Around Baseball 2017

[baseballsss]

3 and 4 seem possible, but... not the others so much.

 

is this Harpers contract year? If so I think were going to be watching an historical season from him.

[jaysfan2014]

is this Harpers contract year? If so I think were going to be watching an historical season from him.

 

No, 2018. He needs to rebound with the bat--he was basically similar to Bautista this past year. He went from MVP to basically mediocre.. walks a lot with a low average. Teams aren't going to throw money at him if he doesn't rebound.. we all saw what has happened with Jason Heyward with the Cubs.. already peaked offensively in 2012 and hasn't rebounded with the bat--only his D is making him valuable, and that contract's an albatross for the Cubs, and will be even moreso when the young core hits arb..

[jaysblue]

Bold predictions:

 

1. Giancarlo Stanton will finally have a healthy season and will hit 50 home runs.

 

2. Bryce Harper will have a higher WAR than Mike Trout.

 

3. Jose Bautista will have a higher WAR than Edwin Encarnacion

 

4. Surprise competitive team will be Colorado.

 

5. The Mets will be deadline sellers.

 

6. Mike Trout will be traded at the end of the season.

 

Colorado is an interesting team. See them vying for a wild card, though a lot needs to break right. Big fan of Jon Gray.

[jaysfan2014]

Bold predictions:

 

1. Giancarlo Stanton will finally have a healthy season and will hit 50 home runs.

 

2. Bryce Harper will have a higher WAR than Mike Trout.

 

3. Jose Bautista will have a higher WAR than Edwin Encarnacion

 

4. Surprise competitive team will be Colorado.

 

5. The Mets will be deadline sellers.

 

6. Mike Trout will be traded at the end of the season.

 

My thoughts:

 

1. Possibly, if he stays healthy.

 

2. Uh... no. Harper's numbers cratered last year. He's taken major steps back with the glove and the bat.. Trout is the real deal and will continue to be so for most of his career.

 

3. Who's gonna sign him, though?

 

4. Possible--but it's dependent on their pitching, a frequent Achilles' heel on the Rockies.

 

5. Nope. Mets will be neck-and-neck with the Nats--and the Nats just need to hope Daniel Murphy's numbers don't regress significantly.

 

6. Angels could be a contender--Trout's not going anywhere. The team looks a lot better than a year ago--with some better pitching and real 2B and LFs, this team could surprise.

[TheHurl]

Funny to look over the first few pages of the 2016 thread..

 

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/threads/5941-Around-Baseball-2016

 

that being said..

 

Any bold predictions for the rest of the MLB this year?

 

1.) there will be no drama between the Jays/Rangers this year

 

2.) JD's war is going to drop by a half

 

3.) Harper will continue to 'suck' and repeat his 2016 numbers

 

4.) Cubs will repeat as World Champions

 

5.) The Royals will be deadline sellers

 

6.) Surprise competitive team will be the Yankees

 

We usually do a bold predictions thread in February....or at least in my head we do. I remember in 2014 I predicted the Jays would win 40 of their first 70 and then 40 of the next 92. I was close.

Edited January 6, 2017 by TheHurl

[Bobthe4th]

My thoughts:

 

1. Possibly, if he stays healthy.

 

2. Uh... no. Harper's numbers cratered last year. He's taken major steps back with the glove and the bat.. Trout is the real deal and will continue to be so for most of his career.

 

3. Who's gonna sign him, though?

 

4. Possible--but it's dependent on their pitching, a frequent Achilles' heel on the Rockies.

 

5. Nope. Mets will be neck-and-neck with the Nats--and the Nats just need to hope Daniel Murphy's numbers don't regress significantly.

 

6. Angels could be a contender--Trout's not going anywhere. The team looks a lot better than a year ago--with some better pitching and real 2B and LFs, this team could surprise.

 

With the caveat that these are bold (i.e. unlikely) my reasoning for:

 

1. Exactly.

 

2. I expect Harper to have a big bounce back year. He was carrying an injury for much of 2016, had a higher WAR than Trout in 2015, and is still young.

 

If I had to put values on it I'd guess 8.5 for Harper. If Trout plays the full season he'll prob get at least 9, so this prediction prob relies on Trout getting an injury. Trout has mainly avoided injuries so far in his career so maybe this year he's unlucky.

 

3. Hopefully us, but if not someone like the Phillies who have their first pick protected.

 

4. Exactly.

 

5. If Mets rotation all get injured again, they could take a step back. Nats and Marlins driven by Harper and Stanton could have better years than the Mets.

 

6. I very nearly put Angels as the surprise contenders, but believe they're 3rd best in their division at best. Instead I think that they'll finally decide that missing the playoffs every year while having the worst farm in baseball isn't worth wasting the career of the best player of his generation.

[Boxcar]

The Rockies' pitching is not their Achilles heel. Their Achilles heel is that they think pitching is always their Achilles heel and that their offense is great while it is actually below average.

 

Don't you find it odd that the Rox always have great traditional batting stats and poor pitching stats?

[G-Snarls]

Rangers, Travis Snider Agree To Minor League Deal

 

By Steve Adams | January 6, 2017 at 11:32am CDT

 

The Rangers and outfielder Travis Snider have agreed to a minor league contract, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Snider’s deal will pay him a base salary of $1MM if he makes the big league roster in Texas.

