Around Baseball 2018

[glory]

Bauer is gutsy as hell for going at it with a woman on social media. He's in a no win situation in today's society. No upside at all, but tons of downside for him.

[TheHurl]

But Jake Diekman won the Richard Durrett Hardest Working Man award. Just another sham award according to Molly.

[Spanky__99]

But Jake Diekman won the Richard Durrett Hardest Working Man award. Just another sham award according to Molly.

 

Wow... she said that?

[TheHurl]

Brodie Van Wagenen seriously interviewed for the Head of Baseball Operations. Fred Wilpon just loves to be swindled over and over again.

[Boxcar]

 

this happened

 

Holy f***, Trevor Bauer is becoming one of my favourite players in the game. His Twitter troll game is next level.

 

Lol, the drone comment was great. Bauer does have a point, although it was completely unnecessary and unbeneficial for him to comment.

 

I agree. The hundredth time I've heard this joke was by far the best.

[Pendleton]

Brodie Van Wagenen seriously interviewed for the Head of Baseball Operations. Fred Wilpon just loves to be swindled over and over again.

 

Their reported three final candidates couldn't possibly be more different, which makes perfect sense because they very likely have no clue what they're looking for.

 

Chaim Bloom would seem like a step in the right direction though.

[TheHurl]

Their reported three final candidates couldn't possibly be more different, which makes perfect sense because they very likely have no clue what they're looking for.

 

Chaim Bloom would seem like a step in the right direction though.

 

Yet Doug Melvin remains the favourite. How are the Wilpon's allowed to make decisions. It's insane they would be able to interview the agent of a current player though (3 actually, DeGrom, Cespedes and Tebow). I'd love to see Bloom get the job as that would leave my friend as number 2 with the Rays.

[Pendleton]

Yet Doug Melvin remains the favourite. How are the Wilpon's allowed to make decisions. It's insane they would be able to interview the agent of a current player though (3 actually, DeGrom, Cespedes and Tebow). I'd love to see Bloom get the job as that would leave my friend as number 2 with the Rays.

 

The more I think about it, the funnier it gets. What possible criteria could they be working from, that would result in narrowing their search down to - Old (school) Doug Melvin, a player agent (I agree, big conflict of interest) and then a young analytics wunderkind?

 

The Wilpons went shopping for a vehicle the other day but couldn't decide between a Tesla or a '71 VW Bus.

 

I can imagine the #2 position in Tampa being one of the better stepping stones possible right now, that's pretty cool.

[P2F]

I just realized that the Baltimore Orioles, an actual MLB team made up of highly-paid, professional athletes, won fewer games this season than a theoretical team full of replacement-level AAA players would've won. All of this fruitlessness was achieved with a payroll north of $150MM for the majority of the season lmao!

[Spanky__99]

Barrel Leaders - Statcast 2018 Year-In-Review

Oct 24, 2018 , by RotoBaller Staff

This article first appeared on RotoBaller.com.

 

The 2018 MLB season was full of memorable moments and rife with power. It's unexpected to see that there was a noticeable dip in power numbers, despite the 5,585 home runs hit by Major League players. In 2017, that figure was up at 6,105 HR. Homers make the highlight reels but don't tell the whole story of a hitter's prowess though. With Statcast, we can look into a player's detailed performance to analyze who crushed the ball regularly, regardless of the end result. The names on this leaderboard could be up-and-coming stars or players who may never get the chance to achieve stardom based on other factors.Some of the names are obvious, so we won't delve into the reason Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, or Mike Trout made the top 10. Instead, let's focus on the biggest risers and surprises of the past season, according to Statcast and its most telling offensive stat for sluggers, Barrels. Our threshold for qualifiers is 150 Batted Ball Events in the 2018 season.

