2024 MLB Season Thread

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

I mean, do we really care if it's a N-H by committee? A no-hitter is a big individual feat, and one that is rare. A guy throwing seven no-hit innings is not an everyday thing, but it's not celebrated. Nor are RP throwing no-hit innings. This just happens to be instances of these thrown together, but at that point why should I care?

I don't disagree, but the practice has been to send out BREAKING notifications when any team has a no-hitter going past the 6th. It doesn't matter if it's an individual or a committee situation. I just found the whole thing odd that the first time I heard about it was after it ended. That's unusual.

[PilotMan]

Alright kids! It's the home stretch and it's time for your White Sox update!

It's been 10 games since the last update. Over this run the Sox have gone 2-8 and actually lowered the winning percentage to .229 with a 33-111 record. They are fully on pace to set all three records across the board.



Currently there are 144 games played, and 18 games remaining on the season. The tide if full in favor of the White Sox breaking this historic record. The scale of bad that this represents cannot be overstated. The next worst team in the entire league is the Colorado Rockies at 54-90. That is 21 games better than the White Sox. Again, to put this into perspective, all the teams of the AL West, the AL East, and the NL Central are all within 21 games of the lead of their division. THE LEAD. That's half the league with a narrower spread between the best and the worst in their division than the White Sox are from the NEXT WORST TEAM IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE! Holy crap this is amazing!



So what needs to happen from here on out?



The White Sox would need 43 wins to have 119 losses and fully avoid all records. From here? That's gonna have to be a 10-8 record. Just no way. No way that's happening. What else?



Most Losses = 121 would need to go 41-121...8-10 the rest of the way. I'm less excited about this since there's 162 games in a season, but whatever. They would need to play .444 ball the rest of the way. This is almost totally assured to be broken.



Worst winning percentage = <.250 Would need to go 40-122 or 7-11 the rest of the way. Still not as excited with this one, but it does fully define them as the all time worst. They would need to play .389 ball over the final 18 games. Still not likely, but only 2 ML teams (Rockies and Marlins) have played worse than that over the entire season, so from a professional standpoint, it's totally doable for a normal team.



Least wins = <40 Would need to go 39-123 and 6-12 over the final 18 games. That's a .333 winning percentage and something every other team could do, but over this season, the Sox haven't even come close. This is the big one. This is the record that deserves to be broken by this team. In other words, this team can win 1 out of the every 3 games and still break this record.



Of the teams they have to play, the Guardians and the Padres are still playing for something, so expect teams that want to win. The A's, Angels and Tigers could be sending out more prospects, which will give the White Sox a fighting chance. Final word, if the White Sox lose their next 3 games it's over and we'll celebrate!

[stevew]

I believe the White Sox will pick 10th and the A’s 11th in 2025 due to the new lottery rules.

If the Reds or Rockies finish in the top 6 they will not be in the 2026 lottery and can pick no higher than 10th.

As are not in the lottery this year cause they finished in the top 6 in 23/24 and received revenue sharing. White Sox were in the top 6 in 2024 and don’t receive revenue sharing so they can’t pick in consecutive years.

[stevew]

This certainly explains a lot.


David Bednar is tipping pitches

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by stevew

I believe the White Sox will pick 10th and the A’s 11th in 2025 due to the new lottery rules.

They should do this in other leagues too. Teams that don't try should not be getting the best players in a draft.

[stevew]

Went to see Skenes vs the Marlins on Monday and I’d be lying if I could identify anyone in the Marlins lineup.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

Went to see Skenes vs the Marlins on Monday and I’d be lying if I could identify anyone in the Marlins lineup.

Well you KNOW that was gonna make me look up that lineup.

And I will use as my standard "know them aside from MLB The Show "

From tonight's lineup: I would have known Jake Burger from his past. Mayyyyyybe Jesus Sanchez if I had a lucky brain moment.

The rest? Only Jonah Bride is recognisable to me even WITH MLBTS influence.

[stevew]

Oh yeah I forgot I did know of Burger.

[Ghost Econ]

Shohei Ohtani has 16 games left to hit 4 HR and steal 3 bases to reach 50/50.

He is legitimately insane

[stevew]

Cal Raleigh is 2nd all time for primary Catcher Home Runs thru 4mlb seasons. He’s also one of only 12 catchers with 2 30 HR seasons.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by stevew

Cal Raleigh is 2nd all time for primary Catcher Home Runs thru 4mlb seasons. He’s also one of only 12 catchers with 2 30 HR seasons.

He's outstanding defensively too. He also crushed 2 homers in the game against the Mets that I went to.

[RainMaker]

You can also argue that he's been a little unlucky with a .250 BABIP.

[PilotMan]

White Sox can play .400 baseball the rest of the season and still break the Mets record for least wins in a season. 9 of the remaining 15 games are on the road, and 3 of those games are against a team in playoff contention.



