2018 Baseball Thread (MLB and whatever)

[Badger]

6 hours ago, slikmar said:

Well, I don't count Nomo, as he was basically that years version of Ohtani, Ichiro etc. Players who aren't really rookies, but were stars in the Japanese league. Karros was servicable as a first baseman for a very long career. Mondesi did kind of fade out. Hollandsworth shouldnt have been ROY. Piazza was a great hitter, but truth was, he was a deplorable catcher for most of his career and rumors of steroids followed him and still do. My brother pointed out, if Piazza (and I think Piazza is a very classy guy and has a historic moment in baseball, the 911 HR) had been a first baseman, at that time, he would have just been a upper half hitter (think about it - Frank Thomas, Mark Mcguire, Mo Vaugn, Kruk, Fielder).

 

I believe Karros' win (and maybe Hollandsworth) were in fairly weak years for rookies.  Mondesi was a pretty good defensive OF, that pretty molded into a .250 or so guy with power and speed.

 

OF course, lots of players have come up with strong rookie seasons and disappeared.  The league catches up to your habits, and then it is adapt or die  (or be Andruw Jones and have the powers of hypnotizing opposing pitchers to pitch to your strengths)

[Christopher R Taylor]

Quote

Yeah, for the future I am not crazy about Machado as a SS.  He isn't bad, (somewhat rusty from not playing it much for a few seasons), but the man is legendary defensive 3B.  Like Top 5 of all time defense.  While it might sound counter-intuitive, I think he could help his cause after this year by being willing to go back to 3B

 

Yeah but not on the Dodgers.  Were it not for injuries they'd have no room for him at Shortstop, either.  My guess is that he's only going to be there one year.

[Badger]

11 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

 

Yeah but not on the Dodgers.  Were it not for injuries they'd have no room for him at Shortstop, either.  My guess is that he's only going to be there one year.

 

Yes, I wasn't applying any different, just pointing out for his FA prospects.

 

To be honest, I didn't expect the Orioles to trade Machado.  It was the logical thing to do, but Orioles don't do logic.  They needed to trade Machado, Jones, and Britton at the very least.  I'd figure maybe, Britton (because frankly even strong pitching teams look to add another bullpen arm at this time) and they'd call it a day.

 

Note: On the other hand from what I have heard on the Machado.  Of the 5 prospects they got, only one is particularly highly rated, so that might turn out to be a wash.

[Badger]

Proof the Mets are cursed:

 

Syndergaard went on the DL for...…..

 

 

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

[Badger]

Nationals vs Braves game yesterday, they showed the graphic that the combined age of their LFs (Ronald Acuna and Juan Soto) was 40 years, 117 days.

 

 

That makes me feel better about my 42-year old self.  

 

 

Note: I think I am a Bartolo Colon retirement away from being older than all the MLB players.  I'll have to ask my dad how he felt when similar to that happened to him, the last position player older than him to retire was Pete Rose (my dad is a month younger) but I think knuckleballer Phil Niekro was a couple years older  and lasted another year or so.

[Pariah]

Rockies 4, A's 1, top of the 6th.

[Cancer]

I've got tix to Wednesday's Mariners-Astros game; the seats are almost exactly diametrically opposite the camera's, taking the pitcher's rubber as the reflecting point.  And I think it's the 13th row.

[Pariah]

Yeah, we were in right-center field, in row 3...of the third deck. I have a little fear of heights that made the game pretty uncomfortable for the first 2-3 innings.

 

It was the first MLB game for the kids (they've been to a couple of AAA games in SLC) an the first Rockies fame for Lady P.

[Cancer]

These tickets are from my sister-in-law's employer (commercial fishing); she gets them once a year and that's my birthday present.

[Michael Hopcroft]

14 hours ago, Pariah said:

Rockies 4, A's 1, top of the 6th.

 

13 hours ago, Cancer said:

I've got tix to Wednesday's Mariners-Astros game; the seats are almost exactly diametrically opposite the camera's, taking the pitcher's rubber as the reflecting point.  And I think it's the 13th row.

Good times at the ballpark!

