Major League Baseball Thread - 2018 Season

[classicrawker]

It's an interesting story thus far, but .429 BABIP and 36.4% strikeout rate? We'll see.

I agree it may just be early season thunder but if you go watch his AB's he is locked in and taking aggressive swings.. it is not like he is late with his swing, hitting opposite field, as he is crushing the ball to left field. Arod has always been very competitive so it looks like he is playing with a chip on his shoulder. In any case it has been a pleasant surprise for a team in desperate need of offense.

[magisme]

It's an interesting story thus far, but .429 BABIP and 36.4% strikeout rate? We'll see.

I agree it may just be early season thunder but if you go watch his AB's he is locked in and taking aggressive swings.. it is not like he is late with his swing, hitting opposite field, as he is crushing the ball to left field. Arod has always been very competitive so it looks like he is playing with a chip on his shoulder. In any case it has been a pleasant surprise for a team in desperate need of offense.

One of my students bet me $50 that the Yankees would have a better record than the Mets by graduation day. Of course I'm not going to take the money, but I am going to rub it in his face every day until graduation.

[downzy]

Jays hit five home runs in last night's game. Still lose.

Pillar with another "best catch of the year" candidate catch last night.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2434584-blue-jays-kevin-pillar-lays-out-for-amazing-catch-versus-braves

The guy is a one-man highlight reel. Got to wonder what the Jays will do once Saunders is healthy.

[bran]

that pillar catch was awesome the guy is a lot of fun to watch.

the thing about arod is right now he is getting to that inside fastball. the last couple of seasons he would jam himself or miss anything and now he is crushing it. im still not positive he will stay healthy but at least early he is doing something.

[magisme]

Bryce Harper just hit an absolutely stupid home run.

[bran]

man tanaka looked good tonight. he hit 93 on the gun a couple of times which is good to see. 7ip 2h 0er 8k

[bran]

back to .500

adam jones is on fire another homerun and 5 more rbi. boston red sox starting pitchers ERA 6+ worst in mlb so far this season.

Edited April 19, 2015 by bran

[magisme]

And just like that, my lovely lowercase d goes on the shelf. By my painstaking calculations, the Mets should average approximately .41 runs per game over the next several weeks.

[Apollo]

i would give up 8 games in a rookie season for another 162 games when the player has gained significant experience and has started hitting his prime every single time.

That's cool.

I'm of the opposite mindset. I'd rather my team tried to win every game today and this season as opposed to worrying about what happens in five years. Who knows what the Cubs and Bryant will look like then. And if Bryant does become a beast, the Cubs can always redo his contract.

Some teams/owners try and win every year. Others are always playing for the "future." "We might not win this year, but come watch us in four years." I prefer teams/owners that want to win every game, and not put an inferior product on the field specifically for contract reasons.

You guys defending this move should NEVER ever again mention the phrase "integrity of the game" if Belicheck or Deflate Gate comes up again.

it has nothing to do with the integrity of the game it is about being smart and keeping a player from leaving a year earlier in a league where there are open check books waiting to sign top notch talent. we are talking about 8 games, if you think missing those 8 games hurts the integrity of a sport or a team i cannot debate with you(nice of you to bring up belichick and the patriots..... again i think you can let it go now apples and oranges) since its just asinine. win "now" mode 8 games into a 162 game schedule is laughable.

LOL - you think 8 games doesn't matter?

And you don't think that purposely not playing a better player because of a contract four years down the road has anything to do with the integrity of the game? SMH.

I suppose you are right. We really have no room to discuss sports with each other if those are your views.

Ask the Mariners last year how much one game means in a season. Cleveland and Milwaukee would have made the playoffs with less than 8 more wins on their seasons. LOL - yea, 8 games mean nothing.

I brought up the Patriots because you are one of the guys who constantly cry about the Patriots effecting the integrity of the game. Weird how your definition of integrity differs depending on if it's a team you like or not. That's where you and I differ. I'm black and white and don't let my decisions be influenced on whether or not it's my team or a rival team doing "something." You seem to change your views/opinions on issues depending on who is specifically involved. Funny stuff.

