2024 MLB Season Thread

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

It just removed the most boring parts of a baseball game. Guys adjusting their batting gloves between each pitch or a pitcher shaking off signs before another mound visit. Why would anyone miss that?

Totally agree with this. I am as big a baseball fan as anyone here. I will watch any game. I play OOTP every day. I play tons of fantasy and DFS. I love the game and I think every change has been a positive. Makes it way more enjoyable.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Totally agree with this. I am as big a baseball fan as anyone here. I will watch any game. I play OOTP every day. I play tons of fantasy and DFS. I love the game and I think every change has been a positive. Makes it way more enjoyable.

I went to several Mariners games last year and, although I've always loved baseball, watching in person could be a slog depending the game. With the rules changes the game moves at a solid and consistent pace regardless of what's happening.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I went to several Mariners games last year and, although I've always loved baseball, watching in person could be a slog depending the game. With the rules changes the game moves at a solid and consistent pace regardless of what's happening.

I miss going to games there. Used to hop on the bus in Ballard. Take it to Belltown. Barhop through Pioneer Square then hit the game.

Always a great time.

[Ksyrup]

We went to a game there last fall after our Alaska cruise. Fun park.

[bob]

I’m with Jon (except I liked the AL having DH and the NL not - not 100% sure where he stands on that).

It’s similar to college football. "Oh all other leagues and sports have a playoff, why shouldn't college football?"

Because, it's different! That's the cool part. That's what makes it special. That's what makes college football beautiful, fun, intriguing. If you don't understand that, you aren't a college football fan... you're a football fan. There is a difference.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bob

I’m with Jon (except I liked the AL having DH and the NL not - not 100% sure where he stands on that).

I'm anti, have been since seeing it debut.

AL-only was better than what exists now, I simply didn't watch much of the AL.

[bob]

I sorta figured you were an NL guy.

I was born in an AL city post the DH (‘73?) so I’ve always known it, and always loved the World Series seeing the managers having to adapt to the other way when on the road.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bob

I was born in an AL city post the DH (‘73?)

Yep, Ron Blomberg (an Atlanta area native, a very mild bit of trivia that apparently stuck with me)

[Lathum]

Byron Buxton. Good Lord

[JPhillips]

Still too many Ks, but Elly showed what he can do tonight with a 450 ft HR and an inside the park HR where he went from home to home in under 15 secs.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Like pretty much every sport these days, rule changes are designed largely for people who don't actually like the sport.

Preach! This is my #1 sports complaint. I did not need baseball to be played in in ninety minute like soccer or fit into the 1pm to 4pm window like the NFL.

Now I would be lying if I said I did not appreciate the pitch clock. I have no issue watching four hours of baseball. I have a problem watching four hours of strikeouts, walks, home runs and pitching changes If that is the game I am watching, by all means let's get this over and done with as fast as possible. I love the reappearance of the running game. I enjoyed the flow of the game more last year than I did in years past without the changes that were made.

Unfortunately I still could not shake the feeling that I was watching someone playing a baseball video game on Twitch with a ton of house rules to compensate for a broken game engine especially in person.

[stevew]

The Pirates already have a closer problem. Yeah David Bednar is a two-time All-Star, but he’s also one of the only good players on the team the last two years. Everybody gets an All-Star. He’s out there chucking meatballs.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by stevew

The Pirates already have a closer problem. Yeah David Bednar is a two-time All-Star, but he’s also one of the only good players on the team the last two years. Everybody gets an All-Star. He’s out there chucking meatballs.

I like that his playing weight is 225. He must use the same scale as Trump.

[stevew]

I think I blame the renegade hotdog. It’s a foot-long hotdog with pot roast and pierogies on it. More appropriate renegade sandwich would be one giant meatball on a piece of bread because he’s fucking garbage right now. I’m sure he’ll get better though.

[Danny]

I want that hot dog

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I like that his playing weight is 225. He must use the same scale as Trump.

They should have traded him last year when I think he had a lot of value. But they wouldn’t because he’s a Yinzer and “one of us.” There’s another guy from Mars high school that goes to WVU and is projected to be a top 10 draft pick. I’m really hoping we can dodge that guy in the draft. I’m sure you might be familiar. Wetherholt is his last name but I’m sure I’m butchering the spelling.

