Official MLB Discussion Thread

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by bigred760

I don't think they're the favorite, but like every year, they're definitely a contender.

Favorites don't mean anything to me. Just creates problems when you are. Expectations are a bitch. The Phillies should still be the "favorite"

[Erroneous]

Ryan Braun fucking cheated! He got off on a technical issue. He should have proved he was clean and re tested. I am not saying he was on anything. He could have taken the wrong food or powder or pill not knowing what is in it, but there was stuff in his body he is not allowed to have and got caught. He is guilty in my eyes. He better not have a drop off in production if he wants he lies to hold true. Selig was the old Brewers owner. I smell something rotten.

[The_alpz]

Braun is a total joke. He aruged privately that there was a breach in protocol but then when he talks about it publicly he says that something was done to the sample and he never took anything. Yet, his lawyers never argued the results or that it wasn't his sample. He looks like a total moron for thinking he can fool the public.

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by The_alpz

Braun is a total joke. He aruged privately that there was a breach in protocol but then when he talks about it publicly he says that something was done to the sample and he never took anything. Yet, his lawyers never argued the results or that it wasn't his sample. He looks like a total moron for thinking he can fool the public.

There was also a story that was leaked from his people starting he was on something for an STD and then this other technical thing came out. He is a lying plain and simple.

[The_alpz]

Yeah and when he was asked about it he said he has no STD of any kind.

[AspectRatio1986]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rzfjDCBJVo

A must watch for baseball fans

[Erroneous]

I am a Yankee fan, but what Bobby Valentine did was low even for him. If you missed it, he called out Youk for not being committed and basically lazy. Then Dustin Pedrioa defended Youk saying this is not how we do things around here. Dustin is 100% right. You don;t send messages to members of the team through the media like this. I can;t wait to see the team turn and Valentine and he get fired.

[Bourne101]

Bahahahaha... classic Red Sox collapse.

[Erroneous]

NO way Riveria can retire now. Such a great human. I hope he comes back.

[Erroneous]

NO Baseball fans here?

Former Yankee Melky is leading the NJ in hitting?> WHat??
Carlos Beltran 15 hrs and 41 rbis???? What
Josh Hamilton 21 hrs, 56 rbis. and .365 ave? near triple crown??? What???
Balt in first place??? What???
Wash, Reds and Dodgers in first?? What???
So many big name players just sucking so far this year starting to warm up??? OK

[Bourne101]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

Former Yankee Melky is leading the NJ in hitting?> WHat??

Was always a fan and knew he would eventually have a break out year when he settled down with a team that really wanted him. The Yankees just toyed with him, trying to figure out if they wanted him or Gardner.

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by Bourne101

Was always a fan and knew he would eventually have a break out year when he settled down with a team that really wanted him. The Yankees just toyed with him, trying to figure out if they wanted him or Gardner.

Not true at all. He is best friends with Cano and was always seen as a 4th outfielder and was holding Cano back. He went to the Braves and was cut. He was out of shape. Then he went to the Royals and got in shape and started to get serious about baseball. Now all his recent hard work is playing off.

[hoojib127]

I love how the Tigers always seem to fail to live up to expectations whenever they're favored for anything.

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by hoojib127

I love how the Tigers always seem to fail to live up to expectations whenever they're favored for anything.

Only the real teams can win when everyone says they are supposed to win

[Bourne101]

Since when do the former HR Derby champions pick the following year's Derby line-up? It will only lead to bad things. The Derby has never been about booing the hitters. It's about celebrating great hitting, having fun and cheering the players on so that they hit plenty of home runs for charity. Seriously, what fans boo a guy who, on his 9th out, has the opportunity to make a ton of money for charity? Then they proceeded to boo his family in the restroom.

[Erroneous]

KC is a classless city. I have no respect for all that they did. Not only did they boo cano the whole time, but harassed his family in the bathrooms. Why? Because he did not pick their scrub ass player for the home run derby. Losers. I believe bad fans teams dont win trophies.

[Erroneous]

Is it true that the #1 baseball seeds are on the road against the wild card team for the first 2 games? They did that in 1995 and it sucked. Baseball is just not smart.

[Erroneous]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...tired/related/

NBC’s own Rick Chandler has a fortified compound in the environs around Lake Tahoe, and each July he goes to the American Century Golf Celebrity Golf Championship. Jamie Moyer is there this year, and Rick talked to him. What’s the plan, Old Man Moyer?


