The 2023 MLB Season Thread

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

The Elly De La Cruz highlight of him stealing every base was trending on Reddit this morning. It made me decide to check in on him and it seems like the magic has worn off a little since.

It's actually a tale of 2 teams and the All Star break seems to have reset him and the Reds.

In 30 games before the break he hit .325, stole 16 bases and the Reds were 22-8 in games he played.

Since the All Star break he's hitting .195 with 2 SB and the Reds are 12-16 in games he played.

The question remains whether he will hit enough to make use of the rest of his absurd tool set. He has been abe to adjust at each level, but he's always had a high K%.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The question remains whether he will hit enough to make use of the rest of his absurd tool set. He has been abe to adjust at each level, but he's always had a high K%.

Looked it up the other day and he struggles a lot against left handers especially. How often do switch hitters ever give up on that particular tool? Would that be something coaches are considering trying eventually and see if it even is a benefit?

On the other hand, re: recent numbers: the last 2 weeks were already a lot better than the 2 before that. (Certainly not enough of a slump to account for the lack of SBs, which might well be simply him getting different instructions here and less free reign)

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by whomario

Looked it up the other day and he struggles a lot against left handers especially. How often do switch hitters ever give up on that particular tool? Would that be something coaches are considering trying eventually and see if it even is a benefit?

On the other hand, re: recent numbers: the last 2 weeks were already a lot better than the 2 before that. (Certainly not enough of a slump to account for the lack of SBs, which might well be simply him getting different instructions here and less free reign)

Switch hitting is dying off and there have been several guys drop it in recent years. It's just too difficult to keep two swings mechanically aound against the stuff pitchers are throwing now.

Cedric Mullens is a good example of a guy that dropped switch hitting recently and got better against same side pitching.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Can someone be a bit irresponsible and say what the allegations are? All of the news outlets are being responsible by saying he "engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor". Are we talking "Franco is in way too many pictures with a minor that he is not related to to be appropriate" inappropriate territory? Or are we in "the minor alleges to know Franco way more intimately than a minor should know Wander Franco" inappropriate relationship territory?

The minor made a social post alleging he was "dating" her. I think the post was in Spanish and has been taken down. I don't think anything more graphic than that has been alleged so far.
Dola: I seems there is some proof the girl is actually 19. The likely-hood nothing comes of this is growing.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

The minor made a social post alleging he was "dating" her. I think the post was in Spanish and has been taken down. I don't think anything more graphic than that has been alleged so far.
Dola: I seems there is some proof the girl is actually 19. The likely-hood nothing comes of this is growing.

Thanks. I figured googling "Wander Franco allegations" might have sent me to parts of the internet I have no desire to go.

[miami_fan]

I have been watching/listening to Dodger games pretty regularly over the last two weeks for no particular reason. Who is that guy playing first for them and doing a dance any time he gets a hit? What did they do to with the guy who was yelling at Carlos Gomez for showboating a home run?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I have been watching/listening to Dodger games pretty regularly over the last two weeks for no particular reason. Who is that guy playing first for them and doing a dance any time he gets a hit? What did they do to with the guy who was yelling at Carlos Gomez for showboating a home run?

Umm ... Freddie Freeman (the not-a-CarGo-fan i assume you mean) has started all 117 games at first base for the Dodgers this season.

Only three other players have played even an inning at first for LA this year.
Jason Heyward, the recently reacquired Keke Hernandez, and 23 y/o Miguel Vargas ... I'd figure the latter is the more likely simply due to age, though Hernandez ain't exactly shy and reserved so he's a possibility (and fits the time frame you're talking about)

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by whomario

Looked it up the other day and he struggles a lot against left handers especially. How often do switch hitters ever give up on that particular tool? Would that be something coaches are considering trying eventually and see if it even is a benefit?

It's always been a question with Ozzie Albie's. His OPS as a righty is almost .190 higher than as a lefty. He's actually better as a righty in the times he's hit that way against a right-hander (small sample size). This season he's OPSing ,260 higher this season as a righty, but he seems to have found his power stroke from the left side this year.

In 800 career plate appearances as a righty, he's pretty much a top 10 player in baseball: .336/.363/572, 38 HR, 128 RBI, 55 2B.

[Ghost Econ]

Man, this Wander Franco tweet was like a roller coaster climbing up that first hill... then just a straight drop.

WANDER FRANCO CASE UPDATE

"There has been a lot of progress," a person with knowledge of the matter told @DiarioLibre. "The case is not as simple as is being rumored in some media. There are many people involved and more minors involved." Via @VicBaezS #WanderFranco pic.twitter.com/pe7yeHLh4D

— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) August 15, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7osb78oZ9Z4&t=29

[GrantDawg]

Yeah, not looking great:

The Attorney General of the Dominican Republic says that there is a complaint filed by a minor against Wander Franco.

According to the Attorney General of the DR, it's another young woman, not the one on social media, per @DiarioLibre / @AlertasMundial. https://t.co/Og1AnsMwxn

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) August 15, 2023

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Yeah, not looking great:

By the same token though, grifters tend to spawn more grifters, so I'm not sure yet whether another accusation means anything substantial or not.