[slikmar]

I wonder if Houston, in trying to get better, may not have done something to tear apart a pretty tight clubhouse: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24237553/buster-olney-houston-astros-own-all-comes-acquiring-roberto-osuna

 

[Badger]

If he was a difference maker, I could see it being worth the gamble.  I don't know if he makes much of a difference, though for them.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Its hard to argue that Houston really needed to get any better, but at the same time I've seen so many great clubs just fall apart because they refused to make changes.  It is always a risk to put someone into a club that breaks that chemistry and teamwork (something the stats guys seem to be unable to comprehend).

 

LA's moves confuse me more, they keep getting middle infielders, when that's pretty much the strongest part of their team.  Are they just trying to lock up players so nobody else gets them?

[slikmar]

Problem with Osuna on Houston is you have already had guys like Verlander (who is pretty important) saying he could never forgive someone that assaults their spouse. So, just in trading for him, immediate clubhouse problems. Course, Altuve and Correia out might hurt them a lot worse then that.

[Badger]

Sunday night game once again Boston vs Yankees, looking to be the usual 4 hour snoozefest (0-0 and an hour plus old, and still bottom of the 3rd)

 

The only excitement in the season series, is the annual obligatory bench clearing brawl, and that was done in April.

[Badger]

Now 3 hours, bottom of 7th, 4-1.  

[Armory]

I gotta brag on my hometown Indianapolis Indians:  last night against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, not one but TWO Indians players hit for the cycle!

 

https://www.milb.com/indianapolis/news/indians-ride-bi-cycle-to-rout-over-ironpigs/c-289349626

 

"The bi-cycle by Newman and Stallings marked the second time in baseball history where teammates have hit for the cycle in the same game. Oddly enough, High-A San Jose accomplished the feat in April of this season."

[Cancer]

Time to raise the mound a few inches.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Baseball should:

• Call the full strike zone (high and low strike, as the rules indicate)
• Eliminate video challenges except for post season
• Eliminate the DH
• Eliminate Interleague Play
• Call any ball tipped into the catcher's mitt by the batter an out
• Eliminate the "signalled intentional walk"
• Reduce the number of games to 154, to shorten the season.  The World Series shouldn't be played in November.
• Vigorously club about the face and neck anyone who thinks that team chemistry and morale means nothing and only stats matter for a team's performance
• Create a "Caribbean" and "Asian" league to go with the National and American leagues.  Start by adding one level of play each year (start with A, then AA, etc) before having the draft for full MLB teams
• Restructure free agency to encourage players to stay on a team
• Quit monkeying with the ball every year to get more home runs
• Eliminate catcher's indifference. If they stole a base, they stole a base, even if there's no throw

 

 

[slikmar]

19 minutes ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Baseball should:

• Call the full strike zone (high and low strike, as the rules indicate)
• Eliminate video challenges except for post season
• Eliminate the DH
• Eliminate Interleague Play
• Call any ball tipped into the catcher's mitt by the batter an out
• Eliminate the "signalled intentional walk"
• Reduce the number of games to 154, to shorten the season.  The World Series shouldn't be played in November.
• Vigorously club about the face and neck anyone who thinks that team chemistry and morale means nothing and only stats matter for a team's performance
• Create a "Caribbean" and "Asian" league to go with the National and American leagues.  Start by adding one level of play each year (start with A, then AA, etc) before having the draft for full MLB teams
• Restructure free agency to encourage players to stay on a team
• Quit monkeying with the ball every year to get more home runs
• Eliminate catcher's indifference. If they stole a base, they stole a base, even if there's no throw

 

 

Agreed - maybe even go so far as giving VR glasses to umpires hooked into the pitch trax (even John Smoltz and some of the other MLB guys are coming around to robo umps). I would supplement this to add regardless of team (see Yankees and Red Sox), Batter or pitcher.

Disagree, but shorten it. Should not take as long as it does. I would also get rid of challenging the guy came off the base unless all such instances could be challenged (Angels back picked a guy other day who over slid 1st going back and ump claimed Marte pushed him off, when clearly he didn't.

Never. Other then a handful of pitchers, i hate seeing them bat. And don't try to argue strategy BS. When a pitcher bats, amazingly even most the decent hitting ones, and there is a man on and 1 or no outs, he will be told to bunt.

