little bit of life, which is why Harper is coming along at the perfect time. He is having a great start to the season too, leading the league with nine home runs and 24 RBI. He has the same amount of homers as strikeouts. Trout is great for the game too but he isn't having the cultural impact Harper is. This time last year Trout was the reigning MVP and Harper was an overrated punk. Things have changed. Here's to hoping Bryce can continue making baseball fun again.