 

Barrels Risers

 

Ryan Zimmerman (1B, WAS) - 9.9 Brls/PA% (4th)Despite a litany of injuries yet again, Zimmerman was somewhat effective when on the field. He slugged an adequate .486, which was still a far cry from 2017 when he slugged .573 and jacked 36 HR. His 16.5% HR/FB dropped back to a reasonable number and his 7.1 launch angle is lower than any other batter in the top 30 other than Christian Yelich, which explains why he finished with 13 HR despite a high barrel rate. Zimmerman can still hit the ball hard, but he will be 34 years old entering next season and will not match the good fortune he enjoyed last year even if he continues to make solid contact.

 

Shohei Ohtani (DH, LAA) - 9.8 Brls/PA% (6th)Is it possible that Ohtani is still being undervalued? His value as a hitter is undermined by a lack of consistent at-bats due to his "other career" as an ace starter. Ohtani registered 326 at-bats in his rookie campaign and hit 22 HR with an average distance of 413 feet, tied for 14th-best in the league and better than Joey Gallo, Khris Davis or Giancarlo Stanton among others. Ohtani slugged an outstanding .563 but also posted a 29.7% HR/FB rate that is sure to dip in 2019. Recovery from his recent Tommy John surgery will keep him off the mound next year. It's unclear when or how he will be used as a designated hitter but it's possible he could fly under the radar again given how good he was at the plate even after suffering the injury. In September alone, Ohtani hit .310 with seven HR and 18 RBI.

 

Randal Grichuk (OF, TOR) - 9.5 Brls/PA% (7th)We knew Grichuk had power, as he displayed it in his first four seasons with St. Louis. He didn't do it consistently enough, suffering through massive slumps and bouncing back and forth from the minors. While Grichuk didn't exactly make strides in his average (.245) or walk rate (5.8%), he did cut four points from his strikeout percentage (26.4%). Grichuk barreled the ball at a high rate all year, combined with a high-enough 18.5 launch angle to be a productive fantasy asset with 25 HR, although that resulted in only 61 RBI. A move to the cleanup spot in the last month of the season seemed to help his counts stats a bit, so keep an eye on how he figures into the team's plans coming out of Spring Training next year to see if his all-around fantasy value can improve.

 

Teoscar Hernandez (OF, TOR) - 9.4 Brls/PA% (9th)If you read my weekly Statcast Risers piece for Hitters, you'll recall Hernandez making several appearances. We shouldn't be surprised any longer that he's a Statcast darling, having barreled the ball at a higher rate than all but eight qualified batters. He's still got some work to do on plate discipline, particularly a 31% K-rate and a miserable 42% O-Contact%. Still, at age 26 he will be entering his second full season in the majors and with the Blue Jays. He's got room to grow into his power and should be given the opportunity on a rebuilding Blue Jays team.

 

Max Muncy (1B/3B, LAD) - 9.4 Brls/PA% (10th)It didn't take long for Muncy to announce himself as the biggest breakout of the year. By the All-Star break he had crushed 22 HR en route to an appearance in the Home Run Derby and was a mainstay in the Dodgers lineup. He didn't suffer any negative splits and managed to play his way out of a second-half slump to rebound nicely toward the end of the season. He finished in a tie with Teoscar Hernandez for 29th in hard hit rate at 45.9%, showing the importance of launch angle in turning those batted balls into fly balls, 29% of which left the park. There will obviously be some regression for Muncy but this season was an impressive one nonetheless.

 

Tyler Austin (1B, MIN) - 9.0 Brls/PA% (12th)Another prime-age (27) breakout of sorts, Austin finally stayed healthy enough to be productive when given the chance in pinstripes. Austin posted eight HR and 23 RBI in 34 games for the Yankees before being banished to Siberia... er, Minnesota in the Lance Lynn deal. Perhaps the .223 average and 40.2% K% had something to do with it. He went on to post eerily similar numbers in 35 games as a Twin, bashing nine HR and driving in 24 runs with a .236 average, although he did improve his plate discipline quite a bit in the final month. Austin is an intriguing sleeper heading into next season, as he should be given the chance to hold down a spot in the middle of the Twins lineup if he performs well in spring.