They really need to get Holderman and Mlodzski(sp) back. I don’t trust this starting pitching, and I don’t trust at least half of the relievers.

Might be nice if Contreras can put some solid innings together out of the pen. I was really high on him but he was absolutely terrible in 2023 and out of options.

[stevew]

I have no idea why the Orioles didn’t just break camp with Jackson Holiday on the active roster. He is so good at baseball that it would shock me if he doesn’t finish first or second, in the rookie of the year voting, which would automatically give him a full year of service anyways.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by stevew

They should have traded him last year when I think he had a lot of value. But they wouldn’t because he’s a Yinzer and “one of us.” There’s another guy from Mars high school that goes to WVU and is projected to be a top 10 draft pick. I’m really hoping we can dodge that guy in the draft. I’m sure you might be familiar. Wetherholt is his last name but I’m sure I’m butchering the spelling.

They really need to get Holderman and Mlodzski(sp) back. I don’t trust this starting pitching, and I don’t trust at least half of the relievers.

Might be nice if Contreras can put some solid innings together out of the pen. I was really high on him but he was absolutely terrible in 2023 and out of options.

I think some of these pitchers that are bigger guys are legitimately struggling with the pitch clock. Bednar seems like a good guy, but he flirts with disaster a lot more than I would like from my closer - even when he's on. I'd love to see what he could do with an offseason of really good conditioning, but I don't know that we'll ever have that opportunity.

We have WVU season baseball tickets. Wetherholt is the probably the best college player I have ever seen in person (Josh Jung may be the best and Alex Manoah was a beast when he was on). Granted, I've only been going to college games for like the last 8-10 years. I'd be happy with Wetherholt on the Pirates but he's projected to go fairly high. He's been injured most of this season and I think his size/durability and that he mostly plays 2B are his downsides. I haven't seen his scouting grades, but I would have to think his hit tool and speed are near elite and he has good power. He is supposed to play more SS this season (WVU had a really good senior SS last year that is currently in the Rockies system), so if he looks competent there, that would help. The guys just hits the ball hard and can fly.

It sounds like Holderman will be back tomorrow. Chapman has been pretty awesome. He's lost a little zip, but he's still hitting 98/99 multiple times per outing. Kind of crazy that someone else didn't pick him up. I assume Skenes will be up as soon as the service deadline hits - he's pitched 6 innings and given up one hit and one walk and struck out 11, so far. He's hit 101 multiple times per statcast. He's ready, but I get the franchise not wanting to trade 6-8 starts for a full year of service down the road, but it is frustrating.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

We have WVU season baseball tickets. Wetherholt is the probably the best college player I have ever seen in person (Josh Jung may be the best and Alex Manoah was a beast when he was on). Granted, I've only been going to college games for like the last 8-10 years. I'd be happy with Wetherholt on the Pirates but he's projected to go fairly high. He's been injured most of this season and I think his size/durability and that he mostly plays 2B are his downsides. I haven't seen his scouting grades, but I would have to think his hit tool and speed are near elite and he has good power. He is supposed to play more SS this season (WVU had a really good senior SS last year that is currently in the Rockies system), so if he looks competent there, that would help. The guys just hits the ball hard and can fly.

What do you think of Sam White? He is from our home town in Canada, used to play hockey with my son and went to school with him. Sam was always the best at every sport he played, he was just one of those guys. He was a goalie in hockey, but he'd jump in as a forward in a tournament, and be one of the top scorers. Volleyball tournament in grade school? He'd be the star. He just had that level of focus that let him be great at whatever he did.

I see that he was already starting most games as a freshman last year, so obviously they think well of him.

[stevew]

When Chapman is on it’s like watching a giant cat play with a mouse. I have no idea how you hit that guy.

Hoping to get some baseball players in my Uber this year. Last year all I really got was Jarlin Garcia, who was technically on the roster, but basically just robbed Nutting. Markus Golden was the best overall athlete so far

[Ksyrup]

The Cardinals CF has had a game to forget. Completely misplayed a ball in the 1st inning that led to 2 runs. Later, looked like he timed a dive on a looper (instead of sprinting in and catching it on the run) that came out of his glove (it was ruled a hit based on the dive), and just now, he hit a swinging bunt single down the 3B line but for some reason made a turn toward 2B, and decided to play it off and lollygag back to 1B as if no one saw it, and was tagged out.