“I’m not retired, I’m not retired. I’m just kind of laying in the weeds and just trying to figure out what’s going on,” Moyer said. “I’m just going to step back after the season and assess what’s going on, and see how I feel and go from there.

That’s the thing about baseball. Very rarely does it allow you to decide when you’re retired. It decides for you, and it seems that after about ten more years than anyone else gets in the game, it has decided that Moyer is retired. But hey, if he wants to try again he’s more than welcome. Everyone likes Jamie Moyer.

Especially David Justice, if the anecdote Moyer tells Rick is to be believed. Go check it out. I think it calls for someone to run a tracer on it to see if it really happened, but I want it to be true.

Jamie, you are not retired, but you should retire. There are no weeds. You are an old man who can not get it done anymore. Just give up the ghost and retire.

For the record, Bernie Williams never officially retired. He is still considered an active player. Odd fact

[Bourne101]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

Is it true that the #1 baseball seeds are on the road against the wild card team for the first 2 games?

Wait, what? How does that make any sense?

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by Bourne101

Wait, what? How does that make any sense?

Beats me. That is what I heard. I wonder if it is true. I rem in 95 when the Yanks played Seattle in the wild card round, the first two games when in the away yankees place. I heard this year is for only one year. Why? beats me

[horrorfreak13]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

Is it true that the #1 baseball seeds are on the road against the wild card team for the first 2 games? They did that in 1995 and it sucked. Baseball is just not smart.

It is because they added the wild card its done this way because the schedule was written up before they decided on adding the wild card hence that's why

[Erroneous]

For the record, I do not like Ichiro on the Yankees. I am not saying he might not do well. I am saying I do not like him.

[AspectRatio1986]

Melky Cabrera - now twice as much of a douchebag IMO. What a tool.

[Erroneous]

If FOXSports.com’s Jon Morosi is correct, the Red Sox and Dodgers have agreed to the following nine-player deal:

To L.A.: Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto
To Boston: Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Jerry Sands, Ivan De Jesus, James Loney

It’s not official yet, as the Red Sox still need Crawford and Beckett to waive their trade protection. However, here the breakdown of the deal:

Going to the Dodgers:

Adrian Gonzalez (1B, age 30): Of the three huge pieces getting sent the Dodgers’ way, Gonzalez is the one most teams would probably view as being worth his contract. He’s currently in the first year of his monster extension, so he’s due $127 million in the six years from 2013-18. While Gonzalez had a disappointing first half of 2012, he’s hit .338/.378/.593 with nine homers and 41 RBI in 37 games since the All-Star break. He also hit .338 last year in his first season with Boston. Needless to say, he’d be a huge upgrade over James Loney at first base in Los Angeles. He’d likely supplant Andre Ethier in the cleanup spot behind Matt Kemp.

Carl Crawford (LF, age 31): Crawford is out for the season after Tommy John surgery, so he won’t make any sort of immediate impact in Los Angeles. Still, he should be ready next year, and he played pretty well while healthy this year, hitting .282/.306/.479 with three homers in 117 at-bats. That was a big step forward from a tremendously disappointing first year in Boston. Crawford may yet have a couple of All-Star appearances going forward, but the Red Sox could essentially start over by shedding his contract. He’ll make $102.5 million from 2013-17. With Shane Victorino likely to leave in free agency, the Dodgers would use Crawford in left field next year.

Josh Beckett (SP, age 32): Beckett has turned into public enemy No. 1 in Boston of late, with the results to match; he’s 5-11 with a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts this season. Beckett, though, was one of the AL’s best pitchers just one year ago, finishing 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA in 30 starts in 2011. His velocity is down, so he’s not necessarily going to rebound completely in the National League. Still, he’d be a better bet than Aaron Harang or Joe Blanton in a postseason rotation. Beckett is owed $31.5 million for 2013-14. The Dodgers would have him replace Joe Blanton in the rotation.

Nick Punto (INF, age 34): Foolishly given a two-year, $3 million contract last winter, Punto has found himself made obsolete in Boston by Pedro Ciriaco‘s emergence. In Los Angeles, he’d join Luis Cruz and Juan Uribe in the mix at third base. Punto is hitting just .200/.301/.272 in 125 at-bats this season, but he is a plus defender at third and he hit .278/.388/.421 for the Cardinals last year.