[Apollo]

The wait is over. Kris Bryant becomes a Cub today. Let the future begin!

how did those cubs ever survive those 8 games

cant wait to see him play.

First place, offense coming alive, how they have wasted this beginning of the season!

Then why bring him up if things are going so well? Hell, 5-3 - that's a lock for a pennant, right? Sure, you are a three-game losing streak away from having a losing record. But let's pretend that the nice start by Chicago and Atlanta has guaranteed those two teams playoff spots. SMH.

Lol, at you guys still being corporate shills for the owners.

A decision not based on a player's ability - but on his contract.

Baseball teams are 25 guys. One player does not decide a team's future and fortune. Clayton Kershaw won the MVP award and the Cy Young award last year, did the Dodgers win the world series?

If you think the Cubs were better without Bryant for those 8-9 games - then more power to you.

I think they would have been better with him, and that his MVP season last year in the minors and his MVP spring training season this year earned him a spot on the opening day roster.

The Cubs third basemen through the first eight games, they went 5-3, hit something like .150 batting average with one home run. So you could say the Cubs won IN SPITE of putrid play from their hot corner players.

Bryant isn't going to win or lose the pennant for the Cubs all by himself. But he should be a huge upgrade than the guys who have played their for the first 8 games.

NOW can we just talk about baseball and leave all this girlish bickering behind?

The wait is over. Kris Bryant becomes a Cub today. Let the future begin!

how did those cubs ever survive those 8 games

cant wait to see him play.

First place, offense coming alive, how they have wasted this beginning of the season!

Are you happy with the production they got from their third basemen this season? I believe it's 150 batting average and 1 homer?

Bryant did nothing at AAA and struck out 3times today so does not look like he would have made a difference my friend. Someday you will understand spring training stats mean nothing. The Cubs realized that, gained another year of player control, and still stayed competitive. That is why you are an emotional fan and not a MLB GM.

In other news another disgraced washed up 3rd baseman hit 2 hrs and now has 4hrs and is carrying his team. Is there a bigger surprise than Arods start this year? I sure am surprised.

You are obsessed with the spring training stats. You do realize that Bryant was the minor league player of the year last year - right? And is considered the top or 2nd rated prospect in ALL of baseball....right?

The Cubs stayed competitive INSPITE of their current third baseman hitting .150 after eight games. With a better player, maybe they would have won another game or two. The Mariners missed the playoffs last year by ONE game.

I'm far from an emotional fan. I've been coaching baseball for 20-plus years. Won state championship and more city championship than I can even remember.

I'm a player's coach. You guys are owner's guys. Not sure why that makes you so mad.

****

Arod will come back down to earth. It's early in the season. Adrian Gonazales isn't going to hit 500 with 120 homers this year, and I suspect AROD will get injured before too long and his numbers will drop accordingly.

*****

Dodgers are kicking ass.

[arnold layne]

I love baseball.

It's a tremendous time to sit in the sun, pound down a few beers and hot-dogs, and admire the people you share this glorious planet with - from die-hards who live and breathe around a mundane, boring sport, to the kids who are just happy to be out of the fuckin' house, to the lovely housewives that accompany their loved ones.

Great time to alive.

[bran]

man that was the best sabathia looked in the last couple of years, shame he has nothing to show it but a loss, although he did throw the first complete game in the AL this year

[Crazyman]

Carlos Gomez, Jonathon Lucroy and Scooter Genett have all gone on the DL the past few days. On top of having only 2 wins so far, no thanks to this season

At least we'll have a nice draft pick next year. Get that farm system going again.

[ronaldo9]

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/redsblog/2015/04/20/bryan-price-reds/26101107/

Looks like someone is starting to feel the pressure...if a report of a called up player being on the team flight causes you to go on a rant like that, then I'm not sure being a major league manager is the right career for you. "What followed was a five-minute, 34-second expletive-filled tirade. The final tally was 77 uses of the "F" word or a variant and 11 uses of a vulgar term for feces (two bovine, one equine)."

I wanted Bryan Price to take over for Dusty, but looks like it may not work out. Team had a ton of injuries last year and he finally figured out batting Votto second and dropping Phillips in the lineup (though, that only lasted a week), but he's made a lot of questionable decisions. Hope he figures things out quick because there's been disappointing decisions (and results) so far. Plus, I'd rather not see Jim Riggleman take over, which would inevitably happen if Price is fired.

