Spanky__99

Who you guys take... Smoaky only Jay! Discuss... Major League Baseball has announced the finalists for each position in each league for the 2018 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. Here they are: Pitchers AL: Cory Kluber (Indians), Dallas Keuchel (Astros), Masahiro Tanaka (Yankees) NL: Julio Teheran (Braves), Zack Greinke (Diamondbacks), Clayton Richard (Padres) Catchers AL: Yan Gomes (Indians), Martín Maldonado (Astros), Salvador Pérez (Royals) NL: Buster Posey (Giants), Yadier Molina (Cardinals), Manny Piña (Brewers) First basemen AL: Justin Smoak (Blue Jays), Matt Olson (Athletics), Mitch Moreland (Red Sox) NL: Joey Votto (Reds), Freddie Freeman (Braves), Anthony Rizzo (Cubs) Second basemen AL: Jed Lowrie (Athletics), Ian Kinsler (Red Sox), Rougned Odor (Rangers) NL: DJ LeMahieu (Rockies), Kolten Wong (Cardinals), Javier Báez (Cubs) Third basemen AL: Alex Bregman (Astros), José Ramírez (Indians), Matt Chapman (Athletics) NL: Nolan Arenado (Rockies), Anthony Rendon (Nationals), Travis Shaw (Brewers) Shortstops AL: Marcus Semien (Athletics), Andrelton Simmons (Angels), Francisco Lindor (Indians) NL: Freddy Galvis (Padres), Brandon Crawford (Giants), Nick Ahmed (Diamondbacks) Left fielders AL: Brett Gardner (Yankees), Alex Gordon (Royals), Andrew Benintendi (Red Sox) NL: Christian Yelich (Brewers), Corey Dickerson (Pirates), Adam Duvall (Braves) Center fielders AL: Adam Engel (White Sox), Mike Trout (Angels), Jackie Bradley, Jr. (Red Sox) NL: Billy Hamilton (Reds), Lorenzo Cain (Brewers), Ender Inciarte (Braves) Right fielders AL: Kole Calhoun (Angels), Mookie Betts (Red Sox), Aaron Judge (Yankees) NL: Jon Jay (Diamondbacks), Jason Heyward (Cubs), Nick Markakis (Braves) It’s quite interesting to note that some teams were very heavily represented. The Athletics’ entire infield was nominated, as were the outfields of the Red Sox and Braves.

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

lol https://sports.yahoo.com/andrew-wiggins-reportedly-asked-canadas-national-team-pay-play-191953873.html

He likely dropped it running... they turn to their hat if that's the case. This one's over. lol... more TD's thrown than incompletions.

Wat?

Just brutal, the refs are a joke, how do you miss that facemask?!

Hahahaha... see his mouthpiece fly into the air when he got hit, lol. Entertaining, aside from the zebras.

That was outstanding, even though it didn't count.

Mike Smith getting himself a sunburn, not his fault for most of them though. Fugly day, lol. Going to be tight, Maaahfaace.

This crew are terrible, lol.

That's incomplete.

Osweiler suxxxxxxxxx There's another botched call, Abom.

Ouch, the Mets are cursed, lol.

Heard this on PTS as well.

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/

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.

I just listened to him tell the story on PTS, pretty cool... also Joe Vendetta's quite dumn.

Jays have named him the manager, officially.

Atkins... I was hoping for Espada as he's 43, meh... seems good.

Sounds like a good hire...

Faaaaaaaaaaack!

lol... that's a flyball in most parks, Vasgersian.

Madson Suxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He only saw 16 minutes of ice time, don't get it.