its May 1 & Will hasn't made a baseball thread yet so why not.

The Snakes are in first place!

Was it expected the Red Sox would have the best record in baseball?

Manny Machado is hitting .361 and then there is everyone else deep below. he has 1 less homer (9) than the league leader Didi FUCKING GREGORIUS, who also leads the league in RBIs, had a total of 13 home runs in 2 seasons w the DBacks. i'm glad he's ballin tho. we should've paid him.

Scherzer is Gambit in '90 giving up .165avg & 1.62era & 57 strikeouts.

Royals only have 7 wins. remember when they were good?

George Springer Lead Off Games in 2018: 31
George Springer Lead Off HRs in 2018: 2

Bryce Harper Lead Off Games in 2018: 2
Bryce Harper Lead Off HRs in 2018: 1

Springer's cool though. He's probably the 3rd best lead-off hitter from Connecticut behind Dick McAuliffe and Jimmy Piersall.

that lil sample size dont mean shit...erybody know bout bryce....but i aint conceding he the best leadoff hitter in no fkng May...fk. outta. here.

Best lead-off hitters right now:

1. Bryce Harper
2. Charlie Blackmon
3. 2017 Anthony Rizzo
4. Tommy Pham
5. Old stories about Rickey Henderson
6. George Springer
7. Dee Gordon

i dont know bout all that other shit you typing..


>Best lead-off hitters right now:
>
>1. Bryce Harper
>2. Charlie Blackmon
>3. 2017 Anthony Rizzo
>4. Tommy Pham
>5. Old stories about Rickey Henderson
>6. George Springer
>7. Dee Gordon

George Springer Lead Off Games in 2018: 33
George Springer Lead Off HRs in 2018: 2

Bryce Harper Lead Off Games in 2018: 4
Bryce Harper Lead Off HRs in 2018: 2

you seem like a surface kinda nigga... call me when bryce goes 6-6

... then you'll concede this point?

That rules. The internet rules.

you talking bout 4 HRs on a 3rd place team that aint never won shit...... this isnt the convo for you

>

He had ended the year hitting 3/4 for the Red Sox last season. I hadn't realize they were planting him in the lead-off spot full-time this year.

FUCK.OUTTA.HERE

mofo in a 1-24 slump and it's crickets in here.

*1-26.

this day, yesterday , tomorrow, today... SPRANGA

Justin Morneau is a pretty solid analyst. Gonna be honest, I didn't see that coming.

That was a little rough at times. He went through an explanation "launch angle" in such a way that it sounded like a power-up in a video game.

Get him talking about outfield defense and he may impress you, but that's not really enough to fill out a three hour broadcast. The Twins have broad back a bunch of alums for limited color-commentary slots and the only real standout was LaTroy Hawkins. He's smart and funny and he knows literally everybody from having played in so many organizations. If he wanted to do this full-time, he'd be a great hire.

>He's smart and funny and he knows literally
>everybody from having played in so many organizations.

He was one of the hosts on a post game radio show that a buddy of mine worked on. One of those shows where they play audio highlights, talk about the game, and then try and interview somebody relevant shortly thereafter. Lining up guests for that can be difficult for a number of reasons (language barriers, organizational inefficiency, players just not wanting to do it, etc.) but he said more times than not it was just a matter of LaTroy going into his cell phone and making it happen.

Highlights include loaning his BMW to a 17 year old fanclub member for prom. And him visiting one member's grandmother in the hospital when she had dementia.

http://www.espn.com/blog/spring-training/post/_/id/1976/latroy-hawkins-and-family

LaTroy Hawkins and family
Mar 15, 2014
Jim Caple
ESPN Senior Writer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When LaTroy Hawkins finally retires, Major League Baseball not only will be the lesser from his absence, the states of Arizona and Florida could see a drop in tourism. That’s because every year, an inner core of members of the LaTroy Hawkins Fan Club travel to spring training to support the reliever, wherever he’s playing and for whomever he’s pitching.

Well, officially they are members of his fan club. But they and roughly 40 members overall are all so amazingly close that Hawkins considers them part of his own family. “One of the coolest things happens when we’re talking to him before the games and people will come down and want to interrupt," says Larry Campbell, LHFC member No. 21. “And LaTroy says, ‘Not right now, I’m talking with my family.' He refers to us as family. Not friends. Family."

“It’s hard for me to even talk about -- I still get goose bumps about how genuinely nice they are," Hawkins says. “And how they don’t want anything from me. They’re just the nicest people in the world you would ever want to meet. The most caring people you would ever want to meet."

Well, like all family members do, sometimes they do ask for something. Like the request made by Eric Weber (LHFC member No. 230) when he was 17 and attending high school near the Twin Cities a decade or so ago. He and Hawkins were chatting online one day when Weber suddenly asked whether he could borrow the pitcher’s BMW 745 so he could drive his date, Hannah, to the junior prom.

And Hawkins said sure, of course. Because that’s the kind of guy Hawkins is.

The day of the prom was also the day of a Twins game, so Weber waited for Hawkins and the car at the Metrodome. When Hawkins pulled up with the BMW, a fan standing next to Weber asked whose car it was. Weber said, “That’s the car I’m driving to the prom!" Hawkins got out and handed Weber the keys.

“Then LaTroy’s mom drives up in a minivan and picks him up," Weber says. “LaTroy says, ‘Have fun!’, opens up the sliding door of the minivan and gets in with his mom. And then we’re driving down Interstate 94 in his Beemer."

The BMW must have been impressive. Eric and Hannah wound up getting married several years later. “To this day, she will say I was far more into the car than her that night," Weber says. “But that’s understandable. I was 17 and I was driving around a major leaguer’s BMW."

That’s not the end of it, though. When the Webers married, Hawkins flew from his Texas home to Minnesota on New Year’s Eve in terrible weather to be one of Eric’s groomsmen. Not only that, the best man had bronchitis so Hawkins delivered the reception speech in his place.

“He is just a very kind, giving guy. He just wants to make people happy," Weber says. “He commands such a presence. He’s such a magnet -- people cling to him because he’s so much fun to be around."