Should have just stayed in bed.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Unfortunately I still could not shake the feeling that I was watching someone playing a baseball video game on Twitch with a ton of house rules to compensate for a broken game engine especially in person.

I don't understand this argument. The game is now being played at the same pace it was 40 years ago. The 4 hour baseball game was a new phenomenon and this rule changes simply brings it back to the pace of an era that traditionalists claim they love.

[RainMaker]

I also think a lot of the complaints about baseball and rule changes is due to the fact that modern athletes sort of broke the sport. It was not designed to have a stable of guys on a team that could hit 98 with spin and throw crazy sliders. Or have freak athletes throughout the diamond playing defense. Or have most of the roster capable of blasting a 420 foot homer whenever someone leaves a pitch up in the zone.

There's some rules I find silly like the ghost runner and shift rule. But I also think there has to be changes to a sport when players get so good that it turns it into something it's not. The reason the game isn't the same as it was in the 80's is because players are so much better that it's practically a different sport.

[dubb93]

I love baseball but you know what I don’t love? I don’t love watching a pitcher scratch his ass. I don’t love a hitter that feels the need to step out of the box 5 times during a single at bat. I don’t love endless throws to first base or a pitcher that won’t go home because he knows as soon as he does the guy at first is going to take off.

At some point these guys stopped playing baseball and made the league step in. I also love the pitch clock because I don’t even notice it during the game. You know what I do notice? 2 hour and 20 minute games. I notice that and I love it too.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

There's some rules I find silly…..shift rule.

I don’t think the shift rule goes far enough.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by dubb93

I don’t think the shift rule goes far enough.

So it should be ... shifted?

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Bobble

So it should be ... shifted?

I just think SS and 2B can still play too deep and too far to the other side of the field. I’d like to see it restricted further.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I don't understand this argument. The game is now being played at the same pace it was 40 years ago. The 4 hour baseball game was a new phenomenon and this rule changes simply brings it back to the pace of an era that traditionalists claim they love.

I am not a serious enough baseball fan to be considered a traditionalist IMO. Guys stepping out of the box every pitch, lefty/righty pitching changes every other batter and stuff like that never bothered me personally. That was just the game.

As I said, I appreciate the pace of play rule changes. But for me, when I watch or go to a baseball game, I expect to see nine innings of baseball but I understand the potential of rain outs, shortened games and extra innings. I don't consider how long those nine innings are going to take. Over the next couple of weeks, my son and I are going to two Rays games. One is on a Tuesday, the other is the following Wednesday. As we have done in the past, we will stay until the end of the game. Last year, it meant getting home by ten. Before that it meant getting home right around midnight if we were lucky. If getting home at midnight was not an option we did not go to the game that night. The issue was never the length of the game, it was whether it was enjoyable or not. I will much rather have a four hour game with good pitching, hitting, fielding and base running as opposed to a two hour game with thirty strikeouts, fifteen walks, five home runs and zero stolen bases.

Let's put it a different way. Do we know if the teams want to play this way? Because at least at the games I have watched, teams looked like they were forced to play this type of baseball which they are under the new rules. Now I understand that part of that is teams and organizations were developed for the old rules and it takes time to make those changes organically. However, I suspect that if teams thought that stealing bases, no shifts, and making relief pitchers pitch to at least three batters increased their chances of winning, they would have already been doing it and we would not have needed the rule changes.

[Danny]

Im sure players want to get paid with money from fans actually watching the games. They can go play their way fir free somewhere.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Danny

Im sure players want to get paid with money from fans actually watching the games. They can go play their way fir free somewhere.

Yeah, fuck those players that actually play the game the right way instead of some convoluted horseshit designed to sate short attention spans.

How dare they.

[dubb93]

Game time is down by a half hour and attendance is up. Players should just do their job. Players don’t make the rules. They did this themselves by playing so slow. Games are still longer with a pitch clock than they were in the 70s. Other sports leagues make rules and the players adjust. Baseball will die if the games continue to take 4 hours. NFL games are 3 hours and you play 17 of them. Baseball can’t play 162 4 hours game and continue to thrive. There is a reason they have fallen so far and that is a major part of it.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Yeah, fuck those players that actually play the game the right way instead of some convoluted horseshit designed to sate short attention spans.

