2005 MLB Regular Season Thread

[tdydynasty]

The place to discuss teams other than the Red Sox and Yankees.

Braves run is over in 2005. Mets have Pedro and Beltran.

[Celeval]

Beltran is overrated.

[sterlingice]

Braves run may be over (who knows) but I seriously doubt it will be the Mets who knock them off. Phils or Fish, I could see, tho.

SI

[bosshogg23]

Miguel Cabrera is gonna be a full blown star this year.

[FBPro]

The place to discuss teams other than the Red Sox and Yankees.

Braves run is over in 2005.
How many YEARS have the EXPERTS predicted this? Great track record to this point........I'll believe it when I see it.

[sterlingice]

How many YEARS have the EXPERTS predicted this? Great track record to this point........I'll believe it when I see it.
Definitely. I've given up on picking against the Braves. When they actually go out and lose, then I'll stop picking them. I mean, geez- they made John Thomson, Russ Ortiz, Jaret Wright, Mike Hampton, and Paul Byrd look good last year. Yeesh.

SI

[JeffNights]

The Detroit Tigers will win the AL Central, Thank you. That is all.

[Eaglesfan27]

Forget the Mets (or the Braves.) This is the Phillies year! Their staff can compete with any staff in the division, and their lineup is potentially the most explosive. Abreu, Thome, and Burrell are great at the heart of the order. I think this is the year, Rollins fulfills his potential to be a great leadoff guy. Lofton will be a decent addition as well.

[Celeval]

The Detroit Tigers will win the AL Central, Thank you. That is all.
Sheesh... I'm behind the times. I didn't realize the Indians, Twins, and White Sox all got moved out of the Central.

[FBPro]

Dateline Philadelphia 2004......Forget the Mets (or the Braves.) This is the Phillies year! Their staff can compete with any staff in the division, and their lineup is potentially the most explosive. Abreu, Thome, and Burrell are great at the heart of the order. I think this is the year, Rollins fulfills his potential to be a great leadoff guy. Lofton will be a decent addition as well.
Fixed that for ya..........oh wait, they sucked last yr too. :)

[Chief Rum]

Nothing is a given in the always wild AL West, but I must admit to getting the feeling of quiet confidence from this year's Angels. It's like in the past, they had some good ballplayers, and they thought they could be good. And sometimes they were.

Now, they are past that. They know they're good, and if they just keep doing what they're doing, they will be one of the better teams in the league.

And I'm not really too worried about them being good or bad. I'm just worried about whether any of the other AL West teams will be stepping it up to stay with them, and if so, will we be competing with the Red Sox or Yanks for a wildcard spot?

It would help if we get DMac, Escobar, and AK all back by the end of April, though.

CR

[ISiddiqui]

How many YEARS have the EXPERTS predicted this? Great track record to this point........I'll believe it when I see it.
So then you are of the opinion that the Braves will win the NL East forever and ever? After all, since they haven't lost it yet, you can't believe it will ever happen by your logic ;)

[JeffNights]

Sheesh... I'm behind the times. I didn't realize the Indians, Twins, and White Sox all got moved out of the Central.



I see, you must not pay attention to any off season moves eithier, let alone younger pitchers getting better.

[Vince]

I don't know what to think about the NL West. The off-season in a nutshell...

-Giants get a bat (Alou), a closer (Benitez) and lose Bonds for an indeterminate amount of time.

-Dogers try to make the best of a bad situation (Beltre leaving), seem to get nothing but worse. They're better than they would have been if they hadn't done anything -- but they are not as good a team as they were last year.

-Padres remain largely the exact same team.

-Diamondbacks make some huge moves...but they had a long way to move up before they were considered respectable.

-Rockies...well, I don't remember much about what they did this off-season, and I think they're probably going to suck again.

