The 2010 MLB Season Thread

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Oh, and Tyler Clippard has been spectacular. Not to mention Livan Hernandez. It is highly unlikely all of this will continue, but April has been great to watch (well, in most cases for me, listen to).

Clippard's success is a lot more sustainable than Livan's...

[lungs]

Originally Posted by stevew

Why wouldn't you pinch run for Prince Fielder when he's the winning run on second base?
Now granted, Dotel just walked the next batter.

12 man pitching staff = thin bench

[stevew]

Sigh, nice bunt lastings.

[stevew]

Hot dog beat Brat by half a buns length, if anyone cares.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by lungs

12 man pitching staff = thin bench

Don't they have any starting pitchers they could put out there to pinch-run?

[stevew]

Granted Fielder is probably going to hit a walk off here to win the game.

[stevew]

Wow, it's finally over.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Don't they have any starting pitchers they could put out there to pinch-run?

They had burned through the pitchers too.

[lungs]

Dola

I can finally get on with grilling some bratwurst now that the game is over.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Joe Poz is the best writer in sports today, and it's not even close. his blog is everyday reading for me. I wish he hadn't gone to SI, because now he writes a bunch of crap about Tiger and stuff I don't care about, just because he has to. But man, he's great.

Indeed- Poz is one of those "voices of a generation" sorts for sports. Honestly, I wish he hadn't started blogging and was still just writing for the KC Star. I'm sure SI pays boatloads better but once he started his blog to branch out, he started getting in some of that Bill Simmons pop culture crap and his writing seemed to get diluted. He's been spreading himself too thin ever since. He's still one hell of a writer, it's just that you have to read multiple articles to get the same punch one used to have sometimes.

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Not paying attention to baseball? I'd take Votto's next 5 years over Howard - he has better range, and less of a hole against lefties. Howard had an OPS+ of 140 last year, and is a career .226.309/.443 hitter against lefties. Votto had an OPS+ of 155 and is a career 300/372/486 vs lefties - can't be neutralized by a generic left-handed reliever in the late innings.

There's enough debate here around the top 5 (ie, the not Pujols category) between Cabrera, Teixera, Votto, Cabrera, Morneau, Fielder, Morales, Gonzales etc etc - but Howard is hard to justify as a top 5 guy. Again, he's a very good player, but not elite, and he's being paid like it.

No, no. No, no. I mean, geez, Votto's nice and he projects pretty well. But can we have a guy have an OPS+ over 130 for more than one year before we put him in the top 10 in the league??

Joey Votto Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com

I mean his similarity scores are as follows:

Similar Batters through 25
View Player Links in Pop-up
Compare Stats to Similars

1. Bill Skowron (965)
2. Todd Helton (962)
3. Sean Casey (948)
4. Ron Blomberg (946)
5. Wally Joyner (942)
6. Joe Hauser (932)
7. Lance Berkman (931)
8. Geoff Jenkins (928)
9. Wally Berger (927)
10. Kal Daniels (925)

He had one really good year at a pretty young age. Let's wait just a smidge before we put him in the top 10.

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Amazing that Greinke is going to have a winless April. He hasn't pitched great, but he's been plenty good enough to win at least a couple of his starts.

Yeah, his ERA+ is "only" 161. Yeah, he looked a little off those first couple starts but he's starting to round back into 2009 Greinke form, I guess- I haven't had a chance to watch the last couple of games. I've just seen them online. The strike zone last night was huge (for both pitchers) so he benefited from that.

But yeah, 0-2 with a 2.56 ERA. This, boys and girls, is why wins are not everything as a stat. He left 3 of the games with leads (3-2, 3-2, 4-2) and the pen gave up the lead. He was down 4-1 in the other two games when he left with only 2 of the 4 runs being earned in one of those games.

SI

[korme]

gettin real annoyed with baseball tonight not showing reds/astros highlights two nights in a row. wtf? stop talkin about trevor hoffmans problems and use your allotted time to show all the games

[rowech]

Originally Posted by korme

gettin real annoyed with baseball tonight not showing reds/astros highlights two nights in a row. wtf? stop talkin about trevor hoffmans problems and use your allotted time to show all the games

Watch MLB Network if you have it. 100% better. You will see stuff from all teams and all game instead of just the eight that ESPN cares about.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Indeed- Poz is one of those "voices of a generation" sorts for sports. Honestly, I wish he hadn't started blogging and was still just writing for the KC Star. I'm sure SI pays boatloads better but once he started his blog to branch out, he started getting in some of that Bill Simmons pop culture crap and his writing seemed to get diluted. He's been spreading himself too thin ever since. He's still one hell of a writer, it's just that you have to read multiple articles to get the same punch one used to have sometimes.

