Around Baseball 2022

[jaysblue]

MLB probably has the most conservative fan and player base. NBA very left wing. NFL probably close to the middle. Not sure on hockey but if you want to include it US fans are probably the most conservative of any sport. MLB and NBA writers are to the left of Karl Marx.

 

Agree with everything you said. I would say both the MLB and NHL have a very conservative fan and player base. NBA is very left wing out of them all for both players and fans. NFL is in the middle in terms of players, but I would say fans are more conservative/center and just want to be entertained instead of having politics injected into the game.

[jaysblue]

My son is on a cross country trip from Utah to NY. Had 4 stops for bb games at stadiums. Went to Coors last night. KC tonight. What a great thing except someone smashed his/ny car window outside the stadium and stole all the stuff in there. PS5 included. I know he’s a douche and left it visible. He’s denying it but I don’t think someone would take the risk for nothing. Maybe in this high crime era idk but f*** KC. I hate it now

 

Sorry to hear that. I had my Xbox One X stolen a couple of months ago.

[WryNGinger]

Was randomly wondering how Semien was doing this year... A .432 OPS so far this year. I know he sometimes gets off to slow starts but that is crazy.

[Brownie19]

I still find it crazy that David Price is simply a low leverage reliver now...

[Omar]

Was randomly wondering how Semien was doing this year... A .432 OPS so far this year. I know he sometimes gets off to slow starts but that is crazy.

 

Watching his ab's this year it seems he can't catch up to the fastball. Zero HR and we are past the middle of May! Bullet dodged!

[Jimcanuck]

Was randomly wondering how Semien was doing this year... A .432 OPS so far this year. I know he sometimes gets off to slow starts but that is crazy.

 

He got paid!

[Ehjays]

At least Royce Lewis is trying to lift my spirits

 

Not to knock your spirits but...........

 

Twins Option Royce Lewis

By Steve Adams | May 18, 2022 at 7:52am CDT

 

Royce Lewis homered and doubled in last night’s loss to the A’s, boosting his slash line through his first 11 big league games to .308/.325/.564 — but the Twins nevertheless optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul last night in order to pave the way for Carlos Correa’s activation from the 10-day injured list, manager Rocco Baldelli announced after the game (link via Dan Hayes of The Athletic). Baldelli naturally acknowledged that Lewis had made the decision “difficult” with his play and suggested that the Twins will use this run in Triple-A to “move [Lewis] around the field” and “get him a little bit of exposure at some different spots.”

 

Lewis’ glovework at shortstop has long been a question among scouts, with some viewing a move to the outfield as an eventual necessity. The 22-year-old made a pair of errors in his 99 innings at shortstop but also made several highlight-reel plays in his tiny sample of work. The Twins very likely still view him as a shortstop in the long run, but Correa is arguably the game’s best defender at the position, so Lewis will use a potentially brief run through Triple-A to get his feet wet at other positions while also further honing his skills at short.

 

Lewis does have some limited experience at other positions but has played exclusively at shortstop in 2022 — his first season of game action since way back in 2019. The 2020 season was lost for all minor leaguers, and Lewis missed the 2021 campaign due to a torn ACL. He logged a dozen games at third base, five in center field and four at second base during the 2019 Arizona Fall League, but he’s never played a position other than shortstop outside that AFL run. That Lewis was able to hit the ground running both in Triple-A and in the Majors after what amounts to more than two years away from game activity is a testament to the upside and talent that prompted Minnesota to select him with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2017.

 

It’s still undoubtedly a deflating move for Lewis and for Twins fans, even if the move is short-term in nature. Correa, however, will return to the lineup and give the club a premier defensive player and overall MVP-caliber talent whose bat had begun to heat up just prior to the hit-by-pitch that ultimately landed him on the 10-day IL. The 27-year-old is hitting .255/.320/.372 overall but raked at a .412/.444/.588 pace in the nine games preceding his injury.

