Real MLB Thread

[Cheeks]

So I wonder who will acquire Cole next season. My Yanks sure need starting pitching, but I'm not so sure they'll go after him.

I will be shocked if he is not wearing an Angels or Dodgers jersey next season.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I recall hearing often on sport's talk out here that he's a lifelong Yankees fan until he joined professional baseball.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Yet another example that you don't need to open the vaults to sign big name free agents to succeed in the MLB.

[CTWarrior]

300 game winner may never happen again.

The way the games are trending now, you could have a 5th inning guy who completes the 5th inning 60 times a year when you have the lead and win 40-50 games like the best save guy gets 40-50 saves.  You could end up with some strange things as strategy changes, so you can never say never. 

In the old days you could average 18 wins a year 17-18 years and get to 300.  Now you have to average 15 wins for 20 years, because wins are harder to come by when you are only pitching 6 or 7 innings for 32 or 33 starts.

[CTWarrior]

Good morning and congrats to the Nats and their fans. The team earned a World Championship. It truly did.

Has there ever been a World Series where the road team won every game? Incredible!

No, the Nats are the first team to lose three games at home and win a World Series and are the first team to win a World Series without winning a game at home.

[CTWarrior]

Congrats to the Nats.    Went to their home opener this season with my family.    The return of Bryce Harper with the Phillies.    Trea Turner broke his hand.    Phillies won.    National fans were pretty despondent about the rest of the season.     But, their team survived Harpershima.

Side note:   Now the entire starting rotation of the 2014 Tigers have won rings.    Verlander, Scherzer, Price, Porcello, Sanchez.     Not that I am bitter or anything.

I feel for you Tower, those were some good teams in Detroit the first half of this decade.  You have to be a little lucky as well as good to win the World Series.

[tower912]

I feel for you Tower, those were some good teams in Detroit the first half of this decade.  You have to be a little lucky as well as good to win the World Series.

Team speed and defense help, too.    And keep Dombrowski away from your bullpen.  And farm system. 

[buckchuckler]

Yet another example that you don't need to open the vaults to sign big name free agents to succeed in the MLB.

What???  The Nats regularly spend in free agency.  Scherzer and Corbin seem like glaring examples of pretty huge contracts. 

They also have the 5th highest payroll.

[StillAWarrior]

The way the games are trending now, you could have a 5th inning guy who completes the 5th inning 60 times a year when you have the lead and win 40-50 games like the best save guy gets 40-50 saves.  You could end up with some strange things as strategy changes, so you can never say never. 

In the old days you could average 18 wins a year 17-18 years and get to 300.  Now you have to average 15 wins for 20 years, because wins are harder to come by when you are only pitching 6 or 7 innings for 32 or 33 starts.

It still boggles my mind that Cy Young won 511 games.  Yes, I know that it was a very different time, but still...511 games?!!  Take your pick:  25 wins per year for 20 years or 20 wins per year for 25 years; with another half-season worth of wins thrown in. 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Wins are not really relevant, so it's OK that it is deemphasized more.  It should even be removed from boxscores IMO.

[Cheeks]

Yet another example that you don't need to open the vaults to sign big name free agents to succeed in the MLB.

?????  I guess it depends on what you define as big name and opening the vault.

Nationals had third highest payroll in baseball this year.


Bottom 10, two made the playoffs.

Top 10, five made the playoffs.

[Cheeks]

What???  The Nats regularly spend in free agency.  Scherzer and Corbin seem like glaring examples of pretty huge contracts. 

They also have the 5th highest payroll.

Actually 3rd highest.  https://www.usatoday.com/sports/mlb/salaries/2019/team/all/

Strasborg was highest paid player to start year.  Scherzer second highest.

https://www.thestreet.com/lifestyle/sports/highest-paid-mlb-players-14880433

[MU82]

I can't sit through 3 1/2-hour or 4-hour games, but I did watch the last 5 innings last night. (Though I did flip around to the NBA during commercials and I did do some cellphone chatting -- including on Scoop -- during the game.)