By the way, the Weber family paid Hawkins back last year for that BMW prom ride. Weber’s father is a pilot for Delta Airlines and when Hawkins was with the Mets last season, he flew the team charter from Denver to Minnesota.

* * *

The LHFC started during the 2000 season for one very simple reason. One day, Hawkins stopped to sign autographs outside the Metrodome for Eric Englund and Heidi Sutter.

“We just started talking to him. He was like some guy we hadn't seen in a long time," Sutter says. “And he was just so incredibly nice and we were like, ‘Wow.’ We didn't even talk much about baseball. After we had talked to him for a while, Eric and I said, ‘Wow, we should make a fan club for him.'"

So the next game, they started signing up members among the fellow fans sitting around them in Section 216 of the Metrodome. Hawkins, himself, signed up the following day. And the club just grew from there, until eventually there were nearly a thousand members.

“LaTroy was so receptive," Sutter says. “It was like a great friendship started. As we went along, there were more and more people. He once said, 'They didn't really care about me "the baseball player," they cared more about me "the man."' And that’s how it was."

Englund, the LHFC president, says the club really caught fire at spring training the following year, 2001, when several members went to see Hawkins and the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., and LaTroy took them out to dinner. When the season began, Hawkins also asked the club members to meet him outside the Metrodome after the game. And from there, the relationship just grew and strengthened through picnics, barbecues, golf outings, basketball games, card games, trips to the zoo, babysitting, visits to Hawkins’ hometown of Gary, Ind. -- you name it.

“The relationship goes the other way, too. He’s kind of invited us in a way into his family," Englund says. “Whether it’s some of us going to his grandmother’s funeral or going to his wife’s milestone birthday -- all these different events on his side -- he’s welcomed us and invited us as if we’re family. And I feel like family."

Linda Campbell (Larry’s wife and LHFC member No. 20) says that when Hawkins’ wife, Anita, was pregnant with daughter, Troi, a dozen years ago, she invited female fan club members to a baby shower that the Twins' wives threw. Anita had hernia surgery a few months after she gave birth and was unable to lift Troi. So the members got together and helped out.

“We took assorted times -- first thing in the morning, lunch time, evening time," Campbell says. “It was when LaTroy and the Twins were on the road so we took different shifts taking care of Troi -- giving her a bath, feeding her, anything we could do for Anita. In fact, one morning we got there before they even got up."

The members send birthday cards and greetings to Hawkins’ mother and other relatives. Some will drive him around when he’s in town with a team and doesn't have a car. Each year, the LHFC holds a dinner on Hawkins’ birthday and calls him to sing “Happy Birthday."

“I know how it’s affected my life in a positive way," Hawkins says. “My family, my wife, daughter, son, brother, cousins, aunties, grandparents. They keep in contact with everybody, even my brother in prison. It’s amazing. There are still nice people in this world. And they found me."

* * *

Spring training is special for the club’s core members. The LHFC members are Twins fans, but when Minnesota let Hawkins go and he joined the Cubs, a dozen or so decided to go to spring training in Mesa, Ariz., too.

“One reason this really took off is we were all concerned about him," says LHFC member Jim Holst. “He signed out of high school, and he was always a Twin. Then he goes to the Cubs and we didn't want him to be alone. We wanted to be there to support him. So we went down to spring training. We said, ‘We want to be here for you.'"

Hawkins has changed teams 10 times, playing for the Twins, Cubs, Giants, Orioles, Rockies, Yankees, Astros, Brewers, Angels, Mets and now the Rockies again. He’s played in 10 different spring training camps, five in Arizona and five in Florida. And that inner core of fan club members have visited him in each.

“It’s amazing. It is just amazing. Fourteen straight spring trainings. Florida. Arizona," Hawkins says. “Last year when I signed on Jan. 29, they already had their plans made for Arizona because they like coming to Arizona. Then I signed with the Mets and they were like, ‘We already changed our reservations.’ They canceled everything and said, ‘We’ll see you in Florida.'"

“To be honest, we like going to Phoenix more than Florida because all the teams are right there," Larry Campbell says. “So last year before LaTroy signed, we took a 50-50 shot and booked Phoenix. It was late January, and sure enough, he signs with the Mets. I told my wife, ‘You want to go to Port St. Lucie?'"

At the peak, 15 to 20 LHFC members would travel to spring training. Now it’s around half that. The trips are still great fun -- who wouldn't rather lather on the sunscreen instead of shoveling snow? -- but there are sacrifices in the LHFC. After all, these are Twins fans and Hawkins hasn't pitched for Minnesota in more than a decade.

“When he was with the Yankees, that was when I was really torn because I can’t stand the Yankees," Sutter says. “I had to keep telling people, we support LaTroy. So wherever he is, we’re LaTroy fans. But we don’t have to be Yankees fans."

* * *

One of the oldest and most passionate members of the LHFC on those early spring training trips was Sutter’s mother, Granny Lynne, a longtime Twins season-ticket holder. She developed dementia, though, and last year when the Mets had a series in Minnesota, Hawkins made sure to visit her in her memory care unit.

“We knew it was probably the last time he would see her," Sutter says. “She had dementia, but she sure remembered him. She would always ask, ‘How’s Hawk? How’s Hawk? How’s my boy?’ She referred to him as her other son.

“After the Saturday Mets-Twins game, he said, ‘OK, I’m going to go visit Mom.’ He met me out at her care center and he brought her all these things. She was just so thrilled he was there and he was just very humored by her. He was there a good hour and a half to two hours with my mom, talking and laughing. He brought a baseball and a cap and signed them.

“That’s what he does. He goes out of his way for people who are important to him."

When Granny Lynne died last month, she was buried with the baseball cap and baseball Hawkins autographed for her.

“He’s just always there for us. And we have just more fun with him. He’s an incredible human being," Sutter says. “We all hope he never stops pitching. It’s like, ‘OK, he’s 41 this year and a team still wanted him.’ We can’t imagine him not being on that diamond and that pitching mound.

“It’s pretty neat. We continue to go to spring training with whatever team he’s pitching for, wherever they’re training, that’s where we’ll go for spring training. We’re his fans."