 

As for where Lewis will slot in when he does return, the Twins will have multiple options. First base has been the biggest hole in their lineup, with both Miguel Sano and prospect Jose Miranda floundering at the plate. Utilityman Luis Arraez has begun to slot in at first base with more regularity, however, and the Twins surely still have hope that outfielder/first baseman Alex Kirilloff — like Lewis, a longtime top prospect both in the system and in the league as a whole — will right the ship in Triple-A and be able to play a larger role there.

 

Across the diamond, third base could be a more viable fit. Gio Urshela has made some strong defensive plays but ranks about average with the glove according to most public metrics. He’s also hitting just .226/.280/.330 in 118 trips to the plate — production (or lack thereof) that would eventually jeopardize his place in the lineup even if he were producing outstanding numbers on the defensive side of the coin. Minnesota left fielders, meanwhile, are hitting .236/.294/.341 on the season, due in large part to Kirilloff’s struggles prior to his wrist injury and to Nick Gordon’s tepid .250/.292/.309 output (most of which has come while playing left field).

 

Being uncertain where they’ll ultimately slot Lewis back into the mix is the quintessential “good problem to have” for a team. It’ll be worth keeping a keen eye on just where Lewis is lining up across the river in St. Paul, as that could foreshadow some other decisions pertaining to the big league roster. Lewis will technically need to remain with the Saints for at least 10 days now that he’s been optioned, although the Twins can easily get around that minimum by recalling Lewis as the corresponding move for an injury if they see fit.

[jaysblue]

I still find it crazy that David Price is simply a low leverage reliver now...

 

He's on the Dodgers haha. I imagine on another team, he would be used as a back end of the rotation starter.

 

Still kind of sad to see him fall so much from his days of being an elite starter. That 2015 season he was amazing!

[jaysblue]

Watching his ab's this year it seems he can't catch up to the fastball. Zero HR and we are past the middle of May! Bullet dodged!

 

I had an opportunity to trade Semien for Gasuman this offseason and turned it down. Regretting it big time now.

[connorp]

What a s*** move by Min with Lewis. Obviously I’m biased but still. Can’t imagine we’d be happy as Jay fans if we had a stud legit top prospect come up raking for an injured Bo, then sent him back to Siberia when a lot of other positions he could play at aren’t hitting for s***. While competing. Blah

[Jimcanuck]

What a s*** move by Min with Lewis. Obviously I’m biased but still. Can’t imagine we’d be happy as Jay fans if we had a stud legit top prospect come up raking for an injured Bo, then sent him back to Siberia when a lot of other positions he could play at aren’t hitting for s***. While competing. Blah

 

Sorry, not sorry.

[John Balkabella]

Someone’s got to leave a mediocre fastball up and in on Semien very soon. Right?

 

Right?

[Terminator]

Someone’s got to leave a mediocre fastball up and in on Semien very soon. Right?

 

Right?

 

No way he's this bad. He's probably pressing after signing his big contract. He's not going to have another year like 2021 again and I think everyone knew that but he should still be a good player moving forward. I guess it's possible he simply pulls a Chris Davis and just sucks now but I doubt it.

[wilko]

No way he's this bad. He's probably pressing after signing his big contract. He's not going to have another year like 2021 again and I think everyone knew that but he should still be a good player moving forward. I guess it's possible he simply pulls a Chris Davis and just sucks now but I doubt it.

 

That would suck if he's cooked. He's pressing for sure.. he's serious about his work so I bet the combination of him not doing well so far and the huge contract is driving him crazy.

[John Balkabella]

Right now, Semien proving you CAN mess with Texas.

[Omar]

That would suck if he's cooked. He's pressing for sure.. he's serious about his work so I bet the combination of him not doing well so far and the huge contract is driving him crazy.

 

In the last decade he has had an ops over .800 a grand total of two times. Suck on that Texas.

[L54]

I think Semien might just suck to be honest. Jays dodged a bullet there

[P2F]

 

This f***ing guy is elite! So much fun watching him destroy the hopes and dreams of hitters everywhere.

