Brownie19

Bo - you beautiful SOB. Heart and soul guy. Let's f***ing go.

You think they were going to give Bo anything to hit with 1st base open? They buzzed the Tower on purpose and almost killed him. f*** the Rays. Benches are going to clear a couple of times over the next few days.

Let's f***ING go!

Put away the tinfoil hats and just enjoy the ride guys...

I don't think it's fair to just claim the team is full of great hitters so this guy deserves no credit. Or to take a SSS like yesterdays game and blame him for it. He was hired in 2018 and the teams wRC+ has gone from 21st in MLB in 2019 to 13th in 2020 to 2nd overall in 2021 and 2022. I don't love cherry picking guys to make a point, but guys like Kirk, Jansen, Chapman and even Biggio are all exceeding expectations (offensively) in my mind this year while he's overseen the transformation of Teo from league average to a stud. I'm not willing to discredit him for what Vlad is today. At very least, the broadcasters could mention his name a few more time.

I think this man brings up a fair point. I didn't even know Guillermo Martinez was the hitting coach. This team has 7 players with a wRC+ > 120. That's insanely good. He deserves some recognition.

That's pretty incredible.

I suspect it will remain distasteful to rip things that Buck says for the foreseeable future, but YIKES!

I'm actually shocked that teams aren't already flip flopping their stud defensive SS back an forth based on who's batting.

Gallo just needed to get out the s*** hole that is NYC.

I thought soccer was the most popular sport in the world because it was really affordable for kids to play and because anyone can generally run around and kick a ball with relative success. Sports like hockey cost a ton, while sports like baseball and golf can be very difficult for kids to play and enjoy at a young age. I'm not sure if shorter baseball games will increase popularity, but I still do think it's good for the game. Shaving 20 minutes off each game is a move in the right direction and improving the pace of play will make it more enjoyable for those watching.

I hate this s***. If there's a rule, then it's the umpires job to implement it. End of story. No more cherry picking ********. Be better or find another job Blue.

I think they need to remove that from the game. The fielder shouldn't be able to do this. In an important game, what stops the 3rd baseman from taking it 1 step further and putting both knees and his upper body in front of 3rd? Or a catcher sitting on the plate like that guy did this year in the minors? Sure the runner can spike the f*** out of him, but if it's in Game 7 of the WS, then the 3rd baseman is likely to be willing to pay the price. It's dumb - runner needs full access to the bag. Tag him properly.

I'd be curious to see how this changed from one year to the next (I think they've had the pitch clock in the minors for a few years now haven't they?). I would expect it may start out as an issue, but quickly evaporate as players adjust to it. No different than the issues with the take out slides at 2nd base when that new rule came into place.

This is spot on - and it really is an easy fix. You can't block the plate. Period. Stand wherever the f*** you want, but if your body interferes with the runner, then he's safe. (you also can't block any other base). With that said - on a throw from the OFer to a base that ends up in the base path - who has the right of way? Does the runner have to allow the fielder to catch the ball? or does the fielder have to give the base path to the runner? I think it's the later right? The runner often can't see the throw. It's obviously the reverse on a ground ball hit in the infield.

I'd argue that RHB simply had it easier than LHB...this just levels the playing field.

Strip is our new Marco Estrada. A little 2 year extension would be ideal. More importantly - how in the f*** is Zack Wheeler's sinker on that list? It seems incredibly rare to see a type of fastball generating that high of a chase rate isn't it?

I wonder how many times teams have used 4 OFers this year? I know that in addition to creating more outs, it also helps to prevent extra base hits. I agree that more extreme shift bans would have more extreme results, but I suspect they'll start here, see how it goes and then adjust if they feel it's still necessary. There was talk of creating a Bermuda triangle behind 2nd base that no player could stand in before the pitch it thrown. That would be the obvious next iteration if this first approach is well received, but felt not to be drastic enough. I think removing the infielder from short RF will also help as it feels like you see a decent amount of outs made by that player each week.

MLB needs to add changes to the catcher/plate blocking rule FFS. They can't go through another season with that "clear as mud" rule.

I don't really have an issue with any of these rules. Bring on change!

That's all fair and I wasn't trying to include LT deals into the discussion (although that's a consideration for sure). I can't imagine a world where both Bo and Vlad are gone by '26. I fully expect Vlad to make the adjustments and settle in as a 145-160 wRC+ hitter. We've seen someone like Bryce Harper go from 197 wRC+ at 22 to a 111 wRC+ at 23 and then settle in as a great hitter in the 155 wRC+ range. Vlad is too talented to "just be" a 130-135 wRC+ hitter IMO. I also think Bo's defense will continue to improve. He works too hard for it not to IMO. I fully expect we'll lock them both up and they will be our cornerstones, for better or for worse.

-4.5 BsR (twice as bad as last year)...and it's 1st base, it's not that hard (source - I played 1st base for the past 15 years with a dad bod). I'm just stirring the pot, but this was a massive discussion point after the 2020 season and we were getting all these updates about how he's working harder than anyone in the world to get in better shape - and the results were obvious. Then after his breakout season, where he announced to MLB that he's a bad, bad man and one of the best young hitters in the game - I heard almost nothing about his fitness/weight again. I don't recall many updates over the winter or reports that he's wants more and is working out as hard as ever. For someone as large as him, it's going to take consistent hard work and effort to maintain his fitness (probably until he retires). I'm a tad worried that he busted his ass after the 2020 season, patted himself on the back and has fallen back to a more relaxed level (which may be the difference between being a top 5 hitter in MLB to a top 50 hitter). I really hope I'm wrong, but I'm a bit surprised that seemingly nobody talked about it this offseason or has brought it up during this season's struggles.

what's Vlad's weight at right now and what was it at last year? Is it causing an issue?

Andre was a f***ing gem. RIP big man.

I thought they had to be on the roster by September 1st or something. Maybe that was players being traded through waiver claims and such. A flame throwing Nate Pearson could absolutely be a difference maker in the playoffs. That's exciting.