Hawkins is in the top 20 of most games pitched. If he can pitch another 57 games -- he pitched 72 last season -- he will reach the 1,000-game mark, something only 15 pitchers have done. Depending on whether Jose Contreras makes the Rangers' roster, Hawkins could be the oldest pitcher in baseball this season.

One of these years, though, Hawkins will retire. The spring training trips will end. But the fan club and the relationships will not. They can’t, because they are family.

“He’s an honest, fair man," Holst says. “He works really hard and treats everyone with a lot of respect. That’s the only reason I joined the club. I got to know him and found out he’s a good man. Not pretentious at all. He’s down to earth, talks to anybody. We’ll be friends forever, until one of us dies."

I wouldn't be surprised if Showalter leaves.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>I wouldn't be surprised if Showalter leaves.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angelos looks to not be afraid to spend money anymore. The GM just sucked and decided to spend in the wrong place.

- The way they delt with Schoop early in his career; but finally they let him play over Flaherty.
- The whole Kim thing last year. Dude played, he hit but they botched that whole thing.
- Not resigning Cruz a dude who proved he was consistent but instead broke the bank for a guy they has a career year ever 5 years in Davis.
- Speaking of Davis. As soon as they gave him this huge contract it proved there was NO WAY they could afford Manny too. They basically picked Davis over Manny. Again, historically dumb.
- Not dealing Manny to the Diamondbacks during the off season. See above - I'd rather get him out of the AL because as soon as the Yanks signed Stanton that let me know Manny would be their target this off season and not Harper.

Yup, we are going to suck for years.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ultimately, low-risk/high-reward.

pitches with that lineup around him...ozzie is a fkn beast

.

still in 1st.

.

huh?

where did i appear worked up?

i didn't take your post as a 'shot' atall, and i simply repeated myself in response.

no harm no foul, homie.

.

He's cooked.

he is available for tonight's game
https://twitter.com/SteveGelbs/status/999045638410178562

All joking about George Springer's place in the pantheon of lead-off hitters aside, Springer-Altuve-Correa is pretty prolific. They've shuffled it around a bit, inserting Bregman 2nd at times, but the last few weeks that seems to be their go-to line-up.

All 3 are in good health, in their primes, have 1500+ MLB plate appearances, and have each run off consecutive seasons of 5+ rWAR in the previous 2 years. To have that kind of consistency and potency at the top of a line-up is pretty special.

Freeman is a certified stud and a premier offensive talent. Acuna is a great bet to get there, but he's 20 is more likely to have some ebb and flow to his hitting in the next year or two as he adjusts. I do not trust this Albies power surge and don't think he's a 5 win guy this year. Maybe he's Jimmy Rollins-ish sometime soon. That said, I wouldn't bet against your assertion being true a year or so from now. I just think it's a little quick to crown them, especially over the Astros casually stuff three 5+ win players at the top of their line-up coming off a World Series win.

on sabbatical.

does it really matter?

wonder what bin's doing?
http://i.imgur.com/phECCMp.jpg

magic number status.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/mlb/bs-sp-nationals-red-sox-20180704-story.html

I’ve got the package... watching games daily.

I keep up with standings and how the Angels and Braves are doing, but I can't go all the way in til after the NBA season ends.

that will end well for him

Im half happy and sad the angels are being so cautious with him. Excited to tune in to catch him, but then hes out half the games.

I tuned in and saw that HR against the yankees in the opener live. That was dope.

Maybe go no DH in an AL park

it will be interesting to see how they add talent to that roster

But basketballs gotta end before I have more time in my sports diet for baseball beyond articles and podcasts.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

im glad i didnt tune in...what an awful series for this team.

and lmao @harvey. i imagine the fans booed the shit out of him.

callaway when he came to yank him, to booing when the bullpen door opened to reveal harvey

The Twins have already been walked off five times and it's not even Cinco de Mayo.

How about that Fernando Romero debut, though.

I think he's more likely to end up in the pen (which you have blessedly reminded us isn't such a bad outcome right now) but while literally nothing else is going right, it's kind of fun to imagine a rotation with Romero and Berrios at the front.

Which big new addition do you think gets sent down to Rochester first, Lance Lynn or Logan Morrison?

Unlike Hughes, Lynn throws hard enough to be useful in the pen. They won't DFA him and they can't send him to Rochester because he's been an MLB vet too long.

Morrison's actually been heating up, which mostly points us to how incredibly horrible his start was. But he's at .308/.400/.513 the last two weeks and Sano is out. There's no help there besides hoping he starts hitting for real.

https://twitter.com/VladGuerrero27/status/992251437559136257

That is a ridiculous sound, though, absolutely murdered it.

and nobody knows it but me (c)Kenny Edmonds. Obviously, that's a cyse, but still.

https://www.12up.com/posts/6041654-albert-pujols-latest-statements-definitely-make-it-seem-like-he-s-older-than-his-listed-age

He's got 3 more years left on that contract too.

>He's got 3 more years left on that contract too.

What’s your projection based on what you’ve seen thus far?

born in December of 1997, kid is basically a 20 year old BALLING in the MLB. i looked up his stats just now, you're right he is the standout so far this year.

Too early to see how the league adjusts but I expect him to be an impact player and the face of that team.

With him gone Vladdy Jr should be the number 1 prospect in all of baseball. Vladdy Jr batting .400 being the youngest in that whole league at 19. Fuck yeah.


----------

IG @h_n_z

He stays so level, doesn't cheat in any area. Some guys open up and leave themselves vulnerable low and away, some guys reach and you can squeak something past them inside, other guys take away some of their vision trying to cheat .... he doesn't do any of that. The guy's stance and mechanics are so text book. I am not talking about "launch angle" but more where his bat starts and where it stays on its way to meet the ball. I think we are just seeing the first vestiges of what he can do, and that's in a year where he'll probably end up with 30 homers

Shutout through 6 before giving up a walk, HR, walk exit in the 7th.

