MLB 2018

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Zip City
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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

Post by Zip City »

And they're trying to fix things when their TV and attendance numbers are really good
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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

Post by njMark »

I was listening to the Michael Kay show and they discussed doing away with the shift, which to me is something that needs to happen yesterday but that's just me. What I didn't catch was this something being discussed or just something they thought of?

I for one have wondered why the pitcher has to throw 4 balls for nothing just to give the batter an intentional pass my entire baseball watching life. I don't know if it will speed anything up but not seeing it anymore is just fine with me. Back to my original question, action, offense sells the game better than anything else, allowing the shift to completely neutralize certain players, may make the eggheads with the laptops happy, but it's boring as fuck to watch. I try to get my kids aged 6 and 9 to watch the Yankees with me and they're done after a couple innings but will sit and watch an entire Hockey game with me. I can't help but think all of the nothing going on is why kids today don't like baseball.

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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

Post by Zip City »

Every sport is a game of adjustments. If they are pulling a shift on you, hit the ball the other way. I don't think the shift is any different than double teaming a team's best wide receiver or shooting guard.
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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

njMark wrote:I was listening to the Michael Kay show and they discussed doing away with the shift, which to me is something that needs to happen yesterday but that's just me. What I didn't catch was this something being discussed or just something they thought of?

I for one have wondered why the pitcher has to throw 4 balls for nothing just to give the batter an intentional pass my entire baseball watching life. I don't know if it will speed anything up but not seeing it anymore is just fine with me. Back to my original question, action, offense sells the game better than anything else, allowing the shift to completely neutralize certain players, may make the eggheads with the laptops happy, but it's boring as fuck to watch. I try to get my kids aged 6 and 9 to watch the Yankees with me and they're done after a couple innings but will sit and watch an entire Hockey game with me. I can't help but think all of the nothing going on is why kids today don't like baseball.
The shift doesn't work on players who adjust to it. Ask Big Papi about that. Joe Maddon and the Rays started trying this on him circa 2009 or so and it worked, for a while, then he started going the opposite way and it (mostly) didn't work anymore. It's strategy plain and simple. Before the talk of doing away with it came about it looked like we might be moving to an era where traditional positions wouldn't mean as much with different alignments towards different hitters. To mne the excitement in baseball comes from strategy, not offense. As far as the intentional walk going away, I don't hate it but considering that it's going to take an average of 14 seconds off the game time league wide it seems unnecessary. There's also some evidence that this will actually help the pitchers as many of them had said the 4 pitches thrown would take them out of their rhythm and by not throwing them they could end up being tougher on hitters in the next at bat. Baseball needs to consider the unexpected consequences when they tinker with a near perfect game.
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Shakespeare
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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

Post by Shakespeare »

banning shifts is an awful idea. not only does it coddle hitters who cant use the whole field (you know, hit), it opens up the can of worms of defining a "shift." when the entire infield is on the first base side, thats obvious, but what about a shortstop shading up the middle to turn two? breaking with the pitch when he knows whats being thrown? third baseman playing on the grass for a bunt? infield in for a play at the plate? any infielder standing where hes most comfortable for whatever reason (size, injury, etc)? can a catcher move himself either direction in anticipation of a steal? does each position get a marker on the field (which the league has just banned, actually) and that fielder cannot stand elsewhere? whats the penalty if a player is out of position? how about outfielders, can they shift? look at the range of big league outfielders and tell me there should be one universal spot for all of them to play their position. how do you balance the variation in ballpark layouts with a mandatory position for outfielders?

im all for creating more offense (and personally believe we should entertain ideas about limiting pitching changes. if not for speed but for the same reason shifts need to stay: dont coddle players with one dimension to their game. if a reliever can only get a certain handed batter out, and only one out at a time, maybe hes not big league material) but banning shifts only neutralizes the decades of innovation that make the sport great.

not sure why you think shifts are purely to "make the eggheads with the laptops happy." if the league wants them banned, teach kids to hit.

