2014 MLB Thread & Pissing Match

[WI inferiority Complexes]

The only other 1B/OF rental out there is a guy who wears sunglasses at night.

Seth Smith (SD), and Josh Willingham (MIN) are two outfielders at the end of their contracts who could very well be gone by July 31.

[Benny B]

Seth Smith (SD), and Josh Willingham (MIN) are two outfielders at the end of their contracts who could very well be gone by July 31.

In 11 seasons, Willingham has played a grand total of 3 games at 1B.  That doesn't really qualify him as a 1B/OF player.

Smith has never played 1B in the majors.

[ChicosBailBonds]

2nd best record in all of baseball and one player on the All Star team.  I guess it's Mike Trout and 24 other guys.

Interesting.

[reinko]

2nd best record in all of baseball and one player on the All Star team.  I guess it's Mike Trout and 24 other guys.

Interesting.

Perhaps before each fan votes,  each person should show a form of government ID.   

[🏀]

Outside of Wieters, I don't think the fans did a bad job at all.

Sale needed to be on that team, has no business being in the Final Vote.

[chapman]

I guess it's Mike Trout and 24 other guys.

Yep

[LloydMooresLegs]

Yep

Trout would lead a lot of teams in all those categories.

[chapman]

Trout would lead a lot of teams in all those categories.

Yep, nine others to be exact - NYY, TB, KC, MN, OAK, PHL, WAS, CIN, SD.

[🏀]

Pujols is having a good year, but not better than Cabrera, E5, Abreu, Moss or VMart.

Who else do you want, Kendrick?

[Lennys Tap]

Pujols is having a good year, but not better than Cabrera, E5, Abreu, Moss or VMart.

Who else do you want, Kendrick?

Richards, Weaver and Wilson are very good starters but a level below Chris Sale (who inexplicably didn't make the team).

No one would have objected to Pujols, but he was their only legit possibility and he's no better than a coin flip with Moss.

[reinko]

I blame the liberal media and Hollywood elites for not supporting a team with a Christian team name.

/Chico'ed

[ChicosBailBonds]

Perhaps before each fan votes,  each person should show a form of government ID.   

Probably, especially since no free handouts involved.  When free handouts and goodies are coming, no gov't id needed.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Trout would lead a lot of teams in all those categories.

Maybe this year he gets awarded as the best player in baseball even though this will be the third year in a row he fits that bill.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Pujols is having a good year, but not better than Cabrera, E5, Abreu, Moss or VMart.

Who else do you want, Kendrick?

I merely said it was interesting, but in my view Garrett Richards deserves to be on the team and if it wasn't for Jeter's swan song, Aybar. Honestly, I like it.  A bunch of guys just doing their thing and playing good ball.  Hope it continues.  Playing in toughest division in baseball won't make it any easier.

Aybar has the highest WAR for SS in AL, leads SS in fielding in AL, in RBI for AL, etc.  I realize that no one cares about fielding anymore, I guess I'm old school and that matters to me.

Richards, 10-2, opponents hitting .196 against him (best in AL), etc.  Tough with pitchers, plenty of good guys that won't make it in that spot.

[Lennys Tap]

  A bunch of guys just doing their thing and playing good ball. 

What a difference a year makes.

[ChicosBailBonds]

What a difference a year makes.

Buzz Williams and Tom Crean concur

[CTWarrior]

Aybar has the highest WAR for SS in AL, leads SS in fielding in AL, in RBI for AL, etc.  I realize that no one cares about fielding anymore, I guess I'm old school and that matters to me.

People care about fielding a lot, just not fielding pct. as a particularly good way to measure it.  Aybar has a handful fewer errors that JJ Hardy, but Hardy has made dozens of extra plays.  How much of that is park effects, pitcher's strikeouts when they're on the field, etc, has a lot to say about that.  At any rate, I do agree that Aybar is a worthy guy, but basically throw him, Ramirez and Hardy in a hat as there isn't a ton of difference between them.  I hate the Yankees and therefore Jeter, but even though his play this season may not deserve it, he certainly ought to be on the field for his last ASG, and I have no qualms with him starting.