[miami_fan]

Re: Wander.

Just going to put these reference points here as it may be helpful in the future.

What is the Dominican Republic Age of Consent?

The Age of Consent in Dominican Republic is 18 years old. The age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity. Individuals aged 17 or younger in Dominican Republic are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape or the equivalent local law.

Dominican Republic statutory rape law is violated when an individual has consensual sexual intercourse with a person under age 18.

Dominican Republic does not have a close-in-age exemption. Close in age exemptions, commonly known as "Romeo and Juliet laws" in the United States, are put in place to prevent the prosecution of individuals who engage in consensual sexual activity when both participants are significantly close in age to each other, and one or both partners are below the age of consent.

Because there is no close-in-age exemption in Dominican Republic, it is possible for two individuals both under the age of 18 who willingly engage in intercourse to both be prosecuted for statutory rape, although this is rare. Similarly, no protections are reserved for sexual relations in which one participant is a 17 year old and the second is a 18 or 19 year old.

Article 56.- REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO THE CELEBRATION OF MARRIAGE. 1) MINIMUM AGE FOR MARRIAGE. Only persons who have reached the age of 18 and have legal capacity can enter marriage.

Therefore, at the moment only people who have turned 18 and have legal capacity can marry.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I have been watching/listening to Dodger games pretty regularly over the last two weeks for no particular reason. Who is that guy playing first for them and doing a dance any time he gets a hit? What did they do to with the guy who was yelling at Carlos Gomez for showboating a home run?

The whole team does a dance every time they get a hit. Sort of an inside joke/hype thing. The Dodgers have a thing they do towards the dug out for quite a few years. It's usually different each other.

Is the Carlos Gomez thing the issue that happened in *checks notes* back in 20..13?

Speaking of Freddie, I can't believe we have him as a Dodger. What an amazing player. Can't believe the Braves didn't want to pay market rate for him. Hope he goes in the HOF as a Dodger.

[GrantDawg]

They made a market offer for Freddie. He would have taken home more money with the Braves offer than what he got in LA. He and his agent drug their feet, so they moved on. It was sad to see him go, but if he wanted to stay he could have.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Atocep]

The Angels called up their first round pick, yes from this year, first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Who, coincidentally, has drawn Freddie Freeman comparisons.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Atocep

The Angels called up their first round pick, yes from this year, first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Who, coincidentally, has drawn Freddie Freeman comparisons.

Speaking of that, I remember when Freddie was coming up. He was overshadowed by Jason Heyward, who was supposed to replace Chipper as the leader an face of the Braves for the next two decades. Everyone liked Freddie, but he wasn't expected to be elite. The word was a solid first baseman with a good contact that would probably top out 25hrs a year. A everyday player, but the bat was going to be a little light for a first basemen.

[MrBug708]

Mookie Betts is amazing.

[stevew]

JRod batting something like .577 over his last 37 AB and had the most hits in any 4 game stretch.

[Atocep]

Bryson Stott's No. 2 pencil bat is 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mxHakVo8vT

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 21, 2023

[jcard]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

They made a market offer for Freddie. He would have taken home more money with the Braves offer than what he got in LA. He and his agent drug their feet, so they moved on. It was sad to see him go, but if he wanted to stay he could have.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

Glad someone pointed this out. No personal investment in either team, but I was so turned off by how the baseball media regurgitated the PR from the Freeman camp. Like so many others, the guy took the money. Only difference in his case was the false narrative propagated.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Re: Wander.

Just going to put these reference points here as it may be helpful in the future.

Wander is now on administrative leave. Jeff Passan put together a pretty good explainer here.

Everything we know about the Wander Franco investigation - ESPN

I found this part interesting. This one is related to my previous post re: the age of consent laws.

At the same time, in the Dominican Republic, criminal matters often are resolved more akin to civil cases, in which the person charged with the crime provides payment to the victim's family, who then tells law enforcement they are satisfied with the outcome and would prefer not to further pursue criminal charges.

I am pretty sure now that it has garnered the attention of MLB, this is no longer an option. This could be an interesting culture clash as the facts come out.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Wander is now on administrative leave. Jeff Passan put together a pretty good explainer here.

Everything we know about the Wander Franco investigation - ESPN

I found this part interesting. This one is related to my previous post re: the age of consent laws.



I am pretty sure now that it has garnered the attention of MLB, this is no longer an option. This could be an interesting culture clash as the facts come out.

This makes more sense with what I had seen some people from PR say about the situation. They say older men dating young girls is actually pretty common. The law sounds more like paying compensation than actually punishing the behavior.

[stevew]

I’m too lazy to find the link but O’Neil Cruz is no longer running and is probably out for the rest of the year. Would have been nice to see him get 100 or so at bats the rest of the season. I think this is a 7 or 8 shortstop season(Cruz, Williams, Castro, Peguero, Gonzales, bae 1-2 others marcano? ). That’s absolutely a brutal way to live.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by stevew

I’m too lazy to find the link but O’Neil Cruz is no longer running and is probably out for the rest of the year. Would have been nice to see him get 100 or so at bats the rest of the season. I think this is a 7 or 8 shortstop season(Cruz, Williams, Castro, Peguero, Gonzales, bae 1-2 others marcano? ). That’s absolutely a brutal way to live.

