‘The Future of Baseball’: Will Marlins’ Pitch-calling System Become the Norm?

A month into the season, the Miami Marlins’ polarizing pitch-calling system has received both commendation and criticism. But it has gone mostly to plan.  From the dugout, assistant pitching coach Rob Marcello uses his fingers to relay his desired pitch type and location to the catcher, who checks his wristband for the corresponding number before…

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Inside James Wood’s Low-Key Presence and High-Impact ‘Sky’s The Limit’ Bat

NEW YORK – Sitting on a gray couch in the Citi Field visitor’s clubhouse, James Wood studied a 64-square checkerboard.  This was the 23-year-old outfielder’s second game of chess of the afternoon. Moments before, Wood had just said the magic word — checkmate — to shortstop CJ Abrams, defeating his Washington Nationals teammate before moving…

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