I think the NL West is really a 3 team race -- the Dodgers, Giants or Padres could win it. Many people seem to think that the Giants are too old, and that they are going to all of a sudden suck this year. I don't really understand that...but hey, it could happen. The same way Derek Lowe could suck, Odalis Perez could blow out his arm, and Jeff Kent could fall off a motorcycle. A lot of people also seem to think that the Padres are going to get magically much better than they were last year. While they have a few kids who could develop further (Greene, among others), a lot of their guys are past the "getting better" phase of their career. I think that the Padres getting much better than they were last year is about as likely as the Giants all of a sudden sucking, or the Dodgers getting better after losing a 40 HR, Gold-Glove caliber 3B. That is, it could happen, but it's hardly set in stone.

So that's all basically a long-winded way of saying that I think that the Giants are going to have a tough time winning the division -- but it's definitely not outside the realm of possibility. Hope blooms eternal in the spring...

[FBPro]

So then you are of the opinion that the Braves will win the NL East forever and ever? After all, since they haven't lost it yet, you can't believe it will ever happen by your logic ;)
Sounds good to me :)

[Breeze]

Braves run may be over (who knows) but I seriously doubt it will be the Mets who knock them off. Phils or Fish, I could see, tho.

SI


I agree with SI. I don't see the Mets winning the division.

[CraigSca]

Every year the Mets add 2-3 players and the NY press proclaim them to be 20-25 games better than the previous year. I admit theey're much more interesting this year, but they have a rich history of finding a way to stink.

[Ksyrup]

I'll always root for the Tigers, but I just don't see any way they make the playoffs, much less win the division. The Twins are going to win it, and the Indians will be good. Maybe Detroit can do what KC did a couple of years ago and stay competitive until September, but they've got starting pitcher issues beyond Bonderman. My hope is that Robertson becomes a solid starter, but Johnson and Maroth are 5th/6th starters at best, and Ledezma is a huge question mark. The bullpen is better, but they needed to pick up 2 more solid starters to be legitimate contenders.

The Phillies over the Braves....I'll be rooting for the Phils as always, but I'll believe it when I see it.

[Celeval]

I see, you must not pay attention to any off season moves eithier, let alone younger pitchers getting better.
'course I did. Of couse, the rest of the division didn't stand pat, either. Detroit will probably finish 13 out instead of 20 out... but still behind the Twins, Indians, and White Sox. Royals will improve (they almost have to), but not enough to get into contention.

[Vince]

Holy Dmitri Young, Batman!

I couldn't be happier that my dad has him on the bench today :)

[sterlingice]

Go Joe Randa! Walkoff homer to win it after an Adam Dunn two run shot to tie it. Good to see him doing well with his new team.

SI

[DeToxRox]

MEATHOOK!

Three homers today. Unstoppable.

Sure its the Royals, but still.

[TazFTW]

The place to discuss teams other than the Red Sox and Yankees.

Braves run is over in 2005. Mets have Pedro and Beltran.


http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/rotflmao.gif

[SunDevil]

Just saw the highlight of the Pirates/Brewers game. The pirates fiedling was pretty bad. These are major league baseball players right?

[Buccaneer]

They shouldn't be playing baseball at high altitudes. :mad:

[Ksyrup]

The Phillies won their first season-opening home game since 1980.

I smell another championship!

[Coop]

Miguel Cabrera is gonna be a full blown star this year.
This is true and the Marlins will win the East. http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[sovereignstar]

bump

[Ksyrup]

I'm starting to feel even more certain that the A's got rid of the wrong "Big 3" guy. I guess Hudson had to go, but between Mulder and Zito...Zito just hasn't looked good since 2003, and he's off to a bad start this year. Maybe they thought Mulder was the bigger injury risk.

[HomerJSimpson]

So then you are of the opinion that the Braves will win the NL East forever and ever? After all, since they haven't lost it yet, you can't believe it will ever happen by your logic ;)


That isn't what he said. He said "I'll believe it when I see it..." and it hasn't been seen in 13 years. He might see it this year, but I wouldn't say that is anywhere near a definite. And considering how the Mets have started the season, I don't think they'll be the ones to unseat them.

[Recoil]

Braves run is over in 2005. Mets have Pedro and Beltran.

Looks like the Mets are already in mid-season form after 5 games. :D

[Arles]

The Dbacks have the worst bullpen in the history of time. Blew a 4-run lead in the 9th last night and a 5-run lead in the 8th tonight.