His off speed stuff was working well, but the fastball didnt hit 100mph. Wouldve been nice to watch him pitch in Colorado, but I like him on the Sunday pitching schedule

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-shohei-ohtani-just-figured-out/

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/shohei-ohtani-had-another-moment/

https://twitter.com/fishercats/status/993550884545146880?s=21

Then hits 2 homers at night the same day...1 being off the hotel in centre field lol This kid. Named player of the week again in this early season after batting .500 that week, he's batting .400 overall now I believe. Send him and Bo to AAA Buffalo

https://twitter.com/fishercats/status/993653229270589442?s=21


----------

IG @h_n_z

At the end of the day, Vlad is probably my favorite player of all-time. The notion of his namesake being a superstar and putting the family in the Bonds, Griffey, Alou echelon of generational baseball talents is wild. I don't want to set myself up to be disappointment, but damn. He is really raking and showing a kind of offensive maturity that he must have inherited from his mother.

From what I've seen he doesn't really fit at 3B and is more likely to end up at 1B, but the Blue Jays might just hand him the keys next year at 21.

Hes played well at 3B tho, great arm. His lateral movement needs improvement and I think that a major reason they want to keep developing him. Only person to play 1B for the Jays should be Smoak. His glove and bat are too good. Im not sure where he'll play everyday but he will when he gets the call. He still walks more than he strikesout. It'd hard not to get excited about our farm system


----------

IG @h_n_z

He just hit 19. And unlike his father, he won't magically get a year older in his 30s.

Because he's still better than everybody named in this post put together. Bleacher Report just had an article about Mookie Betts putting together the start of an MVP season and their primary argument was pretty much "holy shit, this guy is only a half a win worse than Mike Trout."

On Sunday he went 3-4 with a HR, BB, SB and threw a guy out at 3B to end an inning. He struck out looking 3-2 on a pretty nasty curve on the inside corner.

He's on pace for a 13-14 win season right now. And he's been the third biggest story on his own team behind Ohtani two-waying and Pujols limping to 3,000 hits.

He's about to pass Carlos Beltran on the CF JAWS list and by the end of the month, he'll probably be above the career average mark for a HOFer.

He's a 6 week injury in 2017 away from arguably deserving 6 MVPs.

Somehow it's become pedestrian.

That aged well.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They batted out of order and had to forefit an out? I'm trying to catch up to this on Twitter, but I had no idea that was even the penalty for batting our of order (which I didn't know you could even do?)

4 bombs ...zero outs...

Here's how it unfolded:

Royals left fielder Jon Jay led off with an infield single.

Right fielder Jorge Soler homered to center.

Third baseman Mike Moustakas homered to right.

Catcher Salvador Perez homered to center.

First baseman Lucas Duda walked on four pitches.

Designated hitter Whit Merrifield walked.

And left fielder Alex Gordon homered to right, driving in Duda and Merrifield.

And just like that, Bundy's night was done.

Shout out to Cincy's manager for apparently waiting until Asdrubal Cabrera had already reached before talking to the umps about it.

Its surreal to watch

"...who the fuck is Tom Brady?"

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/heres-how-ichiro-responded-when-he-got-a-text-from-tom-brady-whos-tom-brady/

Tani

Betts has played in 4 less games, they have the same amount of hits but 5 more doubles, 1 more homer, 2 more RBI, 14 more strikeouts, and a .200 point better SLG percentage.

i'll probably Marv Betts with this post, but he is playing really impressive, and the team is in first.

since we are talking outfielders, glad A.J. Pollock is back and healthy. playin well.

the al central is garbage.

still early however the scrub teams are weak juice.

just noticed their record...17-26? I knew about Seager and Kershaw but it looks like all the wheels came off at once.

I looked at the 10 worst teams following a 100 win season in a non-expansion year in a full (non-strike shortened season) in the last 50 years:

70-71 Reds (-23 wins)
85-86 Cardinals (-22)
71-72 Orioles (-21)
11-12 Phillies (-21)
84-85 Tigers (-20)
90-91 Athletics (-19)
05-06 Cardinals (-17)
69-70 Mets (-17)
86-87 Mets (-16)
99-00 Diamondbacks (-15)

Right now the Dodgers are on pace for -40. That's unprecedented for a team that won 100+. In all of baseball history it would be the 3rd worst of all-time behind the 1914 (99 wins)/1915 (43 wins) Philadelphia Athletics and the 1934 (72 wins)/1935 (38 wins) Boston Braves.

To give it a more relatable context, the current #3 on that list is the fire sale 1997 (92 wins) to 1998 (54 wins) Florida Marlins.

I remember that DBacks team, they lost *everyone* after that World Series title.

i catch the Dodgers games when they play Arizona and they are awful, in every single aspect.

we had Kershaw, Seager, Turner, Puig, Ryu, and Woods all out at the same time I believe. But yes things have been falling apart since game 7.

(helps to have unlimited payroll)

Went 5-5 with a walk off in the first game of a double header. He should be done with AA
https://twitter.com/fishercats/status/998276190707298304?s=21


----------

IG @h_n_z

Vlad was always my second favorite player growing up besides Griffey

https://twitter.com/shinjibvby/status/997897317666586624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Flarrybrownsports.com%2Fbaseball%2Fwatch-shohei-ohtani-525-foot-hr-batting-practice%2F444620&tfw_creator=dirnted13


525 ft...thats a pitcher.

That swing is beautiful

This kid was born a month after Aquemini came out.

Struck out on four pitches in a PH appearance on Sunday

I happily stand corrected

https://www.mlb.com/news/manny-machado-smashes-15th-home-run-in-win/c-277725862

It sucks that we'll have to get rid of him. I'd have liked to see him play his entire career here. Trumbo and Chris Davis gotta go cuz they're cutting in on the budget.

2 rbis and tied the game

Stole a free base and reached home on a single to cap a 4 run inning for the win.

That’s a pitcher...

Or wait is he a pitcher?


Simmons had a dope layout catch and cole Calhoun had a great throw on a tag up in the bottom of the 9th to preserve the win

At yankee stadium

Glad I didn’t buy tickets

☹️

this team is so hard to watch now

Been struggling this year, but sent all the way back to A? That's a message.

Doesn't look hurt though. I don't really know what is at Ft. Myers that's going to make it better, but it's probably more effective than a benching. Though definitely more insulting.

I guess we'll see. I'm so disappointed in this team, but there's enough season left to fix stuff.