They are 21.5 games behind the next worst team in the entire league. The .224 winning percentage is the worst since the late 1890s teams. That's not even comparable to today's game. Neither really are the 1916 As or the 1935 Boston Braves. Even the 62 Mets get a pass as an expansion team.



The level of bad that this team has been is nearly impossible to digest in the modern era of baseball. It's so hard to be this bad.

[Atocep]

What makes it even more incredible is, in the era of tanking, they were actually sort of trying this year. They had no incentive to tank.

[RainMaker]

I don't know how they even did it. Their opening day roster was bad, but not that bad. And the team they had a couple years ago was trending to contender. Ton of young talent, strong farm system, and a mix of good vets.

[JPhillips]

Thomkal, did you see this?

The Minnesota Twins released minor league catcher Derek Bender on Thursday after he told opposing hitters the type of pitch that was coming to the plate during at-bats of the game last week that eliminated his team from playoff contention, sources told ESPN.

Bender, a sixth-round draft pick out of Coastal Carolina in July, was playing for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, the Twins' Low-A affiliate. In the second game of a Sept. 6 doubleheader, Bender told multiple hitters for the Lakeland Flying Tigers, a Detroit farm team, the specific pitch being thrown by starter Ross Dunn, sources said.

Lakeland scored four runs in the second inning and won the game 6-0, to capture the Florida State League West division and eliminate the Mighty Mussels from playoff contention after they had held a six-game lead three weeks earlier.

Fort Myers coaches were notified by Lakeland coaches about Bender's pitch tipping following the game, sources said. Bender's willingness to tip pitches surprised Lakeland players, and there are no indications of wrongdoing from the Flying Tigers, sources said. Bender had told teammates he wanted the season to be over, according to sources.

Bender spent the final two games of the season, which the Mussels won, in the team's bullpen instead of his typical place in the dugout, sources said.

Through his agency, Bender declined comment. The Twins declined comment.

[sovereignstar v2]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Thomkal, did you see this?

Will be interesting to see if this goofball will be given another chance by another club.

[Lathum]

Just another punk from Coastal Carolina

Sources -- Twins cut minor league catcher Derek Bender for tipping pitches - ESPN

[sovereignstar v2]

Thanks for joining us, Lathum

[Lathum]

Well. Shit then.

[Suicane75]

Dude just wanted to go home. I can respect that.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

Will be interesting to see if this goofball will be given another chance by another club.

Probably the Astros

[RainMaker]

Guessing it depends on how good a prospect he was. Seems like there would be some major trust issues no matter where he goes and that seems important when you're trying to work with a pitcher. That's also a great way to get your ass beat.

[Danny]

He is done. Its one thing to cheat to help your own team but how could anyone trust him in the future. Silly way to throw your career away.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Danny

He is done. Its one thing to cheat to help your own team but how could anyone trust him in the future. Silly way to throw your career away.

Maybe he already knew his career was done?

A catcher and first baseman selected with the 188th pick this year, Bender signed for $297,500, slightly below the $320,800 slot for that selection. He will keep the entirety of his bonus, sources said.

Bender played 19 games for Fort Myers, hitting .200/.273/.333 with two home runs and eight RBIs. In three seasons at Coastal Carolina, he hit .326/.408/.571 with 32 home runs and 153 RBIs in 144 games.

The draft was what the middle of July? He signed on July 24th. He was assigned to the Mussels on August 6th. $297,500 for a month of playing shitty baseball in Fort Myers?

Morally reprehensible? Absolutely.

Financially? Well....um...

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Maybe he already knew his career was done?



The draft was what the middle of July? He signed on July 24th. He was assigned to the Mussels on August 6th. $297,500 for a month of playing shitty baseball in Fort Myers?

Morally reprehensible? Absolutely.

Financially? Well....um...

Done as a player? I guess. Maybe he had no interest in ever becoming a coach? In any case I can't imagine anyone hiring him for a baseball job in any capacity after this. I at least know I wouldn't. Can he even go home and get the local high school baseball team's manger job?

[Danny]

Why would he have been done? Hes 21 and just drafted in the 6th round. Maybe not a future star but he could still stick around and have a career in the game.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Danny

but he could still stick around and have a career in the game.

Seems obvious that he'd decided he didn't want one.

edit to add: This quote from draft day didn't age very well

Bender’s former coach at St. James High, Robbie Centracchio, said that day that Bender does “things the right way at all times.”

[Danny]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Seems obvious that he'd decided he didn't want one.

edit to add: This quote from draft day didn't age very well

Well yes buf im saying he wasnt done just because of a slow start. Obviously hes done now. Perhaps he was used to being a star and couldn't handle struggling.

[Ksyrup]

The Tigers have the best record in the AL since July 4th and after beating KC tonight (coming back from 4-0 to win 7-6) they are only 1.5 games back of the Twins for the last WC spot. Amazing.