SI

I actually love the infomercial blog posts he's done. Hasn't done one in a while, though.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

OK, what the hell?!?!?! I realize that the Royals are, well, the Royals, but this is getting ridiculous. The offense has been pretty good this year. The starting pitching, while not fantastic, has at least been average. But the bullpen has been one of the most atrocious things I think I've ever seen. They literally are finding a new way every day to blow a game. The only consistent thing is that they can't throw strikes. At this point, I just wish they'd throw fastballs down the middle. It may get hammered, but at least the guy won't get to first without ever taking a swing.

Hey, at least we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of our only championship season!!!!!

It's difficult to be a loyal, lifelong Royals fan.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by rowech

Watch MLB Network if you have it. 100% better. You will see stuff from all teams and all game instead of just the eight that ESPN cares about.

+1!

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

OK, what the hell?!?!?! I realize that the Royals are, well, the Royals, but this is getting ridiculous. The offense has been pretty good this year. The starting pitching, while not fantastic, has at least been average. But the bullpen has been one of the most atrocious things I think I've ever seen. They literally are finding a new way every day to blow a game. The only consistent thing is that they can't throw strikes. At this point, I just wish they'd throw fastballs down the middle. It may get hammered, but at least the guy won't get to first without ever taking a swing

Don't worry. Regression to the mean is coming. The bullpen probably isn't this bad (Soria excepted- he's the only useful guy). The hitting isn't nearly this good. You'll be yearning for these days in 2 months when they struggle to get 5 runs in a week because of all the career sub-.300 OBP guys. I mean, jeez- Jason Kendall has caught all but one game this season?!?

SI

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Don't worry. Regression to the mean is coming. The bullpen probably isn't this bad (except Soria). The hitting isn't nearly this good. You'll be yearning for these days in 2 months when they struggle to get 5 runs in a week because of all the career sub-.300 OBP guys. I mean, jeez- Jason Kendall has caught all but one game this season?!?

SI

The other day Luke Hochevar was pitching. The first time through the lineup, he was throwing first pitch fastball to nearly every batter. The second time through the lineup, three straight hitters smacked first-pitch fastballs into the gap for back-to-back-to back doubles.

After the game, Luke commended Kendall for changing up the pitch sequences after those hits. My question is: DID IT REALLY TAKE A MAJOR LEAGUE CATCHER/PITCHER THREE STRAIGHT DOUBLES TO FIGURE OUT THAT ANOTHER FIRST-PITCH FASTBALL MIGHT NOT BE A GOOD IDEA?

[Ksyrup]

I didn't really understand waiving Juan Cruz, because he's one of the only guys in that bullpen who seems to have MLB talent, they're getting torched, he hasn't been bad this year, AND - oh yeah - they signed him for 2/$6M last year. THAT's the guy you can out of that bullpen? Must be something behind the scenes going on. Is he related to Elijah Dukes or something?

[DeToxRox]

So the Twins got jobbed last night vs the Tigs, and obviously I am a Tigs fan. Basically, there is 1 out, with Austin Jackson on first and Damon at bat. Damon hits a ball that kept carrying to left center. Span runs it down and clearly catches it, takes three steps towards the warning track and goes to throw it back in. On the exchange from glove to hand he drops the ball. Everyone keeps running, so Jackson is on 3rd, Damon on 2nd. The umps declare he dropped the ball somehow, so instead of a runner on 2nd (assuming Jackson tags) and 2 outs, it's 2nd and 3rd and 1 out. The Tigs then go into mash mode and plate 6 to take the game.

I am amazed the umps could butcher a call that badly.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Clippard's success is a lot more sustainable than Livan's...

Oh, definitely. But much like Capps, he only needs to be good until June or so. Presumably June will bring Wang, Detwiler, PERHAPS an improved Marquis (that is, back to 2009 form, which is good for the lower end of the rotation) and Jesus (er, Strasburg). Hopefully the rotation will be more like this (I'm sure the order is wrong) in June:

Lannan
Strasburg
Wang
Detwiler
Marquis

If Livan is still rolling, I'm sure Detwiler will stay down.. or Marquis.. who knows. But the point is, Livan doesn't necessarily need to play like this the whole year. Just for two months.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

What are the expectations for Wang? Seems like a huge wildcard to me.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

What are the expectations for Wang? Seems like a huge wildcard to me.

Just about the same as the rest of the staff. A #5 guy anywhere else, but hopefully he can hold up the rotation.