Reminiscent of 2011. Just the combination of injuries to guys who were productive last year, Sano plummeting down to Earth, disappointing offseason acquisitions and a laughable bullpen.

It's going to be wait for Nick Gordon and eventually Royce Lewis and not much else for the next few.

Romero's been a little rough lately, but it's tough to call his debut anything but "solid" at the moment, striking out a batter per inning and keeping the ball in the park. Berrios bounced back from getting a bit bruised up really nicely and is looking like our best young starter since Liriano. Which doesn't sound that interesting except that Liriano debut'd (not counting 2005's cup of coffee) twelve years ago.

Maybe he can turn it around there?

About 10 years since I've been a season ticket holder

I still get out to the ballpark every year...at least once

But after my most recent attendance...I realized...I haven't been paying attention to baseball at all

I couldn't name 3 players on my own team

Baseball is dead.

might have to get on the Cleveland Baseball Team Bandwagon come playoff time

I mean we got swept by the Rays LOL

I think we are still good enough to compete for WC. Really depends on pitching coming back and doing what they would normally do. Vladdy Jr not being able to get called up after getting hurt sucks for a late season run

I can see teams really needing Happ, Estrada, Donaldson....then the Jays resigning the first 2 in the offseason after getting some good prospects. Hey Yanks...give us The Red Thunder for Happ please.


----------

IG @h_n_z

for his son's start against miami. he could have literally be calling signals from where he was sitting.

Sorriest team is the league.
Can somebody break down why we are so bad? I’ve tuned them out a long time ago.

who mad?

wow. that shocked me. SHOULD I HAVE KNOWN??? https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cruzne02.shtml

*birdman hands*

braves abt to make statement.

AND we don't gotta see severino.

Swept the Yankees, beat the Nationals in a 2-game series and took 3 of 4 from Houston.

Our next series is against the Marlins and watch us get clobbered. LMAO!

On the real though, I thought this season was gonna be a complete disaster. But they seem to be finding their footing and competing, even against good teams too.

...because the Astros and the Mariners are so stinking hot. Nine games above .500, and we’re going to end the day third in the West and like 7 games behind Seattle for the Wild Card.

We had our best June in YEARS at 17-10, and that was good for the third best record that month in the AL West.

And while the team has played really well on the road, we’re playing Cleveland and Houston on their territory over the next week.

Fucking AL West.

Everyone here keeps saying they’ll figure it out eventually...but it’s halfway through the season

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--aGEuW_im--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/hlzsdrrggwlk2dwwxesv.mp4


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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

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that's hope for the future

while still trading away for big names or anything they need....shit don't work like that. The shitty teams who have big key players YOU need......come at a hefty price. Not the other way around. Not saying you shouldnt be cheap about it and just start selling off your prospect assets but stop acting like they are in need this season more than you are.

Machado or Happ...yall are gonna lose Frazier, Sheffield and Andujar...it's gonna happen. Those teams are the ones trying to play catch up with the Stros and Sox...you are.



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IG @h_n_z

https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1018332556578754560

oh yall thought Manny and Dozier was gon help yall hang with the Champs? LMAO!!!!!!!

i mean, this happened last year too but they should be closer to the red sox and not leaving the door open for the division.

hopefully mccullers will be alright. it would be nice to see james or armenteros get a shot, but i really hope he's not headed for surgery.

other than that i guess it's just hoping a corner outfielder clicks,

funny thing is we have cast off pitchers and ofs doing amazing to fine all over the league

Jansen goes out and we immediately blow every single game in the 9th inning. Unreal. Felt bad for Kershaw last night. He won them the game on the mound and at the plate, and sure enough....another blown save.

Looked like it was going to be a hopeless case, but the Mariners are fading and the Astros are messed up with injuries. Meanwhile, the A's have been balling since late June and made all the right trades. There's a whole bunch of teams that are kicking themselves for not making a move for the relievers that we picked up.

got a ton of injuries...but still need to hold on...

I know Correa is back but hasn’t gotten into his groove yet. Any word on when Alltuve returns?

The three game series this weekend is going to be big. I’ll be there on Saturday.

correa cant carry shit..he relies on the other guys being in the lineup

Everyone knows Vlad's kid is in Toronto's system, but they also have Dante Bichette's, Craig Biggio's, Roger Clemens's and Jeff Conine's offspring as well

Bring up a whole new bullpen from the minors. They can’t be worse. This is beyond ridiculous at this point.

That is all.

against the Braves, at some point.

.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Ohtani_MLB/status/1031042416214650880/video/1

12 back from Houston in the middle of June.

10 back in the middle of July.

Tied in the middle of August.

Went to the game today. Extremely dope and the vibe at the stadium was incredible.

I figure is going to get it together, since they're hurt, and the A's will have to cool down a bit at some point. But damn if this ain't some shit right today.

They all have put up as much of a fight as anyone in the NL or the Central, and that would mean the Yankees miss the playoffs and go batshit in the offseason.

i knew pressly was going to give it up to robbie cano just as sure as i was sitting and watching it on my fkng couch.. i hate some of these dudes

can't see them catching Chicago...but, Milwaukee is there for the taking.

can't see them catching Chicago...but, Milwaukee is there for the taking.

Slow torturous death.

With Kenley out, bullpen lost 7 straight games when the game was tied or we had the lead...dude was on a roll too.

Now, the offense is struggling and moving outside of their comfort zones to try and produce runs (never a good recipe).

This isn't looking good.

Football is here! Go Cards!

Every time I wanna say the ship be sinkin', they get a big win. It would have been nice to add some more reliable pieces at the deadline but not at any significant cost.

They blow leads and leave runners on. They also can't field very well. These were things I knew even when they were winning more. Still it's just a matter of putting together a stretch with like 9 outta 12 wins at the right time. Even if they do get in, it will take a god-like performance from Nola to win a series let alone go further. They just wasted a great outing from him the other day, another thing they can check off their list of frustrating fuckups. All that and I still think they can squeak in, it's just too open not to believe a little bit still.

But you know damn well this squad don't got it in em. The run scoring (or lack thereof) is enough to negate what pitching we THINK we have. Nola is fire, but everyone else has overacheived this summer. The bad mistakes, inept hitting and the brain farts are too much for a squad that is doing it with bubble gum and scotch tape. I wish I had your faith, but the sheen is wearing away like a fake gold chain. Kaplan's act is quickly weraing thin too.

