2019 MLB Thread

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by tarcone

White people are triggers now. Or should I say, non-liberal white males.

Wife beaters dont matter when non liberal white males do something.

A private company banning someone from their building after flashing a white power sign is pretty much just like the Holocaust.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

A private company banning someone from their building after flashing a white power sign is pretty much just like the Holocaust.

Go find your safe space

[JPhillips]

lol

perfect

[tarcone]

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Go find your safe space

seems like the only people complaining about the decision are conservatives like you, so.. I suggest you follow your own advice.

Or int he nomenclature of the day "Triggered much?"

[panerd]

I could give two shits that they banned the guy but.like Stevew already has said the story is so clearly a distraction away from the fact that they just brought a wife beater up. One who they claimed in the offseason was going to spend some serious time in the minors to grow up.

[tarcone]

Shoot, gotta have players to win to draw the fans to make money. Look at the NFL.

I could care less also. But its just a fun exercise sometimes.

[Lathum]

Is there anything George Springer can’t do?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Is there anything George Springer can’t do?

Pitch to himself?

[spleen1015]

Have a baby?

[stevew]

Learn how to love again after all is lost

[tarcone]

A Hysterectomy?

[JonInMiddleGA]

I have an idea that might help major league baseball.

If you aren't going to contract several teams then maybe just shorten all games to 6-7 innings. You'd get the time savings you so badly crave & fans would be spared the parade of relievers that cause more distress than relief.

#JustMailMeTheRoyaltyCheck

[Atocep]

We're about 2 months into the season and Van Wagenen should be fired for the Cano trade.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Atocep

We're about 2 months into the season and Van Wagenen should be fired for the Cano trade.

Calloway has to be fired, right? You can’t get swept by Miami and shut out back to back games.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Calloway has to be fired, right? You can’t get swept by Miami and shut out back to back games.

Van Wagenen will fire him to distract from the fact that he made some awful moves this offseason.

Diaz is great, but this team is evidence of how useless a dominant closer is on a mediocre team. Cano, even if he rebounds, is in no way worth Kelenic and Dunn when you had McNeil. He also had to be the only person on the planet that thought Vargas could function as the 5 starter.

The only positive move he made this offseason was adding JD Davis. Keeping Dom Smith doesn't make sense for a NL club. His ceiling is probably average-ish 1st baseman but he's not playing with Alonso on the roster and a backup 1st baseman is overkill in the NL.

Rosario has also regressed horribly. He somehow went from being a glove-first shortstop who's ultimate ceiling would be determined by his bat to possibly the worst defensive shortstop in baseball.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The Mets have become the Redskins or something.

Cespedes has a broken ankle after an accident on his farm (at least some reports are saying BOTH ankles)

[Lathum]

I honestly can't handle being a Mets and NY Giants fan.

Thank god my Huskies are competent.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

The Mets have become the Redskins or something.

Cespedes has a broken ankle after an accident on his farm (at least some reports are saying BOTH ankles)

Heard an animal was involved, like he was riding and got thrown. If so, may get the Mets out of his contract.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Heard an animal was involved, like he was riding and got thrown. If so, may get the Mets out of his contract.

But but but he specifically told the team he was NOT riding a horse when it happened.

(and Ron Gant didn't even own a motorbike)

[stevew]

Carter Stewart going to Japan is a fascinating move

[MrBug708]

Boras finally got someone to do it

[JPhillips]

So far this season Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres have combined for 19 HRs...

against the Orioles.

[Lathum]

Just discovered MLB.TV has a video option called Park where you can watch the game with no commentary. Pretty cool stuff.

[JPhillips]

Joe Pos had a recent column that gets at why baseball isn't as entertaining for me.

https://joeposnanski.com/shakedown-1979/

It includes this,

OK, 1979 is forty years ago. And those forty years are the point. When you look across that stretch of time … well, I just noticed this. Take a look at this list and tell me if your mind is blown:

Lowest batting average: 2019 (.246)
Highest home run rate: 2019 (1.33 homers per game)
Most strikeouts per game: 2019 (8.79 Ks per game)
Fewest sacrifice hits: 2019 (.16 per game)
Fewest intentional walks: 2019 (.16 per game)
Fewest hits: 2019 (8.34 per game)
Fewest triples: 2019 (.15 per game)
Fewest stolen bases: 2019 (.46 per game)
Fewest double plays: 2019 (.70 per game)
Most hit by pitch: 2019 (.41 per game)
Fewest complete games: 2019 (about 1 percent)
Length of game: 2017 (this year is third)

[tarcone]

It is becoming slo-pitch softball.