[PilotMan]

The White Sox are on the verge of their 3rd win in a row. They've gone from a lock for the record here to back in the game to escape it. I'm gonna be so pissed if they don't fail.

[Atocep]

I remember when the shift ban was going to make Joey Gallo an MVP candidate.

[stevew]

If you need something to cheer for, Patrick Corbin leads the NL in losses (13). He can become the 3rd pitcher in modern MLB history to lead the league in losses for 4 straight seasons(Phil Neikro, Pedro Ramos)

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I remember when the shift ban was going to make Joey Gallo an MVP candidate.

In 2017 he came up to the plate 616 times. In 330 of those appearances he didn't put the ball into play... he either walked, struck out, or got hit by a pitch.

Even Bonds at his Bondsiest didn't have a rate like that.

[dubb93]

I know analytics changed everything, but it's still hard to believe that a guy who has hit below .200 8 of the last 9 years is still getting major league at bats. He hasn't hit above .177 in the last six years.

[Ghost Econ]

He's played the equivalent of about 6 155 game seasons over his career and is worth about 2.6 WAR/season. Not great, but there's clearly plenty of guys who bring less to the table despite his .194 average. He's basically a slightly worse Kyle Schwarber with better defense.

[JPhillips]

Somehow the Reds are 10-0 against the Astros, Yankees, and Braves.

This is why I don't bet on sports.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by stevew

If you need something to cheer for, Patrick Corbin leads the NL in losses (13). He can become the 3rd pitcher in modern MLB history to lead the league in losses for 4 straight seasons(Phil Neikro, Pedro Ramos)

Poor Phil Neikro. He was the best pitcher on some of the historically worse teams ever, but he was also the type of pitcher that could throw so many innings. Just leave him out there to get all the stats, good and bad.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Poor Phil Neikro. He was the best pitcher on some of the historically worse teams ever, but he was also the type of pitcher that could throw so many innings. Just leave him out there to get all the stats, good and bad.

The 4 seasons he led the league in losses he also led the league in games started. AND one of those seasons he also led the league in wins. AND the worst of those 4 seasons (1977) he led the league in strikeouts.

[RainMaker]

His 1978 season is crazy. Just a monster year but 18 losses pitching for the worst team. He probably wins close to 30 if he pitches for a good team.

[Ksyrup]

One of the things that always annoyed me about OOTP is how many Patrick Corbins you'd see year in, year out. A bunch of guys with 15-20 losses every season who always seemed to find a job. From an optics perspective, a real MLB team would have a hard time throwing a guy out there who had 75 losses over the past 4 years but it happened all the time in OOTP.

It's like how certain LOOGYs in real life would always find a job, except in OOTP it was starters with mediocre ratings but great stamina who would start 35 games a year and lose over half of them.

[Swaggs]

Kids these days will never understand what it was like having guys like Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, Rusty Staub, Carlton Fisk, and Carl Yastrzemski (am I missing any?) - who looked like they were 60 years old, but were still balling in the '80s.

Rich Hill, Justin Verlander, Justin Turner, Charlie Morton, and whoever else is currently active and over 40 just don't have the look of a guy that should be sitting on the porch and whittling or rushing to get to Bob Evans before rush hour traffic.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Kids these days will never understand what it was like having guys like Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, Rusty Staub, Carlton Fisk, and Carl Yastrzemski (am I missing any?) - who looked like they were 60 years old, but were still balling in the '80s.

Rich Hill, Justin Verlander, Justin Turner, Charlie Morton, and whoever else is currently active and over 40 just don't have the look of a guy that should be sitting on the porch and whittling or rushing to get to Bob Evans before rush hour traffic.

No joke. The Braves had a starting rotation with both Neikro and Perry one season, two old silver haired dudes. It looked like a beer league softball.

[RainMaker]

We need closers that look like Rod Beck.

[stevew]

Jerry Reuss. Charlie Hough.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by stevew

Jerry Reuss. Charlie Hough.

I swear I remember Charlie Hough looking like he was in his 70s on the mound when he pitched for the expansion Marlins.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

We need closers that look like Rod Beck.

Andrew Chafin just needs promoted to closer.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by stevew

Jerry Reuss. Charlie Hough.

Good call - especially on Charlie Hough. I always remember Reuss having shaggy blonde hair, but looking at his late 80's baseball card images, he can be on the team.

Can't believe I forgot about Nolan Ryan and Pete Rose (although Pete never seemed quite as old to me while playing).

I'd throw Davy Lopes and Jose Cruz on there, too. I remember back when the Astros where in the NL, Jose Cruz would come up to the plate looking like he was 55 years old and kill the Pirates every time they played.

[RainMaker]

While we're at it, I need some fat first and third basemen in the league who just hit monster homers. Not enough of those. Bring back the Matt Stairs look.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I'd throw Davy Lopes and Jose Cruz on there, too.

Vic Davalillo and Manny Mota ... but of course they WERE that old lol