I am indifferent to this one. I like iNterleague sometimes.
In other words, it's a foul ball, not a missed swing.

Indifferent, although I have heard pitcher analysts say it helps the pitcher, because they don't have to get used to throwing non strikes and then get back into the zone.

Agreed.

Agreed.

Could be interesting.

Agreed wholeheartedly.

Agreed.

Agreed.

My brother and I think one other stat change. Bullpen guys who come into a tied game with a man on first and 2 outs who then walk next batter and give up game winning single should be given loss. Also, if you come into a close game, say trailing by 1 and give up 5 runs, then your team turns around and scores 3, the starter who left should not be the person who gets the loss.

[Christopher R Taylor]

The reason you get rid of interleague is threefold.

First, it makes the All Star Game pretty much meaningless and boring.

Second, it messes up the schedule, and if you shorten the season, it means even fewer division rival matchups.

Third, if you add in Caribbean and Asian leagues, you simply cannot expect teams to travel that far for interleague games.

[Cancer]

I would want to see how you restructure free agency.  A return to de facto all-but-slavery of the players by restoring all control (and profit) to owners is not what I want.  Frankly, I want to see the ownership be forced to open their books.  And, when jurisdictions build stadiums where the team is the only plausible tenant in them, the jurisdiction has a front-of-the-line lien on the team until the stadium costs are paid.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I'm not really sure how to fix free agency but right now its not working right.  Its hurting baseball and its hurting teams.

[Badger]

13 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Baseball should:

• Call the full strike zone (high and low strike, as the rules indicate)
• Eliminate video challenges except for post season
• Eliminate the DH
• Eliminate Interleague Play
• Call any ball tipped into the catcher's mitt by the batter an out
• Eliminate the "signalled intentional walk"
• Reduce the number of games to 154, to shorten the season.  The World Series shouldn't be played in November.
• Vigorously club about the face and neck anyone who thinks that team chemistry and morale means nothing and only stats matter for a team's performance
• Create a "Caribbean" and "Asian" league to go with the National and American leagues.  Start by adding one level of play each year (start with A, then AA, etc) before having the draft for full MLB teams
• Restructure free agency to encourage players to stay on a team
• Quit monkeying with the ball every year to get more home runs
• Eliminate catcher's indifference. If they stole a base, they stole a base, even if there's no throw

 

 

 

I'd rather the NL get the DH (though I'd just rather both leagues go with the same thing one way or the other).  So-called NL strategy is merely quantity over quality.  I understood the concept of the double switch at age 10.  (if not before) But, in the end I hate it being different in both leagues and want it the same in both leagues regardless of which way.

 

Most everything else I agree with.  I especially like the catcher's indifference thing, I'd definitely do that.  In that theme I'd add for sacrifice bunts, if the guy bunts it is a sacrifice, if it achieves what a sacrifice bunt is supposed regardless of whether the hitter was trying for a hit*.  And get rid of the sacrifice fly.  We don't have sacrifice groundouts.  Don't reward a guy with a non-AB merely because he got the ball in the air to bring in a man from 3rd.

 

*I can see the strategy being "Bunt, get on base if you can, if you don't at least the runner moved up".  

[Badger]

9 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

The reason you get rid of interleague is threefold.

First, it makes the All Star Game pretty much meaningless and boring.

Second, it messes up the schedule, and if you shorten the season, it means even fewer division rival matchups.

Third, if you add in Caribbean and Asian leagues, you simply cannot expect teams to travel that far for interleague games.

 

I will say I'd love to get rid of Interleague, but I don't see it as feasible.  To get my "fair" scheduling, I'd actually have to increase interleague to 30 games each season (i'd like for each team in a division play the exact same teams the exact same times, evenly at home and road during the season.  An 18 games vs division, 6 vs rest of league, 6 vs another division in the other league on a 3 year rotating basis would be the way to do that.  The only other way would be add a team to each league, go to 4 4-team divisions per league, and probably completely eliminate wildcard).  But, these are all just thoughts,  if they could just eliminate having interleague rivalries, I'd almost be satisfied.  Other than NY vs NY, Chicago vs Chicago, and maybe a couple others is anyone even really interested.  (heck half the teams, don't really have a real geographic rival to begin with.)