MLB 2018 Season

[MerrittsMustache]

John Paciorek is the greatest hitter in MLB history (minimum 5 PA).  3-3 with 2 walks in his only game ever played.  All at age 18.  I think I would have let that guy play in another game.

IIRC, he never played above A ball for the rest of his career and only hit around .200 in the minors. I believe he had some health issues which contributed to his struggles.

[TallTitan34]

After last night I would have thought that today's daily Cub boast would be how Rizzo is the greatest reliever of all time.

I mean that's like saying water is wet.   It's just an accepted fact.

[TallTitan34]

He did have, like, 3K more hits out of the lead off spot though.  Not too shabby for 2nd place.

Psh in 11,000 at bats.

[Jockey]

Willie Mays would have been better but he had more value lower in the order.

Ted Williams and his lifetime OBP of .482 would have been the best ever.  That lifetime OBP is the most amazing stat in my opinion, especially since Ted missed his 24, 25 and 26 year old seasons to WW II, which are normally around the very best three year stretch for a player.  He also missed almost all of his 33 and 34 year old seasons to the Korean War, but the season before and after them his OBP was .486, so not much difference.

So.......

Ted Williams would have been the greatest lead off hitter ever, but didn't bat lead off.

Since Babe Ruth was the greatest hitter ever, wouldn't he have been the best lead off hitter? Except of corse he didn't bat lead off. He also would have been the best #7 hitter of all time. Except of course, he didn't bat 7th.

[MU82]

I saw that too. It was a bit of a leap if you ask me. How many minorities were actually in the stands? It wasn't like it was a near 50/50 split with only the white people standing and cheering. Also, we can't exactly tell the sexual orientation of the fans who were cheering. Blaming Trump for stuff like this is the new "Thanks, Obama"

I'd be willing to bet that no more than 1% of the fans cheering were doing so because they agree with what he said in his tweets and the other 99+% were cheering because they were showing support for one of the best players on their favorite team.

Fair enough.

My initial reaction after Wilbon said what he did was, "How many black folks were even at the game? Just about the whole crowd was white.

Having said that, we do have a leader who is admired by David Duke and Richard Spencer. Racists have been more emboldened than they have in a long, long time. It's hard to blame Wilbon for what he is perceiving.

I certainly can't really relate given that I haven't been black in my entire life. Maybe chicos can relate to it better.

[buckchuckler]

Britton to the Yanks.  Maybe Boone will actually use him in a playoff game too.

[Jockey]

Britton to the Yanks.  Maybe Boone will actually use him in a playoff game too.

Well done!

[Anti-Dentite]

Chubbies choking away the surest thing beyond MU82 making political comments in most any thread.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Britton to the Yanks.  Maybe Boone will actually use him in a playoff game too.

No quality starting pitchers available.  Just add to the strong bullpen.

[Its DJOver]

Only one NL team has a higher win percentage than the A's, and yet if the playoff's started today, they would not make the cut.  I can't stay up long enough to ever watch them, what's going on out in Oakland?

[MUBBau]

Only one NL team has a higher win percentage than the A's, and yet if the playoff's started today, they would not make the cut.  I can't stay up long enough to ever watch them, what's going on out in Oakland?

Moneyball

[MerrittsMustache]

Only one NL team has a higher win percentage than the A's, and yet if the playoff's started today, they would not make the cut.  I can't stay up long enough to ever watch them, what's going on out in Oakland?

Despite going 30-15 since June 1, the A's are still pretty much average statistically across the board. They have a great record in 1-run games but they're only 4 wins ahead of their Pythag W-L.  The secret seems to be simply "winning games."

The Mariners are 19 games over .500 and they currently sit even in run differential (they had been outscored on the season prior to Sunday's 8-2 win). There must be something strange going on out west.

[Its DJOver]

Does baseball need a new way to determine playoff teams?

The Indians have the worst record of any team in a playoff position right now.  They also have a worse record than 2.5 teams on the outside looking in (A's, D Backs and Braves are tied for the second WC spot, and one won't make the cut).  All of this despite playing in the weakest division (no other team over .500, and the White Sox and Royals have the 3rd worst and 2nd worst records in all of baseball).  One of Seattle or Oakland not making the playoffs while having great seasons while Cleveland gets home field after playing meh for most of the year seems counter intuitive.  Why not just take the 5 best records from each League (it works in the NBA).  You'd have a Seattle, Oakland WC game, and the very clear three best teams would all be in the ALDS. 

[MU82]

Does baseball need a new way to determine playoff teams?

The Indians have the worst record of any team in a playoff position right now.  They also have a worse record than 2.5 teams on the outside looking in (A's, D Backs and Braves are tied for the second WC spot, and one won't make the cut).  All of this despite playing in the weakest division (no other team over .500, and the White Sox and Royals have the 3rd worst and 2nd worst records in all of baseball).  One of Seattle or Oakland not making the playoffs while having great seasons while Cleveland gets home field after playing meh for most of the year seems counter intuitive.  Why not just take the 5 best records from each League (it works in the NBA).  You'd have a Seattle, Oakland WC game, and the very clear three best teams would all be in the ALDS.

This argument brews up any time there is a situation like this one. Everything is cyclical. If a team just wins its division, it has no reason to whine.

The question about Cleveland deserving home-field advantage, that's a bit different. But I probably wouldn't change that, either.

On the list of baseball's problems, this ranks pretty low IMHO.

[Its DJOver]

This argument brews up any time there is a situation like this one. Everything is cyclical. If a team just wins its division, it has no reason to whine.

