MLB 2017 Season

[#UnleashSean]

I regret even asking but...

You are saying that every Cubs starter was taking steroids and they all stopped this year. As a result, all of their velocities are down.

Why did they all stop if it worked so well last year?  Why did all four guys decide to quit at the same time?  I mean it would be pretty suspicious if all of their velocities dropped at the same time. Why not continue since they hadn't been caught?

Because... Insert an asinine reason in how the cubs cheat now.

[🏀]

I regret even asking but...

You are saying that every Cubs starter was taking steroids and they all stopped this year. As a result, all of their velocities are down.

Why did they all stop if it worked so well last year?  Why did all four guys decide to quit at the same time?  I mean it would be pretty suspicious if all of their velocities dropped at the same time. Why not continue since they hadn't been caught?

[Jockey]

Lester is going to be 33 and had pitched 457 and 1/3 innings over the last two years going into this season.

Lackey of is 38 and had pitched 429 and 2/3 innings over the last two years going into this season.

Arrieta is 31 and has pitched 468 and 1/3 innings over the last two years going into this season.

It is stunning, absolutely stunning that the velocities of pitchers in their 30s decreased after two years of massive workloads and pitching into late October and November. Something underhanded must be afoot.

Absolutely. I don't think any team had its 5 starters throw more innings than the Cub starters last year. Cleveland was the other team that played as many games, but a quick look and it seems like their 5 starters threw hundreds of innings less.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Absolutely. I don't think any team had its 5 starters throw more innings than the Cub starters last year. Cleveland was the other team that played as many games, but a quick look and it seems like their 5 starters threw hundreds of innings less.

The most hilarious aspect is to insinuate Kyle Hendricks used something. It's a great way to reinforce that you're a nutjob with no credibility though.

[wadesworld]

The most hilarious aspect is to insinuate Kyle Hendricks used something. It's a great way to reinforce that you're a nutjob with no credibility though.

I mean the guy who brought it up has the feature article on ESPN's MLB page.  So I guess if ESPN is giving out their jobs to nutjobs with no credibility you nailed it.  But that's nothing new, you've never got anything wrong in your life.

[jesmu84]

I regret even asking but...

You are saying that every Cubs starter was taking steroids and they all stopped this year. As a result, all of their velocities are down.

Why did they all stop if it worked so well last year?  Why did all four guys decide to quit at the same time?  I mean it would be pretty suspicious if all of their velocities dropped at the same time. Why not continue since they hadn't been caught?

I notice this has been ignored...

[wadesworld]

I notice this has been ignored...

I noticed my request to find me any other pitching staff in the history of baseball who saw all 5 of its starters drop their average fastball velocity by 1-3 MPH from one season to the next has been ignored...

Hmm...

[cheebs09]

I mean the guy who brought it up has the feature article on ESPN's MLB page.  So I guess if ESPN is giving out their jobs to nutjobs with no credibility you nailed it.  But that's nothing new, you've never got anything wrong in your life.

They do employ Myron Medcalf.

Also, Sultan posted a good article showing a possible cause of the across the board drop.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

The most hilarious aspect is to insinuate Kyle Hendricks used something. It's a great way to reinforce that you're a nutjob with no credibility though.

Burrow did say the next person to engage would get pistol whipped

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Burrow did say the next person to engage would get pistol whipped

I didn't engage directly.   

The link and the blurb from the article are below.  This is the hard hitting journalism at its finest. 

25. Why did every Cubs starting pitcher lose between 1 and 3 mph from his fastball this year? Sure, they threw a lot of innings last October, but the Indians' starters threw just as many without any problem. Isn't this a transparent deus ex machina to prevent the unstoppable Cubs dynasty we were all expecting?

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20838192/mlb-season-115-recap-counted-27-head-scratching-plot-holes

[LAZER]

[WI inferiority Complexes]

I didn't engage directly.   

The link and the blurb from the article are below.  This is the hard hitting journalism at its finest. 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20838192/mlb-season-115-recap-counted-27-head-scratching-plot-holes

I just glanced at the article, because I'm too hung over to read something quite so in-depth.  The first 'head-scratching plot hole is Why is the best player so short, (Altuve)? and plot hole #2 is-- wait for it-- Why is the other best player so tall, (Judge)?  Nice.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I just glanced at the article, because I'm too hung over to read something quite so in-depth.  The first 'head-scratching plot hole is Why is the best player so short, (Altuve)? and plot hole #2 is-- wait for it-- Why is the other best player so tall, (Judge)?  Nice.

Like I said, real hard-hitting, investigative journalism.  Also, the answer is clearly PEDs.  They work for both tall and short players! 

[BM1090]

Well, in an attempt to get this thread away from nonsense PED arguments.

The Brewers have 84 wins with 3 games to play. With 84 wins, this team has the 4th most wins of any Brewers team since I was born in 1990, which is depressing. But they have outperformed expectations and have been a lot of fun this year. Very successful reason regardless of how these last few games turn out.

Tonight is probably the only game of the MIL-STL series where the Brewers have an advantage in pitching, with Chase Anderson going. I'm hoping for one win today to extend meaningful baseball into Saturday. At that point, everything else is gravy.

Glad to see the Cubs eliminate the Cardinals last night with their B lineup

[LAZER]

They do employ Myron Medcalf.

