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IRL (In Real Life) => Sports => Topic started by: bayonetbrant on January 23, 2018, 11:00:02 AM

Title: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on January 23, 2018, 11:00:02 AM
Pitchers and catchers report in a month, and a bunch of big free agents are still on the sidelines

https://sports.yahoo.com/heres-baseballs-economic-system-might-broken-224638354.html
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: BanzaiCat on January 30, 2018, 03:17:18 PM
And the SJW hits keep on a-comin'.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/cleveland-indians-will-remove-chief-wahoo-logo-2019-n842196
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on January 30, 2018, 03:23:35 PM
I was hoping the Indians would switch to this

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/04/bomani-jones-wore-a-cleveland-caucasians-t-shirt-on-espn
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: BanzaiCat on January 30, 2018, 03:28:14 PM
Quote from: mirth on January 30, 2018, 03:23:35 PM
I was hoping the Indians would switch to this

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/04/bomani-jones-wore-a-cleveland-caucasians-t-shirt-on-espn

HA

That's awesome. I'm not offended at all so it kinda loses any punch. What'd they think, I was going to cry and listen to my Tito Puente albums until two in the morning?
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on January 31, 2018, 09:20:02 AM
we doing a fantasy baseball league again?
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: OJsDad on February 13, 2018, 05:57:45 PM
Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 31, 2018, 09:20:02 AM
we doing a fantasy baseball league again?

Hope so
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on February 13, 2018, 06:04:57 PM
I nominate MD as commissioner.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: OJsDad on February 13, 2018, 06:08:22 PM
Quote from: mirth on February 13, 2018, 06:04:57 PM
I nominate MD as commissioner.

Need a reason to bitch at him about something
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on February 13, 2018, 06:57:39 PM
Quote from: OJsDad on February 13, 2018, 06:08:22 PM
Quote from: mirth on February 13, 2018, 06:04:57 PM
I nominate MD as commissioner.

Did a reason to bitch at him about something

The only reason mirth needs is being mirth.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 06:24:41 AM
It's going to be a long season for the Royals.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on February 20, 2018, 07:00:12 AM
Yuppers.  Vargas signed with the Mets and Hosmer with the Padres.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 07:03:15 AM
Yup.  It was inevitable that the team would be broken up and reserve its place at the bottom of the division. 
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on February 20, 2018, 08:15:22 AM
Quote from: Bison on February 20, 2018, 07:03:15 AM
Yup.  It was inevitable that the team would be broken up and reserve its place at the bottom of the division. 

Was KC willing to overpay to keep them together?  Other teams were willing to overpay for KC's free agents b/c they'd been losing so much for so long...
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:37:02 AM
KC ownership stated they were trying to cut the payroll to around $110 million this season.  That pretty much excluded signing any of their free agents. 
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on February 20, 2018, 08:06:49 PM
Vargas is a middle of the rotation starter at best.  He may be ok in New York.  It's a pitchers park and there's no DH.  Hosmer kind of smarts, but, last year was a career year for him.  AND he played in all 162 games.  San Diego is a pitchers park, too, but, coming from KC, Hosmer should be used to it. 

Very few teams have the ability to upgrade on the fly.  For the rest, winning and losing is cyclical.  And when you owner is mandating fiscal responsibility over winning, it's tough.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:13:00 PM
I'll still watch them and plan on attending a couple of games.  The worst part of this rebuild is there aren't really any notable prospects to look forward to coming up to the bigs.  There will be a surprise player or two but KCs minor league system is pretty barren at the moment.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on February 20, 2018, 08:16:49 PM
Losing will help that, too.  Just ask the Astros.  Or the Braves.  Do you have a team you want to see?  Maybe target tickets for when they come to town.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:18:36 PM
I buddy is an Astros fan so looking at the homestand for that series, but the Astros and Yankees are the hot tickets right now.  I'll probably try and go to a Twins game and one the interleague games.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on February 20, 2018, 08:24:58 PM
Saw the Yanks at Twins Spring Training a bunch of years ago.  I was less than 25' from Jeter, A-Rod, Matsui, Sheffield.  It was pretty awesome.  I like some of the Twins young talent this year.  That would be a good game to go to.  Do the Nationals come to KC?  It'll be your last chance to see Bryce Harper before you see him next in pinstripes.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:26:40 PM
I think it's the Reds and the Cardinals who are in town this year for sure.  Cards game will be sold out and expensive, which is ok.  I haven't seen the Reds yets so I'd be ok with that one.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on February 20, 2018, 08:28:47 PM
I'll have to look it up, but, the Reds top prospect looks like he's coming to the Majors.  And I hear he can rake.  All my ex-in laws are Cards fans.  Can't stand'em.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:30:36 PM
I'd like to see Joey Votto play.  Last year we saw the Yankees and the Blue Jays, so whatever game we go to will be a different team.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on February 20, 2018, 08:37:34 PM
Yanks and Blue Jays.  Bet that was pretty sweet.  And Votto is just an OBP machine.  Cincy has a few pieces worth going to see.  I would dig that for you if that's who you got to see.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on February 20, 2018, 08:43:57 PM
Zzzzzzzzzz
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:44:56 PM
You'll be posting about the Red Sox soon enough.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on February 20, 2018, 08:46:44 PM
Quote from: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:44:56 PM
You'll be posting about the Red Sox soon enough.

