MLB 2019 thread

[wadesworld]

Beautiful play Schwarbs.

[Dr. Blackheart]

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Beautiful play Schwarbs.

Stealing signs for Yelich at Wrigley North? 

[wadesworld]

Hiura called up.  Time to move Moose to third and have Thames in there every day, at least against righties.  Need something from your corner infielders, especially if your pitching staff isn't good.

Now it's time for Counsell to stop managing like he's in the middle of an early September pennant race with the best bullpen in baseball at his service like he had last year.  It's May and his bullpen is not very good.  If his starter is looking strong it's time to let them go past 4-5 innings.

[The Sultan]

Apparently Shaw is "injured."

[wadesworld]

Apparently Shaw is "injured."

His ego sure is.

[4everwarriors]

Yeah, his bat has a busted sweet spot, aina?

[GB Warrior]

I miss Travis Shaw. Trade Keston Hiura for baseball bats

[CTWarrior]

I miss Travis Shaw. Trade Keston Hiura for baseball bats

You can have Tyler Thornburg back for him if you want.  Although, as much as I hate that trade, if the Red Sox didn't make it, they probably would have had Shaw platooning at first last year instead of trading for Pearce and they may not have won the World Series.  Sometimes bad trades actually work out.

[SaveOD238]

...especially if your pitching staff isn't good.

12th in Team Era on the season.  2.38 over the last two weeks.

Pitching staff is fine.  Now that we have Gio, players are settled into more appropriate roles (like Burnes in the pen, Freddy and the opener, etc).  When Chase and Jimmy come back the Brewers pitching will be really really deep.

[wadesworld]

12th in Team Era on the season.  2.38 over the last two weeks.

Pitching staff is fine.  Now that we have Gio, players are settled into more appropriate roles (like Burnes in the pen, Freddy and the opener, etc).  When Chase and Jimmy come back the Brewers pitching will be really really deep.

I'm incredibly, incredibly skeptical that Gio and Davies will be sub 2.00 ERA guys this year. Or sub 3.00 for that matter. If they are the pitching staff will be fine yes, but I just don't see it. I expect nothing from Nelson. Almost 2 full years off now. And we'll see about Chase. But those two will add the depth so if/when Davies/Gio fall off hopefully one of them and Chacin are stepping up.

[Benny B]

I'm incredibly, incredibly skeptical that Gio and Davies will be sub 2.00 ERA guys this year. Or sub 3.00 for that matter. If they are the pitching staff will be fine yes, but I just don't see it. I expect nothing from Nelson. Almost 2 full years off now. And we'll see about Chase. But those two will add the depth so if/when Davies/Gio fall off hopefully one of them and Chacin are stepping up.

Davies
Gio
Nelson
Anderson
Chacin

If these guys could pitch to 80% of their potential (or at least what they've shown they can do in recent years), you might not have a bona fide front-line starter, but there could easily be four legitimate #2 starters in that group, maybe even all five.

[cheebs09]

I'm incredibly, incredibly skeptical that Gio and Davies will be sub 2.00 ERA guys this year. Or sub 3.00 for that matter. If they are the pitching staff will be fine yes, but I just don't see it. I expect nothing from Nelson. Almost 2 full years off now. And we'll see about Chase. But those two will add the depth so if/when Davies/Gio fall off hopefully one of them and Chacin are stepping up.

That's fair, but also what we said last year. I don't think anyone thought we'd  keep it up to that level, and guys went out there and kept throwing  good games.

[MUBurrow]

Mets DFA'd Broxton today.  He's had a rough start to the season, but his numbers aren't that far off what he did as an everyday player in Milwaukee in 2017.  I don't think he'll ever be more than a situational fourth and a half OF type, but I don't get what the Mets thought they saw in him 5 months ago when they traded three prospects for him (headed by Wahl and Hill who are both t-30 guys in the Brewers system) that they're suddenly sure isn't there now.