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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

Post by whatwouldcooleydo? »

agree with the last three posts: don't like the shift, adjust and "hit it where they ain't"

Baseball is heading for the danger zone by considering changes to accommodate youngsters raised on lightning fast games/sports and who have no attention spans who MAY become fans of the game at the expense of all of us who are already long-established, deep-rooted fans.
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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

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whatwouldcooleydo? wrote: Baseball is heading for the danger zone by considering changes to accommodate youngsters raised on lightning fast games/sports and who have no attention spans who MAY become fans of the game at the expense of all of us who are already long-established, deep-rooted fans.
Sounds like nascar.
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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

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There aren't too many better stories in baseball than that of David Ross. Lifetime light hitting, backup catcher ends up on the Cubs and become a rock star, the legendary Grandpa Rossy on the first World Series Champion Cubs team in 108 years. He parlayed that into a role on ESPN and even competing on Dancing with the Stars. Now he has a book about to be released and that book has been optioned for a movie that is already in pre-production. You really have to smile at a story like that.
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Shakespeare
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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

Post by Shakespeare »

jung ho kang apparently denied a visa and wont make the 2017 season. does anyone remember the last time a big-ish name player was turned down for a visa? i kinda wonder how much of a thing this will be going forward (although kang isnt much of a sympathetic figure, although i like him as a player)

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Re: MLB 2017 and Hot Stove

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Shakespeare wrote:jung ho kang apparently denied a visa and wont make the 2017 season. does anyone remember the last time a big-ish name player was turned down for a visa? i kinda wonder how much of a thing this will be going forward (although kang isnt much of a sympathetic figure, although i like him as a player)
There were a few latin players in the seventies that I recall, and several long delays even into the season over the last 20 years but a player missing a whole season? That's rare if not unprecedented. Really hurts a Pirates club that has a chance to be the 2nd best team in the Central.
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Well I hate to disappoint y'all but I am not going to have my detailed team by team breakdown this year. Last year I had an excel spreadsheet of every teams 40 man roster and compiled stats from 3 sources on each player. When I figured out how much time I put into it I realized it was over 150 hours. Ain't nobody got time for that. I'm still paying attention though and feel I can make my usually wrong picks same as always so here goes:

American League

Central

Cleveland
Detroit
Kansas City
Minnesota
Chicago

East

Boston
Toronto
Tampa Bay
New York
Baltimore

West

Seattle
Houston
Texas
Los Angeles/Anaheim
Oakland

Wild Card

Toronto
Houston

National League

Central

Chicago
Pittsburgh
Milwaukee
St. Louis
Cincinnati

East

New York
Washington
Atlanta
Miami
Philadelphia

West

San Francisco
Los Angeles
Colorado
Arizona
San Diego

World Series

Boston vs Chicago

Winner:

Chicago

Notes:

The best division will be the AL West with 3 teams between 88-92 wins. Seattle looks most rounded but this is anyone's to take.

If the AL West is the best division then the NL East will be the most competitive. I think 7-8 game could separate first from last. Neither New York, Washington or Miami have improved much with the latter getting worse with the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez, while Atlanta has added veteran pitching to go along with its young core and Philadelphia can flat out pitch. Deadline deals could determine this division.

The Cubs pitching is deep but not as strong as last year and a deal for a starting pitcher will be made in July. In the same vein Eddie Butler may very well show why he was a top ten prospect just two years ago with a strong showing in AAA and could replace Anderson in the rotation by June.

Pittsburgh will be fun to watch all year with a resurgent McCutchenand their two secon year starters, Taillon and Glasgow, taking huge steps forward. Kang's failure to get a visa for 2017 is going to hurt but Freese is an adequate replacement until they can make a July deal.

Watch out for Milwaukee. They'll compete all year before tailing off in August. Next year is their year to compete for the playoffs.

Philadelphia is coming. They'll stay in it awhile this year and do some spending in the offseason to compete in 2018 and then be heavily involved in the "super class" of FA for 2019. Bryce Harper will be a Philly player in 2019.
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Zip City »

So when the Cubs won the WS last year, I didn't cry. My face went numb and I danced around and texted my friends, but I didn't cry.