I love me a 2-1 or 1-0 pitchers duel with good defense. That is a lot more entertaining to me.

[BishopMVP]

Decent article on the swing path revolution How Mookie Betts built a better swing: an excerpt from The MVP Machine.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Decent article on the swing path revolution How Mookie Betts built a better swing: an excerpt from The MVP Machine.

Great-long article. Thanks


In other news, the Dodgers have lost 2 straight for the first time since April and they lost for the first time in something like the last 21 Kershaw starts.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Great-long article. Thanks


In other news, the Dodgers have lost 2 straight for the first time since April and they lost for the first time in something like the last 21 Kershaw starts.

Yeah, I should've mentioned Dodgers and Red Sox fans especially would like the article Other than the swing path stuff, which makes intuitive sense and is borne out by all the new data I thought the stuff about the bat handle was also interesting. Guess I must have missed it if it was a story around Betts' MVP play, but again that's something that makes intuitive sense to me, and makes me wonder if there are other simple tweaks that have been sitting in front of us for the past 100 years. (I also just wish Mookie wasn't super friendly and didn't introduce it to George Springer and thus the Astros!)

[Vince, Pt. II]

Tremendously sad that we are staring down the end of the Bumgarner era in San Francisco.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Tremendously sad that we are staring down the end of the Bumgarner era in San Francisco.

And after his quote following the shouting incident with Max Muncy, I'm completley on board with the Braves getting him even as a rental.

"They want to let everybody be themselves. Let me be myself,'' Bumgarner said. "I just as soon fight than walk or whatever. Just do your thing, I'll do mine.''

More guys like that, fewer of the new breed of prima donnas, my interest in baseball might actually go up instead of down for a change.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I VERY rarely watch any sort of "voyeuristic" video online but after some comments wanted to be able to judge for myself what happened in the David Ortiz shooting.

Assuming the surveillance video I saw is the actual incident "robbery attempt" my ass.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Bumgarner's fiery personality is pretty great, and his interviews post-game after the fireworks are usually great and sometimes hilarious.

I remember after the notably vicious exchange with Puig (while he was still a Dodger) and Bumgarner practically intercepted him between 3B and home plate during a home run trot, Bumgarner was asked what they said to one another in a post-game interview. "I was congratulating him. It was a really good hit. I think he said thank you...I don't speak Spanish very well."

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I VERY rarely watch any sort of "voyeuristic" video online but after some comments wanted to be able to judge for myself what happened in the David Ortiz shooting.

Assuming the surveillance video I saw is the actual incident "robbery attempt" my ass.

Yeah, that ain't no robbery. Idk if it's a temp murder or a crazy person, but hopefully the reports the bullet went through & Ortiz is "out of danger" are correct.

There's also allegedly videos of the shooter being detained by citizens, but I don't speak Spanish well enough to know if those are real or a meme, and unlike MadBum that's not a euphemism here! I fully believe Ortiz is that well liked by people, idk if DR police are as bad and non-existent as the videos make it appear. Just hope Papi is okay.

[molson]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Yeah, that ain't no robbery. Idk if it's a temp murder or a crazy person, but hopefully the reports the bullet went through & Ortiz is "out of danger" are correct.

There's also allegedly videos of the shooter being detained by citizens, but I don't speak Spanish well enough to know if those are real or a meme, and unlike MadBum that's not a euphemism here! I fully believe Ortiz is that well liked by people, idk if DR police are as bad and non-existent as the videos make it appear. Just hope Papi is okay.

Ortiz's father says no organs were hit and a full recovery is expected. Though Ortiz's father is also the one who said it was a burglary attempt.

Assuming he was specifically targeted it could have been the end result of some failed threat/extortion/attempted shakedown kind of thing, I guess.