Entertaining, tense sports theater, with just enough decisions being made that it gave fans like us plenty to second guess.

It's still hard for me to believe that Hinch was willing to keep the best pitcher in baseball on the bench as he lost the game.

Although I would have kept Greinke in the game even after the walk, I do accept that there was a logical case to remove him. In that case, I go with Cole; there was no reason to not have him warming up as that inning started. And if I don't go with Cole for some reason, I have to go with Osuna (which I think Smoltz also said). Harris had been solid but had given up a huge HR the night before and Hinch himself had voiced concern that Harris was out of gas. Ugh.

But hey, at least Cole will be well-rested for his next outing!

[Dr. Blackheart]

Maybe Martinez was the mastermind behind the 2016 Cubs.

And the Rays...

[jesmu84]

Ewing theory

[buckchuckler]

Ewing theory

Except that Harper wasn't their best player last year.  Or the year before that, or the year before that... and certainly wouldn't have been their best player this year.

[Benny B]

If anyone finds a .wav or .mp3 of the foul pole sound from Kendrick's HR, please post a link.  I want to change the default sound effect on my PC from "Ding" to "Clung"

[Mr. Nielsen]

Sometimes I hate living in the Eastern time zone.

Got rough staying up for the central time zone as well.

[Jockey]

Yet another example that you don't need to open the vaults to sign big name free agents to succeed in the MLB.

Maybe short term.

But if they don’t open the vault for Rendon & Strasburg, it’s just a one year blip.

3 out of 4 teams in the League Championship Series were 3 of the four biggest spenders. It’s ALWAYSA short window for the smaller money teams as Minnesota, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay will find out

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Side note:   Now the entire starting rotation of the 2014 Tigers have won rings.    Verlander, Scherzer, Price, Porcello, Sanchez.     Not that I am bitter or anything.

The point remains the same, but Drew Smyly, (who started that season as the #5 starter, and started 18 games to Price's 11 GS), is still without a ring.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

"@joe_sheehan

The team that hit more homers was 7-0 in the World Series, and 26-6 in the playoffs. Please take your smallball talk for a long walk off a short pier."

Just thought that was interesting.

[Jockey]

"@joe_sheehan

The team that hit more homers was 7-0 in the World Series, and 26-6 in the playoffs. Please take your smallball talk for a long walk off a short pier."

Just thought that was interesting.

The analytics guys knew this several years ago. The rising HR counts every year have happened for a reason. The interesting thing will be if MLB goes back to the ball they used several years ago and a lot of the HRs end up as flyouts on the warning track.


But for now, it is uppercut swings for hitters. For pitchers, it is the ability to best control the 3 true outcomes - strikeouts, walks, and HRs.

[buckchuckler]

How the Sox run their organization is embarrassing.

They traded an actual asset to save 500k.  Ridiculous.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

The analytics guys knew this several years ago. The rising HR counts every year have happened for a reason. The interesting thing will be if MLB goes back to the ball they used several years ago and a lot of the HRs end up as flyouts on the warning track.


But for now, it is uppercut swings for hitters. For pitchers, it is the ability to best control the 3 true outcomes - strikeouts, walks, and HRs.

The best hitters dont have an uppercut swing.  They just get on plane much sooner.  It's the ted Williams style of swing.

This is in on contrast to the Charlie Lau school, which was taught in the 70s-90s that you would swing down to the ball, hit it on top to create backspin.

Advanced analytics and slo-mo video have proven the on plate swing is a better eay to hot.  Thus launch angle, exit velocity, etc are the key factors now.

The days of squish the bug are done. 

MLB will either change the ball, either how tightly it is wound or the height of the stitching, to "correct" the huge advantage hitters have over pitchers now.  That is, if MLB wants to.  More home runs=ratings and butts in the seats.

[RJax55]

MLB will either change the ball, either how tightly it is wound or the height of the stitching, to "correct" the huge advantage hitters have over pitchers now.  That is, if MLB wants to.  More home runs=ratings and butts in the seats.

I'm not sure that's true anymore. This season featured an all-time record of homers hit, but TV ratings and attendance continued to fall.