Zach Crizer

New York

Baseball writer. Find my work at @optaanalystus, @dmagazine, @baseballpro. Formerly: @YahooSports, @MLB. Get in touch: [email protected]

Articles

#14 Relievers know everyone thinks they're what's wrong with baseball

1 day ago | bandwagon.substack.com | Hannah Keyser |Zach Crizer

Hey, it’s Zach. We launched The Bandwagon one month ago, as of tomorrow. and have not yet died of dysentery. First, thank you for coming along for the ride. We really could not be doing this without your support. If you haven’t already, consider becoming a paying subscriber or sharing The Bandwagon with a friend. Every new member adds to the experience. This week, we’re doing something new (and old).
#13: Behold the peak of Aaron Judge

3 days ago | bandwagon.substack.com | Hannah Keyser |Zach Crizer

Does this statistic mean anything? On Sunday, the scuffling Braves (8-13) beat the free-falling Twins (7-15). This was the Braves’ 11th consecutive victory over the Twins, dating back to August 6, 2019. That ties the longest active win streak against a specific opponent with the Rangers’ 11 straight victories over the White Sox.
#8: (Kick) change for the sake of change

2 weeks ago | bandwagon.substack.com | Zach Crizer |Hannah Keyser

Hey, Hannah here and I have to issue a correction. I was in the Mets clubhouse on Monday and noticed Francisco Lindor was … wearing the same pants that he had sported for the home opener! The ones I was so enamored with that I led last newsletter with them! I wrote then that I wasn’t confident I had come up with the right brand and I was right to hedge because I had not. The jacket was Bottega Veneta but the pants — which were more denim-y than I realized — are Jacquemus.
We debate: Are the Dodgers too good for baseball’s own good?

2 weeks ago | bandwagon.substack.com | Hannah Keyser |Zach Crizer

I went to the Mets home opener on Friday and wore a mismatched oversized pink pantsuit from Me+Em. This is Hannah by the way, if you couldn’t already tell. Francisco Lindor was there as well. He aggressively stretched a single off the bat into a close-call double, scored, stole a base, did some other stuff I forget, and wore a very memorable outfit before changing into his uniform.
#6: Short memories and long contracts

2 weeks ago | bandwagon.substack.com | Hannah Keyser |Zach Crizer

Happy Friday, Zach here this morning. Extension season has been … extended, apparently. Since stateside Opening Day a week ago, the Padres have locked up NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Jackson Merrill for at least nine years. The Red Sox have secured offseason trade prize Garrett Crochet and top prospect Kristian Campbell long-term. And the Diamondbacks have re-upped star second baseman Ketel Marte.
The Tenuous, High-Stakes Partnership of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays

3 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Zach Crizer |Ana Gonzalez |Ana González

Will Toronto be able to ink him to a new contract? Will the Jays have to trade their star slugger? It’s crunch time for all parties involved in the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. saga. At least for now, you can say this much: They’re in it together. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays have embarked on a crucial season with seismic implications for the would-be franchise player, the franchise that can’t seem to sign one, and the eager powers who could.
#4: Zach says the Astros won the Kyle Tucker trade

3 weeks ago | bandwagon.substack.com | Zach Crizer |Hannah Keyser

The bats are too good, folks. Hannah here and I know we said we weren’t going to just regurgitate the headlines, but everyone is obsessed with the bats that are not bigger, per se, but are more shapely in all the right places. They’re Rubenesque. The first weekend of the baseball season gave us our first unexpected storyline to sweep the sport. The Yankees are using bats shaped like a brontosauruses according to Monty Python and now they simply can’t stop hitting home runs.
#3: What are you rooting for?

3 weeks ago | bandwagon.substack.com | Zach Crizer |Hannah Keyser

Hi, it’s Hannah, writing this while watching meaningful baseball for the first time in five months! (To be even more specific: I was writing that while Austin Wells was hitting a lead-off home run for the Yankees.
On Texas Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy, and Success

4 weeks ago | dmagazine.com | Zach Crizer |Mike Piellucci

A few things people tend to know about Bruce Bochy: born in France, backup catcher, comically huge hat size (8 1/2). And, of course, four World Series titles, the most recent of which came after his supposed retirement. He’s the only manager in MLB history with four or more rings to bring home championships for two franchises. What they might not know about a man destined for Cooperstown once he finally hangs ’em up: Bochy’s career regular-season record remains under .500.
MLB Predictions: Picks for Every Division in 2025

4 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Ryan Fagan |Zach Crizer |Ana Gonzalez |Ana González

The only way to make MLB picks is to make them boldly. Baseball writers Ryan Fagan and Zach Crizer pick a winner and dish out a bold prediction for each division. “Domestic” opening day is almost here, and with the approach of Thursday’s full slate of Major League Baseball games comes the moment when the logic and reason of projections gives way to the chaos of the season.