Umm...no
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:50:54 PM
Quote from: mirth on February 20, 2018, 08:46:44 PM
Quote from: Bison on February 20, 2018, 08:44:56 PM
You'll be posting about the Red Sox soon enough.

Umm...no

You say that every year and every year you end up posting about the Red Socks.  Your love of baseball denial is cute.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on February 20, 2018, 08:51:25 PM
mirth only cares about two things and baseball ain't one of them.  Unless she's hot.  And then it's any port in a storm.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on March 26, 2018, 11:55:54 AM
a good news story from baseball
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22920398/chicago-white-sox-rehire-groundskeeper-wrongly-spent-23-years-prison
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on March 26, 2018, 04:00:51 PM
https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/976169953735954437
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on March 28, 2018, 07:18:31 PM
Pretty stoked about opening day tomorrow.  Hope springs eternal for every fan.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on March 28, 2018, 07:43:17 PM
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on March 28, 2018, 10:00:46 PM
Don't feed the troll.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on March 28, 2018, 10:02:58 PM
I was quietly napping under a bridge.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on March 28, 2018, 10:04:43 PM
And to sleep you should return.  Nothing to see here.  :-"
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on March 28, 2018, 10:11:01 PM
Quote from: MetalDog on March 28, 2018, 10:04:43 PM
And to sleep you should return.  Nothing to see here.  :-"

qft
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on March 29, 2018, 05:53:32 PM
Very exciting opening day 1st inning for the Royals and then reality set in.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on March 29, 2018, 05:54:54 PM
Sox are losing to Tampa.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on March 29, 2018, 05:57:07 PM
I'm not sure what the stage after losing is but that's what the Royals are doing right now.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on March 29, 2018, 05:58:34 PM
Ouch. They're getting pounded.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: OJsDad on March 29, 2018, 06:20:21 PM
Glad I didnt start Duffy. I had him for awhile last year and he didnt impress me then. May have to look at a trade soon.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on March 29, 2018, 08:20:47 PM
He was statistically the third best lefty last season.  I think he is injured.  He injured his throwing shoulder on Sunday.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on March 29, 2018, 08:42:18 PM
I just love that the very first pitch of the year went yard.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on March 30, 2018, 06:00:35 AM
https://twitter.com/gggiants/status/979136286840647681
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on March 30, 2018, 06:09:12 AM
dunno - ask Marty! ;)
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on March 31, 2018, 08:38:25 PM
Limiting the number of visits to the pitchers mound is a stupid rule.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on March 31, 2018, 08:42:35 PM
The Royals bullpen is pretty much going to guarantee a 100 loss season.  Horrible.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on March 31, 2018, 09:05:34 PM
I'm cautiously optimistic about Houston again this year, but every time I start to hope about any of my teams, they seem to tank hard and tank early.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on March 31, 2018, 09:31:46 PM
Didn't they win the World Series last year?  Run out of things to complain about?
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on March 31, 2018, 09:47:27 PM
Quote from: MetalDog on March 31, 2018, 09:31:46 PM
Didn't they win the World Series last year?  Run out of things to complain about?

It was a great series to watch.  I hope they repeat and they certainly have the team to do it.  But every time I think my defending champs managed to get better, something goes wrong (see also LSU 2008, Columbus Crew 2009, Carolina Hurricanes 2007)
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on April 02, 2018, 08:13:35 AM
A fun column from Jayson Stark

https://theathletic.com/295052/2018/04/02/stark-ten-numbers-that-define-baseball-in-2018/

