2022 Baseball Thread

[unclevlad]

Pointed out on MLB Afternoon Baseball, as Dodgers-Brewers gets underway...

 

On this date in 1967, Tony Conigliaro was hit in the face, shattering his cheekbone and damaging his left eye.  There were no ear flaps at the time;  this is one of the most-cited incidents that led to them.  He was 22, just starting on what was a potential Hall of Fame career pretty much...he set the record for youngest to hit 100 home runs (in the American League) during the '67 season, and was an All-Star.  He did manage a comeback, and had 2 pretty good years, but his vision deteriorated.  

[Cancer]

2 hours ago, unclevlad said:

Then in Nov. 2009, they name a new club president, elevating the VP for sales and marketing. 

 

Almost by definition, the only thing a marketer does is make something (in particular, themself) look good, independent of reality.  They know literally nothing else.

[unclevlad]

Jim Kaat has been one of my favorite baseball analysts for a long time.  Quiet, thoughtful, and informative.

 

He just finished calling his last game moments ago, after more than 30 years in the booth...and that, after a LONG, ultimately Hall of Fame baseball career.  He still sounds amazingly good;  any of us will be ecstatic to look and sound as good as he does at 83.

[slikmar]

10 hours ago, unclevlad said:

 

The Rangers canned their president of baseball operations yesterday.

Can the Angels be far behind?  They've had a history of *awful* roster construction and seriously misguided contracts for quite some time.

 

Coincidence or not?
Angels won 94, 100, and 97 games 2007-9.  Playoffs all 3 years.  Lost in the DS in 07 and 08, then in the CS in 09....to AL East teams, when the AL East was dominant.  (2 of those years, they were knocked out by the eventual WS champs.)

 

Then in Nov. 2009, they name a new club president, elevating the VP for sales and marketing.  

 

And have made the playoffs once since then...and got swept.  Granted, the Royals made the WS that year...and won their first 8 playoff games...so it wasn't unique.  But that's the only year.  

Real problem was, when they changed Club President, the Angels basically cut their scouting department (including the man heading it) out to cut costs. It's why we don't draft real that well, I think. Add to that things like Nick Adenhart, potential Ace Pitcher, being killed by a drunk driver after making his MLB debut.

[Pariah]

It's unfortunate, really.

 

The Monforts are selling the Rockies, but not the right ones

 

The final paragraph of the article really says it all:

Quote

The Colorado Rockies, who moved to 51-69 on Thursday and will miss the playoffs again, are very much still owned by the Monforts. The Rockies have played big league ball for 30 years and have yet to win a division crown.

 

[Pariah]

Talk about adding injury to insult.

 

Rockies lose Antonio Senzatela to knee injury vs. Cardinals; Charlie Blackmon’s leg injury not serious

 

Both injuries happened early in a game the Rocks would lose 13-0, the last game of a sweep by the Cardinals. 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

 

[Cancer]

Does Steve Miller own the Space Cowboys?

[Pariah]

Nah, I think they're owned by some guy named Maurice.

[Cygnia]

https://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/giants-selling-shirts-with-hated-nickname-17392448.php

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

SAN FRAN is more hated than FRISCO? That's newsworthy right there. 

[Cancer]

As someone who last lived in that area 55+ years ago, the relative level of distaste for those two depends on which wrong side of the bed you got out of that morning.

[slikmar]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34447735/los-angeles-angels-owner-arte-moreno-exploring-possible-sale-team

 

Can't say I am surprised. My brother listens to a very conspiracy podcast that follows certain trends (I do not and don't know the link). According to them, going into the trade deadline, the Angels led the league in pitches called strikes outside the zone against their hitters and strikes called balls on their pitchers. Also, checking launch angle/exit velocity, it was clear to them that the Angels were always saddled with the dead ball this season. Their theory has been that MLB, or someone in there, has been upset that the Angels did not trade Trout to an east coast team, maybe Phillies or Yankees, and were trying to force them to do so with Ohtani. Remember, part of this conspiracy is that the Angels were within 1 game of Houston when they absolutely collapsed and a big part of that was they went from leading the league in HRs (yes ahead of the Yankees, who this same site will tell you were the opposite of the Angels in all the above stats) to not being able to hit. Part of that is, when was the last time you saw a guy lead the league in HRs by almost double then next person.