[Arles]

DBacks actually had a nice pitching effort tonight. Shut-out the Rockies behind Brad Halsey's 6 inning, 7 K, 1 BB and 0 run effort. The kid looks pretty good to this point.

[Danny]

The Dbacks have the worst bullpen in the history of time.

Apparently you don't know the real story of Noah's ark. Mr. Monkey and Mr. Giraffe constantly gave up 6 or 7 run leads to the big bats of Mr. Rhino and Ms. Elephant. Admittedly, the season was stopped when the game was ruled too dangerous after the male unicorn got hit in the genitals with a wild pitch.

[sterlingice]

Apparently you don't know the real story of Noah's ark. Mr. Monkey and Mr. Giraffe constantly gave up 6 or 7 run leads to the big bats of Mr. Rhino and Ms. Elephant. Admittedly, the season was stopped when the game was ruled too dangerous after the male unicorn got hit in the genitals with a wild pitch.
*groan* http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

SI

[Buccaneer]

The Pads got Peavy and Lawrence going tomorrow against Wood and Prior. Might be the lowest scoring DH in history.

[Ksyrup]

This guy has gone Ankiel/Wohlers:


Byung-Hyun Kim (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6237) has been worse than bad for the Rockies: He's pitched in eight games and lost three, walking 11 and hitting another in 9 1/3 innings. Sure, opponents are hitting just .188 against him, but that's because nobody knows where the ball is going next -- and nevertheless, Kim has a 9.64 ERA.

[Ksyrup]

As of now, Friday's Cubs-Astros game should be a matchup of Greg Maddux vs. Roger Clemens.
They have faced each other once before, in 2000, when neither got a decision, but the Braves beat the Sox 11-7. This one will be fun to watch. Apr. 25 - 7:08 am et

[Ksyrup]

Red Sox in trouble; Wells AND Schilling now on DL. Mags on DL for an injury (hernia) which wouldn't allow Tigers to void the rest of his deal.

[Bearcat729]

And my fantasy team falls apart earlier than usual

[HomerJSimpson]

I used to like Glavine as a Brave, but now I just love him as a Met. :)

[Ksyrup]

With Percival out 4-6 weeks, any team looking at Urbina as a possible closer will probably have to look elsewhere, unless Detroit completely falls apart. If they're anywhere near .500, they probably need to keep him, even if Chicago and Minnesota pull away.

[st.cronin]

I do not wish to alarm you, but Lyle Overbay has a .496 on base percentage. It's all about the O, baby.

[Ksyrup]

And according to Gammons, he might be traded to make room for Prince Fielder. Since he still has one more arbitration-free year left, he could fetch some major talent.

[bossfan2000]

I am trying to figure out how atlanta is doing so well, with jordan and mondesi in the outfield at the same time. I keep hoping that they will give the young guys a chance. The pitching has been great, though I am not a big fan of Kolb. For some reason, closers who can't strike anyone out worry me. LaRoche is doing well in the 4 slot, though.

[Bearcat729]

I saw a story today on Cold Pizza about how HR totals are down and they say that new steroid testing is the reason why. I however know that the only reason HR totals are down is because Eric Milton has only started 7 games.

[Ksyrup]

They're down 8-9% from last year. Some have suggested the cool/wet weather on the East Coast is partly responsible; others have said Bonds would have made up the 9% on his own - and I don't think they were joking, just insane.

[Ksyrup]

"I think if Barry were playing, you'd probably have that nine percent," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said.

"The best hitter in baseball is on the DL," added Florida Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/6133). "I can't say it's steroids or the pitching. It might be a combination. If it was down 30 percent, I would say, 'Whoa, we've got to look at something.' Nine percent is a minimal variation."


2004 - 459 games, 990 HR
2005 - 460 games, 908 HR

Barry's worth HOW MANY HRs?!?!?

[rkmsuf]

"I think if Barry were playing, you'd probably have that nine percent," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said.