QuoteStark: Ten numbers that define baseball in 2018

Numbers. I love them, man.
If you've ever read a word I've written, you might have caught onto that. Numbers can make you think. Numbers can make you laugh. Numbers can make you shake your head and say, "Whaaaaaaat?"
But let me tell you what I think numbers are and what they aren't.
I'm not one of those people who looks at numbers and thinks they are the game or they're bigger than the game. I look at numbers as a means to shine a light on the game, to illuminate it, to put everything into perspective, to fully tell every story.
So as we begin the journey into another epic season, I think there are numbers that can already tell this story. In a related development, I've compiled those numbers. So here they come – 10 numbers that define baseball in 2018:


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 19,823
WHAT IT MEANS: Would you believe there were an astounding 19,823 more shifts last season, on balls in play, than there were just five years ago in 2013? Yep. I said 19,823.
Here is the raw shifting data, according to Sports Info Solutions:
Shifts last season: 26,705
Shifts in 2013: 6,882
And (just for fun) shifts in 2010: 2,463
Digest those three items one more time. The use of shifts has more than tripled just over the last five seasons – and multiplied 10 times over the last eight seasons. So it's hard to comprehend sometimes that there are still fans out there waiting for this whole shift thing to blow over. Heck, there are still pitchers waiting for this whole shift thing to blow over.
Well, the assignment for everyone predicting the Death of the Shift is to type our latest magic number on their iPads 19,823 times, until they get the message. The shift isn't going to evaporate into the ozone, gang. Not. Going. To. Happen.
In fact, if anything, there's an excellent chance we could see even more shifts this year. Why? Because we have four managers – Alex Cora in Boston, Mickey Callaway in Mets-ville, Gabe Kapler in Philly and Ron Gardenhire in Detroit – who just left teams that shift a lot and took over teams that ranked near the bottom of the sport in shifts last year.
So all that really matters is: Do shifts actually work? And speaking of that question...


THE MAGIC NUMBER: .197
WHAT IT MEANS: If you're a left-handed hitter who pulls a ground ball these days, that's your chance of reaching base, either via a hit or some sort of fielding mishap. That number is about 40 points lower – yessir, 40 points – than it was as recently as 2011, according to Sports Info Solutions.
So maybe you've heard this expression lately at a ballpark near you, possibly to explain the modern infatuation with launch angle:
"In the 21st century, ground balls are outs."
So is that true? Oh, yeah. It's totally true.
I was chatting with the hitting coach for a data-driven team last season when he casually blurted out a number that set off sirens in my head.
"If you pull a ground ball right now, with all these shifts," he said, "you're a .193 hitter."
That doesn't sound too promising, does it? But in fact, if you do that, you wouldn't even have that high an average.
Sports Info Solutions charts a metric it calls the Reached Base Rate. It's basically On Base Percentage, except it also includes reaching via an error. And what we've learned from that metric is that, over the last two seasons, a left-handed hitter's chances of reaching base on any ground ball between the first-base line and halfway to second base are under 20 percent.
That's not his batting average. That's not his On Base Percentage. That's his chance of reaching base, period, even if it's because the second baseman clanks it. Yikes!
That's also not just against the shift. That's against any defensive alignment.
Here is how that rate has changed over the last seven seasons:
2017 – .197
2016 – .193
2015 – .207
2014 – .208
2013 – .222
2012 – .221
2011 – .235
So it's a funny thing. I hear skeptics cite all kinds of numbers to "prove" that shifts aren't working. Really? Ask any left-handed hitter. Consult the chart above. Got it? Next!


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 8,184
WHAT IT MEANS: Is it really possible that there were 8,184 fewer balls in play last season than there were a mere 10 years ago? Oh, it's possible, all right. It's a fact. That's a lot of potential Web Gems that can't ever happen.
The following sentence is just an astute observation from a long-time lover of all sports (i.e., yours truly):
The games are way more fun to watch when something actually happens!
So the gradual disappearance of this phenomenon we once knew as "action" in baseball is getting to be a major problem. We have plenty of swinging and missing. (Nearly 3,400 more strikeouts than a mere five years ago.) We have no shortage of baseballs flying over fences. (Almost 2,000 more homers last year than in 2014.) We have massive amounts of walks and deep counts. (We saw about 1,800 more walks last year than two years earlier.)
What we're missing, though, is the best part. What we're missing is balls that, once upon a time, were actually put in play.

Here is the total number of balls in play over the last decade, according to Baseball-Reference.com:
Year     Total    Decrease since '08
2008    133, 711    n/a
2009     132,120    -1,591
2010    130,859    -2,852
2011    130,912    -2,799
2012    128,523    -5,188
2013    129,202    -4,509
2014    128,020    -5,591
2015    127,930    -5,781
2016    126,562    -7,149
2017    125,527    -8,184
This is what you call an unfortunate trend. And it can't be solved by pitch clocks, limits on mound visits or pitch-free intentional walks. But how exactly can baseball go about producing more action? Excellent question. Send all your suggestions to Mr. Robert Manfred, in New York, NY.


