Casey Drottar
@caseydrottar.bsky.social
Editorial Producer/words with Major League Baseball. University of Dayton alum. Adjunct Instructor/MSJ ‘21 at Northwestern University Medill School. Grunge enthusiast.
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Casey Drottar
@caseydrottar.bsky.social
· Jul 22
Piazza dreaming big while reshaping baseball’s foundation in Italy
“It all starts with a dream.”
Ask Mike Piazza about his goals for baseball in Italy and he’ll likely find his way back to this thought. The Hall of Fame catcher has already made multiple noteworthy co...
www.mlb.com
Mike Piazza has spent the past few years trying to rebuild the foundation of baseball in Italy. What does a challenge that imposing involve for the Hall of Fame catcher? I spoke with him to find out:
www.mlb.com/news/mike-pi...
www.mlb.com/news/mike-pi...
When Adam Rittenberg said “an offensive reset” was coming for Northwestern, I figured he meant they’d be hiring an up-and-coming quarterbacks guru from New Mexico A&T&M, not, you know, an actual legit coach with real credentials
NORTHWESTERN OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR CHIP KELLY. A REAL SENTENCE THAT IS TRUE
Sources: Northwestern hiring Chip Kelly as OC
Veteran coach Chip Kelly, who won a national title at Ohio State in 2024 as offensive coordinator, is joining Northwestern as its new OC, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Tuesday.
www.espn.com
December 30, 2025 at 1:43 PM
When Adam Rittenberg said “an offensive reset” was coming for Northwestern, I figured he meant they’d be hiring an up-and-coming quarterbacks guru from New Mexico A&T&M, not, you know, an actual legit coach with real credentials
A lot of people are saying there’s no need to watch any more college football this season now that Northwestern topped Central Michigan to bring home the Game Above Sports Bowl championship
December 26, 2025 at 9:14 PM
A lot of people are saying there’s no need to watch any more college football this season now that Northwestern topped Central Michigan to bring home the Game Above Sports Bowl championship
Tyler Soderstrom gets the kind of reward you deserve for shifting midseason to play left field for the first time in your professional career and then becoming a gold glove finalist, all while posting an .820 OPS with nearly 100 RBIs
December 25, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Tyler Soderstrom gets the kind of reward you deserve for shifting midseason to play left field for the first time in your professional career and then becoming a gold glove finalist, all while posting an .820 OPS with nearly 100 RBIs
Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn combined for 48 homers and 146 RBIs in 2025.
At the very least a Pirates team that was dead last in both categories last year is trying to address a clear problem.
At the very least a Pirates team that was dead last in both categories last year is trying to address a clear problem.
December 23, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn combined for 48 homers and 146 RBIs in 2025.
At the very least a Pirates team that was dead last in both categories last year is trying to address a clear problem.
At the very least a Pirates team that was dead last in both categories last year is trying to address a clear problem.
The US just added Bryce Harper to its WBC lineup, which, on paper, looks absolutely terrifying
December 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The US just added Bryce Harper to its WBC lineup, which, on paper, looks absolutely terrifying
Years with the Mets:
Brandon Nimmo - 10
Pete Alonso - 7
Edwin Díaz - 6
Jeff McNeil - 8
Kinda wild to see so many core players from one team depart in the span of one month
Brandon Nimmo - 10
Pete Alonso - 7
Edwin Díaz - 6
Jeff McNeil - 8
Kinda wild to see so many core players from one team depart in the span of one month
December 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Years with the Mets:
Brandon Nimmo - 10
Pete Alonso - 7
Edwin Díaz - 6
Jeff McNeil - 8
Kinda wild to see so many core players from one team depart in the span of one month
Brandon Nimmo - 10
Pete Alonso - 7
Edwin Díaz - 6
Jeff McNeil - 8
Kinda wild to see so many core players from one team depart in the span of one month
Willson Contreras getting inserted into the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is beyond enticing
December 22, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Willson Contreras getting inserted into the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is beyond enticing
I’m not sure what’s more laughable about this suggested “perfect trade offer” the Guardians would make for literally one year of Nick Castellanos: the actual offer itself (which, I mean, good lord) or that one of the perks for Cleveland is the “defensive experience” Castellanos would bring…
December 19, 2025 at 2:18 AM
I’m not sure what’s more laughable about this suggested “perfect trade offer” the Guardians would make for literally one year of Nick Castellanos: the actual offer itself (which, I mean, good lord) or that one of the perks for Cleveland is the “defensive experience” Castellanos would bring…
Shawn Armstrong just posted the second-highest bWAR of his career (1.5) while throwing a career-high 74 innings for the Rangers last year in his age-34 season.
This could be a low-key good addition to a Guardians bullpen that put up the third-best ERA in the Majors in 2025.
This could be a low-key good addition to a Guardians bullpen that put up the third-best ERA in the Majors in 2025.
December 18, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Shawn Armstrong just posted the second-highest bWAR of his career (1.5) while throwing a career-high 74 innings for the Rangers last year in his age-34 season.
This could be a low-key good addition to a Guardians bullpen that put up the third-best ERA in the Majors in 2025.
This could be a low-key good addition to a Guardians bullpen that put up the third-best ERA in the Majors in 2025.
