For close to one hundred years, Babe Ruth has been the standard by which all baseball players are judged. His 714 home runs and .690 slugging percentage are the crowning achievement of his greatness, and he even had a stellar pitching career before transitioning to a full-time hitter. Since then, we’ve called Willie Mays the best all-around player, Ted Williams the best hitter, Barry Bonds the most dominant player over…
What are Realistic Expectations for Bryce Harper in 2019?
There aren’t your 2018 Philadelphia Phillies anymore. Or the 2017 club. Or the 2016 team. Gone are the days of Freddy Galvis posting a .275 on-base percentage over 650 plate appearances or Tommy Joseph as the team’s best cleanup hitter or an outfield rotation of Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams. Perhaps the most memorable offseason in franchise history saw owner John Middleton add a litany of All-Star talent – Andrew…
6 Running Backs Who Make the Most Sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019
It’s no secret that GM Howie Roseman doesn’t value the running back position. Just over a year ago, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl with a three-headed running back formation of LeGarrette Blount (formerly undrafted, signed to a one-year deal), Jay Ajayi (midseason trade acquisition), and Corey Clement (undrafted rookie). This past year, the Eagles’ leading rusher was undrafted rookie Josh Adams, who didn’t even emerge as the brief…
Ranking the 30 Most Memorable Moments for the 2018 Philadelphia Eagles
It was a disappointing season for the defending Super Bowl champions. Or was it? That’s a legitimate debate and I can see an argument for both sides. The negative spin is how obviously the Eagles were affected by the Super Bowl hangover, as they suffered a number of heartbreaking last-second losses. They didn’t win consecutive games until December. And their franchise quarterback was again lost for the season with three…
Ranking All 209 Postseason Games in the NFL Since 2000
We watch football for a reason and that’s to see greatness, excitement, and most importantly, memorable moments. These can be defined in so many ways. It’s the last-second game-winning touchdown drive, complete with the miraculous helmet catch. It’s the jaw-dropping goal-line interception in the final minute to win the Super Bowl. It’s a backup quarterback torching a dynasty in the Super Bowl, or a historic defense shutting down a historic…
Handing Out Major Awards for 2018 NFL Season
Embed from Getty Images MVP: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs This was a season-long race between the 23-year-old first-year starter with the cannon arm and the 40-year-old walk-in Hall of Famer having arguably his best year. But while Drew Brees faded down the stretch, uncharacteristically averaging just 206 passing yards over his final five games, Mahomes didn’t let up. Mahomes threw multiple touchdowns in every game this year…
SwartzSports 50 Bold Predictions for 2018 NFL Season
Embed from Getty Images It’s fun to take a prediction at which teams will win each of the eight divisions and which teams represent their respective conference in the Super Bowl. But it’s even more fun to try to make individual player projections, especially those that are relatively obscure. This is my eighth year doing a bold predictions list, and I’ve had quite the array of horrendous misses. Remember…
SwartzSports 2018 National League and American League All-Star Game Rosters
Embed from Getty Images We’re still a month away from Major League Baseball’s mid-summer All-Star Game, but it’s a fine time to evaluate which players have the edge to getting special invitations. For the sake of this article, I’ll play the role of the MLB commissioner, executives, and the fans, meaning I get final say in determining who makes the All-Star teams. It’s not merely an exercise in selecting the…
Projecting the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2020 Salary Cap Situation
Embed from Getty Images The 2017 season culminated in the first Super Bowl championship in Philadelphia Eagles’ history, and the future looks even brighter for the organization. There’s an MVP-caliber franchise quarterback on board and a Super Bowl MVP backing him up. All five starters on the offensive line will return for ’18, and depth at the defensive line (Michael Bennett, Haloti Ngata) should offset the losses of Vinny Curry…
Power Ranking Top 40 Active MLB Players With Best Chance for the Hall of Fame
Embed from Getty Images The baseball world was dealt a shocking blow recently with the news of Robinson Cano’s 80-game suspension for PEDs. A career .305 hitter with a strong likelihood of reaching 3,000 hits, this was a harsh reality check for Cano’s Hall of Fame chances. He was probably on track for Cooperstown, but now faces an uphill battle to regain his respectability. Based on historical averages, you can…