How dare they.

They are playing the game the way it's been played for a hundred plus years. The "take a minute to re-do my batting glove between every pitch" is something we've only seen in the last 10-15 years. The game is now at the same pace as it was for most of its existence.

I get if people like the slower pace but that's never been how baseball was played.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

The game is now at the same pace as it was for most of its existence.

Sorta. Last season had the lowest average game time since 1985. Every season prior to 1985 had shorter games than last season though. That is why they cut the pitch clock this season. Sucks they are only down 1 minute so far.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I also think a lot of the complaints about baseball and rule changes is due to the fact that modern athletes sort of broke the sport. It was not designed to have a stable of guys on a team that could hit 98 with spin and throw crazy sliders. Or have freak athletes throughout the diamond playing defense. Or have most of the roster capable of blasting a 420 foot homer whenever someone leaves a pitch up in the zone.

There's some rules I find silly like the ghost runner and shift rule. But I also think there has to be changes to a sport when players get so good that it turns it into something it's not. The reason the game isn't the same as it was in the 80's is because players are so much better that it's practically a different sport.

All of this has more bearing on the game than anything to do with the pitch clock for me. I want to see the great athletes do the great things. Give me all the great athletes doing great things on the field and I will hang around. I will make the time to watch them do so no matter how many times they readjust their batting gloves. I recently caught Greg Maddux's 1997 game against the Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader It was not memorable to me because it only took two hours and seven minutes. It was memorable to me because he threw 75+ pitches and 60+ of them were strikes. I would watch three hours of a Maddux masterpiece

Again, I am not against the pitch clock. If that is the change that is needed to make it a better watch from everyone else, that's great. For me, none of that matters if all I am seeing during those two hours and forty two minutes are strikeouts, walks and home runs with the occasional single to the opposite field. The thing that brought me excitement watching baseball was aggressiveness on the base paths. Even with the larger bases, has it suddenly become rewarding enough to have more base stealing attempts the data showed it was not worth the risk just a couple of years ago. Beyond that, are we still only going to bringing hitters whose swing have the proper launch angle to hit 420 foot home runs? Is it still going to be sacrilege to have say a Tim Wakefield chucking knuckle balls to the plate every fifth day as opposed to the guy with 98+ and the crazy sliders. In other words, if the modern athlete has broken the sport, where are the changes that actually fix the sport outside of stopping them from fixing their gloves for thirty seconds in between each at bat.

I am not sure where we came up with the 162 four hour games. As best as I can tell the highest average game length time was 3.11 hours in 2021. I have no issue watching 3.11 hours of baseball as long as it is quality baseball (both offensively and defensively) in the same way I don't have a problem watch 3.11 hours of quality football.

[Lathum]

But you can watch the same 3.11 game in 2.20 now. Nothing has changed with the athletes.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Mota

What do you think of Sam White? He is from our home town in Canada, used to play hockey with my son and went to school with him. Sam was always the best at every sport he played, he was just one of those guys. He was a goalie in hockey, but he'd jump in as a forward in a tournament, and be one of the top scorers. Volleyball tournament in grade school? He'd be the star. He just had that level of focus that let him be great at whatever he did.

I see that he was already starting most games as a freshman last year, so obviously they think well of him.

He's looked pretty good with hitting this season, but is striking out probably a little more than you'd like to see. This is a pretty good, talented team and he has been bouncing around hitting in the top half of a pretty goodt lineup (when he's healthy). We have had a lot of injuries and one of our better players is a catcher named Logan Suave (no joke!). Suave had been out for an extended period of time and has returned. White was doing the majority of the catching for a big chunk of the season, so that could have affected his hitting/concentration some. He needs to find a position (he's been bouncing around between C, 3B, LF, and RF) and cut down the strikeouts. I don't know enough about his defense as a catcher, but if he can stick at C or 3B, I'd imagine he'll be one of the more "featured" players on the team next year and will have a good shot at being drafted, when he is eligible, after next season.