The question about Cleveland deserving home-field advantage, that's a bit different. But I probably wouldn't change that, either.

On the list of baseball's problems, this ranks pretty low IMHO.

Agree that it doesn't come up often, but that doesn't mean that the system isn't unfair.  Cleveland will coast to winning their division because it'll take less than 90 wins to do so, while a potential 100+ win team, with a win percentage a full 10% higher, in the Yankees will be in a one game playoff.  Makes no sense.

[MerrittsMustache]

Agree that it doesn't come up often, but that doesn't mean that the system isn't unfair.  Cleveland will coast to winning their division because it'll take less than 90 wins to do so, while a potential 100+ win team, with a win percentage a full 10% higher, in the Yankees will be in a one game playoff.  Makes no sense.

In 2015, the teams with the 3 best records in the NL all came from the Central. The Pirates finished 6 and 8 games better than the Mets and Dodgers but got knocked out in the Wild Card Game (a game the 97-win Cubs had to win on the road). That's how it works sometimes. If anything, I think MLB needs a more balanced schedule.

[Its DJOver]

In 2015, the teams with the 3 best records in the NL all came from the Central. The Pirates finished 6 and 8 games better than the Mets and Dodgers but got knocked out in the Wild Card Game (a game the 97-win Cubs had to win on the road). That's how it works sometimes. If anything, I think MLB needs a more balanced schedule.

Wasn't situations like that the main driving force behind adding the second Wild Card team(before 2012 the Cubs wouldn't have even gotten a chance to win that game on the road)?  MLB has already shown an ability to change, and having the 5 best teams in each league make the playoffs seems obvious enough. 

[MerrittsMustache]

Wasn't situations like that the main driving force behind adding the second Wild Card team?  MLB has already shown an ability to change, and having the 5 best teams in each league make the playoffs seems obvious enough.

Since the second WC was introduced in 2012, there has only been 1 time when the 5 teams with the best records in each league didn't all make the playoffs. That was in the AL in 2012 when Detroit won the Central but had a worse record than two teams that didn't make the postseason...and the Tigers ended up winning the pennant.

[Its DJOver]

Since the second WC was introduced in 2012, there has only been 1 time when the 5 teams with the best records in each league didn't all make the playoffs. That was in the AL in 2012 when Detroit won the Central but had a worse record than two teams that didn't make the postseason...and the Tigers ended up winning the pennant.

I'm not trying to say that it happens often, but what other sport is there even a possibility of not making the playoffs when you have a better record than a team that does? 

You obviously want to reward division winners, but when the NBA changed its rule after the 2014-15 season when Portland got the 4 seed despite finishing with a worse record than both the 5 and 6 seed, there haven't been any problems, and I know part of that is because a greater percentage of teams make the playoffs in basketball, but I would think the league would want the best teams in the playoffs.

[#UnleashSean]

Need to up the wild card to a 3 game series, simple.

[BM1090]

I'm not trying to say that it happens often, but what other sport is there even a possibility of not making the playoffs when you have a better record than a team that does? 

You obviously want to reward division winners, but when the NBA changed its rule after the 2014-15 season when Portland got the 4 seed despite finishing with a worse record than both the 5 and 6 seed, there haven't been any problems, and I know part of that is because a greater percentage of teams make the playoffs in basketball, but I would think the league would want the best teams in the playoffs.

The NFL.

In 2010 the 7-9 Seahawks won their division (and then a playoff game!) while the 10-6 NY and Tampa Bay did not make it.

[MerrittsMustache]

I'm not trying to say that it happens often, but what other sport is there even a possibility of not making the playoffs when you have a better record than a team that does? 

You obviously want to reward division winners, but when the NBA changed its rule after the 2014-15 season when Portland got the 4 seed despite finishing with a worse record than both the 5 and 6 seed, there haven't been any problems, and I know part of that is because a greater percentage of teams make the playoffs in basketball, but I would think the league would want the best teams in the playoffs.

The NBA and NFL.

This past season, the Nuggets would have been the 6-seed in the East but didn't make the playoffs.

The 2016 Bulls had the same record as the 6-seed in the West but missed the playoffs.

The 2015 Thunder missed the playoffs but would have been 6th in the East.

The 2015 Jets missed the playoffs with a better record than 4-seed Houston.

In 2014, the Eagles, 49ers, Chiefs, Chargers, Texans, Bills and Dolphins all had a better record than playoff-bound Carolina.

Arizona missed the playoffs with a better record than the Packers in 2013.

This is only going back a few seasons. Sure, some of these are cross-conference but it's not as uncommon as you'd think.

[Its DJOver]

The NFL.

In 2010 the 7-9 Seahawks won their division (and then a playoff game!) while the 10-6 NY and Tampa Bay did not make it.

I did not know that.  I admit to not following the NFL at all, but that format seems really stupid too.  Why would you reward a team by getting lucky and having terrible teams in their division?

[GGGG]

Need to up the wild card to a 3 game series, simple.

That will never happen.  MLB like the one game thing and it makes the other teams sit too long.

I am generally in favor of changing nothing, but if I did, I would do away with divisions and go to full league standings.  Each team plays the other 11 or 12 times a year.  Playoffs would either be five teams under the current format or six with the top two getting byes.

[GGGG]

I did not know that.  I admit to not following the NFL at all, but that format seems really stupid too.  Why would you reward a team by getting lucky and having terrible teams in their division?

Because there is no real fair way.  How can you schedule the post season without divisions in a 16 game schedule?