Going to the Red Sox:

Rubby De La Rosa (SP, age 23): De La Rosa blossomed into a top prospect in 2011, jumping from Double-A to the majors and going 4-5 with a 3.71 ERA and a 60/31 K/BB ratio in 60 2/3 innings for the Dodgers. Unfortunately, he needed Tommy John surgery last August. He just returned this week, as the Dodgers activated him from the disabled list following a successful rehab stint. The Dodgers then sent him back down to the minors today, but that was a move to facilitate the trade; De La Rosa didn’t clear waivers, so he can only be included in the deal as a “player to be named” and he has to be in the minors to make that happen. Therefore, he won’t officially become Boston property until the season ends.

A short right-hander (5’11″) with a big mid-90s fastball and a quality changeup, De La Rosa has drawn some comparisons to Pedro Martinez. That’s overselling it, but he has No. 2 or 3 starter potential, and he should make an impact next year.

Allen Webster (SP, age 22): Webster, a right-hander with a very good sinker and a plus changeup, was the prospect the Cubs wanted from the Dodgers for Ryan Dempster. He’s gone 6-8 with a 3.55 ERA and a 117/57 K/BB ratio in 121 2/3 innings for Double-A Chattanooga this season. Most impressive is that he’s allowed just one homer all year. He and fellow righty Zach Lee were prospects 1 and 1a in the Dodger farm system. Most prefer Lee, but I like Webster a bit better.

Jerry Sands (1B/OF, age 24): It seemed obvious that Sands should be in the deal, given that he plays the positions that will be occupied by Gonzalez and Crawford in Los Angeles. His stock is down since he’s hit a modest .244/.325/.376 with 60 strikeouts in 221 major league at-bats to date. He also lacks defensive value. Still, as a right-handed doubles hitter, he could work out nicely in Fenway. He’ll get a long look over the rest of the year to determine whether he fits into the plans for 2013. I’m skeptical that he’s a long-term regular, but it can’t be ruled out.

Ivan De Jesus (INF, age 25): De Jesus is essentially a junior Nick Punto. It’s doubtful that he’ll hit enough to be of use as a regular, but he’s a fine infielder with a history of pretty good OBPs in the minors. Oddly, his walk rate is well down in Triple-A this year, as he’s hit .295/.333/.415 with a 53/14 K/BB ratio in 224 at-bats for Albuquerque. Last year, he came in at .310/.389/.432 with the same club.

James Loney (1B, age 28): The Dodgers certainly have no further use for Loney after making the deal, and they probably forced the Red Sox to take him on for salary purposes. The Red Sox almost surely will let him leave as a free agent this winter if they don’t simply release him before then, so there’s no 2013 commitment here. Loney has hit .254/.403/.344 in 334 at-bats this season, leaving him with a .284/.341/.423 career line. Maybe the Red Sox will give him a shot, but it’d make more sense to play Sands, Mauro Gomez and maybe Ryan Lavarnway at first base.

In making the trade, the Red Sox would shed $58.25 million in 2013 salaries, without taking on anyone making more than the minimum. They’re left with just $42.375 million in obligations for 2013 (John Lackey, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz), plus about $32.5 million for 10 arbitration-eligible players. That should make them big players in free agency, and it also gives them plenty of flexibility to make Jacoby Ellsbury a big offer this winter before he hits free agency after 2013.

This is just a crazy deal and as a Yankee fan, I don't like it. I wanted the Red Sux to be stuck with these players (dead weight) for years to come. Will prob workout well for the Dodgers. I am betting Elsbury still leaves. Maybe the Yankees offer him a lot of money jsut to up his price. The Mets woudl be stupid not to make an offer to this guy

[Erroneous]

I know Mike Trout has had an awesome year, but Miguel Cabrera has been doing this for years. He is a hr away from a triple crown. He is the MVP

[horrorfreak13]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

I know Mike Trout has had an awesome year, but Miguel Cabrera has been doing this for years. He is a hr away from a triple crown. He is the MVP

They both have had great years I think it comes down to if either of Detroit or the Angels make the playoffs or not. Some people might not like it but if one is in and one isnt but voters do look at that

I see the argument for both players both have had great seasons I wont have an issue if either win it

