The 2019 Baseball Thread

[slikmar]

Normally they are a top down, which is why this makes even less sense, but Roberts decided to leave Kershaw in despite the fact everyone knows he isn't the same pitcher he was (one article went do far to say if the name on the back of the jersey wasn't Kershaw, he would have pulled him, so sentimentality and loyalty drove the decision) instead of bringing in a right-hander to face Rondon and then the lefty whose whole job the entire series was to get Soto out to face Soto and then leaving Joe Kelly to pitch a second inning when he hadn't thrown a 2nd inning in 6 weeks instead of going to Jansen were both choices made by Roberts in the spur of the moment, and he has said so. So, not only did he show bad judgement in that, but went against what management had basically setup. Don't get me wrong, if Kershaw gets Rondon and Soto (or only gives up singles to them) maybe we aren't having this conversation, but Rondon is an MVP candidate who destroys left handed pitchers.

[death tribble]

So I understand the World Series is over and no-one here really cared for either side ? 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Neither team was really worthy of being hated. 

[Christopher R Taylor]

Both teams annoyed me in different ways, but I enjoyed the series.  For me it was not so much about disliking both teams, it was just a matter of being neutral; I didn't mind who won as long as it took the full series.

[Pariah]

Despite their base of operations, I was actually pulling for the Nationals for two reasons:

 

1. I'm a National League guy. I'll cheer for the NL in pretty much any circumstance, except when it involves the Dodgers or Giants; and

 

2. The Nationals used to be my team (sort of). Before the Rockies came to Colorado in 1993, Denver was home of the Denver Bears (later ignominiously changed to the Zephyrs), for many years the AAA affiliate of the Montreal Expos. We'd go to Bears games frequently when I was growing up. Among the players I got to see before they became famous were Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, and Tim Wallach. And the 4th of July fireworks games at Mile High Stadium were always amazing.

[Pariah]

You may have heard about MLB's proposal to eliminate 42 minor league teams by the end of next year....

 

Is MLB threatening to decimate minors to screw taxpayers or players or what?

 

MLB’s minor league hit list would kill 42 teams that cities spent hundreds of millions on stadiums for

 

The 'hit list' includes the entire Pioneer League, which would shut down two of the three minor league teams in this state. (The third, the Salt Lake Bees, are AAA and consequently in no danger.) The stadium in Orem is on the campus of, and owned by, Utah Valley University, who also uses the facility for their Division I baseball program. But the stadium in Ogden is owned by the city and has recently been renovated and expanded. And the view looks like this:

 

 

It would be shame to see these teams gone.

[Cancer]

I was wondering who/what was behind this.  Guess I'm no longer sad the Astros lost the Series.

[Pariah]

From now on, I think I'll be referring to the team in question as the Asstros.

[BNakagawa]

Shouldn't this thread be closed and a 2020 winter meeting/hot stove league thread started?

[Badger]

I was kind of bummed the Nationals won.  No offense to the fans, but the Orioles and Nationals are the 2 teams that I have to watch the most, and the National announcers are going to be insufferable next year.

[death tribble]

We cannot have a vexed badger

[Pariah]

On 12/11/2019 at 3:37 PM, BNakagawa said:

Shouldn't this thread be closed and a 2020 winter meeting/hot stove league thread started?

 

I figure we can start the new thread in February when pitchers and catchers report.

[Pariah]

This can't be good.

 

Major League Baseball threatens to walk away from Minor League Baseball entirely

[Badger]

My dad'll be happy if I heard right Gerrit Cole to Yankees.  He been saying they need another starting pitcher for a couple of years.

[Badger]

2 hours ago, Pariah said:

This can't be good.

 

Major League Baseball threatens to walk away from Minor League Baseball entirely

 

I fully expect, if it is stupid, Rob Manfred would do it.  I don't really see it as feasible for Major League baseball.  You need somewhere for players to be MLB-ready.  They'd have to at least, go back to the pre-farm system days of purchasing players from the minors, and what not.

 

Rob Manfred is to commissioners what The Last Jedi is to Star Wars.  The latter made me appreciate the prequels, whereas the former makes me miss Bud Selig.

