MLB Hot Stove 2019-20

[JWags85]

Thom Brennaman getting canceled?

As a Cubs fan who has always hated him, SEE YA PAL!

Pretty brutal "error" on his part. If he so casually says that right before coming back on air, I'm shocked other stuff about him and this sort of language hasn't come out yet

[Pakuni]

Crotchety old baseball men: Respect the game and always play hard!

Also crotchety old baseball men: How dare you disrespect the game by always playing hard!

[wadesworld]

Just have a mercy rule. If you can't score more runs when you're up a certain amount, then you shouldn't be scoring more runs when you're down a certain amount. Down more than 5 after 7? Call the game.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Certainly- swing away after the pitch where you know it's going to be grooved right down the plate for you on a pitch that major leaguers feast on more than any, especially when they know it's coming. 

Again- count, score, and inning trifecta matter. 

And 7 run comebacks in your last two at bats are not terribly common, except in little league.

So you should not swing at a pitch that you have high likelihood of hitting when the game is still in question....because it will hurt the other team's feelings if you get a hit?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Just have a mercy rule. If you can't score more runs when you're up a certain amount, then you shouldn't be scoring more runs when you're down a certain amount. Down more than 5 after 7? Call the game.

11 year olds dont play by those rules.  (I get your sarcasm, i agree with you.)

Butthurt unwritten rules are dumb. Don't load the bases and go 3-0 on one of the best young hitters in the game.

Let the kids play, aina?

[HutchwasClutch]

So you should not swing at a pitch that you have high likelihood of hitting when the game is still in question....because it will hurt the other team's feelings if you get a hit?

A 3-0 pitch is typically swung at less than 10% of time across baseball.  Even players considered  the most aggressive 3-0 hitters, swing less than half the time. So without the big lead and game being late, highly likely he wouldn't have been offering. 

He did so knowing it was a golden opportunity to grease his stats, with almost no down side up 7 late.

[Jockey]

A 3-0 pitch is typically swung at less than 10% of time across baseball.  Even players considered  the most aggressive 3-0 hitters, swing less than half the time. So without the big lead and game being late, highly likely he would have been offering.

He did so knowing it was a golden opportunity to grease his stats, with almost no down side up 7 late.

I hate to have to state the obvious -players get paid based on their stats, they get awards based on their stats, they are remembered based on their stats.

[Dish]

Brennaman calling a HR in the middle of his apology is an all time unintentional comedy hall of fame moment.

[BM1090]

A 3-0 pitch is typically swung at less than 10% of time across baseball.  Even players considered  the most aggressive 3-0 hitters, swing less than half the time. So without the big lead and game being late, highly likely he wouldn't have been offering. 

He did so knowing it was a golden opportunity to grease his stats, with almost no down side up 7 late.

If you're up 20+ runs or some other ridiculous amount, then take the pitch. 7 runs? Teams score 7 across two innings all the time.

Good for him. Tatis is fun as hell and I hope he changes nothing.

[HutchwasClutch]

Brennaman calling a HR in the middle of his apology is an all time unintentional comedy hall of fame moment.

I don't know why he bothered with the call. He knows he's fired.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

A 3-0 pitch is typically swung at less than 10% of time across baseball.  Even players considered  the most aggressive 3-0 hitters, swing less than half the time. So without the big lead and game being late, highly likely he wouldn't have been offering. 

He did so knowing it was a golden opportunity to grease his stats, with almost no down side up 7 late.

So you're a mind reader eh? Regardless, who cares if he did it to pad his stats or because he saw a hittable pitch and decided to swing? Either way, it helped his team secure the W.

I'm still searching for the downside of what he did....other than hurting a bunch of grown men's feelings.

[HutchwasClutch]

If you're up 20+ runs or some other ridiculous amount, then take the pitch. 7 runs? Teams score 7 across two innings all the time.

Good for him. Tatis is fun as hell and I hope he changes nothing.

Across any two given innings, yes. But last two at bats? When you're facing the other teams closer fresh and throwing high 90's smoke if you shave a couple runs off the lead?  Not at all common.

Tatis is a great young player and fun to watch. I'll be the lone wolf disagreeing with what he did here. Agree to disagree. 