[G-Snarls]

Bryce Harper might be scrapping his plans of trying to be a full time DH while he gets platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33940144/philadelphia-phillies-say-rf-bryce-harper-throw-least-six-weeks

[jaysblue]

I think Semien might just suck to be honest. Jays dodged a bullet there

 

After his 2021 season, did you or any other Jays fan think he sucked? Granted, I think most realized he wasn't going to come close to repeating his 2021 season and there was going to be regression. Texas went all out and paid the guy a huge contract thinking they'll get the 2021 Semien every season, when in reality the Jays and other organizations knew they weren't going to get that production again. So yeah kind of glad the Jays did dodge a bullet.

 

I know he's off to an awful start, but he'll figure it out. He'll probably finish with a .240 average, between 20-25 HR's and 70-80 RBI with a .750 OPS when all is said and done. I'm sure he'll have some seasons where he has an OPS above .800 with 30+ HR's once he settles in Texas.

[Daniel Labude]

Bryce Harper might be scrapping his plans of trying to be a full time DH while he gets platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33940144/philadelphia-phillies-say-rf-bryce-harper-throw-least-six-weeks

 

Huh?

[Ehjays]

[G-Snarls]

Huh?

 

Harper hasn't played in the outfield since April 16 due to an elbow injury. He has been used as a designated hitter since. He started getting platelet rich plasma injections in his elbow. He felt so good after statring the treatment this past weekend that he told the team he wanted to continue to play as designated hitter, but so far they have not let him do so.

 

His 2022 wRC+ 172 bat is tough to bench for 6 weeks but they might have to.

[connorp]

 

That’s pretty crazy when you think of it

 

Well…unless it was just somewhere near their section and someone gave it to them

[Ehjays]

Chris Paddack Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

By Anthony Franco | May 18, 2022 at 6:32pm CDT

 

Twins starter Chris Paddack underwent Tommy John surgery today, the team informed reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press). It’s the second such procedure of his career, as he previously went under the knife as a Padres prospect back in 2016.

 

It’s obviously a disappointing development for both the pitcher and the team. Minnesota just acquired Paddack from the Padres on the eve of Opening Day, relinquishing closer Taylor Rogers and corner outfielder Brent Rooker to secure three years of his services (as well as reliever Emilio Pagán). The hope was that Paddack would add some depth to a rotation that had its fair share of injury concerns, but his first season in Minnesota comes to a close after five outings.

[Ehjays]

[Spanky__99]

Bryce Harper might be scrapping his plans of trying to be a full time DH while he gets platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33940144/philadelphia-phillies-say-rf-bryce-harper-throw-least-six-weeks

 

What you talking 'bout Willis? I liked this part of the article, prime example of why letting pitchers hit was stupid...

 

Harper likely would have spent a chunk of the season on the injured list had the National League not adopted the designated hitter this season. Girardi said there was a chance the Phillies might have carried him on the roster as a pinch hitter.

[Daniel Labude]

Harper hasn't played in the outfield since April 16 due to an elbow injury. He has been used as a designated hitter since. He started getting platelet rich plasma injections in his elbow. He felt so good after statring the treatment this past weekend that he told the team he wanted to continue to play as designated hitter, but so far they have not let him do so.

 

His 2022 wRC+ 172 bat is tough to bench for 6 weeks but they might have to.

 

He is sitting out because of the pain resulting from the treatment. He will be back this week. It was always known when he started the treatment he would miss a few games. He has DHd all season as well. Only 8 games in the field

[Terminator]

Orioles Yanks game is tied 3-3 entering the Top of the 6th. Hyde lets Zimmerman pitch a 3rd time through the order and now the bases are juiced with no outs.

[Stangstag]

Orioles Yanks game is tied 3-3 entering the Top of the 6th. Hyde lets Zimmerman pitch a 3rd time through the order and now the bases are juiced with no outs.

 

Aaaand Orioles almost got out of it but IKF hits a ground ball that JUST gets through the left side