Around Baseball 2018

[Jimcanuck]

Brutal conditions in Chicago, yet the game goes on. Injury risk high.

[AledmysDiaz]

Nothing can stop this Red Sox team--not even a minor injury to Mookie Betts. 9-2 Boston..

 

Aren't you gonna tell us how their luck is going to run out

[intentional wok]

Braves beating the Cubs 10-2, now down 12-10. Latest two runs were walked in. Nice reward for the Wrigley fans who stuck around in rain coats.

 

Edit: two more come on a wild pitch + air mail into the outfield. 14-10 lmao

[King]

After Mike Trout's "slow start" he's up to #2 in the fWAR leaderboard for position players. As he does.

[Angrioter]

Junis allowed 3 dingers

[G-Snarls]

Angels trying to blow this

 

After a good start Garrett Richards gives up a walk and then 3 wild pitches

 

Now Andrelton Simmons commits an error on what could have been a DP

[G-Snarls]

Never mind

 

Two Royals strike out back to back and they fail to score any more

 

5-- LAA

[TBJ12]

2nd WC team in AL is going to be a 90+ win team this year by the looks of things. Royals, Orioles, Rays, Detroit, Texas, KC, A's and White Sox all look like 90-100 loss teams.

 

Typing that just made me realize how bad baseball is right now.

[Abomination]

Taijuan Walker suffered a velocity drop, and left his start after 2 innings.

[Hipfan]

2nd WC team in AL is going to be a 90+ win team this year by the looks of things. Royals, Orioles, Rays, Detroit, Texas, KC, A's and White Sox all look like 90-100 loss teams.

 

Typing that just made me realize how bad baseball is right now.

 

That's because all the teams are following the Cubs and Astros by tanking; instead of trying to put together a somewhat decent team, that, if lucky and catches some breaks, makes the playoffs, they put together crappy teams in hopes of high draft picks. While that plan obviously worked for the Cubs and Astros, it won't work for everyone and makes baseball worse. The Yankees turned things around without purging their MLB team, and others should follow suit.

[Brownie19]

That's because all the teams are following the Cubs and Astros by tanking; instead of trying to put together a somewhat decent team, that, if lucky and catches some breaks, makes the playoffs, they put together crappy teams in hopes of high draft picks. While that plan obviously worked for the Cubs and Astros, it won't work for everyone and makes baseball worse. The Yankees turned things around without purging their MLB team, and others should follow suit.

 

Blindly suggesting that others should follow suit is pretty short sighted. The Orioles seem to be following suit...they refuse to rebuild. You follow them and let me know how that works over the next 5-10 years...

 

Teams are all using advanced projection systems and now have a much better understanding of where they are on the "win curve". Teams with a 5-10% chance of making the playoffs are no longer going to go sign that aging, declining vet to a long term deal - which hampers their future - for such a low probability of success. They've also learned that adding that vet only increases their chances by a percentage point or two.

[onwego]

Good day to watch Southern Cali and dome games. Kershaw going at 4.

[Pendleton]

Taijuan Walker suffered a velocity drop, and left his start after 2 innings.

 

[bones10]

This has to be the worst start of the season weather wise I can remember, 6 more games postponed today including the Yankees double header.

[onwego]

Watched Thor strike out 8 in a row, 2 shy of Seaver’s 1970 record.

[5ToolPhenom]

2nd WC team in AL is going to be a 90+ win team this year by the looks of things. Royals, Orioles, Rays, Detroit, Texas, KC, A's and White Sox all look like 90-100 loss teams.

 

Typing that just made me realize how bad baseball is right now.

 

I'm especially surprised by just how s***** the Royals and Texas lineups have been. It's hard to believe KC won a world series a couple of years ago by the look of their roster now. I realize that they have some key injuries, but their depth looks terrible.

 

One team that I wouldn't be surprised if they're half decent is the Athletics though. Their pitching leaves a lot to be desired, but I think they have a pretty solid offense this year. I could potentially see them hovering around the 500 mark.

[TheHurl]

I love how Jackie Robinson day went from being a movement to being a marketing ploy. $37.99 for a hat with the 42 logo and the already admitted by MLB "inappropiate" chief Wahoo logo. Edited April 15, 2018 by TheHurl

[BTS]

lol @ the Reds still using Amir Garrett in a mop up role

[Spanky__99]

Taijuan Walker suffered a velocity drop, and left his start after 2 innings.

 

[AledmysDiaz]

2nd WC team in AL is going to be a 90+ win team this year by the looks of things. Royals, Orioles, Rays, Detroit, Texas, KC, A's and White Sox all look like 90-100 loss teams.

 

Typing that just made me realize how bad baseball is right now.

 

Current MLB Structure encourages teams to lose and lose a lot.

 

There is really no incentives for these 8 teams to do better at all.

[Jimcanuck]

Current MLB Structure encourages teams to lose and lose a lot.

 

There is really no incentives for these 8 teams to do better at all.

 

Sell tickets?

[Orgfiller]

The Astros are getting Bartolo Colon'd.

[Brownie19]

I'm especially surprised by just how s***** the Royals and Texas lineups have been. It's hard to believe KC won a world series a couple of years ago by the look of their roster now. I realize that they have some key injuries, but their depth looks terrible.

 

One team that I wouldn't be surprised if they're half decent is the Athletics though. Their pitching leaves a lot to be desired, but I think they have a pretty solid offense this year. I could potentially see them hovering around the 500 mark.

 

What happened with the Royals is somewhat common. They get a solid young core - they all peak at the right time - they win - then they get expensive and in the Royals case - they can't afford to keep them and the talent leaves.

[Brownie19]

Sell tickets?

 

If you're not spending big - you don't have to sell a lot of tickets.

[Brownie19]

Bartolo loses the perfect game in the 8th. Can you imagine if he pulled that off v. the World Series champs at age 67?

[closetjaysfan]

Bartolo loses the perfect game in the 8th. Can you imagine if he pulled that off v. the World Series champs at age 67?

 

67? id be impressed enough if he did it at 44.

[Orgfiller]

Bartolo loses the perfect game in the 8th. Can you imagine if he pulled that off v. the World Series champs at age 67?

 

These Dominicans just getting worse and worse with their birth certificate fakes.

[Abomination]

Man, there's already a game postponed for tomorrow. This year sucks!

[Dick_Pole]

Man, there's already a game postponed for tomorrow. This year sucks!

 

As a Blue Jays fan it rules! Let the Yankees play 50 games in September. Take one in Cleveland and the other two are rained out when Kluber was supposed to pitch? I think the Jays came out on the winning end on that one too.

[Hipfan]

Blindly suggesting that others should follow suit is pretty short sighted. The Orioles seem to be following suit...they refuse to rebuild. You follow them and let me know how that works over the next 5-10 years...

 

Teams are all using advanced projection systems and now have a much better understanding of where they are on the "win curve". Teams with a 5-10% chance of making the playoffs are no longer going to go sign that aging, declining vet to a long term deal - which hampers their future - for such a low probability of success. They've also learned that adding that vet only increases their chances by a percentage point or two.

 

I really wouldn't use the Orioles as an example; they seem pretty inept at everything and if they tanked, they would probably be just as bad at rebuilding as they have been "competing". My point is that totally decimating your MLB roster for a chance at being good in 5 years weakens the league. There are ways to build your minor league system without destroying your MLB team. Look at the Twins; while they had some bad years, and no one thought they should even bother competing last year, they did and ended up in the playoffs. There is a balance to be struck, and I think all of these teams racing to the bottom will do more harm than good for the game overall.