 

Chad Pinder (SS/OF, OAK) - 9.0 Brls/PA% (13th)With just 333 MLB at-bats on his resume, Pinder entered the 2018 season as a utility player who would bide time behind Franklin Barreto and Marcus Semien at shortstop and fill in occasionally in the outfield. Instead, Pinder made the most of his limited playing time by posting a .178 ISO behind a strong 46.2% hard hit rate and 14.2 Barrels per Batted Ball Event. He was more effective against lefties in terms of average but showed power against both sides. Pinder was useful as a spot play but may not figure into the A's starting lineup any more than he did last year. On a team that is always looking toward youth, he may still be stuck watching Semien hold down SS while players like Ramon Laureano and Dustin Fowler infiltrate the outfield positions.

[P2F]

I don't think this was posted:

 

[h=1]Lamigo Monkeys To Post Wang Po-Jung[/h]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/10/lamigo-monkeys-to-post-wang-po-jung.html

[Abomination]

I don't think this was posted:

 

Lamigo Monkeys To Post Wang Po-Jung

 

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/10/lamigo-monkeys-to-post-wang-po-jung.html

 

Those bat flips would get him beaned here lol.

[Spanky__99]

I don't think this was posted:

 

[h=1]Lamigo Monkeys To Post Wang Po-Jung[/h]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/10/lamigo-monkeys-to-post-wang-po-jung.html

 

Po-Jung Wang, OF, Lamigo Monkeys

The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is not covered as thoroughly in the US anywhere near to the degree of the NPB or KBO. In recent years, many of the circuit’s top amateur players have signed directly with the MLB teams instead of going to the CPBL because of league-wide instability that has resulted from a series of game-fixing scandals. As a result of fiasco, the CPBL has reduced to four clubs total and lost out on many amateur talents to MLB — but it is still checked and scouted. Recently, after the 2015 season, the San Diego Padres were interested in the top infielder Chih-Sheng Lin; however, due to the posting fee and Lin’s age (he was then 33 years old), it didn’t happen.

 

However, there is a talent who took the CPBL by storms by putting up video-game numbers: Po-Jung Wang. (His name is pronounced closer to “Bo-Rong Wang,” but is spelled using the “Wade-Giles system,” which is one of the four ways to romanize Chinese characters.) Wang hit an eye-popping .407/.491/.700 in 115 games in 2017, winning the quadruple crown (average, hit, home run, RBI) — and, of course, the league MVP.

 

Actually, here are his CPBL career statistics:

 

Po-Jung Wang, 2015-17

Year G PA HR AVG OBP SLG

2015 29 122 9 .324 .377 .640

2016* 116 550 29 .414 .476 .689

2017^ 115 517 31 .407 .491 .700

*Won ROY and 1st MVP.

^Won 2nd MVP.

Sure, it is true that the CPBL is quite offensively inclined. There are many reasons for that — a number of talented positional players, a lack of talented pitchers, a shrinking strike zone, and juiced balls — and it makes you wonder how Wang would adjust if he were to head to the NPB or MLB. However, there’s no doubt that the 24-year-old is talented. Here is Wang taking the aforementioned Takahiro Norimoto deep over the center-field wall during an international match:

 

 

 

Former Royals and White Sox reliever Andy Sisco, who has pitched around the globe (Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Dominican Republic), is quoted at the CPBL English site as saying that Wang “definitely projects as a major league player.” Continues Sisco: “He hits for power, he hits to all fields, he can hit a good fastball. He’s not a guy who can be overpowered.” Wang also garnered some attention from the American media in 2017 by unleashing one of the most awesome and flamboyant bat flips humanity has ever seen.

 

An international scout told me he sees potential in Wang to succeed in the NPB/MLB but that he has to fix some flaws, saying, “He has holes in his swing that make him vulnerable to inside pitches in the next level.” This evaluator added that Wang’s glove isn’t anything special, meaning “he’s pretty much stuck in the corner-outfield slots.”