I'm not entirely sure of his expectations. I know that he can't be much worse than Marquis and his 20+ ERA. Our ace is anything but an ace. Strasburg will hopefully take that roll, but right now Lannan would probably be a #3 guy elsewhere. The risk is certainly worth it. The rotation is full of wildcards (Livan, Wang, Marquis) and young guys (Strasburg, Zimmermann, Storen, Detwiler, Atilano, etc). Having said that, it's an improvement over last year.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

Oh yeah, the risk is totally worth it for the Nats. I was just wondering how people were thinking about him and what kind of expectations the fanbase has. I loved the signing, personally.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

Oh yeah, the risk is totally worth it for the Nats. I was just wondering how people were thinking about him and what kind of expectations the fanbase has. I loved the signing, personally.

We have no expectations at this point. Our expectation is 100 losses, because that's all they've given us. If he can keep his ERA under 8 he's a winner!

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I didn't really understand waiving Juan Cruz, because he's one of the only guys in that bullpen who seems to have MLB talent, they're getting torched, he hasn't been bad this year, AND - oh yeah - they signed him for 2/$6M last year. THAT's the guy you can out of that bullpen? Must be something behind the scenes going on. Is he related to Elijah Dukes or something?

I'm not sure what the story behind the story was. I just haven't been able to figure it out because, again, like you said- he had actually had MLB success and it's not as if he suddenly got old or something. However, don't let his ERA this year fool you- he also let something like 7 of 8 inherited runners score so he looked more like Juan Cruz 2009 than Juan Cruz pre-2009. I'm wondering if we find out that he goes on the shelf and has TJ surgery and he's been hiding it all along.

Honestly, when they signed him last year, $3M per for a pitcher of his caliber was a bargain. I thought it was a good move and he would me eminently flippable for a team looking for a setup guy at the trade deadline this year.

SI

[MrBug708]

The judge just needs to award Jaime McCourt the money and Frank should sell

[Logan]

Haven't followed...is Farnsworth still on the team, but Cruz isn't?

[Bad-example]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

The judge just needs to award Jaime McCourt the money and Frank should sell

No...President Jamie should get the team, then enact her plan to lose enough games to void the lease and move to Miami.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Logan

Haven't followed...is Farnsworth still on the team, but Cruz isn't?

*sigh*

SI

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Just about the same as the rest of the staff. A #5 guy anywhere else, but hopefully he can hold up the rotation.

I'm not entirely sure of his expectations. I know that he can't be much worse than Marquis and his 20+ ERA. Our ace is anything but an ace. Strasburg will hopefully take that roll, but right now Lannan would probably be a #3 guy elsewhere. The risk is certainly worth it. The rotation is full of wildcards (Livan, Wang, Marquis) and young guys (Strasburg, Zimmermann, Storen, Detwiler, Atilano, etc). Having said that, it's an improvement over last year.

Isn't Storen ticketed for the bullpen? Or is that just what most analysts think will be his ultimate position?

Here's what I'd do if I was in the Washington front office. Capps is off to a great start for people who think Fernando Rodney is a great pitcher because he only blew one save last year. Capps is also arbitration-eligible for 2011, which means if he saves 40+ games for a mediocre Nats team, he's likely going to get a big, undeserved salary. I'd ride his hot streak as far as possible this spring and deal him to a Cubs/Twins/whoever else needs bullpen help, then put Storen in the pen for the rest of this year and happily take the couple of prospects they get for Capps.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Isn't Storen ticketed for the bullpen? Or is that just what most analysts think will be his ultimate position?

Here's what I'd do if I was in the Washington front office. Capps is off to a great start for people who think Fernando Rodney is a great pitcher because he only blew one save last year. Capps is also arbitration-eligible for 2011, which means if he saves 40+ games for a mediocre Nats team, he's likely going to get a big, undeserved salary. I'd ride his hot streak as far as possible this spring and deal him to a Cubs/Twins/whoever else needs bullpen help, then put Storen in the pen for the rest of this year and happily take the couple of prospects they get for Capps.

Yes, Storen is headed for the bullpen -- probably closer eventually. I probably shouldn't have included him in that list, but he is practically at Strasburg level of hope among Nationals fans, so I felt it was necessary to include him. You will find some fans saying that they want to see him start, but I think he ends up in the bullpen.

As for your Capps plan, that is exactly what I am hoping to see. If you see what I posted earlier in this discussion, that's basically what I said. Capps just needs to be good enough to last until Storen comes up, and Livan needs to be just good enough until Strasburg comes up. The Nationals don't need a full season of success from them.

I don't think Livan goes, though. I think he just sits at the bottom of the order. He loves DC and DC loves him, so as long as he remains average (right now he is stellar of course), then I think he stays.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

Storen to AAA today btw.

[JonInMiddleGA]

8 straight losses for the Braves, and counting. Down 3-0 after two innings in St. Louis. Jurjjens apparently left after just one IP with "an injured leg".