[GB Warrior]

Mets DFA'd Broxton today.  He's had a rough start to the season, but his numbers aren't that far off what he did as an everyday player in Milwaukee in 2017.  I don't think he'll ever be more than a situational fourth and a half OF type, but I don't get what the Mets thought they saw in him 5 months ago when they traded three prospects for him (headed by Wahl and Hill who are both t-30 guys in the Brewers system) that they're suddenly sure isn't there now.

Think they saw some plus defensive plays and a place where he could get more consistent playing time. But he strikes out way too damn much to be any lasting contributor

[jsglow]

Wow. I'd take him back for AAA depth.

[MUBurrow]

Wow. I'd take him back for AAA depth.

I agree.  He's out of options, which I think was a big part of the decision to trade him in January (same with Santana - the swap for Gamel was basically to get the flexibility of a guy with options without losing too much quality). But I think he may have to accept a split contract or something, given his numbers. Maybe he finds a bad team willing to endure his K's for speed and defense, but until his discipline improves, he'll struggle to stick on most rosters before they expand on Sept 1.

Think they saw some plus defensive plays and a place where he could get more consistent playing time. But he strikes out way too damn much to be any lasting contributor

Definitely true. More an indictment of the Mets front office than anything. He was always a high K guy, so they should've realized that'd be a work in progress. And he was redundant there from day 1 with Lagares on the roster.

[GB Warrior]

Joe Maddon not a fan of unwritten rules but is a big fan of selective reading of the written ones, eh?

[HouWarrior]

I am not a fan of late season rentals, but my Astros should go get Madison Bumgarner for the rest of the season. We have Verlander and Cole but our No 3 starter has been McHugh (back to bullpen) Corbin Martin (rookie, not playoff ready), Brad Peacock (better suited to long relief) and ex Brewer Wade Miley (starting today) In playoffs we would be better with Madison as our no 3. Renting him is not so bad as Lance McCullers is back next year.

Next to Hader, our bullpen is best....as combo of Pressley Osuna lets us shut down the late innings (we are 31-0) when leading in 7th.

Hitting strength is top to bottom best in the game...this with Altuve struggling/dinged up. See:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26741260/real-not-astros-offense-best-mlb-history

Injuries and season long focus (our division teams threw into rebuilds this year...so AL West is weaker, than prior years) will be unknowns for the rest of the summer.

If you get a chance, the Astros are fun to watch

[#UnleashSean]

Joe Maddon not a fan of unwritten rules but is a big fan of selective reading of the written ones, eh?

Pretty sure it had more to do with this:

A) it being a really stupid rule
B) cj Edwards wasn't allowed to do it
C) Doolittle does a very similar tap
D) it is and isn't enforced

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Pretty sure it had more to do with this:

B) cj Edwards wasn't allowed to do it

I think it's B more than anything else.  Edwards has had a lot of crap thrown at him this year between injury, poor performance, racist instagram comments, etc., and could use all the allies he can get.  Edwards practiced his "hesitation" all off-season, pitched that way in Spring Training, and then was told it was against the rules during the first series of the season.  If Doolittle's doing the same thing six weeks later, he should be punished the same way.

[panda]

I think it's B more than anything else.  Edwards has had a lot of crap thrown at him this year between injury, poor performance, racist instagram comments, etc., and could use all the allies he can get.  Edwards practiced his "hesitation" all off-season, pitched that way in Spring Training, and then was told it was against the rules during the first series of the season.  If Doolittle's doing the same thing six weeks later, he should be punished the same way.

Not even remotely close to the same thing.

[GB Warrior]

Not even remotely close to the same thing.

Support: https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1130104277760978944?s=19

[MUBurrow]

I don't have a horse in this race, but Edwards's step looks qualitatively different than Doolittle's to me. Doolittle's is a tap in the course of his momentum toward the plate, whereas Edwards's looks like two distinct motions and much more balk-like. I forthrightly have no idea if that has any bearing on how the rule is to be read.  But if Edwards was jerked around by MLB, Maddon has a right to be pissed about that, independent of Doolittle's toe tap.

[jsglow]

Solid .500 trip by the Crew against outstanding competition.  It's been a gauntlet so far.

I remember before the season some informed scooper said if they could survive until Memorial Day.......