"The best hitter in baseball is on the DL," added Florida Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/6133). "I can't say it's steroids or the pitching. It might be a combination. If it was down 30 percent, I would say, 'Whoa, we've got to look at something.' Nine percent is a minimal variation."


2004 - 459 games, 990 HR
2005 - 460 games, 908 HR

Barry's worth HOW MANY HRs?!?!?

82

[Ksyrup]

Thank you, math wiz...

[Arles]

I think switching teams and/or injuries have played a part. Out of the top 20 HR leaders from 04, 7 have switched teams and 2 are currently on the DL (with another missing 15 games). Still, 8% to this point isn't a big deal. A better gauge will be at the All-Star break when players can adjust to their new teams/leagues and the injuries will have averaged out with 04.

[Ksyrup]

This would be a disappointing end to the career of a quality guy:


Jeff Bagwell's shoulder problem isn't getting any better, and there's even talk about him shutting it down, possibly for good. He's missed the last six games with the injury.
Doctors have said he'll need a shoulder replacement when his career is over, and while he hasn't been able to throw for some time, he can't swing a bat now either. ''I have no strength left in my shoulder,'' he said. ''My shoulder has gotten weaker year after year after year. I just can't get the bat head to the ball like I could. The pain is always there.'' After that, he went on to say he has a great family, and if he can't play anymore, he'd get over it. It may be time to push the panic button. May. 10 - 8:34 am et

[DeToxRox]

This would be a disappointing end to the career of a quality guy:


Jeff Bagwell's shoulder problem isn't getting any better, and there's even talk about him shutting it down, possibly for good. He's missed the last six games with the injury.
Doctors have said he'll need a shoulder replacement when his career is over, and while he hasn't been able to throw for some time, he can't swing a bat now either. ''I have no strength left in my shoulder,'' he said. ''My shoulder has gotten weaker year after year after year. I just can't get the bat head to the ball like I could. The pain is always there.'' After that, he went on to say he has a great family, and if he can't play anymore, he'd get over it. It may be time to push the panic button. May. 10 - 8:34 am et

That is a shame. Bags has always been a great player and seemed like a great guy. I hate to see it end like this.

[sterlingice]

Man, that sucks :(

SI

[rkmsuf]

That is a shame. Bags has always been a great player and seemed like a great guy. I hate to see it end like this.

How would you like to see it end? With him getting caught in the jaws of a combine or something?

[DeToxRox]

How would you like to see it end? With him getting caught in the jaws of a combine or something?

No. That'd be Bret Boone.

[Ksyrup]

No. That'd be Bret Boone.
If that's going to be the case, at least let him have his steroids back so he has a fighting chance.

[Buccaneer]

Go Pads (not that anyone would know what's going on with them in looking at the espn and mlb sites :mad: )

[Suicane75]

Ya know, I have to look at the standings every 4 or 5 days just to know whats going on. Without fantasy baseball to hold my interest I find that I could honestly care less about the game at this point. Not trying to threadjack, just a somber venting.

[Easy Mac]

thats cause all the teams around you suck... :)

[Suicane75]

thats cause all the teams around you suck... :)
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[sterlingice]

Go Pads (not that anyone would know what's going on with them in looking at the espn and mlb sites :mad: )
How's Petco? My fiance and I will be out there for our honeymoon and were probably going to take in a game since we're not really "nightlife" people and we both like going to baseball games (so it's something to do at night).

SI

[Young Drachma]

Tino is a beast. What's he doing? This guy is on fire. Giambi got a hit when it mattered most too, when they had the nerve to walk the guy to get to him.

[Ksyrup]

Tino should be MVP is he keeps this up. Unbelievable.

In other news, who knew Jeffrey Hammonds was still playhing baseball? Saw him pinch-hit yesterday for the Nationals. He should have retired.

[Ksyrup]

Although the Yankees will no doubt be players in the AL East for the rest of the season, if you're looking for a bright spot (as a hater), it's that they have only gained 2 games on the Orioles during their 8-game winning streak.

[Ksyrup]

Dola.