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by horrorfreak13

They both have had great years I think it comes down to if either of Detroit or the Angels make the playoffs or not. Some people might not like it but if one is in and one isnt but voters do look at that

I see the argument for both players both have had great seasons I wont have an issue if either win it

Miguel should get it one year. He is like Marty B of the Devils. Took years before he started getting awards

Starting from last year his rank in the mvp voting
5
2
4
13
15
5
5
22
27 rookie year

Thats pretty fucking good. This year he is the triple crown leader as of today. And I hate Detriot lol MC is the best player in baseball

[horrorfreak13]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

Miguel should get it one year. He is like Marty B of the Devils. Took years before he started getting awards

Starting from last year his rank in the mvp voting
5
2
4
13
15
5
5
22
27 rookie year

Thats pretty fucking good. This year he is the triple crown leader as of today. And I hate Detriot lol MC is the best player in baseball

Not saying he shouldnt get it I think he does if I feel he deserves it which there's a case he does deserve it same with Mike Trout who is just as deserving but if the Angels make the playoffs and the Tigers dont doesnt help Cabrera's case no matter what he does there's also the chance that both teams could make it too still

Marty B took years until he got awards because well he played with many years along with Roy and Hasek not a sign of disrespect just years where there were guys that were just better than him

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by horrorfreak13

Not saying he shouldnt get it I think he does if I feel he deserves it which there's a case he does deserve it same with Mike Trout who is just as deserving but if the Angels make the playoffs and the Tigers dont doesnt help Cabrera's case no matter what he does there's also the chance that both teams could make it too still

Marty B took years until he got awards because well he played with many years along with Roy and Hasek not a sign of disrespect just years where there were guys that were just better than him

As a Marty fan, I took it as disrespect. There were years when his numbers were better than those who won the award.

I do not agree it is up to who makes the playoffs. MVP does not mean MVP anymore. It is about numbers.

[horrorfreak13]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

I do not agree it is up to who makes the playoffs. MVP does not mean MVP anymore. It is about numbers.

If that was the case Kemp would have won the NL MVP his numbers were better than Braun's was he didnt win because the Dodgers were nowhere close to the playoffs

And must I remind you about Bautista's numbers 2 years ago were far above anyone else's he didnt win for the same reasons Jays werent close to the playoffs trust me that matters

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by horrorfreak13

If that was the case Kemp would have won the NL MVP his numbers were better than Braun's was he didnt win because the Dodgers were nowhere close to the playoffs

And must I remind you about Bautista's numbers 2 years ago were far above anyone else's he didnt win for the same reasons Jays werent close to the playoffs trust me that matters

They were not that much better. It was a judgement call

People believe Bautista cheats.

I will remind you Arod won it when with Texas and they were in last place

[horrorfreak13]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

They were not that much better. It was a judgement call

People believe Bautista cheats.

I will remind you Arod won it when with Texas and they were in last place

Bautista that year lead in HRs, 3rd in rbis(2 behind Cabrera) 3rd in SLG%, 4th in OPS and tied for 6th in WAR

And Bautista was the only one to even hit 40 despite hitting 54 HRs that year which he proved last year and this year wasnt a fluke, or cheats or has this mysterious guy in white shirt that sits in the 500 level that waves his arm that tells him what pitch he is (I wonder what's the excuse then in Minnesota since he has more HRs in that park than pretty much anybody that plays there)

And yes I remember A-Roid won it when he was in Texas and they were awful thats been the only exception only because his stats were far above everyone else this year Cabrera and Trout are both worthy I wont be upset whichever of them win

As for the rest

AL Cy Young David Price barely over Weaver has him beat badly in Ks and barely in ERA

NL Cy Young R.A. Dickey Leads in Ks, 2nd in ERA and only other serious candidate is Gio and Dickey has him beat in every other stat but wins which is by 1

AL rookie and NL rookies are no contest its Trout and Harper and it isnt even close

NL MVP give me some time to think about that one would have been McCutchen with ease t=but thats until the Pirates collapsed eek I dont know if they will really considering giving it to Braun this year

[Erroneous]

I dont think Dickey gets it. The media tends not to side with knuckleballers and the mets suck. Gio at least is on a winning team.

[horrorfreak13]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

I dont think Dickey gets it. The media tends not to side with knuckleballers and the mets suck. Gio at least is on a winning team.