It's kind of strange--this isn't the first attack/rant by someone from the Reds towards the writer, C. Trent Rosecrans. Disappointing, too, since he's a good reporter who's up to date on the Sabermetrics part. Maybe that's part of the reason for some of the hostility towards him by some, since the Reds seem to be a little behind on that front (or, at least appear to be from the outside). First, Phillips going on a rant against him for a piece about BP's low OBP a couple of years ago and Dusty's insistence to still hit him at the top of the order. Now, Price taking exception to the report that the Reds had a third catcher on the team flight (probably, along with some of the second-guessing of some of Price's questionable decisions). I'm guessing Price may have been told the team better turn things around or his job could be in jeopardy down the road.

Apparently audio of the rant is coming soon. Looking forward to that.

Edited April 21, 2015 by ronaldo9

[ronaldo9]

Censored, but still

How quickly things have gone south after a 4-0 start to the season.

Edit: Looks like they took the audio down. I'm sure it'll show up on YouTube soon enough.

Edited April 21, 2015 by ronaldo9

[Crazyman]

Censored, but still

How quickly things have gone south after a 4-0 start to the season.

Edit: Looks like they took the audio down. I'm sure it'll show up on YouTube soon enough.

Still censored, but here it is.

Anyway it helps playing us...it wouldn't matter if half your team was missing either

[bran]

this is awesome.

[Apollo]

Cubs calling Russell up too. That kid is a stud. Bryant, Soler and Russell could carry this team for a decade

[bran]

Cubs calling Russell up too. That kid is a stud. Bryant, Soler and Russell could carry this team for a decade

if the stars align they definitely could.

[classicrawker]

The wait is over. Kris Bryant becomes a Cub today. Let the future begin!

how did those cubs ever survive those 8 games

cant wait to see him play.

First place, offense coming alive, how they have wasted this beginning of the season!

Then why bring him up if things are going so well? Hell, 5-3 - that's a lock for a pennant, right? Sure, you are a three-game losing streak away from having a losing record. But let's pretend that the nice start by Chicago and Atlanta has guaranteed those two teams playoff spots. SMH.

Lol, at you guys still being corporate shills for the owners.

A decision not based on a player's ability - but on his contract.

Baseball teams are 25 guys. One player does not decide a team's future and fortune. Clayton Kershaw won the MVP award and the Cy Young award last year, did the Dodgers win the world series?

If you think the Cubs were better without Bryant for those 8-9 games - then more power to you.

I think they would have been better with him, and that his MVP season last year in the minors and his MVP spring training season this year earned him a spot on the opening day roster.

The Cubs third basemen through the first eight games, they went 5-3, hit something like .150 batting average with one home run. So you could say the Cubs won IN SPITE of putrid play from their hot corner players.

Bryant isn't going to win or lose the pennant for the Cubs all by himself. But he should be a huge upgrade than the guys who have played their for the first 8 games.

NOW can we just talk about baseball and leave all this girlish bickering behind?

The wait is over. Kris Bryant becomes a Cub today. Let the future begin!

how did those cubs ever survive those 8 games

cant wait to see him play.

First place, offense coming alive, how they have wasted this beginning of the season!

Are you happy with the production they got from their third basemen this season? I believe it's 150 batting average and 1 homer?

Bryant did nothing at AAA and struck out 3times today so does not look like he would have made a difference my friend. Someday you will understand spring training stats mean nothing. The Cubs realized that, gained another year of player control, and still stayed competitive. That is why you are an emotional fan and not a MLB GM.

In other news another disgraced washed up 3rd baseman hit 2 hrs and now has 4hrs and is carrying his team. Is there a bigger surprise than Arods start this year? I sure am surprised.

You are obsessed with the spring training stats. You do realize that Bryant was the minor league player of the year last year - right? And is considered the top or 2nd rated prospect in ALL of baseball....right?

The Cubs stayed competitive INSPITE of their current third baseman hitting .150 after eight games. With a better player, maybe they would have won another game or two. The Mariners missed the playoffs last year by ONE game.