I just think these other teams are not exactly rock solid either and the Phillies might luck/back into a playoff spot. I have zero illusions of them doing anything in the playoffs though.

all 5 playoff teams are within 1 win from each other. and Colorado is only 2 back from the last wild card spot

Sadly my Phillies' sloppy fielding and LOB numbers are, predictably, biting them. But they and Atlanta have both been very streaky, so who knows? NL West is epic though now the Doyers are slipping, the NL Central is just as hot now. I think this could hold where all three races stay tight until the end and obviously that means more like five races since there are eight teams in hot pursuit of five spots (no disrespect to the Nats but I don't see them getting in).

.

SIX FOR SIX, HIT FOR THE CYCLE AND THREW OUT THE GO-AHEAD RUN AT HOME.

Removing the stakes or whatever (just a regular-season game against a bad team), this was probably the greatest performance I have ever seen in a single game. All 163 fans on hand in Cincinnati for this one got a treat.

He hit for the cycle plus another base knock and an infield single. He gunned down a runner at the plate in what was at that point a 10-10 game.

Dude is now the NL batting leader, top ten in HR and WAR; top five in OPS, OPS+, offensive WAR, slugging and OBP; and of course this defense is very solid.

Right now I think Carpenter might be the only guy I'd put ahead of him in the MVP race, though I know Baez, Arenado, Freeman, et al are all playing great also.

his overall #'s and performance aren't technically all that impressive, but GOTDAMN. I don't know if I remember anyone from pro sports aside from maybe Lebron (in recent memory) that is like a video game create a player.

Prototypical height and frame for hitter and pitcher

He's got elite power. Almost all of his homeruns have been to Center and around 400 ft. with I think top 5 exit velocity. I think he only pulled one hr this season really early on. Otherwise everything has been going almost straight CF or LC.

That swing is also a thing of beauty-- so effortless

he has a fastball that was hitting 102 MPH paired with a nasty splitter and curve ball.

have you seen him run the bases?


And yes there are some glaring weaknesses like his Strikeout rate as a hitter and how bad he's been vs lefties, but the talent he has is generational.

Im actually hoping the Angels dont pitch him more than 3 games to close the season and then just let his elbow rest. It';d be a shame to have his career cut short

We had tickets to watch his next three projected starts but then his elbow got fucked up. I really like watching him but the whole "how do we handle this?" aspect of his arrival and then his health have kind of put a damper on things. Still a great talent but I think I, along with a lot of other people, were really pumped to see the full display and we haven't exactly gotten it. Not his fault, of course, but had he been able to do the modern-day Babe Ruth thizzle people would still be talking about him non-stop.

Scioscia has to take some of the training wheels off for hitting given where the Angels are in the standings. I know its a bit difficult since they are also ramping up for pitching, but he was fine after pitching a sim game Monday.

id like to see them experiment with him vs more NL teams AND definitely with lefties. We won't know if he can improve vs lefties until he gets some real plate appearances.

I mean still with his injuries and all I think given what he's done in limited appearances and the impact he's had on the games hes played, he should still be in the ROy race--even though he's a longshot. A couple people have posted articles in the past week about this.

I think once he hit 15HRs people suddenly were like "ok he's a legit hitter."

Vs the Stros and Gerritt Cole. The stros and their patient hitters gave him fits when he was healthy....this seems like a major departure from the Scioscia philosophy that kept him out of random games like vs the Yankees

He has some major holes as you mentioned by his balance, base and power are all very formidable. I mean I think anyone can see that he hits the ball HARD, legit slugger.

I don't really have any suggestions on how to handle him because this is a unique situation.

As far as ROY, I think one of the Yankees guys will get it, probably Torres but Andujar has come on strong. Ohtani will get some votes but I think he would have to push hard to actually win, and the Angels don't have much impetus to push him. That's probably smart given the situation. I agree with you that the decision to throw him against Houston seems kind of odd.

15 of his 17 hrs have gone over 400 ft

Kemp!

That said, I’m still concerned with how poorly they’ve been hitting overall. Starting pitching has been phenomenal.

Brutal man

After just 1 start. Of course the angels are getting ripped to shreds over the decision, but maybe it was inevitable?

On the bright side, after the announcement Ohtani becomes first player in history to get a Tommy John Rex and hit a HR in the same day.

First game with back to back Homers. This one didn’t go dead center

I’m sure the 10 of you left on this board must’ve sent an inbox to one another to ignore any ohtani post and not indulge me cause this shit he’s doing is historical/generational

and a stolen base and allow Trout to be even better by batting right behind him.

PS, Trout went 5-5

And he shouldve given that he got injured coming home on a wild pitch on the next batter.

Which is getting annoying this weekend, because it'd be nice if the A's could take first.

Seattle seems to getting waxed by the Yankees. Again, I'd actually like to gain on the Yanks for first wild card spot if necessary, but at least they're putting Seattle knocking the Mariners out of the chase.

the sox have no trouble beating the yankees

to .300

.

Good for him

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

absolute TRAVESTY

https://sports.yahoo.com/bryce-harper-thinks-umpire-crossed-line-confrontation-150625367.html

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-umpire-questioned-apparently-blocking-mets-celebration-003424773.html

Have you guys seen the kids slash line?

if the Cards are serious about this thing, they cannot let Wainwright start, tomorrow. Dude has been a great Cardinal, but this isn't the time for experimenting...especially now that you've lost hold of the 2nd wild-card.

That 3 run line drive homer to left field in the 5th was an absolute missle. I was scared for the fans sitting out there.

http://youtu.be/Ilb4chAAD5o

Damn at that line drive.

But damn I just looked up and the Sho has similar stats to Puig in 100 less PAs

5.5 back with 11 games left. We've won 14 of 17 in September and we are on fire right now. We're trying to snatch that 2nd wild card spot and create some havoc in these playoffs.

Took 2 out 3 from the Angels and have got the Twins this weekend.

Rays making things a it interesting, but they’re farther behind us than we are Houston.