Particularly rough that he will have a full year of service time and inch closer to arbitration without us getting to see a full year out of him. I'd also guess it is going to be tough to keep weight off of him with this type of injury.

Looks like 8 shortstops this year. Chris Owings is the only one you missed. He had 10 appearances but was able to rack up a -0.3 WAR in just 25 ABs. Marcano actually has the most appearances to this point with 58, but has been more productive with a -0.3 WAR in 202 ABs.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Ooof

Angels' Shohei Ohtani has elbow tear, won't pitch again this season - ESPN

[stevew]

Brutal news.

[Ghost Econ]

God hates baseball.

[bhlloy]

Arte’s obsession with running a MLB team like a spoiled 11 year old in a toy store who just got his pocket money for the next month is finally going to catch up with him then. It hurts, but also hopefully the seventh lesson is the one that will stick.

[PilotMan]

Makes me sad

[Swaggs]

It is crazy to me that Clay Bellinger is only 28 and Jason Heyward is only 34. They both seem like they’ve been around forever.

[JPhillips]

Elly just cut down Corbin Carroll on a 100 mph relay throw to the plate.

[stevew]

Jack Suwinski was 5-62 in august, 29Ks, 0HR

I felt like he hadn’t hit the ball much this month. I’m not sure how that rates among the worst offensive performances by an outfielder, but it has to be up there. He does have 16 walks which gives him an on base percentage of approximately..280.

[Ghost Econ]

Say what you want about Mookie Betts being the MVP, but opposing fans aren't running out on the field trying to hug him like they are Acuña.

[PilotMan]

We need another "kissing Morgana" for a modern game

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dayum.

The Los Angeles Angels placed nearly a quarter of their roster on waivers Tuesday, including starter Lucas Giolito, relievers Matt Moore and Reynaldo Lopez, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk, prompting a flurry of intrigue leading up to Thursday when the teams that win the claims will be revealed, sources told ESPN.

Sources - Lucas Giolito among host of Angels placed on waivers - ESPN

[cuervo72]

Shit, I didn't even realize the waiver rules had changed...four years ago.

[Flasch186]

Ohtani, Trout, Rengifo...

WOW!

Today just got interesting AF

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Ohtani, Trout, Rengifo...

WOW!

Today just got interesting AF

What is this supposed to mean?

[stevew]

Mickey Moniak is having a weird ass season. 13 homers, .808 ops, 9 walks, 105ks in 285 AB. BABIP of .401. Good to see him salvaging a career, maybe.

[Ghost Econ]

This White Sox shooting gets more confusing the longer it goes. At first there was a shooting in the stands, then that it was stray bullets fired randomly somewhere else, then a lady snuck it in her FUPA, now she says she didn't have a gun and the ATF are involved.

Is there a grassy knoll anywhere near not-New Comiskey?

[Ksyrup]

The last story I saw was that a woman accidentally discharged a gun which grazed her and hit another woman. She snuck it past security and the metal detectors by hiding it in the folds of her belly fat.

That is too American to NOT be true.

[Ksyrup]

Looks like Cleveland claimed 3 guys from the Angels.

[GrantDawg]

That's weird, right? I mean, what are the odds?

Giolito and Lopez have now been on the same four teams, for the exact same periods of time, since they came up in the Nationals organization. Never has one been traded/waived/claimed without the other. Wild. https://t.co/nEydZfhmx1

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) August 31, 2023

[JonInMiddleGA]

Somebody who follows the White Sox or Angels able to give some context for this snippet of the ESPN article? I mean, was there some sort of personality clash in the clubhouse or something? It doesn't seem to be stadium related, he pitched well enough at Angel Stadium it would appear. Just seemed liked an odd thing to say and I can't tell if it was a throwaway remark or if there's something behind it.

Giolito, 29, was one of the prizes of the deadline -- and should fit in better with Cleveland than he did the Angels.

[Ghost Econ]

It's insane one team can claim more than 1 player and keep their same place in line.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And it looks like the Reds have not only claimed Renfroe from the Angels but Bader from the Yankees as well

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Somebody who follows the White Sox or Angels able to give some context for this snippet of the ESPN article? I mean, was there some sort of personality clash in the clubhouse or something? It doesn't seem to be stadium related, he pitched well enough at Angel Stadium it would appear. Just seemed liked an odd thing to say and I can't tell if it was a throwaway remark or if there's something behind it.

That is odd. Maybe he's a better fit because Clevand is trying to win and the Angels are not?

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

It's insane one team can claim more than 1 player and keep their same place in line.

That does seem to be a bit of a system flaw, yeah.

[Ksyrup]

If it was something more important like a fantasy football league, that shit would never fly.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thing about the seemingly wonky waiver rules are that these have been in place since at least 2019 (not sure that the wonky part wasn't the same previously as well tbh, I only see the elimination of trade waivers & revocable waivers mentioned in 2019 coverage).

It's only getting attention now since it's a little unusual for teams to put 1/4th of their roster on waivers on the same day (now that trade waivers are no longer a thing)