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 61.8
WHAT IT MEANS: There were 144 hitters who got enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title last season. And 89 of them hit at least 20 home runs. That comes to a mind-boggling 61.8 percent! As recently as 2014, it was 32.0 percent. And the old record, of 56.1 percent, was set back in 1999, during the heart of the PED era. So here's our advice: If you're an every-day player in the big leagues in 2018, you should probably be spending as much time practicing your home run trot as you spend on cutoffs and relays.
It was an assistant GM of an American League team who called my attention to this stat. The more I think about it, the more incredible it gets.
Almost 62 percent of all qualifying hitters in the big leagues now hit 20 home runs?
"Everyone," that exec said, "has power these days."
I hope you didn't laugh when you read that. It's pretty close to true. The only spots in the batting order where teams didn't average at least 20 homers last season? The eighth (16.4) and ninth (12.1) slots. Where else?
And aside from pitcher, want to guess the only positions anywhere on the field where teams didn't average at least 20 homers? Only second base (18.6) and shortstop (17.8). And that's actually just second base in the NL, because the AL second base crews had it covered.
OK, now here comes one more number: $80.5 million.
What's the meaning of that one? Well, there were nine free agents this winter who hit more than 25 home runs last season. Only J.D. Martinez got paid, to the tune of $110 million over five years.
So where does that $80.5 million fit in? That's the total dollars guaranteed to the other eight combined. (Heck, Mark Reynolds — who hit 30 — never even got a job. And Mike Napoli — who hit 29 — signed a minor-league deal with Cleveland.)
In other words, GMs don't dig the long ball anymore. And why should they? Hitting home runs is no longer an unusual skill in the big leagues.


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 130
WHAT IT MEANS: Once upon a time, Rickey Henderson made history by stealing 130 bases in a season – all by himself. That was 36 years ago. But by last year, there was only one TEAM in the major leagues that stole 130 bases (the Angels).
All right, don't look this up. Who led the American League in stolen bases last year?
Hmmm, I can smell those brain cells overheating from here.
It was Whit Merrifield, of course. With 34! (You win a free copy of the Rickey Henderson Quote Book if you know Rickey just missed swiping that many in a month two different times.)
But what does that tell you about the impending demise of the stolen base? It had been more than half a century since anyone led any league with that low a steal total. (Luis Aparicio topped the AL with 31, back in 1962.). But I'm guessing it won't be another half-century until the next time somebody does it. It's where we're heading.
Just 17 players stole 20 bases or more last season. There were twice that many (34) in 2012. There were 44 in 1999, at a time when home run hitting was just as prevalent.
As recently as 2011, nine teams were stealing 130-plus bases. In 1983, there were 17, in an era when the average team stole 128.
So what's happening here? The usual. Information is happening. At a time when so many thumpers in the average lineup can hit one out at any moment, every team has data that tells it the risk of a caught-stealing isn't worth the reward – unless there is overriding data that shows if you run against a certain pitcher in a certain spot, you're probably going to be safe.
So attempts are down. Success rates are up. And it makes us wonder. Remember the fabled "green light" – which allowed a sprint champ like Rickey to run any old time he wanted? Does it even exist anymore? Billy Hamilton is asking for a friend.


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 1,323
WHAT IT MEANS: That's how many more relief pitchers came marching into games last season than FIVE years ago – about a third of them in the middle of an inning. Bullpenning Fever. Catch it.
If you've watched a baseball game in October lately, you know that bullpenning makes for excellent baseball strategy. Whether it makes for excellent entertainment strategy is a whole different question.
But bullpenning – even in the regular season – isn't just happening. It's exploding. Take a look at this data, on the massive uptick in the usage of relief pitchers, courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau:
Year   Total   Per Game
2017   15,657   6.44
2013   14,334   5.90
2008   14,151   5.83
2003    12,957    5.33
1993   11,960   4.92
The impact of this trend is humongous. On time of game. On pace of game. On roster construction. On the number of pitchers shuttling back and forth between the big leagues and places like Pawtucket, R.I. And, especially, on what's being asked of starting pitchers these days.
Or, come to think of it, what isn't being asked of starting pitchers these days. By which we mean ...