Also, there are a lot of rumors that as a minority (racially) owner, Moreno has dealt with a lot of prejudice. As a fan, I wish him well, but I think part of the problem is that he reverted to what Gene Autry used to do, buy the big shiny and not build structure. It wasn't till Gene's wife took over that they started building from within and put the team that won the WS together. Moreno put as president a marketing guy, he set limits on payroll, he got rid of half the scouting department.

Finally, this week, Joe Maddon sounded off on Angels: https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2022/08/20/fired-angels-manager-joe-maddon-having-a-blast-and-blasting-how-some-teams-are-run/

Part of what he says is why DiPoto is in Seattle instead of managing Angels. He was well on his way to rebuilding our minor leagues and moving us into an analytics based organization, but he had conflicts with Scioscia back then when he started bypassing the coaches and giving information directly to the players and Mike's power was too high at the time to do that. I wish he could have been more diplomatic about it, with having a person on the staff that he could work with, because I think we would have been in a better spot.

I wish the Moreno's well as I think their passion is absolutely legitimate and I hope that we get an owner with money and passion for the team. I fear that this off season will see the trading of Ohtani (hopefully for a package similar to what Nationals got) and Trout asking to be traded (god I hope not) leaving us with the perpetual injury Rendon as our only high priced player.

[unclevlad]

Anything we hear from a conspiracy podcast is worth the flick of the lighter needed to burn the paper the script is on...but when we get to the management failures, that's got a lot more concrete backing.

 

I've never thought the problem was money...rather, the consistent misallocation.  The Angels have the 10th highest payroll at $170M...but a lot of it is in some terrible contracts.  Justin Upton was likely overpaid when he was signed, and his contributions fell off a cliff for the last 3 years.  That's $27M they're eating this year.  Pujols' contract was at least 5 years too long.  Anthony Rendon had great numbers in 2019, but also had missed a fair amount of time.  One can argue this is bad luck to a degree, cuz he's missed SO much time the last 2 years, but it's also a big risk of buying mega-pricey free agents.  They're still paying $13M to Syndergaard.  

 

I'm not sure Moreno is the problem per se....rather, the people he's installed.

 

EDIT:  Over on MLB.com, there's an article about what might be the hot stories in the offseason.  Part of the comments:  according to MLB Pipeline, the Angels have the worst farm system in baseball.

https://www.mlb.com/news/farm-system-rankings-2022-midseason?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

 

And this is AFTER San Diego raided theirs so heavily for their deals.  It's also telling that their ranks have been going down...21, 25, 24, 28 (2020 midseason, 21 pre and mid, 22 pre), and now 30th.  And it's not like some other teams who've dropped because those minor leaguers are now playing...or, at least, if it is, they're not helping.

 

 

[Pariah]

MLB releases 2023 schedule: All 30 teams will face each other in revamped format; Opening Day on March 30

 

tl,dr version: Fewer games against division rivals, similar number of games against other teams in the League, four games home-and-home against a designated interleague rival, and a three-game series against every other team in the opposite league.

 

Condensed tl;dr version: Every MLB team will play every other MLB team at least three times next season.

 

First the universal DH, now this. The long-anticipated evil has come to pass. No point in even calling them different leagues any more. 

 

The one thing that made Major League Baseball truly unique in professional sports is gone.

[unclevlad]

https://www.mlb.com/news/oneil-cruz-hardest-hit-ball-tracked-by-statcast-by-highest-exit-velocity

 

a)  a 6'7"  SHORTSTOP?  

b)  exit velo of 122 !!!!!!!!

 

He thought he'd hit it out but it hit just below the top of the Clemente wall, which is 21' high.  Usually, not running hard because you make that assumption...is bad.  But when you crush one like that...yeahhh, ok.