 

Snider, a CAA Sports client, spent the 2016 season with Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate and batted a disappointing .245/.340/.350 in 322 plate appearances. The former first-round pick once rated among the game’s top 10 prospects, per both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, but that potential was never fulfilled. Snider debuted as a 20-year-old back in 2008 and held his own through parts of three seasons from ages 20-22, hitting .255/.318/.446 with 25 homers in 675 plate appearances.

[HERPDERP]

[intentional wok]

O's send Gallardo to the M's for Seth Smith.

[HERPDERP]

I remember many of us here wanted Gallardo last year. Man he was bad.

[fatcowxlive]

I remember many of us here wanted Gallardo last year. Man he was bad.

 

I wanted Seth smith this year lol

[jaysfan2014]

 

A platoon OF with bad defense but a good bat vs. RHP for a backend starter + eating money... guess this means Trumbo is headed elsewhere and Wade Miley will be the 5th starter.. seeming like the O's and Mariners like trading with each other, considering how many times they've connected..

[RealAccountant]

O's send Gallardo to the M's for Seth Smith.

 

Good deal for the Os, Gallardo has been terrible for quite some time though he might pitch better back in the AL West, where the parks are bigger

 

Seth Smith probably means Orioles are done with Trumbo

 

Does this open up Ms to another outfielder?

[jaysfan2014]

I wanted Seth smith this year lol

 

Best used vs. RHP and as a DH--his OF defense is trash.

[RealAccountant]

Best used vs. RHP .

 

This is a thing we have a use for.

[Brownie19]

I remember many of us here wanted Gallardo last year. Man he was bad.

 

Really? I remember jumping for joy when the O's got him because he suxxx.

[Governator]

I'm kind of sad we won't get a chance to face him.

[Brownie19]

I'm kind of sad we won't get a chance to face him.

 

Gov - he's going to Seattle - not Korea!

[Governator]

Gov - he's going to Seattle - not Korea!

 

 

Meant the difference in scheduling of our division vs west coast. Ok we might see him once, if we're lucky.

[Spanky99]

I wonder if the MLB gets in on this... Kang seems to be an incredibly stupid man.

 

KANG LEFT OFF S-KOREA'S WBC TEAM AMID DUI ALLEGATIONS

 

JAN 6, 2017

 

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang has been left off South Korea's roster for the World Baseball Classic while he remains subject to a criminal investigation into allegations that he fled the scene after crashing a car into a guardrail while driving under the influence of alcohol.

 

The decision by South Korea manager Kim In-sik came after police in capital Seoul sent the case to the prosecution with a recommendation that he should be indicted. Prosecutors will also investigate Kang's friend, who after the crash in December falsely told police he was behind the wheel.

 

Kang (pronounced Gahng) signed a four-year, $11 million deal with the Pirates in 2015 after Pittsburgh agreed to pay his South Korean club, the Nexen Heroes, $5 million if it reached an agreement with the slugger.

 

He hit 21 home runs and 62 RBIs in 103 games in 2016, but his second season in the majors also included an incident in Chicago in June when a 23-year-old woman alleged she was assaulted by Kang at a hotel. The woman's name has not been released and Kang has not been charged.

 

Kim (pronounced Ghim), who has been reluctant to take on players with history of off-field issues, also had a decision to make on St. Louis Cardinals reliever Seung Hwan Oh, who was fined by a South Korean court last year for breaking gambling laws by betting large sums at a casino in Macau in 2014

[GD]

The Rockies' pitching is not their Achilles heel. Their Achilles heel is that they think pitching is always their Achilles heel and that their offense is great while it is actually below average.

 

Don't you find it odd that the Rox always have great traditional batting stats and poor pitching stats?

 

Their starters aren't great. Gray is a stud, Anderson is solid, and Bettis might not be awful, but there's nothing after that. It's certainly more of a need than their lineup.

[burlingtonbandit]

Their starters aren't great. Gray is a stud, Anderson is solid, and Bettis might not be awful, but there's nothing after that. It's certainly more of a need than their lineup.

 

Chatwood is decent. Maybe Hoffman turns around too.

[KingKat]

Chatwood is decent. Maybe Hoffman turns around too.

 

Chatwood's road/home splits were insane even for a Rockies pitcher. He had the same K/BB across the board but with an over .100 difference in babip. I'm not sure what tells us about him (if anything).

[jaysfan2014]

White Sox DFAd Jason Coats--should the Jays take a flyer on him?

[Orgfiller]

White Sox DFAd Jason Coats--should the Jays take a flyer on him?

 

Who?

[Abomination]

White Sox DFAd Jason Coats--should the Jays take a flyer on him?

 

I think I'd rather just use Pompey.

[King]

White Sox DFAd Jason Coats--should the Jays take a flyer on him?

I had no idea who this was before you mentioned him but seems decent. If he has option years remaining (which it looks like he does) then all the better.

[Sorrow]

I had no idea who this was before you mentioned him but seems decent. If he has option years remaining (which it looks like he does) then all the better.

 

Looking at his non-.400 BABIP season in AAA he was a 115wRC+ bat. I don't know a thing about his D or base running. If he's related to Blue Jays legend Buck Coats he's an obvious sign.

[RealAccountant]

White Sox DFAd Jason Coats--should the Jays take a flyer on him?

 

I would agree with that move.