Brownie19

His wRC+ has gone up in every month this season. 213 wRC+ in the 2nd half so far (115 PAs). Personally, I'm OK with the doll-hairs. I think it was the right move to get him locked up before he hit free agency. He still drives me nuts and I've never been able to be a big "fan" of his, but the guy is going to be an elite hitter for the foreseeable future IMO.

He's just asking what the cutoff is in terms of how rich and famous you have to be for people to cover up your crimes. Clase isn't some nobody rookie.

Very strong win for the Jays. Clement just keeps finding a way to contribute. I remember in the offseason when fans were suggesting a Ha-Seong Kim signing and some (not me) suggested we already had our version of him who makes next to nothing in Clement. How awesome is it to see that play out to be true. Love it.

That's one of the least surprising things I've read today. Stro has been a douchebag for years.

I mean - they have been incredible in the DSL. .339/.445/.556 with a 157 wRC+ in 227 PA's. 11% BB rate, 17% K rate - all as a 17 year old...

That was generally my take as well. Ohtani may also have been unaware of all the money transfers and such. And I mean - wasn't there a legal trail for the interpreter? Shouldn't we assume the facts were provided and a judge/jury listened to both sides and made a decision? Personally - I'm just not sure it's conclusive enough to form a firm opinion and declare the guy is this massive villain who should be universally hated. I'm going to move on...

Yeah that started last year. ISO 2023 - 0.043 ISO 2024 - 0.243 ISO 2025 - 0.324 It's too bad he can't stay healthy. It would have been ideal for him to move up to AA this year in his age 22 season...

I just read he has more kills than home runs in his career. He was planted in America to expand the Yakuza crime family internationally.

I agree with all of that. But that still doesn't make me hate him, nor do I think that makes him universally hated and some villain within MLB.

I honestly don't know anyone who hates Ohtani except you Grant. I'm on a baseball diamond 6+ nights a week, and have lots of baseball chat groups. I think it's fair to question and wonder what really happened with the betting, but I haven't seen or heard enough to draw any conclusions - certainly not with enough evidence that I'd completely change my opinion of him and now hate him. For all you know, his interpreter agreed to take the fall and will be paid millions for doing it. If he voluntarily did that - why would I care? Or you know, maybe he as guilty in the first place? I guess if Ohtani was guilty and he used his money to ensure his interpreter was found guilty to clear his name and the interpreter is getting nothing out of all of this, then yeah - that's bad, but I haven't seen much to prove me that's what happened.

Having 3 Top 50 prospects is pretty cool.

Man - your hate for Ohtani is next level Grant. Claiming he's a "universally hated villain" in the Flu thread sure is something.

That just means that statistically, we're due!

Blair talked about this today as obviously people are taking pot shots at her for finishing 13th on the day. She's a replacement ump (which I didn't know) who's filling in for a ML guy. Therefore, you should expect she's one one of the worst. She's a AAA ump. If she finished 5th overall, that would look bad on the ML umps as they should be better than her... otherwise, she's umpiring at the wrong level. Makes sense to me.

Interestingly enough - the Tigers did this with Troy Melton before he was called up to the big leagues. He made a couple relief appearances, during which he still threw innings/pitches like a starter would. The Jays may be doing this as an insurance policy (which would make a ton of sense). Or maybe they are considering a callup. Who knows. He'd have to be added to the 40 man by August 31st to be playoff eligible. I think there's a reasonable possibility that at least happens. Yesavage looks super polished.

It sounds like the playoffs are a crapshoot to me. The "favourite" in each matchup will likely be expected to win about 55% of the time.

To be clear, I wasn't suggesting the primary reason Hoffman wasn't pulled was "because he's your horse and you gotta trust him". I was just suggesting that's a secondary consideration. I do agree that depleting the bullpen and screwing yourself over should the game go to extras was also a factor. That's a good call. I agree with your detailed post below.

I'm not saying that managers shouldn't have a "feel" for the game, but I'd be curious to see which managers (if any) are consistently correct when they go with their "feelings" instead of playing the odds (ie, the spreadsheet). My gut tells me most aren't actually very good at it and they probably cost their teams as much as they help them. Likely no way of testing this though unfortunately. And of course, it's one thing to go against the odds, when the odds are 48% v. 52% or something marginal, v. going against the odds when they are 30% v. 70%. I wonder how many decisions like this they make per game...interesting topic.

Sorry dude, but that's not a good comparison at all. Those 2 situations aren't even remotely close.

I don't think I already said this previously? But yes, if you make that move after the first walk in the 9th, then I agree. Was it painfully obvious he ought to have been pulled there (I didn't watch the 8th or the start of the 9th)? Obviously some feel that it was, but he's supposed to be your horse, so I'm not sure everyone is pulling him after a leadoff walk (even if you do have the 2 walks he allowed in the 8th in the back of your mind). After he walks the 2nd batter - that's when the 3 batter rule becomes a major factor. Do you pray Hoffman finds it, or put in Nance, knowing that means he has to face Ohtani (if he doesn't get a DP). There's also a phycological aspect to this that plays some role. I believe most managers will give their "closer" more rope to instill that confidence in them. Anyway - I'm glad it worked out. I also just realized that Nance actually has reverse splits for his career, so maybe you do pull Hoffman after the 2nd walk and ride or die with Nance, even if he has to face Ohtani. Nance has been great this year, but he's a career journeyman. Journeyman or one of the best arms in your pen who on adjustment away (to find his release point) from being nasty again - that's the dilemma I guess. Fans aren't always going to agree with the manager in that situation, nor is a manager always going to get that decision right. That's baseball IMO. Even when he does make the change - and it works - and we win - the manager still takes sh*t from fans. Fans far too often believe they know best.

I thought that was explained yesterday by someone on here quite well. The 3 batter rule plays a huge role in it. You either had Nance facing Ohtani, or you hoped Hoffman found his release point (which RPers often do). I mean - pick your poison. Easy to criticize in hindsight.

That is probably one of the craziest stats of 2025. Naylor has 3rd percentile speed at 24.5 ft/s. For comparison, Kirk has 2nd percentile speed at 24.1 ft/s. Last year, Kirk's speed was better than Naylor at 24.7 ft/s and he's never even attempted a stolen base... Naylor has 11 SB's in 15 games in Seattle. That's insane. WTF is going on? Great catch to notice this jaysblue!

To be honest, I actually think the umpires do a pretty good job at this. I agree - it feels like it's just a guess because it happens so fast, but I'm always amazed at how accurate they seem to be once they show the replay. Obviously they still screw up (as they did last night), but they probably get it correct 90% of the time.

The rule is actually that you can't stand on the mound without the ball and my understanding is that any part of the dirt is considered the "mound"...