Jhonkensey Noel’s 2024 ALCS dinger was the stuff of legend, but one look at his final at-bats in a Guardians uniform pretty much highlights the issue that caused his demise
December 17, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Jhonkensey Noel’s 2024 ALCS dinger was the stuff of legend, but one look at his final at-bats in a Guardians uniform pretty much highlights the issue that caused his demise
Hesitant to be bullish on Adolis García's bounceback with the Phillies but I'd definitely love to see this level of swagger from him again
December 15, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Hesitant to be bullish on Adolis García's bounceback with the Phillies but I'd definitely love to see this level of swagger from him again
Not a fan of how early “toss water out the back door to watch it evaporate” weather has arrived in Chicago this year…
December 14, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Not a fan of how early “toss water out the back door to watch it evaporate” weather has arrived in Chicago this year…
Jorge Polanco is a nice pick-up for the Mets and would probably get a little more buzz had it not occurred after [points at everything that happened to the Mets this week]
December 13, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Jorge Polanco is a nice pick-up for the Mets and would probably get a little more buzz had it not occurred after [points at everything that happened to the Mets this week]
Maikel Garcia was worth a combined 2.2 bWAR over his first three seasons with the Royals. He was worth over twice as much in 2025 alone (5.8) and got himself a a five-year extension. Just like you draw it up.
December 12, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Maikel Garcia was worth a combined 2.2 bWAR over his first three seasons with the Royals. He was worth over twice as much in 2025 alone (5.8) and got himself a a five-year extension. Just like you draw it up.
Akil Baddoo's potential has often been undone by strikeout issues, but he just signed with the Brewers so he'll probably somehow become an All-Star this year
December 11, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Akil Baddoo's potential has often been undone by strikeout issues, but he just signed with the Brewers so he'll probably somehow become an All-Star this year
The Braves adding Robert Suarez (who has a 2.87 ERA and an 0.973 WHIP over the past two seasons) after re-signing Raisel Iglesias (who rebounded from a tough first half to turn in a 1.76 ERA after the All-Star break last year) makes the back-end of their bullpen pretty damn impressive
December 11, 2025 at 5:51 PM
The Braves adding Robert Suarez (who has a 2.87 ERA and an 0.973 WHIP over the past two seasons) after re-signing Raisel Iglesias (who rebounded from a tough first half to turn in a 1.76 ERA after the All-Star break last year) makes the back-end of their bullpen pretty damn impressive
For me, the biggest takeaway from the Pete Alonso signing is that the Orioles took a swing for Kyle Schwarber, missed out and then used that money to go sign another marquee impact bat as opposed to saying “well it was Kyle or bust” and sifting through less expensive options
December 10, 2025 at 9:37 PM
For me, the biggest takeaway from the Pete Alonso signing is that the Orioles took a swing for Kyle Schwarber, missed out and then used that money to go sign another marquee impact bat as opposed to saying “well it was Kyle or bust” and sifting through less expensive options
In the span of two days the Mets lost their all-time home run leader in Pete Alonso and the best closer on the market in Edwin Díaz. Reports seem to indicate they didn’t expect either to depart.
Seems like a less than ideal start to the offseason.
Seems like a less than ideal start to the offseason.
December 10, 2025 at 6:01 PM
In the span of two days the Mets lost their all-time home run leader in Pete Alonso and the best closer on the market in Edwin Díaz. Reports seem to indicate they didn’t expect either to depart.
Seems like a less than ideal start to the offseason.
Seems like a less than ideal start to the offseason.
I always genuinely assumed Pete Alonso would end up returning to the Mets.
So, you know, holy crap Orioles
So, you know, holy crap Orioles
December 10, 2025 at 5:57 PM
I always genuinely assumed Pete Alonso would end up returning to the Mets.
So, you know, holy crap Orioles
So, you know, holy crap Orioles
The White Sox, with a crop of young players who stood out in 2025, five players ranked in MLB Pipeline's list of top 100 prospects and now the No. 1 overall pick in 2026, could get intriguing a lot faster than people anticipated
December 9, 2025 at 11:05 PM
The White Sox, with a crop of young players who stood out in 2025, five players ranked in MLB Pipeline's list of top 100 prospects and now the No. 1 overall pick in 2026, could get intriguing a lot faster than people anticipated
The Reds’ pursuit of Kyle Schwarber was admirable, but betting on him to turn down one last big money contract was always going to be a massive reach
December 9, 2025 at 4:38 PM
The Reds’ pursuit of Kyle Schwarber was admirable, but betting on him to turn down one last big money contract was always going to be a massive reach
Jeff Kent being the only one to make it to the Hall of Fame on this ballot is quite a surprise, especially with all the momentum Don Mattingly seemed to have in his favor
December 8, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Jeff Kent being the only one to make it to the Hall of Fame on this ballot is quite a surprise, especially with all the momentum Don Mattingly seemed to have in his favor
That two-point conversion attempt by the Browns was so bad that it doesn't feel far-fetched to think Kevin Stefanski called it just to get himself fired and away from this team
December 7, 2025 at 9:35 PM
That two-point conversion attempt by the Browns was so bad that it doesn't feel far-fetched to think Kevin Stefanski called it just to get himself fired and away from this team
Seeing the rich Notre Dame tradition paired with watching the team eat its trophy after said trophy throws itself into a toaster would’ve been the stuff you tell your grandkids about
December 7, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Seeing the rich Notre Dame tradition paired with watching the team eat its trophy after said trophy throws itself into a toaster would’ve been the stuff you tell your grandkids about