Also, 5 of those 8 wins have come against the A's, who suck. There does not appear to be a July turnaround in the A's future this year.

[Ksyrup]

So when do the Braves officially admit they screwed up by getting a closer with very little history of performing consistently well and below average walk and strikeout ratios? Kolb was basically decent for a year and a half as the closer on a bad team. He hasn't even pitched 100 inning combined the last 2 years. And he's already walked more guys this year than all of last year. In fact, he's only had one year with anything approaching an acceptable BB/K ratio (2003).

What a disaster.

[Buccaneer]

Go Pads. Sweeping the Braves after sweeping the Marlins to vault into first place.

SI: Can't you help there. The last time I was at Petco was when they were finishing bolting the seats in the upper deck.

[sterlingice]

Go Pads. Sweeping the Braves after sweeping the Marlins to vault into first place.

SI: Can't you help there. The last time I was at Petco was when they were finishing bolting the seats in the upper deck. That's cool. Got tickets yesterday- upper deck but 1st or 2nd row in the $12 seats.

SI

[Bad-example]

The Giants acquired right-handed reliever LaTroy Hawkins from the Chicago Cubs for right-handers Jerome Williams and David Aardsma, giving the shaky San Francisco bullpen a veteran setup man.

The trade came the same day Cubs star Mark Prior was placed on the 15-day disabled list, one day after he was hit in the pitching elbow by a line drive.

Hawkins, who was 15-3 with a 2.00 ERA as the primary setup man on Minnesota's 2002 and 2003 AL Central championship teams, will serve as the seventh- and eighth-inning setup man for new closer Tyler Walker.

"LaTroy's acquisition certainly strengthens and deepens our bullpen, which obviously needs bolstering," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said Saturday.

An 11-year major league veteran, the 31-year-old Hawkins had 25 saves for the Cubs in 2004, and made 21 relief appearances for Chicago this season.

Williams, 23, who in 2004 became San Francisco's youngest 10-game winner since 1975, was 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA in four games — including three starts — before being optioned to Fresno of the Pacific Coast League on April 25. He has a 17-14 career major league record with a 3.93 ERA.

Aardsma, San Francisco's top selection in the 2003 draft, was converted to a starting pitcher this season in the minors after becoming the career saves leader at Rice University.

[st.cronin]

Cubs giving up already?

[Cuckoo]

Cubs giving up already?

Doesn't sound like it. It sounds like they know that Hawkins has been shelled lately and has the ire of the fans. This gives him a new start and gives the Cubs a little depth in return.

Maybe a Giants fan can elaborate on the talent of these two, but at one point both were considered to be top guys I think.

[Bearcat729]

Maybe they got rid of him so that they could trade for Danny Graves

[Radii]

After Prior's injury yesterday the Cubs pretty desparately need some bodies that can start. Though Hawkins is a good setup man, the cubs seemed to have decided it was close or nothing for him. These guys are better than anything else they can throw behind Mitre though, so I can't complain I guess. At least not about the trade.

[korme]

Maybe they got rid of him so that they could trade for Danny Graves
wishful thinking http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Cuckoo]

Cubs giving up already?


Rotoworld seems to think the Cubs got a pretty good deal for him. Big upside for both players. I like Hawkins; I think he's a great set-up man who just doesn't have the attitude to be a closer. But with the way he has been treated by Cubs fans, he needed a move. And from the sound of it, I'm pretty happy with what the Cubs got.

Cubs acquired RHP Jerome Williams and RHP David Aardsma from the Giants for RHP LaTroy Hawkins.
We can only assume Giants GM Brian Sabean felt really bad for Jim Hendry. It's not surprising that Hawkins was traded, but it's shocking that Hendry managed to get this much for him after his disappointing start. Williams has really disappointed so far this year, but he's still just 23 and he remains likely to be a long-term third starter. The Cubs might plug him into their rotation right away and hope that the change of scenery takes care of whatever was ailing him at Triple-A Fresno.

[st.cronin]

Another possibility, and a likely one in mind, is that the Cubs will try to flip one or two of Williams and Aardsma for somebody they think can help them THIS year. Not sure who that would be at this point - Zito, maybe?