But now, months later, I found this video, and it finally got me.

https://www.facebook.com/CubsWinFlyTheW ... 863813858/


So damn good
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by whatwouldcooleydo? »

Bumgarner just took Greinke deep!!!
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:Bumgarner just took Greinke deep!!!
Saw that.
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by whatwouldcooleydo? »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:
whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:Bumgarner just took Greinke deep!!!
Saw that.
and then he went from perfect game and up 3-0 to tied at 3 in a blink of the eye :shock:

and for the record: even with open roof, Chase Field is one ugly ass monstrosity of a park :P
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by whatwouldcooleydo? »

Shit, he did it again!!! 2 taters for Mad Bum

first pitcher in MLB history to go yard twice on Opening Day (he also has 11 Ks thru 7 1/3)
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by bovine knievel »

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:Shit, he did it again!!! 2 taters for Mad Bum

first pitcher in MLB history to go yard twice on Opening Day (he also has 11 Ks thru 7 1/3)
Leading the league in HRs right now. :lol: :ugeek:
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Zip City »

Too bad the Giants pen kinda blows
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Bad night for Melancon. Wow.
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by whatwouldcooleydo? »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Bad night for Melancon. Wow.
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by beantownbubba »

Always a big plus when the baseball season starts, but always plenty to carp about, too.

Opening Day weather was great in Boston, but last nite? It would have been cold for a football game. And yet the game was a gem. That Chris Sale guy can really pitch. And as we say around our house (since last year anyway), you can't stop Sandy Leon. :) Today is simply typical April weather: Rainy and yucky and the game has already been postponed. Geez, lousy weather in the northeast during the first week in April, who could have guessed?

Sox look good, I have to admit it. The pitching is a question w/ Price on the DL and Rodriquez still more promise than proof. No more Clay Buccholz to kick around though. Is Kimbrel a lights out closer or not? We still don't know. The x factor is clearly how much they'll miss Big Papi. It's not just the numbers, it's the way the line up worked around him, it's the way the game was never over if he had an at bat coming, and it's his leadership. In Boston leadership matters more than in most places because a big part of leadership here is deflecting scrutiny and pressure from others. Pedroia can probably pick up most of the slack but them's some big shoes to fill. Sale may have something to contribute as well. He seems like a great fit.

I've already contributed more than my 2 cents about how inter-league play has far outlived its usefulness, so I'll just add that opening the season w/ inter-league play just sucks a little bit more. But then again, I look at the schedule and see the Cubbies coming in at the end of the month and that doesn't seem bad at all...
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Matt Szczur struck out but reached first because of this

Image

Strangest thing I've seen in this game. Ball stuck to his chest protector. Jon Jay walks, Bam Bam does what he does.
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Re: MLB 2017

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Son, this ain't a dream no more, it's the real thing

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Re: MLB 2017

Post by whatwouldcooleydo? »

Son, this ain't a dream no more, it's the real thing

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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Jeremy Guthrie has an ERA of 135
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Zip City
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Zip City »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Jeremy Guthrie has an ERA of 135
who died in the Nats rotation that got that also-ran a start?
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Shakespeare
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Shakespeare »

since joe ross was optioned, he coukdnt be recalled yet. using guthrie for this start let them keep an extra bench guy until they need a regular 5th starter, and save some innings for ross (who got shellacked in AAA himself tonight)

hoping for 5 decent innings against the phillies wasnt too absurd a gamble imo, but clearly did not play out well

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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Zip City »

Shakespeare wrote:
hoping for 5 decent innings against the phillies wasnt too absurd a gamble imo, but clearly did not play out well
Shouldnt' have been this bad (obviously), but he got torched in the minors last year, and was pretty awful in MLB in 2015. I think he's done
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Shakespeare
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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Shakespeare »

gotta imagine thats it, yeah

even a bad outing that gave some indication they can squeeze one more start out of him before bringing ross back for good would have been enough. he probably even pitched himself out of a mop up role

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Re: MLB 2017

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Shakespeare wrote:gotta imagine thats it, yeah

even a bad outing that gave some indication they can squeeze one more start out of him before bringing ross back for good would have been enough. he probably even pitched himself out of a mop up role
I actually feel bad for the guy. Yesterday was his 38th birthday, today he's out of a job and it could have been his last in MLB.
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