I don't know if ESPN+ has the same broadcasting rights in Canada as it does in the US, but if so, most of the home and Big 12 conference games are available to watch there. Not always the greatest quality of production, but if you are into baseball, you could catch some of his ABs and see J.J. Wetherholt, who is one of the best draft eligible college players in the country this season.

[Mota]

Thanks Swaggs! I've been checking out the results every week or two on the WVU website, that's the only access that I have. We have very little college baseball on the Canadian sports channels. We don't get ESPN at all in Canada, we have our own national sports channels that make their own licensing deals specifically for Canada. I'll look up Wetherholt though!

[stevew]

Carlos Carrasco pitching for Cleveland today reminded me that he was one of the main pieces in the Cliff Lee->Philly trade. That era seems like a lifetime ago.

And Lee came to Cleveland from the Expos for Bartolo Colon. Which oddly enough colon pitched 3-4 more years than Lee despite being about 5 years older. Wasn’t like Lee had a short career either.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Mota

Thanks Swaggs! I've been checking out the results every week or two on the WVU website, that's the only access that I have. We have very little college baseball on the Canadian sports channels. We don't get ESPN at all in Canada, we have our own national sports channels that make their own licensing deals specifically for Canada. I'll look up Wetherholt though!

I went to the game today. He had a walk, drove in a run on a groundout, and then smashed an opposite field homer. Last night, I only caught a bit of the game, but he threw out a runner at 2B with a strong throw from right field. WVU won both games over #17 UCF and are currently in first in their conference.

[Atocep]

Jeff Pearlman, former SI writer/journalist, has a tiktok account where he's been telling stories of his time coving sports for SI. He has some great stories and some line up with what we knew or felt a the time, but it's nice to hear his context added.

He said the worst athlete he covered was Barry Bonds. I guess when he signed with the Giants SI decided to do a story on him and assigned it to Pearlman. They rented one of the city's cable cars and wanted to do a cover shoot with it. Bonds agreed and then no showed multiple days. It cost SI a couple hundred grand altogether and Bonds just shrugged his shoulders and didn't address it when asked.

Albert Belle was the scariest player he ever covered. He said Belle would just stare at you if approached his locker and asked a question. Then if you still lingered or tried to ask again he'd just say "get the fuck away from locker".

He has a couple of Bo stories were about his speed. He said at his first camp with the Raider Tom Flores had guys running 40s and, in pads, Bo ran a 4.19 on his first attempt. Flores had them remeasure the distance and had Bo run again, the 2nd time he ran a 4.17.

He said John Rocker was certifiably crazy. I guess Rocker was driving them somewhere while he was doing his first piece on Rocker and I guess Rocker bitched about Asian drivers, flipped off and hung his head out the window to yell fuck you to another driver, and hocked a loogie on a toll booth.

He did say Sean Casey was hands down the nicest player he ever met. Knew the kids names of Reds beat writers, would speak to each individually the first day of spring training, and invited all Reds beat writers to his wedding.

Way too many fun or interesting stories to cover here. Some steroid era stuff, stories about how nice Shaq genuinely is, and what it's like as a young baseball writer peeing next to Vin Skully.

[GrantDawg]

I have seen some of those and they are good.

[JPhillips]

John Sterling is immediately retiring due to health concerns.

[Thomkal]

Former Cardinals Manager Whitey Herzog has died at 92.

[JPhillips]

It's been quite an encouraging opening to the season for Elly. He's going to cool down some, but if he can get on base at even an average clip his speed and power will really play. He's got superstar written all over him.

[stevew]

I’m really tempted to buy Pirates tickets for Weds. it seems like a probable Skenes debut.

[whomario]

Holy Shit moment for Yamamoto yesterday ... Also, those sounds are just bonkers

Watch 2024-04-25 15-31-11 | Streamable

[cartman]

the Rangers' young phenom Wyatt Langford hit his first career home run today. It was an inside the park home run.

[JPhillips]

Barring injury, it looks like a conservative estimate for his season might be 30hr and 60sb for Elly.

[stevew]

Bought amazing seats for Pirates/Angels next week and Trout is now hurt. The Pirates are the only team he hasn’t homered against.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by stevew

Bought amazing seats for Pirates/Angels next week and Trout is now hurt. The Pirates are the only team he hasn’t homered against.

I read that Skenes is a possibility on Monday.