 

Due to a recent rule change in the CPBL, players are eligible to explore going international after three years of service time and with their club’s permission (including posting fee). Wang now has two seasons under his belt, so hypothetically, he could head elsewhere after the 2018 season. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Athletics, Diamondbacks, Pirates, and Reds have had scouts to see Wang, though it seems likely that Wang will go to Japan first before challenging himself to go to the MLB. There is plenty of NPB interest in him, meanwhile. Wang himself has said that, ultimately, he’d like to go to the MLB but would not mind stopping by the NPB before it happens.

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-top-mlb-prospects-of-asia/

[Spanky__99]

Ouch, the Mets are cursed, lol.

 

[Spanky__99]

lol

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/curt-schilling-isnt-surprised-red-sox-left-world-series-ceremony-153548012.html

 

Gold Glove Finalists...

 

lol @ Posey?

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/2018-gold-glove-award-finalists-200600320.html

[G-Snarls]

Yet Doug Melvin remains the favourite. How are the Wilpon's allowed to make decisions. It's insane they would be able to interview the agent of a current player though (3 actually, DeGrom, Cespedes and Tebow). I'd love to see Bloom get the job as that would leave my friend as number 2 with the Rays.

 

According to MLB Network and searches I just did. Brodie Van Wagenen represents :

 

DeGrom

Syndergaard

Cespedes

Todd Frazier

Tim Tebow

[Pendleton]

According to MLB Network and searches I just did. Brodie Van Wagenen represents :

 

DeGrom

Syndergaard

Cespedes

Todd Frazier

Tim Tebow

 

And now he's their GM

[G-Snarls]

And now he's their GM

 

Done deal for sure now?

[G-Snarls]

It's quite a conflict of interest

[Pendleton]

Done deal for sure now?

 

Yep they agreed to terms yesterday. Ridiculous in my opinion.

[Spanky__99]

Yep they agreed to terms yesterday. Ridiculous in my opinion.

 

Wouldn't he have to drop his clients? HBD by the way!

[Pendleton]

Wouldn't he have to drop his clients? HBD by the way!

 

I'd assume he would have to at least on an official basis.

 

Thanks buddy!

[Pendleton]

David Robertson will be representing himself this off season https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/10/david-robertson-why-im-representing-myself-in-free-agency.html

 

At this point in my life and career, no one else understands my wants and needs more than myself. After recognizing this, I made the decision to forgo using an agent since I no longer feel as though I need a middle man. I know what I want in a contract, I’m aware of what I can offer to teams, and teams are aware of my abilities.

 

I’m sure there is a lot of speculation regarding my choice. One thing I want to address is that this decision has nothing to do with my former agent. He is a great guy and has become a close friend of mine. He did a great job representing me for over a decade and I will always appreciate that. But I believe all players need to pay close attention to what they do and their own career path. I wouldn’t recommend self representation to just anyone – heck I wouldn’t recommend it to the majority of players. However, being a guy that’s hung around long enough to know what I can offer a team and what I would like in return, I feel I’m best suited to have all the discussions necessary to figure out my next contract.

 

A lot of people have and will question my decision. It’s not common to see a player take this path and I’m aware of that and the potential obstacles I may face by doing so. But in the end, I made this decision for myself and my family and for now I’m going to stick with it. I believe I have a lot to offer a team on and off the field and I know I will end up in the right place.

[TheHurl]

There is some talk that Van Wagenen's clients can block the move. It's in a Fangraphs article ... but it's a Sheryl Ring article so I refuse to read.

[TheHurl]

Boras take

 

Mega-agent Scott Boras told The Post he has received offers over the years to lead teams but declined because of such conflict-of-interest concerns. Van Wagenen’s Mets clients include Jacob deGrom, Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndergaard, Todd Frazier, Brandon Nimmo and Robert Gsellman, among others.

