MLB Master Thread

[Barryg]

Pretty boring watching pitchers strike out so as not to risk anything

Sometimes they walk on 4 pitches with the bases loaded.

[mb1]

Or why have the DH at all, maybe just have 8 men batting?

[TimT]

Sometimes they walk on 4 pitches with the bases loaded.

Or they try to make contact & hit into a DP. If bases are loaded isn’t the pitcher the last one in the rotation you wanna see up ?
I hate when the  announcers say “hey, he had 5 hits this year”. Oh did he ?? My 10yo also had 5 hits.

[Amusch]

He's just a bored (from no meaningful baseball in a while) Mets fan. You shouldn't take any of the comments seriously.

Ouch. Just to clarify, for many years, I had said that Maddon was the best manager in baseball. Then when he got to the Cubs and was treated as a demigod for his every sneeze, I said that he's the best and most overrated manager in the game at the same time. And yes, as he continued his demigod status despite multiple major blunders, I became resentful. I still think he's great, and I've heard he's a good guy, but this divine treatment for an obviously imperfect manager has started to get to me.

(Please don't get me started on any of the Yankees)

[Yehuda57]

Pitcher going up to bat is one of the stupidest rules in baseball.
Sure it makes you use more strategy. But you can also make the game more strategic by forcing the pitcher to wear a blindfold for the first batter each inning. Or by giving the manager the ability to reverse a strikeout once a game.

TLDR; Dumb rules are dumb

Managers who managed both leagues have said the NL makes for *less* strategy. Anyone can make a double switch. Having the pitcher hit forces the decision of when to yank him.

[Baruch]

Everyone knows that in 2050 both leagues will have a DH, so why not just do it now?

[Barryg]

Ouch. Just to clarify, for many years, I had said that Maddon was the best manager in baseball. Then when he got to the Cubs and was treated as a demigod for his every sneeze, I said that he's the best and most overrated manager in the game at the same time. And yes, as he continued his demigod status despite multiple major blunders, I became resentful. I still think he's great, and I've heard he's a good guy, but this divine treatment for an obviously imperfect manager has started to get to me.

(Please don't get me started on any of the Yankees)

See there's no such thing as a perfect manager, similarly a hitter can hit .300 and be a HOFer. Even though a manager's move looks like a major blunder post facto, the only way to judge is to look at the career. He has a great track record. His genius lies in his systems and mental prep which is the main job of a manager IMO.

[ChaimMoskowitz]

Pitcher going up to bat is one of the stupidest rules in baseball.

AFAIK there is no such rule.

[Yehuda57]

Ouch. Just to clarify, for many years, I had said that Maddon was the best manager in baseball. Then when he got to the Cubs and was treated as a demigod for his every sneeze, I said that he's the best and most overrated manager in the game at the same time. And yes, as he continued his demigod status despite multiple major blunders, I became resentful. I still think he's great, and I've heard he's a good guy, but this divine treatment for an obviously imperfect manager has started to get to me.

(Please don't get me started on any of the Yankees)

So how about 'em Yankees?

[Amusch]

So how about 'em Yankees?

Nice try

[Yehuda57]

Nice try

Which NY team has the better starting rotation? I'll take my answer off the air.

[ChaimMoskowitz]

Which NY team has the better starting rotation?

Thats an easy one, Mets. That is why they are up 3-2 in the playoffs. 😂

[Amusch]

Thats an easy one, Mets. That is why they are up 3-2 in the playoffs. 😂

I think coming into the season we all thought Mets. Now, I understand that there is room for ridicule. That said, as it stands, I think the best two pitchers in NY are in Queens, though the Yankees have obviously showed that their rotation is more deep/stable. To be fair, outside of Severino, every single Yankee starter has conveniently decided to throw the best 2-3 games of his life in the last 2 weeks, and they're not all this good in general.

[Redbull3]

Mets have the 2 best sp, but Yankee rotation with gray is deeper especially before Pineda for hurt, the real strength is in the bullpen of course, Yankees don’t need to rely on same kind of production from their sp as typical teams do.

[Baruch]

I think coming into the season we all thought Mets. Now, I understand that there is room for ridicule. That said, as it stands, I think the best two pitchers in NY are in Queens, though the Yankees have obviously showed that their rotation is more deep/stable. To be fair, outside of Severino, every single Yankee starter has conveniently decided to throw the best 2-3 games of his life in the last 2 weeks, and they're not all this good in general.

That's how the Yankees roll.
Do you remember scott brosius?
Yankees elevate their game in the post season, that's why they win the world series 25% of the time.

[Amusch]

Mets have the 2 best sp, but Yankee rotation with gray is deeper especially before Pineda for hurt, the real strength is in the bullpen of course, Yankees don’t need to rely on same kind of production from their sp as typical teams do.

I think that's an understated point, and you can never prove this, but I wonder if that has helped their performance in the playoffs. 1) They usually don't face the lineup a third time (or if they do, they're out the second there's trouble) 2) They know they can pitch as hard as they can and go all in and as soon as they get tired, they're good.

[Redbull3]

I think that's an understated point, and you can never prove this, but I wonder if that has helped their performance in the playoffs. 1) They usually don't face the lineup a third time (or if they do, they're out the second there's trouble) 2) They know they can pitch as hard as they can and go all in and as soon as they get tired, they're good.

For sure! Heavy bullpen usage has been a hot trend for a few years. Teams are finally recognizing leverage and the importance of using great pitchers at the key spots every single night. The royals in 2015 and indians in 2016 really stood out for going to the pen early and often, and yanks are carrying that torch this year. It's no coincidence they added Robertson and Kahnle at the deadline to an already stacked pen. It's nuts that an uber talent like Betances goes through this weird mental/mechanical/whatever slump and the pen doesn't even miss him. crazier still that a very solid strikeout lefty like Shreve didn't even make the roster. Although I wouldn't be shocked if he swaps places with Betances for the WS.

[Redbull3]

Post season OBP minimum 100 plate appearances:
1. Justin Turner .495 101pa
2. Lou Gehrig .483 150pa
3. Babe Ruth .470 167pa

Not bad.

[Redbull3]

Crazy graphic on mlb network.

5 highest paid position players among the 4 teams remaining by 2017 salary:

1. Carl Crawford 21.9M
2. Adrian Gonzalez 21.5M
3. Jason Heyward 21.5M
4. Jacoby Ellsbury 21.1M
5. Alex Rodriguez 21.0M

Combined championship series numbers: 0-6. LOL.

[Yehuda57]

Crazy graphic on mlb network.

5 highest paid position players among the 4 teams remaining by 2017 salary:

1. Carl Crawford 21.9M
2. Adrian Gonzalez 21.5M
3. Jason Heyward 21.5M
4. Jacoby Ellsbury 21.1M
5. Alex Rodriguez 21.0M

Combined championship series numbers: 0-6. LOL.

This is awesome