[molson]

Originally Posted by molson

Ortiz's father says no organs were hit and a full recovery is expected. Though Ortiz's father is also the one who said it was a burglary attempt.

Apparently the organ thing was not accurate either, Ortiz's medical assistant (that guy probably had a fairly easy job until yesterday), said that they had to remove part of his intestines, colon, and his gallbladder.

They still expect him to make a full recovery, but he got very lucky, and still may never be the same.

[RainMaker]

Rumors are that it was a drug dealer who hired the shooter because he thought Ortiz was having an affair with his wife. Makes more sense than a robbery.

[stevew]

Hitting for the Cycle gets way too much hype. It's a really good outcome, but so is some other random 4 hits for 10 total bases game

[SackAttack]

So, uh.

Last June, Dodgers hosted Chicago and Max Muncy went yard off of Kyle Hendricks. The ball bounced back onto the field and hit Almora in the head.

Max Muncy's home run bounces back to hit Albert Almora Jr. in the head - YouTube

Sunday night, the Dodgers hosted Chicago and Bellinger went yard off of Quintana. The ball bounced back and, once again, hit Almora in the head. The best shot of it I've seen is in the interview video where he talks about his dad; the official highlight cuts away juuuust before the bonk. Link below.

Bellinger trying to make swing his own again - ESPN Video

I'm just waiting for the Cubs to go to LA next season. I wanna see, like, Verdugo or Turner come up and watch Almora just hop the CF wall like "not stickin' around for this, see ya."

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by stevew

Hitting for the Cycle gets way too much hype. It's a really good outcome, but so is some other random 4 hits for 10 total bases game

Pretty sure it's more rare than a no-hitter, in terms of actual frequency. Though I would imagine if the trend with starting pitching continues that will change fairly soon.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Pretty sure it's more rare than a no-hitter, in terms of actual frequency. Though I would imagine if the trend with starting pitching continues that will change fairly soon.

If you look at all of baseball history, you've got ~324 cycles and 300 no-hitters. If you look at modern baseball history, the number of no-hitters drops to 257.

Where you might have a rarity argument isn't going to be in terms of frequency, but in terms of opportunities.

On a given day, there are 30 opportunities for a no-hitter to be thrown, but there are ~ 270 opportunities for a cycle. So while the overall numbers are similar'ish, the rate of respective occurrence is gonna skew more heavily towards the event that happens about as often but in far fewer opportunities.

[PilotMan]

You know, ARod talks a lot as a commentator, some of his stuff is pretty obvious, but some of his insights are really quite good. Much better than I would think.

[Lathum]

Video: Lenny Dykstra went dumpster-diving for lost dentures

[miami_fan]

Rays to explore splitting games with Montreal

Your move, state and local governments. Are you paying for the stadium or not?

[tarcone]

Seems like Florida just wont support MLB teams. Its a destination for spring training. But there is so many other options for your entertainment dollar, that MLB just cant win out.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Rays to explore splitting games with Montreal

Your move, state and local governments. Are you paying for the stadium or not?

Reminds me of a certain Blackjack strategy.

"Can't Get One New Stadium? Bet on Two next time!"

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Reminds me of a certain Blackjack strategy.

"Can't Get One New Stadium? Bet on Two next time!"

Why go for two when you can divvy up and have 4!? I mean, bring baseball to the mid market masses everywhere with your ragtag band of swinging sticks.

[Logan]

Mets fired their pitching coach and bullpen coach. The new pitching coach is 82 years old, has been retired for 4 years, was a teammate of Sandy Koufax, and gave up a HR to Harmon Killebrew in his MLB debut.

"Mound visits are gonna take a while" is currently my #1 Twitter joke, followed closely by "Familia is literally gonna give this guy a heart attack."

[BishopMVP]

You forgot the "new" bullpen coach was also the bullpen coach from 2012-2018, demoted to Single A pitching coach the first few months, and now back as Mets bullpen coach.

[stevew]

I think the Tampa/Montreal split makes a ton of sense. Play all 9 Toronto games in Canada. Play 1 series vs the Orioles/Yankees/Red Sox in Montreal and 2 in Tampa. And then alternate the rest of the home games.