Dickey has Gio beat in every stat but wins he deserves to get it and those awards being on a winning team doesnt matter its best pitcher not most valuable pitcher there's a difference

If Gio's had Dickey beat in either ERA, K's or WHIP I could see it but Dickey has him beat in all 3

wins is the most misleading stat for a pitcher

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by horrorfreak13

Dickey has Gio beat in every stat but wins he deserves to get it and those awards being on a winning team doesnt matter its best pitcher not most valuable pitcher there's a difference

If Gio's had Dickey beat in either ERA, K's or WHIP I could see it but Dickey has him beat in all 3

wins is the most misleading stat for a pitcher

So is the fact the Dickey plays in a pitcher's ballpark.

inside the numbers
Splits
RA Dickey
Home 10-3 Away 10-3
ERA 2.59 H 2.81 a
GS 17 h 15a
Opp B Ave .211 h .241 a
H 94 h 91a
ER 36 h 32a


Gio G
9-4 h 12-4 a
ERA 2.38h 3.31a
GS 14 h 18a
opp b ave .202h .208a
h 67h 82a
er 24 h 40a

What does it mean?
For Gio: He has more games started and won on the road and a lower ERA at home, he has a lower opp batting ave for both home and away and gives up less hits, earned runs at home.

For Dickey: He has a lower ERA on the road, started more at home, and has given up less Earned runs on the road.


Plus for Gio, his games mean more, because they are in first place. The Mets have been a joke since the all star break. I do not believe wins are a miss leading stat. There are times when it can be, but in the real world across every industry stats do not lie. This is not the case like Felix a couple years ago when he was losing games 1-0.

They both have about the same wins against playoff teams and last place teams.

[horrorfreak13]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

So is the fact the Dickey plays in a pitcher's ballpark.

inside the numbers
Splits
RA Dickey
Home 10-3 Away 10-3
ERA 2.59 H 2.81 a
GS 17 h 15a
Opp B Ave .211 h .241 a
H 94 h 91a
ER 36 h 32a


Gio G
9-4 h 12-4 a
ERA 2.38h 3.31a
GS 14 h 18a
opp b ave .202h .208a
h 67h 82a
er 24 h 40a

What does it mean?
For Gio: He has more games started and won on the road and a lower ERA at home, he has a lower opp batting ave for both home and away and gives up less hits, earned runs at home.

For Dickey: He has a lower ERA on the road, started more at home, and has given up less Earned runs on the road.


Plus for Gio, his games mean more, because they are in first place. The Mets have been a joke since the all star break. I do not believe wins are a miss leading stat. There are times when it can be, but in the real world across every industry stats do not lie. This is not the case like Felix a couple years ago when he was losing games 1-0.

They both have about the same wins against playoff teams and last place teams.

Its quite interesting no its not like Felix a few years back The one thing that favors Dickey is Gio gets more run support per start than Dickey does

Gio's is 5.38 2nd in the NL(1st is Lance Lynn 5.75 which might make is 17-7 record a bit more misleading than it really is) Dickey's is 4.66 which is 13th in the NL

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by horrorfreak13

Its quite interesting no its not like Felix a few years back The one thing that favors Dickey is Gio gets more run support per start than Dickey does

Gio's is 5.38 2nd in the NL(1st is Lance Lynn 5.75 which might make is 17-7 record a bit more misleading than it really is) Dickey's is 4.66 which is 13th in the NL

Run support is as misleading as wins. I was not in favor of felix winning a couple years back. If you know you team's offense sucks, you better pitch better to win.

It is a lot harder to win when you are expected to win or have to win for your team. Dickey has never been in that place this year. Dickey has been winning for himself.

13th is not all that bad. 13 out of what 64 full time starting pitchers in the nl? And again, Dickey does pitch in a pitchers park. Considering his ERA 4.66 runs a game means he should win almost all his games

[jaw2929]

Watch Oakland win it all this year!

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by jaw2929

Watch Oakland win it all this year!

It will be interesting. Moneyball has never won a series.

[labialover]

I don't think Gio has a chance at winning the Cy. Dickey, Cueto, and Kershaw. Possibly the reliever from the Braves. Seems like Posey has the MVP locked up, Harper or Miley for ROY, and Davey Johnson as Manager.

AL Cy, Price or Verlander. Manager, Showalter. ROY is obvious. MVP, still havent the slightest clue, both men are having historic seasons.