The Hey its 2021 now guys MLB thread

[MU82]

Partly due to being in NC, where there is no MLB, partly due to being a little bored by the HR/KO nature of the game, and partly due to my "sports energy" being tied up these days in the Marquette Shakas, I have paid less attention to baseball this spring than any time in the last 45+ years.

I actually was surprised to see a couple days ago that the season was to start today.

Hoping all those who root for teams get the results they want.

[The Sultan]

Mets and Nationals postponed due to positive COVID-19 test on Washington.

Kinda surprised there wasn't a bigger push to vaccinate before the season started.

[shoothoops]

Kinda surprised there wasn't a bigger push to vaccinate before the season started.

Varies by team. I know one team traveled a day early to their first road series of the season to get vaccines before the season. Their goal (which they reached) was 85% of the team.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

My expert predictions:
AL East: NYY
AL Central: CLE
AL West: HOU
AL WC: TB; CWS

NL East: ATL
NL Central: STL
NL West: LAD
NL WC: SD; CHC

World Series: NYY over LAD in 6 games

[Hards Alumni]

Kinda surprised there wasn't a bigger push to vaccinate before the season started.

I've been told that the players are nowhere near the front of the line in DC.

And I totally agree with you.  A lot of people's jobs depend on the players not having covid.

[Hards Alumni]

My expert predictions:
AL East: NYY
AL Central: CLE
AL West: HOU
AL WC: TB; CWS

NL East: ATL
NL Central: STL
NL West: LAD
NL WC: SD; CHC

World Series: NYY over LAD in 6 games

Cubs lol  I assume you took the over on Cubs wins for this season... 78.5

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Cubs lol  I assume you took the over on Cubs wins for this season... 78.5

PECOTA has CHC as "tied" for the second  NL WC. They have more faith in MIl, (and less in STL), than I do.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/

[The Sultan]

Partly due to being in NC, where there is no MLB, partly due to being a little bored by the HR/KO nature of the game, and partly due to my "sports energy" being tied up these days in the Marquette Shakas, I have paid less attention to baseball this spring than any time in the last 45+ years.

I actually was surprised to see a couple days ago that the season was to start today.

Hoping all those who root for teams get the results they want.

I said to my wife yesterday morning "I wonder when opening day is...<looked on my phone>.  Hey it's tomorrow!"

Maybe it's just me but there doesn't seem to be any buzz about opening day this year.

[tower912]

Tigers are undefeated!    Miggy closer to 500 HRs and 3000 hits.   

[MUBurrow]

I said to my wife yesterday morning "I wonder when opening day is...<looked on my phone>.  Hey it's tomorrow!"

Maybe it's just me but there doesn't seem to be any buzz about opening day this year.

Definitely less. I felt the same way about St Pats.  Both are kind of rites of spring that are all about drinking outside before the weather is quite right for it.  Not being able to gather, it just doesn't have the same oomph.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

MLB shouldn't have started in a Thursday (ESPN could've done a national broadcast on A Sunday night, followed by everyone on a Monday).

It seems even stranger because there were Elite 8 games 40 hours ago. Everything is just off a bit.

[CreightonWarrior]

Brewers! Yelich is back!

[Dish]

Yeah, I love baseball and the Sox, I was in Arizona Sunday - yesterday, while spring training was still semi going on for some teams, and it's totally weird to me that the season is starting today.

[hairy worthen]

Brewers! Shaw Yelich is back!

fixed it.

[jficke13]

Okay, I've been crazy unplugged and the first game I caught of the post-pandemic era was Brewers-Twins yesterday, so I was mildly confused by (and then vaguely recalled discussions about) the "runner starts on 2nd" thing in extra innings.

My initial reactions were 1. It is going to increase the "home field" advantage. and 2. It's going to make K-dominant RPs extraordinarily valuable (more so than usual). Hader Kd the side around allowing the free runner to advance to 3rd on a wild pitch. Brewers won on a single and a fielders choice (their free runner was Cain so he had good speed, but it didn't exactly take a dominant offensive burst in the 10th to scratch a run across). 