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 1,196
WHAT IT MEANS: That's the number of times starting pitchers were allowed to go through a lineup at least three times last year. It might seem like a big number until you realize this: That computes to just 40 times a season on the average team!
No wonder the nightly bullpen parade now seems longer than the Tournament of Roses. It's because starting pitchers have never been given less rope at any time in recorded history.
Just check out the rampaging trend in this department. It's the number of times in a season that starters made it (or were permitted to make it) through the lineup three times or more in a game, according to baseball-reference.com's indispensable Play Index:
2017    1,196
2016    1,405
2015    1,670
2014    1,906
What do we find if we keep going back in time? You don't need to be related to Miss Cleo to guess. This happened approximately twice as often (2,197) as recently as 2003. The number was 2,609 back in 1998. And 50 years ago, it was triple this rate.
The upshot is, just 58 pitchers threw enough innings to qualify for the ERA title last season. That's right. We said 58. Not even two per team.
So remember the good old days (i.e., like four years ago), when managers still said stuff like: "We need more innings out of our starters?" Ha. Not anymore.


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 10
WHAT IT MEANS: With Bryce Harper and Manny Machado heading into their walk years, I thought they'd want to know how many players in history have roared into free agency at age 26 or younger, as they will. And that answer, courtesy of MLB Network research wiz Matt Filippi, is ... 10 (not counting players who got released or nontendered).
Here's what you need to know about the impending free agency of Harper and Machado, which will hang over this season from start to finish: Except for the first couple of years of free agency, back in the 1970s, we've never seen anything like this – two players who are this good and this young reaching free agency at the same time? Wow. Gentlemen, start your checkbooks.
After the 1976 season, the very first free-agent class ever featured Don Gullett, Wayne Garland, Doyle Alexander and Gary Matthews all testing free agency at age 25 or 26. The next winter, in Year 2 of free agency, it was Goose Gossage and Terry Forster reaching the market at 26.
But in the 40 years since, just four other players have put in their six years of service time and made it into the free-agent showroom by age 26:
1980-81 Claudell Washington
2000-01 Alex Rodriguez
2004-05 Adrián Beltré
2015-16 Jason Heyward
So how did their free agencies go? Here's a rundown:
—A-Rod signed a 10-year deal with Texas, opted out of it after seven years and still cajoled the Yankees into another 10-year extravaganza.
—Heyward is entering Year 3 of an eight-year, $184-million contract with the Cubs. We'll let you know in 2023 how that one turned out.
—Beltré got five years from Seattle and was still so young on the other end, he actually has hit free agency three different times since (and is believed to be the only player ever to sign two free-agent contracts of five years or more, without an opt-out triggering the second).
—And then there's Washington, whose five-year, $3.5-million deal with the Braves in 1981 was so universally panned, it inspired Phillies owner Ruly Carpenter to announce he was selling the team because "the Claudell Washington thing made no sense" and it was time to get out before free agency ruined the game. But this just in: The game survived. And Washington played 10 more seasons in the big leagues, reaching free agency two more times. So apparently, it didn't cripple the industry after all.
So that's the back story, as we lead up to the epic free-agent winter of 2018-19. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are about to play out the biggest season of their lives, as cash registers ca-ching in the distance. Have we mentioned we've never seen anything like it?


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 3
WHAT IT MEANS: That's the number of Cy Youngs already owned by Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw, as they find themselves pitching in the same league at the same time, still in the prime of their greatness. And how often have we seen that, in any league? Just about never.
It's Ali-Frazier. It's Dempsey-Tunney. It's Rocky versus Apollo. It's the heavyweight Cy Young battle of this or any century. Scherzer versus Kershaw. Again.
Oh, there have been other times, in both leagues, where we looked up and found two — sometimes even three — pitchers who had won at least three Cy Youngs and were still going. There was Tom Seaver/Steve Carlton and Seaver/Jim Palmer in the '80s. And there were various times, earlier in this very century, when some combination of Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martínez found themselves in the same league at the same time.
But only once before have we ever seen anything like this — when both men were still so near their peak that they'd each won a Cy Young within the last three seasons. That was in 2002, in the American League. Clemens had just won his sixth Cy Young. Pedro had won the previous two AL Cys and an NL Cy Young before that. So of course, it was Barry Zito who beat them both to the trophy that year.
The difference, though, is that Clemens was about to turn 40 that year, while Kershaw and Scherzer are 30 and 33, respectively. And they're both still in the prime of their dominance.
If Kershaw wins another Cy Young this year, he would join just Johnson (five) and Carlton (four) among left-handers with four or more. If Scherzer wins again, it would be his fourth Cy Young season in a row (one in the AL, three in the NL). And only Johnson and Maddux have ever ripped off four straight Cy Young seasons.
So remember that item about the disappearance of starting pitching? Uh, not when Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw pitch.