I'm far from an emotional fan. I've been coaching baseball for 20-plus years. Won state championship and more city championship than I can even remember.

I'm a player's coach. You guys are owner's guys. Not sure why that makes you so mad.

****

Arod will come back down to earth. It's early in the season. Adrian Gonazales isn't going to hit 500 with 120 homers this year, and I suspect AROD will get injured before too long and his numbers will drop accordingly.

*****

Dodgers are kicking ass.

Except Bryant has done nothing this early in the season so he would have made no difference so your theory was incorrect.

And you were the one who felt he should make the team based on spring numbers and kept complaining the Cubs were doing the wrong thing which proved to be wrong as they made the correct move.

No worries mate I know it is killing you, which is why you can't let this topic go, but you can't always be right.

[axlslash]

Cubs calling Russell up too. That kid is a stud. Bryant, Soler and Russell could carry this team for a decade

Or 9 years, if we'd listened to you on Bryant. I'll take the decade

Russell's call up was a foregone conclusion. He got shifted from short to second a week ago, and that was a signal that his MLB ticket was coming. Conventional wisdom around Chicago was late this week or early next. This is a nice surprise indeed.

[bt88]

So the Cubs called up Addison Russel.

Is that not a clear indicator they are trying to win right now? They were accused of doing the opposite by holding back Bryant. Well, he's up too. They're 7-5. They survived the 9 games without him and now the 4th best prospect in baseball is up with him. The fans are happy. Management and players probably are. No one is upset about the Bryant hold out at this point.

These moves are a clear indicator the team is focused on winning in 2015 and it will be exciting.

[Apollo]

The wait is over. Kris Bryant becomes a Cub today. Let the future begin!

how did those cubs ever survive those 8 games

cant wait to see him play.

First place, offense coming alive, how they have wasted this beginning of the season!

Then why bring him up if things are going so well? Hell, 5-3 - that's a lock for a pennant, right? Sure, you are a three-game losing streak away from having a losing record. But let's pretend that the nice start by Chicago and Atlanta has guaranteed those two teams playoff spots. SMH.

Lol, at you guys still being corporate shills for the owners.

A decision not based on a player's ability - but on his contract.

Baseball teams are 25 guys. One player does not decide a team's future and fortune. Clayton Kershaw won the MVP award and the Cy Young award last year, did the Dodgers win the world series?

If you think the Cubs were better without Bryant for those 8-9 games - then more power to you.

I think they would have been better with him, and that his MVP season last year in the minors and his MVP spring training season this year earned him a spot on the opening day roster.

The Cubs third basemen through the first eight games, they went 5-3, hit something like .150 batting average with one home run. So you could say the Cubs won IN SPITE of putrid play from their hot corner players.

Bryant isn't going to win or lose the pennant for the Cubs all by himself. But he should be a huge upgrade than the guys who have played their for the first 8 games.

NOW can we just talk about baseball and leave all this girlish bickering behind?

The wait is over. Kris Bryant becomes a Cub today. Let the future begin!

how did those cubs ever survive those 8 games

cant wait to see him play.

First place, offense coming alive, how they have wasted this beginning of the season!

Are you happy with the production they got from their third basemen this season? I believe it's 150 batting average and 1 homer?

Bryant did nothing at AAA and struck out 3times today so does not look like he would have made a difference my friend. Someday you will understand spring training stats mean nothing. The Cubs realized that, gained another year of player control, and still stayed competitive. That is why you are an emotional fan and not a MLB GM.

In other news another disgraced washed up 3rd baseman hit 2 hrs and now has 4hrs and is carrying his team. Is there a bigger surprise than Arods start this year? I sure am surprised.

You are obsessed with the spring training stats. You do realize that Bryant was the minor league player of the year last year - right? And is considered the top or 2nd rated prospect in ALL of baseball....right?

The Cubs stayed competitive INSPITE of their current third baseman hitting .150 after eight games. With a better player, maybe they would have won another game or two. The Mariners missed the playoffs last year by ONE game.

I'm far from an emotional fan. I've been coaching baseball for 20-plus years. Won state championship and more city championship than I can even remember.