[Its DJOver]

Give me a break. His whole life has been growing up in baseball and the big leagues. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Take the 3-0 fastball and hack to your hearts content to hit one out after that pitch.  That's what he was  expected to do.   Ask his manager.

Watch the replay. After he grounds out to end the inning Hosmer clearly says to the Rangers dugout that he'll talk to him. Then look at his reaction when Hosmer is actually talking to him. Whether or not he should know the "unwritten rule" because he grew up around ball clubs is irrelevant because he clearly didn't know.  You seem to be awfully offended for something that has nothing to do you with and will be forgotten about in a week.

[JWags85]

Good for him. Tatis is fun as hell and I hope he changes nothing.

Tatis is INCREDIBLY fun. He's electric. Kind of amazing how he's already overshadowed Machado as the monster on that Padres team. He reminds me A LOT of a young A Rod.

Related, kind of amazing how many sons of fairly big name MLB players are in the league right now and contributing at a young age.  Tatis obviously, but Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr in Toronto (Craig Biggio's son too though he's a bit older. Raul Mondesi's son in KC.

Delino DeShields Jr, Dee Gordon (I remember Flash Gordon pitching FOREVER) too

[JustinLewisFanClubPres]

Brennaman calling a HR in the middle of his apology is an all time unintentional comedy hall of fame moment.

Agreed. They should fire him for being derelict in his duties on the home run call and leave the elephant in the room alone. 😃

[MU82]

He was talking about a cigarette. Jeesh.

As for the other topic ... "unwritten rules" are stupid.

I remember a few years ago, a Padres player bunted to break up a no-hitter in the ninth inning of a 2-0 game. The outcome was still in doubt, yet the keepers of the unwritten rules were aghast.

There have been plenty of comebacks from 5 and 6 and 7-run deficits. If you don't want to give up a home run, don't throw a meatball.

Someday, some pitcher is gonna enforce an "unwritten rule" by killing somebody with a beanball.

"Yeah! That'll show him for swinging at the 3-0 meatball I threw!"

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Brennaman calling a HR in the middle of his apology is an all time unintentional comedy hall of fame moment.

Most pathetic home run call of all time?  Easy yes.  And that includes world series game losing team's announcers getting walked off.

[The Sultan]

Maybe read what I wrote?!? Because I spelled it out. 

I did. So very dumb.

[The Sultan]

So you're a mind reader eh? Regardless, who cares if he did it to pad his stats or because he saw a hittable pitch and decided to swing? Either way, it helped his team secure the W.

I'm still searching for the downside of what he did....other than hurting a bunch of grown men's feelings.

He offended those with delicate sensibilities like Hutch.

[LON]

Across any two given innings, yes. But last two at bats? When you're facing the other teams closer fresh and throwing high 90's smoke if you shave a couple runs off the lead?  Not at all common.

Tatis is a great young player and fun to watch. I'll be the lone wolf disagreeing with what he did here. Agree to disagree.

They cut the pitcher the next day.  If you're gonna get all sensitive about it, they should be forced to keep him on the roster.

[Dish]

This will probably lose, because that's just how this works, but Rivers has Shane Bieber o/u K's tonight at 7.5, -129 versus the Pirates.

If that was at -140 or higher I wouldn't like it, but that looks real tempting at -129.

[GooooMarquette]

And now the Mets have positive cases. Next couple of games postponed, until they postpone some more....

https://sports.yahoo.com/mets-game-postponed-covid-19-cases-marlins-mlb-210059177.html

[Lennys Tap]

This will probably lose, because that's just how this works, but Rivers has Shane Bieber o/u K's tonight at 7.5, -129 versus the Pirates.

If that was at -140 or higher I wouldn't like it, but that looks real tempting at -129.

11 Ks through 6 innings. Nice call Dish - hope you backed up the truck!

[Dish]

11 Ks through 6 innings. Nice call Dish - hope you backed up the truck!

Thanks Lenny! Didn't back up the truck, but made a decent profit on this one.

That line just made no sense to me. Bieber hasn't gone under 8 K's yet in any start, analytics were predicting 10.5 K's, and the price was below 130. It's rare to see a line that jumps off the page like that.

[buckchuckler]

Wait, what?  Did Abreu just hit another HR?????

More fun to be a Sox fan right now that it has been in a loooooong time.