THE MAGIC NUMBER: 0
WHAT IT MEANS: That would be the number of losing seasons Derek Jeter ever experienced as a player. In 20 seasons in the Bronx. So why do we suspect that, as an owner in Miami, that's about to change?
For two decades, he led a charmed life. Titles. Tickertape. Twenty years of triumph. That isn't reality for almost anybody else. But it was reality for Derek Jeter in New York. In his years as a big-league baseball player, his teams were 563 games over .500. That's ridiculous. But it's all he knew.
Well, if he ever wondered what it was like to be, say, a Cleveland Brown, he just may be about to find out, now that he's a big-league owner and executive.
Jeter's teams in New York finished in first place 13 times. His new team, the Marlins, has never finished in first place in any season in the history of the franchise (although it did win two World Series while riding the Wild Card Express).
Jeter's teams in New York spun off 20 winning seasons in a row. His new team is coming off eight losing seasons in a row.
And finally, there's this: Let's just say there are people who wouldn't be shocked if the stripped-down Marlins lost 100 games this season. Meanwhile, back in New York, in 1997-98, Jeter's Yankees teams once went through a stretch of 297 games —counting October—in which they didn't lose 100 times (while going 198-99).
So can a man who has never experienced a losing season in his life (even in the minor leagues) keep his ever-present cool over the next six months? Inside Jeter's head, there may be a voice telling him he can handle this because he knows it's coming.
But those numbers tell us a different story... as numbers often do. Just one more reason I love them.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on April 09, 2018, 06:48:45 PM
I know far more about this friggin sport than I should or want to
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on April 09, 2018, 07:11:16 PM
When did Pratt start writing about baseball?
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on April 09, 2018, 07:13:07 PM
Quote from: Bison on April 09, 2018, 07:11:16 PM
When did Pratt start writing about baseball?

Talk about a nightmare scenario
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on April 09, 2018, 07:51:43 PM
Quote from: Bison on April 09, 2018, 07:11:16 PM
When did Pratt start writing about baseball?

That's Jayson Stark writing for The Athletic.  He's always written really fun long-form articles about interesting stats and numbers in the sport
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on April 12, 2018, 05:47:45 AM
https://twitter.com/MasterPellegren/status/984380083380072448
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on April 12, 2018, 06:53:49 AM
Watched a rousing game of MLB 18 on twitch last night.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: BanzaiCat on April 12, 2018, 08:13:34 AM
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e3/d2/c1/e3d2c1b5160da5d13992c69c51de174c.jpg)
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on April 25, 2018, 01:16:58 PM
Old-school Royals meltdown

https://theathletic.com/319810/2018/04/20/dodd-twenty-five-years-later-those-who-were-there-remember-hal-mcraes-famous-rant/
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on May 03, 2018, 11:17:38 AM
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23367780/the-best-worst-april-all-30-mlb-teams
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Bison on May 03, 2018, 06:48:52 PM
I've watched the majority of Royals games this season and it's been painful.  The pitching is a mess and the hitting is horrible other than Moose.  Gordon would be warming the bench if he wasn't such a good fielder.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on May 05, 2018, 07:05:05 AM
Jayson Stark crunching numbers on Pujols' career so far

https://theathletic.com/341022/2018/05/05/stark-ten-numbers-that-define-albert-pujols-amazing-career/



I love this one:
Quote
176 – You can't be the best if you can't hit the best. And here's the magic number that proves it. It's the number of hits Pujols has gotten against Cy Young award winners in his career. He has faced 27 of them – and hit .300 or better against 15 of them: Greg Maddux, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Johnson, Zack Greinke, Rick Porcello, David Price, Tom Glavine, Roger Clemens, Bartolo Colon, Jake Peavy, Justin Verlander, Barry Zito, Johan Santana, John Smoltz and Tim Lincecum. Over the first 17 seasons of his career, Albert averaged 175 hits a year. So in essence, he has gotten a full season's worth of hits against the best pitchers alive.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on May 24, 2018, 12:53:35 PM
wow

Quote{Verlander}'s now made 16 regular-season starts since being traded from Detroit to Houston toward the end of last August's waiver period, and over that span he's allowed a total of 15 runs in 108 2/3 innings.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on May 24, 2018, 07:07:01 PM
It's got to be playing for a winning team.  He was washed up before he came over.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on May 27, 2018, 06:33:57 PM
Bartolo Colon is the last remaining active player who was ever a member of the Montreal Expos.

And there can't be a whole lot of guys left playing that were born in the 1970s, can there?