[Cuckoo]

Another possibility, and a likely one in mind, is that the Cubs will try to flip one or two of Williams and Aardsma for somebody they think can help them THIS year. Not sure who that would be at this point - Zito, maybe?


Not sure - there have been some Adam Dunn rumors, but I don't think much of them. The Cubs have also said they're interested in Aubrey Huff and Baez of Tampa Bay.

[Mr. Sparkle]

To put it quite simply, the Cubs hosed the Giants. Williams is only 23 I believe, and won 10 games in the majors last year despite missing a couple months with injuries. He's been struggling really bad this year, and most think it's been the mental strain of his sick father. He still projects to a solid #3 starter, #2 is completely within the realm of possibility. Aardsma was the first round pick in 2003, and they rushed him to the majors a bit. He was in Double A working on a change up as a starter, but if he can harness his control he projects as a top notch setup man or closer. Why Sabean gave up so much for Hawkins, I have no idea. Sometimes it sucks being a Giants fan.

[kingfc22]

Well, Williams was 1-4 with a 9.39 ERA in 6 starts at Fresno since he was optioned down. In 30 innings he has allowed 47 hits, walked 17 while only striking out 15. His father is no longer ill and I don't think that is an excuse any more.

Sabean is probably hoping that Hennesey maintains his form and that Cain will be the young guy in the rotation in a year or two. Making the rotation consist of Schimidt, Lowry, Hennesey, Tomko and then Cain, Reuter or Foppert (first yr. back after Tommy John surgery) to round it out.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Well, Williams was 1-4 with a 9.39 ERA in 6 starts at Fresno since he was optioned down. In 30 innings he has allowed 47 hits, walked 17 while only striking out 15. His father is no longer ill and I don't think that is an excuse any more.

Sabean is probably hoping that Hennesey maintains his form and that Cain will be the young guy in the rotation in a year or two. Making the rotation consist of Schimidt, Lowry, Hennesey, Tomko and then Cain, Reuter or Foppert (first yr. back after Tommy John surgery) to round it out.

They're essentially giving up on a 23 year old pitcher who has already made 46 starts in the majors with an ERA under 4 after a couple bad months. Will he ever regain his form? I don't know, but I would've liked to find out while he's on my team. Hawkins may prove to be a quality setup man this year. After this year, however, he's either gone via FA or his $5 million dollar option is picked up (not sure if it's a player or team option). That's A LOT of money for a reliever. Hennesey's future is probably as a 5th starter or reliever. Rueter's gone after this year, I think Tomko has an option for next year. Schmidt's contract is up after 2006, which is when the Giant's current "run" will most likely be over. Bonds will be gone, Alfonzo, Durham, Alou as well. Point is, Williams was under their control until at least 2008, and cheap, too. Trading him, along with Aardsma, is mortgaging our future when we need significantly more than one bullpen arm to contend this year, let alone make a serious run if we make it into the playoffs.

Sabean did say that no one will be sent down to make room for Hawkins, which leads me to believe that there is either another trade in the works, or someone is going to be cut outright. Should be interesting.

[Bearcat729]

Will someone with a huge ballpark please trade for Eric Milton. Right now anything looks better than him.

By the way what is the record for most HR given up by a pitcher in a season?

[Mr. Sparkle]

Will someone with a huge ballpark please trade for Eric Milton. Right now anything looks better than him.

By the way what is the record for most HR given up by a pitcher in a season?

According to Baseball Almanac, Bert Blyleven holds the AL record with 50, and Jose Lima holds the NL record with 48. I'd say Milton has a pretty good chance at shattering both those marks. 20 home runs served up in 60 innings?!? :eek:

[Buccaneer]

Pads just set a franchise record in winning their 19th game of the month!

Go Pads.

[TLK]

Jun 8 ESPN reports the Philadelphia Phillies acquired RP Ugueth Urbina and IF Ramon Martinez from the Detroit Tigers for IF Placido Polanco.
I would of liked to see the Tigers keep Urbina until the deadline.... but this will help the offense.