 

“The Boras Corporation stands for a total commitment to players, and while I have been offered many opportunities with teams, I would never violate the trust that I have with any player and that is very important to what I do,” Boras said. “I am an attorney and I want [players] to tell me everything and a lot of these things are confidential, they are personal, and if I went to work for a different employer, I would have to divulge all that information because I have to do my job for that other employer I made a commitment to.”

[Dr. Dinger]

David Robertson will be representing himself this off season https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/10/david-robertson-why-im-representing-myself-in-free-agency.html

 

At this point in my life and career, no one else understands my wants and needs more than myself. After recognizing this, I made the decision to forgo using an agent since I no longer feel as though I need a middle man. I know what I want in a contract, I’m aware of what I can offer to teams, and teams are aware of my abilities.

 

I’m sure there is a lot of speculation regarding my choice. One thing I want to address is that this decision has nothing to do with my former agent. He is a great guy and has become a close friend of mine. He did a great job representing me for over a decade and I will always appreciate that. But I believe all players need to pay close attention to what they do and their own career path. I wouldn’t recommend self representation to just anyone – heck I wouldn’t recommend it to the majority of players. However, being a guy that’s hung around long enough to know what I can offer a team and what I would like in return, I feel I’m best suited to have all the discussions necessary to figure out my next contract.

 

A lot of people have and will question my decision. It’s not common to see a player take this path and I’m aware of that and the potential obstacles I may face by doing so. But in the end, I made this decision for myself and my family and for now I’m going to stick with it. I believe I have a lot to offer a team on and off the field and I know I will end up in the right place.

 

I'm surprised more players don't represent themselves in post-arb years. If you know your objective worth, and you know what kind of teams you want to sign with, why would you give an agent 10% of your contract? All agents really do is try to get the absolute max term and dollars, they could care less about the competitive situation of the team. It's all about their own commission. In a situation like Robertson's, the difference between what he'll negotiate for himself and what the absolute top dollar value might be is probably less than the agent's commission anyway. Good for him.

[Dr. Dinger]

Boras take

 

I smell ********. First of all, I don't believe any team would want Boras as a GM. More importantly, why would he want to be a GM? He can make way more money where he is, and he has total power.

[G-Snarls]

David Robertson will be representing himself this off season https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/10/david-robertson-why-im-representing-myself-in-free-agency.html

 

At this point in my life and career, no one else understands my wants and needs more than myself. After recognizing this, I made the decision to forgo using an agent since I no longer feel as though I need a middle man. I know what I want in a contract, I’m aware of what I can offer to teams, and teams are aware of my abilities.

 

I’m sure there is a lot of speculation regarding my choice. One thing I want to address is that this decision has nothing to do with my former agent. He is a great guy and has become a close friend of mine. He did a great job representing me for over a decade and I will always appreciate that. But I believe all players need to pay close attention to what they do and their own career path. I wouldn’t recommend self representation to just anyone – heck I wouldn’t recommend it to the majority of players. However, being a guy that’s hung around long enough to know what I can offer a team and what I would like in return, I feel I’m best suited to have all the discussions necessary to figure out my next contract.

 

A lot of people have and will question my decision. It’s not common to see a player take this path and I’m aware of that and the potential obstacles I may face by doing so. But in the end, I made this decision for myself and my family and for now I’m going to stick with it. I believe I have a lot to offer a team on and off the field and I know I will end up in the right place.

 

Boras won't like this either

[TheHurl]

Wouldn't he have to drop his clients?

 

I think CAA could keep them.

[TheHurl]

I smell ********. First of all, I don't believe any team would want Boras as a GM. More importantly, why would he want to be a GM? He can make way more money where he is, and he has total power.

 

I would imagine at one point in his career there were loads of offers. I doubt any would still stand today. And there is ego. Van Wagenen earned $25M in commissions last year alone. He is Baseball's 7th biggest agent (based off total contracts).