I mean, born in 1979 = 38-39 years old, and that's pretty old for a baseball player,


edit:  Google is your friend...

https://www.mlb.com/news/who-are-the-oldest-active-players-in-mlb/c-268758260

although this was from March, so Ichiro is now off the list.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on June 02, 2018, 04:12:25 PM
Other careers that have existed within the time span of Bartolo Colon's career

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.mlb.com%2F%2Fassets%2Fimages%2F3%2F9%2F0%2F278012390%2Fraw.png&hash=41002b3e7ed3b2389833d5f96fbe49640a32d08b)
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: airboy on June 04, 2018, 08:18:41 AM
Auburn knocked out NCSU in Raleigh to advance to the Super Regionals. 

Auburn has been a very weird team this year.  They are either next to unstoppable or the wheels fall off.  They go on very long win streaks, then collapse.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on June 04, 2018, 08:27:10 AM
Quote from: airboy on June 04, 2018, 08:18:41 AM
Auburn knocked out NCSU in Raleigh to advance to the Super Regionals. 

NC State looked unstoppable for 3 months and was the #2 team in the nation going into a series with UNC.  They got swept at home by the Tar Heels and then completely fell apart after that.  There's 8 major league players on that roster, easily, including most of the pitching staff.  But they totally gacked up against UNC and never recovered.

Congrats to Auburn, though.  They hammered NC State and never let them get back in the game last night. 
As I understand it, this is Auburn's first trip to the Super Regionals since 89?
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on June 06, 2018, 08:46:20 AM
I love this tidbit about the MLB draft...

https://theathletic.com/381871/2018/06/06/stewart-mandel-mailbag-college-football-toughest-nonconference-schedules/?source=grogheads

(my emphasis in the answer)

QuoteI noticed the Oakland A's took Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray with the ninth pick in this week's draft. It seems like a no-brainer (to play baseball), except that I read where he has stated he still wants to play football this season! My question is: How often does this really happen in college for multiple-sport players?

Baseball has long been a popular second sport for football players — specifically quarterbacks. Just to name a few during my time on this beat who got drafted while in college: Michigan's Drew Henson (Yankees), Stanford's Chad Hutchinson (Cardinals), Oklahoma State's Josh Fields (White Sox), Clemson's Kyle Parker (Rockies) and, of course, N.C. State/Wisconsin's Russell Wilson (Rockies).

But I can't recall a situation quite like this one where A) Murray was selected so high (high enough to be slotted at $4.7 million) and B) still plans to stick with football for one more season before reporting to the minors. The closest comparison would be Henson, who signed with the Yankees out of high school with the stipulation he would play football in college (which he did for three seasons) and baseball in the summers, like Wilson later did before his last two college football seasons.

That $4.7 million figure is just a starting point in Murray's negotiations with the A's. He could sign for more or less or not sign at all. (The sides have until July 6 to get a deal done or the A's lose his rights.)

If he does get that number, though, and sticks to his word to suit up for the Sooners this fall, he presumably would be the highest-paid athlete ever to play college football. In fact, as of today, he'd be making more than his coach, Lincoln Riley ($3.1 million).

It's an unusual situation to say the least, and it makes you wonder again why the NCAA is OK with a football player making nearly $5 million while still in college for his talents in another sport but not OK with him or any other football player making even $1 on the side for marketing their talents in that sport.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: airboy on June 06, 2018, 11:43:32 AM
Quote from: bayonetbrant on June 04, 2018, 08:27:10 AM
Quote from: airboy on June 04, 2018, 08:18:41 AM
Auburn knocked out NCSU in Raleigh to advance to the Super Regionals. 

NC State looked unstoppable for 3 months and was the #2 team in the nation going into a series with UNC.  They got swept at home by the Tar Heels and then completely fell apart after that.  There's 8 major league players on that roster, easily, including most of the pitching staff.  But they totally gacked up against UNC and never recovered.

Congrats to Auburn, though.  They hammered NC State and never let them get back in the game last night. 
As I understand it, this is Auburn's first trip to the Super Regionals since 89?

I think first trip to the super regionals in about 12 years, not 30.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on June 07, 2018, 08:17:56 AM
a dude with a sense of humor

https://www.mlb.com/cut4/pj-conlon-thanked-the-dodgers-for-his-brief-four-day-stint-after-being-reclaimed-by-mets/c-280095614
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: airboy on June 09, 2018, 11:43:24 PM
UNC made it to the College World Series.  Admittedly, I've not really followed them this season.