>Took 2 out 3 from the Angels and have got the Twins this
>weekend.
>
>Rays making things a it interesting, but they’re farther
>behind us than we are Houston.

Realistically, it probably won't happen. But I at least want us to scare the A's a little bit.

Blowing a 6 run lead to Toronto in the motherfuckin' 9th last night will probably be the nail in our coffin.

Dammit Rays.

Pinch hit 3 run homer in the 7th to beat the Rockies. He is locked in right now.

With Shapiro coming from Cleveland, it fires up the intensity on that thought but JD's value is at an all-time low. Rogers corp. not allowing Shapiro/Atkins to move him last winter was the real crime.

Yeah but he brings them two important things...

1. He is a gold glove caliber third baseman.

2. He is still very patient at the plate.

The little bit that he can give them will go a long way in terms of playoff baseball.

https://twitter.com/ajacksonevans/status/1044256808469229568

I think I said in here earlier: I thought at best they'd be .500 this year. Most people thought that be far worse and end the season in last place. Now we're in the play-offs and still have a shot to play the wild card game at home.

I worry a little that the team, especially the pitchers, are getting gassed, but this is all really house money right now.

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jacob-degrom-and-the-mvp-precedent/

Jacob deGrom and the MVP Precedent
by Craig Edwards
September 20, 2018

Historically speaking, pitchers don’t win MVP awards — or don’t win them often, at least. There are exceptions to the rule, but the honor historically has been reserved for a league’s top position player. The logic among voters generally follows a couple recognizable lines of reasoning. Pitchers don’t play every day, some voters argue. They have the Cy Young all to themselves, say others. Whatever the justification, the record reveals a preference for position players over pitchers. Consider: since reliever Dennis Eckersley won the American League MVP in 1992, only Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander have been recognized as their respective league’s most valuable player.

It’s possible that some voters aren’t using entirely sound logic to arrive at their conclusions. Even if they’re employing the wrong process, however, they’re still usually arriving at the correct result: pitchers simply aren’t the best players in their leagues all that often. Position players make an impact at the plate and on defense. They just have more opportunities to create value. Their roles give them a competitive advantage.

Or, they usually provide a competitive advantage. This season, however, that hasn’t been the case. This season, the best player in the National League is likely a pitcher. While a lot of obstacles stand between Jacob deGrom and an MVP award, he deserves consideration — and there’s a really good argument he deserves to win.

Before we get to the more compelling arguments in favor of deGrom’s MVP candidacy, it makes sense to entertain the less compelling ones, too. First among them is the Mets, who have been poor this year. While voters are explicitly told that the MVP needn’t come from a playoff team, voters have typically evaluated a player’s performance in the context of his team’s performance, the logic presumably being that the player in question has been an asset in the most important situations. While the Mets are heading for a high draft pick now, it would be unfair to say that deGrom hasn’t been pitching in meaningful games. Thanks to their strong start, the Mets’ postseason hopes were remained alive into mid-June. Even if you wanted to assess deGrom some sort of penalty for playing for a bad team — let’s say you discount his second-half WAR by 50% — he would still lead the National League by that measure. It’s also worth noting that deGrom leads all National League pitchers in win probability added. In the games he’s pitched, in other words, he has been incredibly helpful to the cause of potentially winning a game, even if the end result has been disappointing.

Ultimately, there will be voters who are dogmatic in their views on which players are eligible for the MVP award. To those who contend, for example, that pitchers oughtn’t win it or that it should go to a member of a playoff team, I have little to say other than the rules and ballot history suggest otherwise. For those who are prepared to entertain the possibility of such a thing, however, then Jacob deGrom has a really good case.

At the moment, Jacob deGrom’s 8.3 WAR and 8.6 RA9/WAR (that is, WAR calculated with runs allowed and not FIP) lead the National League. If he finishes the season first by both measures, he would become only the second pitcher to do so since 2001. The only other pitcher to lead the league in WAR and RA9/WAR in the last 18 seasons — or 36, really, if you include both leagues — is Kershaw back in 2014 when he won MVP. Going back to 1967, when Cy Youngs were first awarded in both leagues, there have been 29 seasons out of 104 where a pitcher has been the league leader in WAR as we calculate it here at FanGraphs. It’s been slightly more common for a pitcher to lead the league in RA9/WAR, occurring 44 times. Only 18 times has a pitched topped the league in both WAR and RA9/WAR. In 15 of those 18 seasons, the pitcher won the Cy Young.

Pitchers Leading the League in WAR and RA9/WAR
Year Player League WAR RA9/WAR Cy Young
1968 Bob Gibson NL 9.1 14.0 1
1969 Bob Gibson NL 9.8 12.1 NA
1970 Bob Gibson NL 11.3 9.3 1
1972 Steve Carlton NL 11.6 13.5 1
1972 Gaylord Perry AL 8.2 12.0 1
1973 Bert Blyleven AL 10.8 9.7 7
1978 Phil Niekro NL 9.1 8.1 6
1978 Ron Guidry AL 9.1 11.5 1
1985 Dwight Gooden NL 9.7 13.6 1
1986 Mike Scott NL 8.4 9.2 1
1995 Greg Maddux NL 7.9 11.0 1
1995 Randy Johnson AL 9.5 8.7 1
1997 Roger Clemens AL 10.8 12.6 1
1998 Roger Clemens AL 8.2 8.5 1
1999 Randy Johnson NL 9.0 10.3 1
1999 Pedro Martinez AL 11.6 9.9 1
2000 Randy Johnson NL 9.6 8.5 1
2014 Clayton Kershaw NL 8.1 8.3 1
2018 Jacob deGrom NL 8.3 8.6 ?
Since 1967.
Data comes from our combined leaderboards, which contains pitcher batting value, too.

In 1969, Bob Gibson produced a great follow-up to the 1.12 ERA he’d posted in 1968, recording a lower ERA and 40 more innings than eventual winner Tom Seaver, but the Mets hurler was near-unanimous — Phil Neikro garnered one vote — in an era where voters selected just once candidate and Seaver had 25 pitcher wins. Blyleven and Niekro suffered from mediocre win-loss records, which likely hurt their candidacies. The last 10 pitchers to lead both in WAR and RA9/WAR won the Cy Young*. That bodes well for deGrom this season.