[DeToxRox]

Most hated team in baseball? Try Cleveland apparently:

With 27 World Series championships, baseball's highest payroll and some of the most boastful fans in sports, the New York Yankees have to be the team other baseball fans love to hate, right? Wrong.

According to a formula created by The Nielsen Company, there are four teams more detested than the Bronx Bombers, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Slider
Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesAccording to a report, Slider and his Cleveland Indians are baseball's Public Enemy No. 1 among fans.

The No. 1 most-disliked team in baseball, according to the formula, is the Cleveland Indians.

The Boston Red Sox, the Yankees' archrival, rank No. 2 on the list.

The formula helps determine whether consumers have positive, negative or neutral reactions to brands in their online messages. Nielsen's "Sentiment Rankings" range from 5 to minus-5. No team finished with a negative number. But six teams finished with a number lower than 2.

Some of the others making the not-so top 10: Chicago White Sox (No. 7), Baltimore Orioles (No. 8), New York Mets (No. 9) and Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 10).

At least one Indians blogger wasn't surprised by the findings.

"I can believe that though," Deep Left Field Indians blogger Ed Carroll told the newspaper. "The team does a lot to alienate its fans."

The Cincinnati Reds (No. 3) and Houston Astros (No. 4) also ranked higher than the Yankees on the hatred scale. The Washington Nationals (No. 6) were the only other team to have a number lower than 2.

The San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics were the most popular teams among fans, according to Nielsen's study.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

8 straight losses for the Braves, and counting. Down 3-0 after two innings in St. Louis. Jurjjens apparently left after just one IP with "an injured leg".

Ugh...no!

[Ksyrup]

So... no mention/discussion of the actual "formula" they used? News is fucking worthless these days.

Hell, it could be the logo that gets so many negative reactions. That's the first thing that comes to mind. Or maybe it's among the team's fans, and they're pissed because they can't win, were so close 3 years ago, and then traded off CC and Lee and saw them both pitch against each other in the World Series last year.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

So... no mention/discussion of the actual "formula" they used? News is fucking worthless these days.

The original article references it
New York Yankees: Not the Most Hated Team in Baseball - WSJ.com

[i]...according to an Internet algorithm built by Nielsen Co. that analyzes how people feel about certain things. This service typically uses various keywords to find out whether people have positive, negative or neutral reactions to different brands and products. No team registered a negative mark on Nielsen's "sentiment scale," which ranges from -5 to 5, but the Yankees (1.8) were one of only six teams to score lower than 2.[/quote]

Sounds like all you needed to show up as "hated" would be a very active, but frustrated, fan base.

This seems to have a lot more to do with how pissed off the locals are than anything that we would normally associated with "hating" a team.

[samifan24]

I'm a long suffering Indians fan and find that study ridiculous. The most hated team in baseball has to be the Yankees followed closely by the Red Sox. The Indians? Not enough people care about them to hate them.

[Ksyrup]

And that works out with the timing of the Indians fans watching Lee and CC pitch in the WS for other teams just after blowing that series lead against Boston in, what, 2007, I think? Plus the racist logo probably doesn't help, either.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

Storen to AAA today btw.

Awesome. I haven't gotten a chance to look at any news/blogs today (but apparently to read FOFC )

That seems to be about right. He's a month or so ahead of Strasburg in professional time. I imagine Strasburg only has 1 or 2 starts left at AA.

[MizzouRah]

Wow.. the Cardinals have one hell of a starting staff so far this year. Penny has done great.. which is right up Duncan's ally.. and Garcia has been quite a surprise.

Add Carpenter and Wainwright.. and we could really put together a string of wins.

Now, if we could just get a shutdown closer - maybe KC will deal Soria?

[JPhillips]

I've got a Cordero you can have.

[JetsIn06]

Hochevar finally taken out after giving up 9 runs in 2 2/3 innings.

[BishopMVP]

So after last year's discussion of UZR and its limitations (like how different parks are) Fangraphs adjusted the formula... and now Jason Bay was a +1.9 last year. Don't think they quite got it right yet.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Snipped from the wire copy

The Braves wrapped up an 0-7 trip, their first winless swing of seven or more games since September 1949 when the franchise was located in Boston and went 0-8 in Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

[stevew]

5 1/3 scoreless innings from Brian Burres. Dodger fans, hide your heads in shame.

LOL, and Kershaw walks a reliever.

[Mustang]

$12.75M for Jeff Suppan to be in middle relief. 1 IP, 5 Hits, 3 ER. And I'm sure he isn't done.

Of course those stats are almost better than Hoffman.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I've got a Cordero you can have.

Which one?