2024 MLB Season Thread

[RainMaker]

I guess this is the rule. pic.twitter.com/036VTPAYEA

— Jim Margalus (@SoxMachine) May 24, 2024

[RainMaker]

Or maybe not?

League reached out to the White Sox, per source. Essentially told them the obstruction call to end the game should not have been made. There IS some discretion there. https://t.co/gxCSWcXwb2

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) May 24, 2024

[stevew]

It’s fun that Judge has decided to do his best Bonds impression this month. 1.489 OPS

[GrantDawg]

Ronald Acuna went down with a non-contact knee injury. Doesn't look good.

[GrantDawg]

Acuna says it didn't feel like a tear. He said it felt more like his hyper-extension in 2018 that had him out a month or so. Hopefully that is the case.

[GrantDawg]

Well f. It is a complete ACL tear and Acuna will miss the rest of the season.

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[Lathum]

I'm hearing total tear

[RainMaker]

That's some really crappy news. The guy is a blast to watch.

[Swaggs]

I was watching that game live and pretty well knew his season was over. Whenever you see an athlete, with no one around them drop like they’ve been shot with a rifle, it is bad news.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I was watching that game live and pretty well knew his season was over. Whenever you see an athlete, with no one around them drop like they’ve been shot with a rifle, it is bad news.

I’m sure Greg Brown was absolutely befuddled on the audio call.

[stevew]

Angel Hernandez retired on a questionable call.

[GrantDawg]

And it is like Christmas on social media.

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[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by stevew

Angel Hernandez retired on a questionable call.

Wow, this is amazing. I don't think I've ever heard of any umpire retiring immediately. So amazing.

[stevew]

MLB probably got rid of him for some amount similar to the cost of one Bobblehead night per team. Should have happened to him years ago.

[Ksyrup]

I love that his agent texted someone from the Athletic to say "He was NOT forced out." OK.

I didn't read it, but the timing is interesting seeing as Athletic just did what sounded like a puff piece on him. Either it was a way to get a friendly story out about him as his career ended, or an attempt to save his job by getting his human interest story crap out in the public.

[bhlloy]

I still think the Athletic is good value and I would pay for it just for its NHL draft and prospects coverage plus nostalgic 90s soccer stories, but it’s very noticeable that since the acquisition they go more towards the edgy/controversial topics to try to drive engagement and clicks. Lots of borderline troll pieces by local writers that seem to be something you’d read on Grantland which I tend to just ignore.

They did a puff piece on Scott Foster right before they did one on Hernandez. My guess is they will do Tim Peel next.

[Lathum]

I was today old when I learned Stephen Vogt is the Indians manager

[Ghost Econ]

Andrew Benintendi is currently on pace for -6 WAR this season.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Andrew Benintendi is currently on pace for -6 WAR this season.

I can't believe he's still only 29. It's pretty nuts to have a 4.8 WAR season at 23 y/o (plus three other years of 2.5+ WAR) and then negative value by the time you are 29.

I think he belongs on the "I Can't Believe They Are Only X-years old Team" of players that feel like they have been around forever and should be closing in on retirement, but are instead barely over 30, along with Jason Hayward (34 - feels like he should have retired 10 years ago), Michal Wacha (32), Gerritt Cole (33), Bryce Harper (31), Mike Trout (32), Kris Bryant (32), and Manny Machado (31).

[Lathum]

Diaz went in the IL today then in his first AB Alonso took one on the hand and left the game. I love being a Mets fan.

[Lathum]

Kid on the Nats just got hit in the head. Weird play, totally unintentional. Kid was squaring to bunt and the pitcher lost one and it went way inside. Kid seems fine.

Probably an unpopular opinion but I feel like if you hit someone in the head you're out of the game. Not even because it was intentional, but your head just can't be in the right place after doing that.

[Jas_lov]

The umps just made that same infield fly rule interference call on Juan Soto in the Yankees-Angels game, so I guess they didn't learn anything. They've gotta fix that because it's a really dumb call when the batter is already out on the infield fly rule.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

The umps just made that same infield fly rule interference call on Juan Soto in the Yankees-Angels game, so I guess they didn't learn anything. They've gotta fix that because it's a really dumb call when the batter is already out on the infield fly rule.

Eh, that one was the right call. Not a great situation to be in as a runner, but Soto could have actually made some effort to avoid the fielder.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Eh, that one was the right call. Not a great situation to be in as a runner, but Soto could have actually made some effort to avoid the fielder.

He absolutely made an effort to avoid the runner. The fielder misjudged the ball. The call was terrible

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Lathum

He absolutely made an effort to avoid the runner. The fielder misjudged the ball. The call was terrible

Not really, the infield fly is a live ball and the runner can advance on his own judgement. There's no reason for him to be off the bag or do anything other than quickly get back to the bag. Soto takes his sweet ass time seeing the ball in the air and starts slowly making his way back to the bag before he saw the infielder misjudged the ball and was in his path back to the bag. At that point he panicked and ran into him. That's textbook interference.

Soto is an awful baserunner. People today complain all the time about how bad baserunning is in today's game. This is an instance of that. The majority of highschool and lower players would have played that better than Soto. That was lazy baserunning and he paid the price.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I can't believe he's still only 29. It's pretty nuts to have a 4.8 WAR season at 23 y/o (plus three other years of 2.5+ WAR) and then negative value by the time you are 29.

