Positions & Strategy
Defensive Shifts and MLB’s Shift Restrictions Explained
Why teams shifted against pull hitters, how the shift spread, what MLB's 2023 infield positioning rule requires, its penalties and what is still legal.
Mason Hale
Mason Hale is the pen name of the small independent editorial team behind The Dugout News.
MLB Guide
How the MLB Draft Works: Draft Lottery, Rounds and Bonus Pools
Who is eligible for the MLB Draft, how the draft lottery sets the top picks, how many rounds there are, and how slot values and bonus pools work.
Rules Explained
The Designated Hitter Rule: How It Works and How It Became Universal
What the designated hitter does, how the AL adopted it in 1973, why the NL held out until 2022, and how the two-way "Ohtani rule" works.
History & Legends
Jackie Robinson and the Breaking of Baseball’s Color Line
How Jackie Robinson went from the Kansas City Monarchs to Brooklyn on April 15, 1947, and why every MLB player now wears number 42 on that date.
MLB Guide
Baseball Glossary: Essential Terms Every Fan Should Know
From ace and can of corn to walk-off and the Mendoza Line: a plain-English glossary of the baseball terms you will hear on every broadcast.
MLB Guide
How to Keep Score at a Baseball Game With a Paper Scorecard
A step-by-step guide to scoring a baseball game on paper: position numbers, hit and out symbols, tracking runners, errors, double plays and totals.
Stats & Sabermetrics
ERA, WHIP and FIP: Pitching Stats Explained
How earned runs work, how ERA and WHIP are calculated, why FIP focuses on strikeouts, walks and homers, plus ERA+ and xFIP, and when to use each.
Rules Explained
What Is a Balk? The Balk Rule Explained Simply
What a balk is, why the rule exists, the most common balks, the penalty, and why it only matters when runners are on base. Based on Rule 6.02(a).
History & Legends
A Short History of Major League Baseball: From 1876 to Today
The story of Major League Baseball from the 1876 National League to today: rival leagues, the World Series, integration, expansion, strikes and analytics.
Stats & Sabermetrics
OPS and OPS+ Explained: The Simple Stat That Beat Batting Average
How OBP and slugging combine into OPS, why OPS slightly overrates power, and how OPS+ adjusts for park and league so that 100 means average.