[Badger]

course, one interesting thing for Toronto.  They could do an all-sons of greats infield with

 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Bo Bichette (Dante Bichette)

Cavan Biggio (Craig Biggio)

Lourdes Gurriel Jr (son of a Cuban great)

 

Guerrero has gotten the fanfare, though personally I think the greatest career will likely come from Bo Bichette.  (the younger Guerrero definitely needs to keep an eye on his weight, could end up suffering from Pablo Sandoval Syndrome in that way).

[Pariah]

Astros cheating scandal: MLB's penalties warranted in unprecedented case, but might not be harsh enough

 

[Michael Hopcroft]

There has been nothing like this since the Black Sox and Pete Rose. Two world titles are in question, because the Red Sox may have been doing the same thing the next season. And the Dodgers were beaten in humiliation twice in this manner. LA fans are justifiably furious. This cheating made their pitching staff, arguably the best in the major leagues over those two seasons, look foolish, and the second loss broke their will for the next season. I was astonished at those collapses watching those games, particularly the clinchers.

 

What this makes me want to do is use my favorite baseball sim, in which I have both season disks, to play out the 2017 and 2018 World Series and see what the regular season teams would do against each other. Of course, the Astros and later Sox were doing the same thing throughout the regular season, which inflated their records to the point that you have to wonder if either team would even have made the playoffs without it. Sadly, the sims are based on the stats that were actually achieved, not what "they should have done had they been clean"; thus players from the Steroid era will still have the abilities that were given to them from a bottle and a syringe.

 

Baseball had to come down as hard as they did, if not harder. Otherwise everybody would start to do it, because they'd be idiots not to if there was an advantage to be gained and no consequences. The fine is more symbolic than anything else, taking away the Astros and Red Sox' championships would be symbolic as well, but you simply don't do that to professionals. There are a lot of ways to cheat in baseball, from PEDs to corked bats and spitballs. It's always been part of the game, and players like Ty Cobb and Gaylord Perry made their living at it.

[Badger]

Cheating is always kind of murky in baseball. Sign stealing is generally "approved" of unofficially, to some extent, as being clever.  A former 19th century player Arlie Latham, was one of the coaches to be kept around, partly because of his knack for being ability to find out opposing signs.  Though external methods (usually binoculars) have been frowned on.

 

Note: I did occasionally dabble with the spitball in my youth, using various substances, on the sidelines for fun.  Never used in game, however.   

[Badger]

I forget the pitcher and the teams, but there is a legend from the deadball era, when the spitball was legal.  One pitcher who lived with the spitball, would sometimes lick the ball to intimidate the opposition.  One home team, eventually, to stop that, rubbed their baseballs in cow manure.  

[Starlord]

You know whose fault this is, don't you?

 

Cora! Cora! Cora!

[Starlord]

Some 2017 postseason hitting stats for the Astros, obviously the 'banging' signaling method for batters could really only be used at home.

 

Jose Altuve home:  .472

Jose Altuve away:  .143

 

Carlos Correa home:  .371

Carlos Correa away:  .211

 

Alex Bregman home:  .273

Alex Bregman away:  .154

 

Brian McCann home:  .300

Brian McCann away:  .037

 

Yuli Gurriel home:  .303

Yuli Gurriel away: . 306

 

Evan Gattis home:  .300

Evan Gattis away:  .200

[Pariah]

...and people say Coors Field gives hitters artificially inflated stats!

[Grailknight]

Yeah, this is a sad time to be an Astros fan. The penalties weren't truly harsh enough but if you strip the World Series in '17 then you'd probably have to do the "18 one as well.  And the owners who sign Manfred's paycheck don't want him to have that much power over them.

 

This may be the best way to stop it though. No manager will put up with this happening under their watch (unless it's approved from the owner and front office😧)

[slikmar]

Don't underestimate the loss of the Draft Picks. Houston basically built their team through the draft with supplementing through trades/FA. Their players are getting to that point where is hard to keep them all and now they have been put back at least 2 years for top draft picks, hurting not only the future teams but also trade proposals.