I'm a player's coach. You guys are owner's guys. Not sure why that makes you so mad.

****

Arod will come back down to earth. It's early in the season. Adrian Gonazales isn't going to hit 500 with 120 homers this year, and I suspect AROD will get injured before too long and his numbers will drop accordingly.

*****

Dodgers are kicking ass.

Except Bryant has done nothing this early in the season so he would have made no difference so your theory was incorrect.

And you were the one who felt he should make the team based on spring numbers and kept complaining the Cubs were doing the wrong thing which proved to be wrong as they made the correct move.

No worries mate I know it is killing you, which is why you can't let this topic go, but you can't always be right.

Lol. Killing me? Can't let it drop? I only respond after one of you guys make a comment. So if you three stopped bringing it up then I would have stopped mentioning it a week ago.

There is no right or wrong. Just a different preference on team management style. I prefer a team that tries to win every game. You prefer an ownership that doesn't always put their best team on the field because of contract situations. I'm a players guy. You are an owners guy.

And your comment about Bryant not making a difference is really silly. Current performance can't predict past outcomes. The games wouldn't have been exactly the same. Even if Bryant simply caused game one of the season to start three seconds later. If Bryant makes an error on the first play of the game then the pitches are different from the opposing pitcher. You can't say that changing one player would have been better or worse based on their current performance. That's not how sports work.

Cubs could have went 8-0 or 0-8 with Bryant. The point is that he was their best option at third base. And the Cubs chose to play less talented players specifically for contract reasons. You are Ok with a team not putting their best lineup on the field. I think that's a disrespect to the players and fans.

Lol killing me? I'm a dodgers fan. My team is tearing it up. I couldn't be more happy with how the season is going. Why would the opinion of a couple dudes on a message board kill me? How about this, big fella, it's killing me the same exact amount it's killing you.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Apollo

[Apollo]

Cubs calling Russell up too. That kid is a stud. Bryant, Soler and Russell could carry this team for a decade

Or 9 years, if we'd listened to you on Bryant. I'll take the decade

Russell's call up was a foregone conclusion. He got shifted from short to second a week ago, and that was a signal that his MLB ticket was coming. Conventional wisdom around Chicago was late this week or early next. This is a nice surprise indeed.

Russell is awesome. The cubs and Dodgers are loaded with mlb ready young talent. It's good for mlb as a whole when those two markets have a good team.

In hoping Joc wins rookie of the year. But it would be funny if Russel or Soler did over Bryant.

[axlslash]

Cubs calling Russell up too. That kid is a stud. Bryant, Soler and Russell could carry this team for a decade

Or 9 years, if we'd listened to you on Bryant. I'll take the decade

Russell's call up was a foregone conclusion. He got shifted from short to second a week ago, and that was a signal that his MLB ticket was coming. Conventional wisdom around Chicago was late this week or early next. This is a nice surprise indeed.

Russell is awesome. The cubs and Dodgers are loaded with mlb ready young talent. It's good for mlb as a whole when those two markets have a good team.

In hoping Joc wins rookie of the year. But it would be funny if Russel or Soler did over Bryant.

Bryant will need to pick up his play to be a serious ROY contender, I think. He's gotta adjust to big league life a bit more. He's come out of his shell the past couple days, including a little league home run last night (double off the wall, play at the plate with a loose ball sends him to third, ends up in a pickle, catcher misses the ball at home a second time), so hopefully he's on his way.

It's nice to have this embarrassment of riches at second base. Baez has taken a truly unfortunate turn on and off the field - wheels fell off his already-shaky swing in winter ball and spring training, then his sister dying has had him on the bereavement list all season so far. Can't help but feel that this was his Wally Pipp moment, with Russell catapulting over him into the MLB 2nd base slot. With Bryant, Castro, Russell, and Rizzo locked in for the infield, Baez is going to have to learn the outfield in addition to working out that swing control. Hope he still makes it back, but it could be a rough road to hoe for him to hit the bigs with us again. That said, he could be an attractive power piece that we could swap for some relief pitching prospects or something out there. Totally sucks for him, but "we have too many good players to call up all of our prospects" is a problem we haven't had for a long time in Chicago.