MLB

Major League Baseball had discussions about a pitchers-only home run derby, Buster Olney revealed during Sunday night's contest between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

Clemson University’s Clate Schmidt was at Turner Field in July 2015 to meet Chicago Cubs star Jon Lester—anxious to discuss the many things they had in common.

Both are pitchers. Both were high school baseball prodigies—with Schmidt earning All-American honors. The Boston Red Sox drafted both, though Schmidt elected to return to Clemson for his senior season. He also chose not to sign after the Tigers selected him out of high school.

Unfortunately, they shared one more common bond.

Fantasy baseball often boils down to which MLB players receive the appropriate opportunity to succeed. A talented player is useless without playing time or the right role, and favorable circumstances can elevate a middling contributor.

Week 11's waiver-wire recommendations have always had the skills, but most only recently received the proper role. This includes two relievers instantly made relevant by save potential and a pair of first basemen who slugged their way into relevance.

With the MLB draft now in the books, the next major milestone on the MLB calendar is the All-Star break, and we're now less than a month away with the All-Star Game scheduled for July 12 in San Diego.

In the meantime, the MLB landscape continues to shift with each passing week, but everyone is still chasing the Chicago Cubs, who picked up two more series wins last week and are now 43-18 on the year.

The deal the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers struck last July will always be known as the Yoenis Cespedes trade, and for good reason.

Cespedes, after all, went on a Ruthian tear after heading from the Motor City to Queens, helping the Mets reach the postseason and win the National League pennant.

The Los Angeles Angels' attempt to climb out of the doldrums took a devastating hit, with superstar outfielder Mike Trout suffering an injury to his right thumb in the top of the eighth inning Sunday against the Cleveland Indians. 

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Cleveland Indians third baseman Juan Uribe left Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels after being hit by a hard ground ball off the bat of Mike Trout.   

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Hours after the Texas Rangers released Ike Davis from his minor league contract, the first baseman agreed to ink a major league contract with the New York Yankees, according to Today's Knuckleball's Jon Heyman. 

New York Mets manager Terry Collins was reportedly not feeling well before the team's game Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers and was transported to the hospital, according to SNY's Steve Gelbs.

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At some point in nearly everyone's childhood, they decide they want to follow in a family member's footsteps. For some, it's their mother or father. For others, it’s a brother or sister. And while many ultimately choose another path, some stick with it and follow through on that initial decision.

That includes the relatives of professional athletes, who do so knowing they won't be viewed the same way their peers are; they're entering a playing field tilted in everyone else's favor.