Looking at the scoreboard:

4 games went extras yesterday and none went into the 11th.
3 games were won by the home team

I'm interested to see how this plays out over a full season and a larger data set.

[MUBurrow]

Yeah I understand the intention behind the runner on second thing, but I'm not a huge fan. Its just too much a change.

It seems like a minor change, but I'd like to see the free runner start on first rather than second.  There's more strategy around how to handle a runner on first - you could still try to small ball one across, but you would need either a hit or a steal to score a run. With the runner on second, you can theoretically push one across with two fielders choice groundouts to the right side or a fielders choice and a sac fly.  I don't love letting a team score a game winning run without having a net-positive play. 

[jficke13]

Yeah I understand the intention behind the runner on second thing, but I'm not a huge fan. Its just too much a change.

It seems like a minor change, but I'd like to see the free runner start on first rather than second.  There's more strategy around how to handle a runner on first - you could still try to small ball one across, but you would need either a hit or a steal to score a run. With the runner on second, you can theoretically push one across with two fielders choice groundouts to the right side or a fielders choice and a sac fly.  I don't love letting a team score a game winning run without having a net-positive play.

When I was thinking it through I realized that it's going to hinge a bit on who is your runner (last out of previous inning) and who is up to bat. If you've got speed at 2nd, and a decent contact hitters/bunters, then why not go small ball (especially as the home team)? Bunt, then runner on 3rd with 1 out means there are a lot of ways to win the game (squeeze, sac fly, fielder's choice w/ aggressive baserunning, any hit)?

As a strategy nerd I'm very interested to see how everyone plays it.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Lovely tributes to a deceased player at last night's Sox game.

[jficke13]

all my Sox fan friends were flipping those pics through the group text laughing at Eloy's memorial service.

[Jockey]

Okay, I've been crazy unplugged and the first game I caught of the post-pandemic era was Brewers-Twins yesterday, so I was mildly confused by (and then vaguely recalled discussions about) the "runner starts on 2nd" thing in extra innings.

My initial reactions were 1. It is going to increase the "home field" advantage. and 2. It's going to make K-dominant RPs extraordinarily valuable (more so than usual). Hader Kd the side around allowing the free runner to advance to 3rd on a wild pitch. Brewers won on a single and a fielders choice (their free runner was Cain so he had good speed, but it didn't exactly take a dominant offensive burst in the 10th to scratch a run across). 

Looking at the scoreboard:

4 games went extras yesterday and none went into the 11th.
3 games were won by the home team

I'm interested to see how this plays out over a full season and a larger data set.

You do realize (I hope) that they did this last year, so there is data to look at. 60 games is not a small amount, so I'm guessing that the data will be similar to last year.


It also allows another baseball oddity that never happened until last year. 3 outs in one inning with only two batters coming to the plate.

[cheebs09]

When I was thinking it through I realized that it's going to hinge a bit on who is your runner (last out of previous inning) and who is up to bat. If you've got speed at 2nd, and a decent contact hitters/bunters, then why not go small ball (especially as the home team)? Bunt, then runner on 3rd with 1 out means there are a lot of ways to win the game (squeeze, sac fly, fielder's choice w/ aggressive baserunning, any hit)?

As a strategy nerd I'm very interested to see how everyone plays it.

It'll be interesting if this brings the Sac Bunt back into the game. I'm not sure if it's just the Brewers, but the number of guys that can reasonably lay down a sac bunt is few at this point.

[wadesworld]

Looking forward to seeing a pitcher throwing perfect game and taking a loss.

[reinko]

Looking forward to seeing a pitcher throwing perfect game and taking a loss.

What would the scenarios be here?

Stolen 3rd and stolen home
Stolen 3rd and a WP or PB
Two sac flies
Stolen 3rd and sac fly

Missing any?

[jficke13]

You do realize (I hope) that they did this last year, so there is data to look at. 60 games is not a small amount, so I'm guessing that the data will be similar to last year.


It also allows another baseball oddity that never happened until last year. 3 outs in one inning with only two batters coming to the plate.

Like I said... super unplugged.

[CreightonWarrior]

I'm for it, 12 inning games are too long.