 

122....bloody insane.

[slikmar]

6 hours ago, unclevlad said:

Anything we hear from a conspiracy podcast is worth the flick of the lighter needed to burn the paper the script is on...but when we get to the management failures, that's got a lot more concrete backing.

 

I've never thought the problem was money...rather, the consistent misallocation.  The Angels have the 10th highest payroll at $170M...but a lot of it is in some terrible contracts.  Justin Upton was likely overpaid when he was signed, and his contributions fell off a cliff for the last 3 years.  That's $27M they're eating this year.  Pujols' contract was at least 5 years too long.  Anthony Rendon had great numbers in 2019, but also had missed a fair amount of time.  One can argue this is bad luck to a degree, cuz he's missed SO much time the last 2 years, but it's also a big risk of buying mega-pricey free agents.  They're still paying $13M to Syndergaard.  

 

I'm not sure Moreno is the problem per se....rather, the people he's installed.

 

EDIT:  Over on MLB.com, there's an article about what might be the hot stories in the offseason.  Part of the comments:  according to MLB Pipeline, the Angels have the worst farm system in baseball.

https://www.mlb.com/news/farm-system-rankings-2022-midseason?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

 

And this is AFTER San Diego raided theirs so heavily for their deals.  It's also telling that their ranks have been going down...21, 25, 24, 28 (2020 midseason, 21 pre and mid, 22 pre), and now 30th.  And it's not like some other teams who've dropped because those minor leaguers are now playing...or, at least, if it is, they're not helping.

 

 

A big part of the low ranked minors was because of the cutting of the scouting department. Also, Stoneman and Reagins (especially) kept trading anyone we had in the minors away for veteran players in an attempt to stay in playoff hunt. It's said where you never wanted to be was in the middle and that's where the Angels have been for too many years. DiPoto tried to start fixing it, but his clash with Scioscia ended that.

 

I believe Upton's contract ended last season, but I could be wrong. Add to this the Hamilton fiasco (all of Moreno's making). Syndegaard wasn't a bad sign, 1 year hoping he would recover completely - same surgery as Verlander, one came back as good as ever, other lost 4-5 mph on fastball. Rendon signing is interesting, it was in response to not getting any of the starting pitchers that year so get the big shiny to make a headline (something Moreno has been bad about - Hamilton, Pujols (no one was offering him what Angels did, if they had signed for 5-7, would have been better), Upton (extended while still had 4 years left on contract and was already getting worse)), in that prior to that signing, he had played the most games in the prior 3 years of any player, or close to it, yet with Angels, he has yet to play a full season and has been less then good when he has, probalby due to injury.

 

Hopefully some of these pitchers we signed will develop, but there is the problem also, our minors are not doing a good job of developing players. Part of the problem with this is that hitters in their AAA league, Pacific Coast League, is to much a hitters league, so guys come out of that mashing and get to Angels and look lost. Marsh and Adell were all about their athleticism, but Adell still makes bad routes and plays in outfield. Marsh was traded and is a good outfielder, so kind of wish hadn't traded him, will all depend on the catcher they got. They desperately need a hitting coach who doesnt just teach hit a HR or nothing. Both Stassi and Walsh took leaps backward at the plate, and they look like they are constantly guessing wrong. Too many hitters on this team watch pitches go by and too many sub 200 hitters in the lineup.

 

I think next season our pitching might be decent, especially if keep Ohtani as a 1, with Detmers, Suarez, Sandoval and a mix of the guy they got from Atlanta, Rodriguez and Canning (both out all year with injuries) and maybe a few others. Again to go into either bad coaching or something else, we signed 4 guys for bullpen last off season that concensus was would turn Angels bullpen into a strength (Resigned Iglesias as closer, signed Tepera, Loup and Bradley) allowing others like Meyers and Barria to slot into better spots. Iglesias was never who he had been and the other 3 all have down or horrid years (I think Loup alone has double digit blown games).

 

I will stop now as this shouldn't all be about 1 team, I guess, but as a fan it just irks me.

