Adam Piede, Author at Baseball Essential

Pressure Mounting for Struggling Blue Jays

May 20, 2016

The Toronto Blue Jays were already off to a sluggish start to the 2016 season prior to Rougned Odor’s overhand right to the chops of Jose Bautista. Since then things have gone from bad to worse as the Blue Jays...

Fredi Gonzalez Feeling the Heat in Atlanta

Adam Piede

May 7, 2016

Headlines, Major League Baseball, Rumors

Where there's smoke, there's fire. These days the trail of smoke following Fredi Gonzalez is akin to the invariable dust cloud surrounding the Peanuts character Pig-Pen. Currently in Atlanta, the airwaves, soci...

MLB’s Top Stolen Base Threats: A Dying Breed

Adam Piede

Apr 21, 2016

Features, Headlines, Major League Baseball

Gone are the days of Rickey Henderson annually racking up over 100 stolen bases. As baseball transitioned from the pitcher friendly 1980’s, through the steroid era of the late ’90's and early 2000’s, the art of...

Braves Lose Again, No End in Sight

Adam Piede

Apr 13, 2016

Atlanta Braves, Headlines, National League East

If the doors close forever at Ted Turner Field and there is no one there to see it, does the season still happen? There have only been seven games, but 2016 is already a lost season for the Atlanta Braves. To b...

A Long Road Back – Francoeur Nails Down Roster Spot

Adam Piede

Mar 30, 2016

Atlanta Braves, Headlines, Spring Training, Transactions

“Atlanta Braves – Purchased the contract of right fielder Jeff Francoeur from Triple-A Gwinnett." That will be the simple one line statement buried deep in your local newspaper’s sports section today. Even the...

No Shortage of Storylines for the Twins This Spring

Adam Piede

Mar 12, 2016

Minnesota Twins, Spring Training

Paul Molitor’s inaugural season at the helm of the Minnesota Twins was, by most accounts, a resounding success. The Twins improved by 13 games over their 2014 season and finished 2015 with a very respectable 83...

Braves and Marlins to Play at Fort Bragg

Adam Piede

Mar 8, 2016

Headlines, Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association jointly announced on Tuesday afternoon the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins will be the first professional teams to play a regular-season game on an active ...

Spring Training Position Battles: Atlanta Braves

Adam Piede

Mar 3, 2016

Atlanta Braves, Opinions & Predictions, Spring Training

As spring training games kick off this week, position battles have started to move from “on paper” to on the diamond. While teams such as the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals have the majority of th...

Can Billy Beane Work His Magic Again?

Adam Piede

Feb 26, 2016

American League West, Oakland Athletics, Opinions & Predictions

Last season was a most forgettable one for the Oakland Athletics and general manager Billy Beane. The A’s produced a mere 68 wins, which was the lowest output in Beane’s 18 years at the helm in Oakland. In Octo...

Reviewing Last Year’s MLB Free-Agent Signings

Adam Piede

Feb 20, 2016

Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Contract, Features, Minnesota Twins, Offseason, Opinions & Predictions, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Credit: Kevin Dietsch / UPI This offseason has been yet another record setting year for free-agent contracts. The top five players alone combined for over $1 billion in salaries, including a pair of $200 mi...

Author Adam Piede