I think he belongs on the "I Can't Believe They Are Only X-years old Team" of players that feel like they have been around forever and should be closing in on retirement, but are instead barely over 30, along with Jason Hayward (34 - feels like he should have retired 10 years ago), Michal Wacha (32), Gerritt Cole (33), Bryce Harper (31), Mike Trout (32), Kris Bryant (32), and Manny Machado (31).

Jurickson Profar is still only 31, Ahmed Rosario and Alex Verdugo are both 28, Wilmer Flores is 32. All mind blowing to me.

[Ksyrup]

I agree with the tweeter!

Gonna choose to believe Rhys was heading to the Phillies dugout with JT before remembering he was a Brewer pic.twitter.com/SuZWHnfLDp

— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) June 4, 2024

[stevew]

Chris Taylor has done the impossible and is now hitting under 100. 80 some at bats.

[stevew]

Also, why is it so hard for them to make a pair of batting gloves that actually fits? Guys just love to just step out and fix their stupid gloves.

[stevew]

Hey swaggs, What’s up with Nick Gonzales? I’m starting to think that this might be a little bit real. He finally looks like the player we drafted.

I keep waiting after the games to get a ride taking rowdy to the airport, I imagine that has to happen soon. He gets an impressive amount of boos.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by stevew

Hey swaggs, What’s up with Nick Gonzales? I’m starting to think that this might be a little bit real. He finally looks like the player we drafted.

I keep waiting after the games to get a ride taking rowdy to the airport, I imagine that has to happen soon. He gets an impressive amount of boos.

Not sure, but I sure wish Henry Davis would catch whatever Gonzalez has.

I think Tellez will end up on the DL at some point and then we’ll never see him again.

[Ksyrup]

There was a Phillies fan at the London game yesterday wearing a shirt that said something like, "Britain blew a 13 colony lead." I LOL'd.

[CrimsonFox]

Johnny Bench tweeted this pic of a fan being tasered at a Reds game

[CrimsonFox]

Now this is what I love about baseball!

First Grand Slam After 12 pitch battle!

[CrimsonFox]

Ge La Cruz scores from second on a bad pickoff throw

INSANE speed Elly pic.twitter.com/bE3GOr0K87

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2024

[RainMaker]

This pitch is just stupid filthy. I don't know how anyone can hit it.





[CrimsonFox]

heh... the "splinker"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Crazy thing on those pitches is that almost every one was at the same speed (95 mph, or at least 94)

[RainMaker]

And with his fastball topping 100, you're basically just guessing whether or not the pitch is going to drop when you swing.

[CrimsonFox]

why doesn't EVEYRONE have that pitch.

[CrimsonFox]

oh man....and he's a starter too! Wonder how long he can keep that up.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Blue Jays' Orelvis Martinez gets 80-game ban for PED violation - ESPN

2 days (and 1 game) after being called up, popped.

[stevew]

He’s probably full of shit but “supposedly” A quick Google Search said something to the effect that It can significantly increase your sperm count. If you wanna have a baby, which is what he said. Like 3 to 4 times as many swimmers.

[stevew]

It’s pretty amazing how much Edwin Diaz has had his career derail since the “spiking of the football” Timmy Trumpet entrance. Mets fall apart in 2022. Diaz tears ACL and misses 2023. Earlier this season, he hast to step back from the closer roll due to ineffectiveness. Then the Mets get that Grimace bounce. And now he’s missing 10 games for having funky ass sticky hands.

[Swaggs]

It is hard seeing Paul Skenes come up and deal this way, have him and Jared Jones on minimum salaries for the next few years and not see the front office add a couple of even league average bats to the lineup. The NL Central and NL, in general, is down this year - if the Pirates don't act now, I don't know when they ever will.

They are sitting with the second lowest payroll in MLB (behind the A's) at $85.5M, with their three most established players under contract now for at least the next 4 years (Reynolds, Hayes, and Keller) and still fielding a team that has negative WAR at catcher, 1B, and corner OF. So hard to be a fan.

[Ksyrup]

They're shooting for 2027, after his inevitable TJ surgery.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

It is hard seeing Paul Skenes come up and deal this way, have him and Jared Jones on minimum salaries for the next few years and not see the front office add a couple of even league average bats to the lineup. The NL Central and NL, in general, is down this year - if the Pirates don't act now, I don't know when they ever will.

They are sitting with the second lowest payroll in MLB (behind the A's) at $85.5M, with their three most established players under contract now for at least the next 4 years (Reynolds, Hayes, and Keller) and still fielding a team that has negative WAR at catcher, 1B, and corner OF. So hard to be a fan.

Change a few names and this is me as a Reds fan. Almost 30 years since they have advanced in the playoffs and we're still always playing for next year.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

They're shooting for 2027, after his inevitable TJ surgery.

That's the thing - between Jones, Skenes, and Keller, there will almost certainly be at least TJs in the (I think) 4 years they have them all under control. This is one of them.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Change a few names and this is me as a Reds fan. Almost 30 years since they have advanced in the playoffs and we're still always playing for next year.

I feel you. It seems like the Cardinals have never been bad in my adult life, and now that they are, everyone in the Central is just shooting for .500.

[RainMaker]

The Cubs should be steamrolling this division every year but are too cheap to act like the Dodgers and Yankees despite the revenue.