Also, Sultan posted a good article showing a possible cause of the across the board drop.

That article links to a 538 article, which contains this blurb:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/baseballs-new-pitch-tracking-system-is-just-a-bit-outside/?ex_cid=538twitter

"Park-specific calibration errors such as these may explain other aberrant MLB trends. Despite the aforementioned league-wide hike in measured velocity, Chicago Cubs starters have registered lower fastball velocities than last year, sparking concern among Cubs fans. Writers have pointed to poor starts by Chicago pitchers as evidence that the velocity drop-offs are real, and even suggested that it could be part of a conscious effort by Cubs pitchers to decrease fatigue. But the far simpler explanation is bad data: If the club’s pitch tracker is poorly calibrated, it could make it look like pitchers are losing velocity when in fact the readings are just wrong. Supporting this idea is the fact that opposing teams’ pitchers in Wrigley have also registered a lower raw velocity than average. Unless the Cubs’ velocity woes are contagious, it seems likely that Statcast errors are driving some of their low numbers."

[wadesworld]

That article links to a 538 article, which contains this blurb:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/baseballs-new-pitch-tracking-system-is-just-a-bit-outside/?ex_cid=538twitter

"Park-specific calibration errors such as these may explain other aberrant MLB trends. Despite the aforementioned league-wide hike in measured velocity, Chicago Cubs starters have registered lower fastball velocities than last year, sparking concern among Cubs fans. Writers have pointed to poor starts by Chicago pitchers as evidence that the velocity drop-offs are real, and even suggested that it could be part of a conscious effort by Cubs pitchers to decrease fatigue. But the far simpler explanation is bad data: If the club’s pitch tracker is poorly calibrated, it could make it look like pitchers are losing velocity when in fact the readings are just wrong. Supporting this idea is the fact that opposing teams’ pitchers in Wrigley have also registered a lower raw velocity than average. Unless the Cubs’ velocity woes are contagious, it seems likely that Statcast errors are driving some of their low numbers."

So the Cubs got new radar guns at Wrigley this season and they're reading slower velocities than they were last season?  Are they shopping at Play It Again Sports for their equipment?

[MerrittsMustache]

So the Cubs got new radar guns at Wrigley this season and they're reading slower velocities than they were last season?  Are they shopping at Play It Again Sports for their equipment?

[JWags85]

Glad to see the Cubs eliminate the Cardinals last night with their B lineup

I can't think of a more beautiful way for the Cards to be officially eliminated that a game tying HR in extras at home...be snatched basically off the grass behind the fence in CF by a guy who spent most of 2017 in AAA.  Just tremendous.

[wadesworld]

Really not a hard concept.  The comparison isn't the Cubs pitchers' velocity at home compared to on the road.  It's the Cubs pitchers' velocity in 2017 compared to 2016.  Unless the Cubs "updated" their radars at Wrigley with faulty new radars this season, they were being gunned by the same radars as they were last year so even if they are reading slower velocities, they were also reading slower velocities last season.  Not hard to comprehend, but to some I guess it might be?

[LAZER]

Really not a hard concept.  The comparison isn't the Cubs pitchers' velocity at home compared to on the road.  It's the Cubs pitchers' velocity in 2017 compared to 2016.  Unless the Cubs "updated" their radars at Wrigley with faulty new radars this season, they were being gunned by the same radars as they were last year so even if they are reading slower velocities, they were also reading slower velocities last season.  Not hard to comprehend, but to some I guess it might be?

They switched/updated the technologies in 2017.

[drewm88]

Any Scoopers going to WC or DS games? Just got my tickets for Game 4 at Wrigley.

[MU82]

A belated congrats to all of my Cubbie fan friends on here.

They have as good a chance as anybody to win the World Series. They've been there, they know what the pressure chamber is like, and they have a lot of talent. Obviously, they need their best pitchers to perform well, and that's a big "if." But it's even been a big if for one of the best pitchers in baseball history - a guy named Kershaw.

I wouldn't want to face the Cubs if I were another team in the NL playoffs. Maybe if I was on the Indians, I'd want another crack at 'em, though.

Count me in the chorus of those who think the Indians are the team to beat.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Any Scoopers going to WC or DS games? Just got my tickets for Game 4 at Wrigley.

 

I'll be at either or both of games 3 and 4 at Wrigley (assuming there is no sweep) depending on how the season tickets we split are divided. 

[Vander Blue Man Group]

A belated congrats to all of my Cubbie fan friends on here.

They have as good a chance as anybody to win the World Series. They've been there, they know what the pressure chamber is like, and they have a lot of talent. Obviously, they need their best pitchers to perform well, and that's a big "if." But it's even been a big if for one of the best pitchers in baseball history - a guy named Kershaw.

I wouldn't want to face the Cubs if I were another team in the NL playoffs. Maybe if I was on the Indians, I'd want another crack at 'em, though.

Count me in the chorus of those who think the Indians are the team to beat.

It will be interesting to see how the Cubs set up their postseason rotation.  Lester has struggled recently and Arrieta is not 100%.  The top two have to be Hendricks and Quintana at this point. 

[MUBurrow]

It will be interesting to see how the Cubs set up their postseason rotation.  Lester has struggled recently and Arrieta is not 100%.  The top two have to be Hendricks and Quintana at this point.