Auburn started their best pitcher (#1 draft pick) in the first game at Florida and he got shelled.  They have to win 2 in a row in Gainesville which seems unlikely.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on June 10, 2018, 10:17:44 PM
UNC hasn't had the most talented team that they have had recently, but they seem to have an uncanny knack for perfect timing. Their situational hitting this year has been excellent
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on June 30, 2018, 07:10:53 PM
https://twitter.com/scottipippen/status/1013194298131697665
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 09, 2018, 05:33:58 AM
3 of the AL's starting all-star infielders are named José

Both starting catchers are named Wilson
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 10, 2018, 12:01:48 PM
Good read about Beltran

https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/07/09/astroball-houston-astros-book-excerpt
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 11, 2018, 11:30:19 AM
this from 2012.  Still hilarious.

https://www.sbnation.com/2012/8/7/3226043/houston-astros-bad-play-oh-man-what-is-this-i-dont-even

do not - I repeat, DO NOT - read point #3 while drinking anything
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 17, 2018, 11:21:02 AM
https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1018620560958353408
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: BanzaiCat on July 19, 2018, 11:18:39 AM
Jesus, those Astros. So used to seeing them as a basement team. Really awesome to see they've become a dominator.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 19, 2018, 11:30:43 AM
Quote from: BanzaiCat on July 19, 2018, 11:18:39 AM
Jesus, those Astros. So used to seeing them as a basement team. Really awesome to see they've become a dominator.

They sucked from 2010-2014 or so.  They unexpectedly made the playoffs in 2015, a year or so ahead of schedule, so when they didn't make it in 2016, people thought it was a disappointment.  But they built smart, and they did it without some of the top draft picks (Mark Appel, anyone?) but by drafting really well below the first round.

That said, I've been an Astros fan long enough that I can still name most of the '81-'82-'83 starting lineup....
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: BanzaiCat on July 19, 2018, 11:34:40 AM
Jose Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuz...

My dad took us to several Astros games back in the very early 80s. Usually when they were playing the Pirates, for a reason I can't recall (might have just been timing).
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 20, 2018, 12:53:04 PM
a fun read

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24128841/winning-only-thing-realistic-2nd-half-goals-all-30-teams
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 26, 2018, 02:02:32 PM
here's a crazy idea, but why the heck not?

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2018/7/26/17615560/should-washington-nationals-trade-bryce-harper-houston-astros
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 27, 2018, 11:40:21 AM
my favorite note from today's HoF induction articles, about Vlad Guerrero

QuoteHe is one of nine players with a career batting average of .315 and a slugging percentage of .550. Of the other eight, seven are in the Hall of Fame (a list that includes Babe Ruth and Ted Williams). The other is still active (Miguel Cabrera).
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on July 27, 2018, 10:09:12 PM
That's just sick.  And he would swing at anything.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on July 28, 2018, 06:02:51 AM
Quote from: MetalDog on July 27, 2018, 10:09:12 PM
That's just sick.  And he would swing at anything.

favorite anecdote to illustrate that:  he hit a double once on a pitch that bounced.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on July 28, 2018, 06:29:15 AM
Quote from: bayonetbrant on July 28, 2018, 06:02:51 AM
Quote from: MetalDog on July 27, 2018, 10:09:12 PM
That's just sick.  And he would swing at anything.

favorite anecdote to illustrate that:  he hit a double once on a pitch that bounced.

I was thinking of that same at bat.
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on August 02, 2018, 01:15:22 PM
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/sports/yankees-red-sox.html
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on August 02, 2018, 10:50:23 PM
Ohhhhh, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
And how many peppers could a picker pick
if Peter Piper could?
And down by the seashore
how many shells could a shell seller sell?
If you can sing this funny songggg,
you're doing very well!
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: mirth on August 06, 2018, 08:41:18 AM
womp womp
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/sports/yankees-red-sox.html
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on August 06, 2018, 07:32:46 PM
Eat s*it and live :P
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on August 09, 2018, 11:07:55 AM
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2790162-the-road-that-brought-justin-verlander-back
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: bayonetbrant on August 09, 2018, 08:01:01 PM
Verlander is getting shelled tonight. 6 runs in 2 innings so far
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on August 09, 2018, 08:43:31 PM
YAY!!!!
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: Sir Slash on October 04, 2018, 08:36:56 AM
Why do I always waste my time in October watching to see if anybody can beat the Yankees? Last night: Yankees 7-2 over the A's.  >:(
Title: Re: 2018 Running Baseball Thread
Post by: MetalDog on October 28, 2018, 11:13:12 PM
Congrats to the Red Sox.  That was a masterful performance.