Richards got caught in a numbers game.  I'm a Red Sox fan, and Jon Lester has been very good, but Richards a slight tick better (and Sale a lot better though he's short in IP), but they had to take someone from the Red Sox.  I thought it would be Uehara.

[ChicosBailBonds]

People care about fielding a lot, just not fielding pct. as a particularly good way to measure it.  Aybar has a handful fewer errors that JJ Hardy, but Hardy has made dozens of extra plays.  How much of that is park effects, pitcher's strikeouts when they're on the field, etc, has a lot to say about that.  At any rate, I do agree that Aybar is a worthy guy, but basically throw him, Ramirez and Hardy in a hat as there isn't a ton of difference between them.  I hate the Yankees and therefore Jeter, but even though his play this season may not deserve it, he certainly ought to be on the field for his last ASG, and I have no qualms with him starting.

Richards got caught in a numbers game.  I'm a Red Sox fan, and Jon Lester has been very good, but Richards a slight tick better (and Sale a lot better though he's short in IP), but they had to take someone from the Red Sox.  I thought it would be Uehara.

I was being sarcastic around the MVP voting, where apparently fielding, base running, etc don't seem to matter.

[CTWarrior]

I was being sarcastic around the MVP voting, where apparently fielding, base running, etc don't seem to matter.

Sorry, I missed that.  When evaluating baseball players, most people seem to have a big blind spot, which is that they only care about a player's best attribute, regardless of what that is.  Ozzie Smith sails into the Hall of Fame because he was the best defensive shortstop ever, but Alan Trammell doesn't get a sniff even though overall he was about equal to Ozzie but was good at everything rather than being other-worldy at one thing.   Trout is great at everything but people couldn't get past Cabrera's hit tool being better than any individual tool in Trout's bag, even though the sum of Trout's tools/contributions outweighed Cabrera's, particularly last year.  Human nature, I guess.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Sorry, I missed that.  When evaluating baseball players, most people seem to have a big blind spot, which is that they only care about a player's best attribute, regardless of what that is.  Ozzie Smith sails into the Hall of Fame because he was the best defensive shortstop ever, but Alan Trammell doesn't get a sniff even though overall he was about equal to Ozzie but was good at everything rather than being other-worldy at one thing.   Trout is great at everything but people couldn't get past Cabrera's hit tool being better than any individual tool in Trout's bag, even though the sum of Trout's tools/contributions outweighed Cabrera's, particularly last year.  Human nature, I guess.

For normal people, I agree.  For the voters of these awards, who are supposed to be able to see the full picture and everything that person does, it's hard to defend.

[tower912]

It is a case of new school versus old school.   In '12, the voters (rightfully, IMO) rewarded the first triple crown in 45 years.    Last year, the argument was the classic about whether a really good player on a .500 team should be rewarded over a really good player on a playoff team.    Age old arguments.   Good for beer summits.   I freely acknowledge that Mike Trout is the most impressive young player in the game.   He is awesome.   I would choose him first if I was starting a team.   But there were compelling arguments for someone other than him to be the MVP the last two years.   

[Lennys Tap]

And they're choosing the most valuable player, not the best player. If one guy leads a team to a title while another leads a team to mediocrity (or worse) the former can be deemed more valuable even if he's not "the best" player.

[tower912]

Some stat guy is going to know this instantly but at the moment I can't remember.   Since Andre Dawson in '87 with the Cubs, has there been an MVP from a team with a <.500 record?

[🏀]

Some stat guy is going to know this instantly but at the moment I can't remember.   Since Andre Dawson in '87 with the Cubs, has there been an MVP from a team with a <.500 record?

ARod in 2003 comes to mind.

Edit: Ripken in 1991 as well came to my mind.

[🏀]

Was Yount's Brewers team any good?