2014 MLB Thread & Pissing Match

[chapman]

Speaking of off PEDS



Context shouldn't be necessary, but will assume it will be eventually.

First guy to correctly guess it gets a free beer from PTM at a game next year.

Blind guess was Chris Davis.  But no dice:




Edit: Ahhh, a couple numbers stood out, now I know who it is.  Used my guess already, leaving it to others.

[brandx]

Segura

[reinko]

Greg Vaughn?

[tower912]

"Shoulder soreness" = sucking too much because he's off the PEDs.

No PED's.   Inadequate recovery from surgery during the offseason, IMO.   Mixed in with too much Kate Upton. 

[chapman]

Segura

Yep.  The decline from All-Star to testing the "any offense is a bonus" cliché has been tough to bear.  Probably a better explanation for his struggles this year:

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2014/7/23/5892065/jean-segura-milwaukee-brewers-player-profiles

[Benny B]

Yep.  The decline from All-Star to testing the "any offense is a bonus" cliché has been tough to bear.  Probably a better explanation for his struggles this year:

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2014/7/23/5892065/jean-segura-milwaukee-brewers-player-profiles

The article dances around the issue, even if it's not mentioned explicitly... opposing teams now have a book on his spray chart and are pitching him and positioning defense accordingly.  And it's working... look at his spray from 2013 to 2014.  The only benefit a PED could provide him is some sort of placebo effect, in which case, give him a Zyrtec and tell him it's pure lion testosterone.

[GGGG]

And Segura is hardly the first prospect this has happened to.  Comes up, finds a way to be successful, pitchers adjust...but he can't.  The real question about any prospect is will they eventually be able to figure it out.

[brandx]

And Segura is hardly the first prospect this has happened to.  Comes up, finds a way to be successful, pitchers adjust...but he can't.  The real question about any prospect is will they eventually be able to figure it out.

Bingo!!

[chapman]

He may owe me a new TV if he keeps pulling weak grounders to short.  At least pop it up once in a while 

[🏀]

It's Segura, correct.

And no, I do not think he's on PEDs.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Segura had an unfathomably bad year off the field. That would understandably take its toll on him at the plate.

[wadesworld]

Fiers with 14 Ks in 6 innings today.  In 2 starts since being brought back to the big leagues he is 2-0 going 14 innings, giving up 1 run, 6 hits, 2 walks, and 19 strikeouts.  Not bad for a guy who tops out at 91 mph.

[brandx]

He may owe me a new TV if he keeps pulling weak grounders to short.  At least pop it up once in a while 

C'mon. He's had his share of weak popups to the right side.

[buckchuckler]

Segura had an unfathomably bad year off the field. That would understandably take its toll on him at the plate.

Yeah, completely understandable that his head may be elsewhere. 

[wadesworld]

Give the ball to Jeffress in the 9th please Ronald.

[MU B2002]

Kershaw was unhittable again tonight.  NL MVP?

[ATWizJr]

Brewer Bullpen:  close the damned deal, wouldya'? Geez.

[Henry Sugar]

welcome to the majors, Mr. Soler

[Benny B]

My wife this morning:  The most dreaded words in the Brewer clubhouse are 'rookie pitcher.'

[GGGG]

Give the ball to Jeffress in the 9th please Ronald.

I wouldn't mind trying it.  KRod is a disaster waiting to happen.

BTW, apparently the Brewers claimed Justin Morneau off waivers but Colorado pulled him back when they couldn't make a deal.

[chapman]

Is Estrada wearing K-Rods jersey and running out there?  The home run rate has gotten absurd.  

Liking Herrera getting time at short.  Especially if Segura is so out of it that he's not even keeping up his defense.  Only issue is against left-handed pitching - somehow Segura is unfathomably bad against LHP, and Herrera isn't very good turned around.

[wadesworld]

Is Estrada wearing K-Rods jersey and running out there?  The home run rate has gotten absurd. 

Liking Herrera getting time at short.  Especially if Segura is so out of it that he's not even keeping up his defense.  Only issue is against left-handed pitching - somehow Segura is unfathomably bad against LHP, and Herrera isn't very good turned around.

The problem with KRod is he tops out in the low 80s on his fastball, so he has to get batters to swing at pitches out of the strike zone to have success.  He was able to do that through the first half of the season but the deception isn't working anymore.  Hitters are recognizing that a ball that starts off low in the strike zone is a changeup that will dip out of the zone by the time it crosses the plate, and they wait for something higher in the zone to swing.  When they get that they can just tee off.  It has always just been smoke and mirrors with him, and now people are seeing through it and we're seeing the results.

A changeup specialist who throws an 87 MPH fastball isn't a good recipe for a closer.  A fastball pitcher who throws 100 MPH, even if he struggles to throw a second pitch consistently and may struggle with his location at times, is what you typically see in a successful closer (Jeffress).  Batters have such a short amount of time to determine whether they should swing or not that they swing at a lot of balls anyways.  I'd love to see Jeffress get a chance.  I realize he also gave up a run last night, but his ERA is still below 1.00.

I also like Herrerra at short.  I'm a big fan of Jean, but he's just not producing anything this year.  I'd definitely rather have the pitcher spot up with 1 out and a runner at first than I would have Jean up with a runner on first and 1 out.  At least with the pitcher we'll bunt the runner over and give Gomez a chance (although the probability of him swinging for the fences and striking out is incredibly high in that situation anyways), whereas best case scenario Segura strikes out, worst (and most likely) case he grounds into a double play and the inning ends with the pitcher leading off the next inning.  And Herrerra's defense has been fine.

[CreightonWarrior]

Brewers and Cards seem to be catching fire and then cooling off at the same time, frustrating that the Brew Crew can't capitalize at the right time anymore. Last night's loss stung as they need to be winning this kind of series. Hearing about the Morneau deal falling through is just insult to injury, would've been a boost

[Benny B]

BTW, apparently the Brewers claimed Justin Morneau off waivers but Colorado pulled him back when they couldn't make a deal.

Seriously... what's it going to take to get Doug Melvin to bring in an OPS guy?

[chapman]

Seriously... what's it going to take to get Doug Melvin to bring in an OPS guy?

To be fair, in this case he was trying to strike a deal with a GM who considered 41 year old LaTroy Hawkins untouchable at the trade deadline despite his team being the worst in the NL...because 42 year old LaTroy Hawkins is needed in the clubhouse to mentor their young pitchers.