*While the point is obvious, I should still probably point out that voters could not rely on these figures at the time because they didn’t exist.

Here’s how those same pitchers fared in MVP voting.

Pitchers Leading the League in WAR and RA9/WAR
Year Player League WAR RA9/WAR Cy Young MVP
1968 Bob Gibson NL 9.1 14.0 1 1
2014 Clayton Kershaw NL 8.1 8.3 1 1
1978 Ron Guidry AL 9.1 11.5 1 2
1999 Pedro Martinez AL 11.6 9.9 1 2
1995 Greg Maddux NL 7.9 11.0 1 3
1970 Bob Gibson NL 11.3 9.3 1 4
1985 Dwight Gooden NL 9.7 13.6 1 4
1972 Steve Carlton NL 11.6 13.5 1 5
1972 Gaylord Perry AL 8.2 12.0 1 6
1995 Randy Johnson AL 9.5 8.7 1 6
1986 Mike Scott NL 8.4 9.2 1 10
1997 Roger Clemens AL 10.8 12.6 1 10
1998 Roger Clemens AL 8.2 8.5 1 11
1999 Randy Johnson NL 9.0 10.3 1 15
1978 Phil Niekro NL 9.1 8.1 6 17
2000 Randy Johnson NL 9.6 8.5 1 17
1973 Bert Blyleven AL 10.8 9.7 7 26
1969 Bob Gibson NL 9.8 12.1 NA 30
2018 Jacob deGrom NL 8.3 8.6 ? ?
Since 1967.
Data comes from our combined leaderboards, which contains pitcher batting value, too.

It’s worth noting that most of the players with top-five finishes played on postseason teams. Gibson’s Cardinals in 1970 finished 10 games below .500, Carlton’s Phillies finished in last place, and Gooden’s Mets missed the playoffs (but did win 98 games). Potentially aiding deGrom’s case this year is a lack of a clear frontrunner for MVP, as he’s more than two wins clear of Christian Yelich, the top position player at the moment. Here’s how the competition for the above pitchers looked in terms of a top position player with the gap column showing the difference between the pitcher’s WAR and the top position player.

Pitchers Leading the League in WAR and RA9/WAR
Year Player League MVP Top Position Player WAR Position Player Gap RA9WAR Position Player Gap
1968 Bob Gibson NL 1 7.1 2.0 6.9
2014 Clayton Kershaw NL 1 7.4 0.7 0.9
1978 Ron Guidry AL 2 7.7 1.4 3.8
1999 Pedro Martinez AL 2 7.5 4.1 2.4
1995 Greg Maddux NL 3 7.7 0.2 3.3
1970 Bob Gibson NL 4 8.2 3.1 1.1
1985 Dwight Gooden NL 4 7.8 1.9 5.8
1972 Steve Carlton NL 5 9.2 2.4 4.3
1972 Gaylord Perry AL 6 8.0 0.2 4.0
1995 Randy Johnson AL 6 8.2 1.3 0.5
1986 Mike Scott NL 10 6.2 2.2 3.0
1997 Roger Clemens AL 10 9.0 1.8 3.6
1998 Roger Clemens AL 11 7.9 0.3 0.6
1999 Randy Johnson NL 15 7.8 1.2 2.5
1978 Phil Niekro NL 17 6.8 2.3 1.3
2000 Randy Johnson NL 17 8.3 1.3 0.2
1973 Bert Blyleven AL 26 7.8 3.0 1.9
1969 Bob Gibson NL 30 7.9 1.9 3.2
2018 Jacob deGrom NL ? 6.0 2.3 2.6
Since 1967.
Data comes from our combined leaderboards, which contains pitcher batting value, too.

None of the five pitchers with top-three MVP finishes contended against a position player with an eight-win season. If there’s anything to differentiate the players who finished high in the MVP voting versus those who didn’t, it is the RA9/WAR. The top half of the table above has roughly double the difference of the bottom half. deGrom doesn’t quite have the difference of some of the better finishers, but the only player of recent vintage is Kershaw, and he was barely ahead of Andrew McCutchen. I’d also mention that Pedro Martinez had the most first-place votes in 1999, but Ivan Rodriguez managed to edge him out with a better overall performance among voters. There isn’t a direct analog above, but the closest case is probably Bob Gibson’s — and he had to contend with a great season from Johnny Bench.

While Yelich, Nolan Arenado, Javier Baez, Matt Carpenter, Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt, and others are having very good seasons, deGrom has been the best performer in the National League this year. If voters are looking for the league’s best player, they need to vote for a pitcher on a losing team with single-digit pitcher wins. It’s unusual, but this season presents an unusual set of circumstances, and those circumstances align with Jacob deGrom deserving MVP.

The fact this dude exited the performance enhancing conversations relatively unscathed is crazy. Especially since he revealed himself as a shitty person.


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34-4 aggregate score these last 3 last three games? WTF. I wasn't calling for Klentak/Kaplan to go before this, but this type of malaise shows a team that's ready to go home.

Meanwhile the Dodgers gotta deal with the pressed ass rival Diamondbacks and Giants.

Oh, please don't count on the Phils for ANY help. You can book that!

probably retiring this season

hopefully we bring him back as a coach

probably my all time favorite player, the dude is what baseball is all about imo



kick in the nuts that we couldnt get him a ring

He's still got something left in the tank and if he plays more than 100 games next year, he'll be 5th all time on the Games Played leaderboard

we got some dudes that need to go ahead and slide in there but he's such an all around important part of any team he'll be missed

im gonna try to get out to spring training next year im hoping he's there in some capacity!

Going to be pretty emotional.

being a fan of Arizona sports is truly a painful thing.

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The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly and infielder Andy Young, the teams announced Wednesday.

The Diamondbacks also receive a 2019 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick from the Cardinals.

The 31-year-old Goldschmidt, an All-Star each of the past six seasons, had a .290 batting average with 33 home runs, 83 RBIs, 35 doubles and 90 walks last season. His .922 OPS ranked third in the National League and his .934 OPS since 2012 is second highest in the NL behind Cincinnati's Joey Votto during that span.