[unclevlad]

Going into the bottom of the 8th, the Dodgers are up 12-4 on the Brewers, in Dodger Stadium.  Not surprisingly, then, the Brewers use a position player for the bottom of the 8th, and the Dodgers use one for the top of the 9th.  

 

That's the 90th and 91st time a position player's been used this year...setting a new record.  With 

a)  nearly 1/4 of the season left to go, and 

b)  when the games just playing out the string...both teams eliminated or hopeless, and

c)  the September call-ups are MUCH more limited again this year, so you won't have the massive cadre of young pitchers you want to take a look at

[unclevlad]

Anyone else see this?

Braves are up big, 9th inning.  Pitching isn't all that sharp...couple runs scoring, couple more on.  Not worrisome by any means, but not what a manager wants to see.

 

But then, the pitcher, Jackson Stephens, takes one *SQUARE* on the forehead...near the hairline, above the right eye.  OOOF.  He never drops down to the ground, but there was no question he *had* to come out of the game.  Leaving him in would be reckless.  

 

News today, he was put on the 7 day concussion list, but there was no further word.

 

Also saw:  Adidas just dropped Tatis after his PED suspension.  That's gonna sting;  got to figure he had a *nice* sized deal with them.  He may lose others, too;  he's been one of the most prolific, high-profile pitchmen from MLB this year.

 

Final note:  we haven't hit September...and the Dodgers' number to clinch a playoff berth is 17.

[unclevlad]

In the What the......... category

 

Aroldis Chapman has been put onto the 15 day IL due to, apparently, a rather nasty infection in his leg.  The WTF aspect?  It was from getting a tattoo.

 

Can't make this stuff up...

[Cygnia]

Sounds like a sketchy tattoo artist there...

[slikmar]

Sounds like a stupid thing to do with a month left in the season and you are trying to get your closer role back.

[unclevlad]

6 hours ago, Cygnia said:

Sounds like a sketchy tattoo artist there...

 

Does seem likely but it's also possible that Chapman messed up afterwards.  

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/tattoos-and-piercings/art-20045067#:~:text=Bloodborne diseases.,hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

 

 

10 minutes ago, slikmar said:

Sounds like a stupid thing to do with a month left in the season and you are trying to get your closer role back.

 

Seems stupid at any point during the season, as long as you're on the active roster.  Tatis can go get some at this point, no problem..........  Yeah, I think I first heard this on MLB Tonight, and one of those guys made the same comment.  NOT good judgment, even if the risk is typically low these days.

[unclevlad]

Angels are beating the Blue Jays 7-2.  Buck Martinez, the Blue Jays analyst, is a square shooter...always has been.  He's not a club apologist.  Blue Jays have been playing poorly;  there was a base running incident where a runner at first jogged on a ball up the middle.  So he and Schulman have been talking.  

 

Buck made a big point.  He feels that ball players don't feel enough pressure to keep their jobs...that there's a general lack of depth.  That's why you see the inconsistent performances, the repeating of mistakes, the refusals to adapt...if the players aren't worried about being replaced, why should they?  This doesn't apply to rookies on min contracts...which can be a lot of players on some teams...but once a player's getting guaranteed money, getting a 'paltry' 3-4 mill a year...it's a whole lot harder to send him down.

 

He noted one factor, applicable just in the last couple years:  teams only have 4 farm teams.  I'll add, more broadly, simple expansion...most of the top 400 players are already in the majors for much of the year (counting long-term injury call-ups), so you're already down the depth chart quite a ways.  There's very broad conservatism...the fear of doing worse is largely stronger than the hope of making a mild improvement.  

[unclevlad]

Just saw this.  Patrick Corbin got credit for a win yesterday, going 6, giving up 1.

The remarkable aspect is:  this was the first win recorded for a Nats starter since July 6th.  43 games.  SMASHED the previous record of 35.  Granted:  there's a much higher percentage of games where the starter never qualifies for the win these days.  Still...

 

And yes, the Nats are that bad.  12 fewer wins than our despondent Mr. P's Rockies.