MLB Thread

[CheshireCat]

Guys, please remember our Politics Policy and that it also applies to any discussion of the All Star Game.

[Calvada]

The Braves beat the Brewers, so I guess I want them to win it all so I can console myself that the Brew Crew was beaten by the eventual champions.  I'd feel even worse about their season ending the way it did if the Braves got swept in the next round.  Plus Jim Powell is part of the Braves radio broadcast team and I spent a lot of years listening to him call Brewers games with Uecker.  One of several guys who worked with Uecker and went on to be the primary radio voice for another MLB team - the list includes Pat Hughes with Cubs, Cory Provus with the Twins, and Joe Block with the Pirates. 

I wish Henry Aaron was here for this.  Hank is remembered so fondly in Wisconsin and he always spoke highly about his two stints in Wisconsin with the Braves and the Brewers.  He appreciated the fans here and we certainly appreciated him. We know how happy and excited Hank would be about the Braves and we would be happy for him.  

[Lantern7]

42 minutes ago, Calvada said:

We know how happy and excited Hank would be about the Braves and we would be happy for him.  

I disagree with the sentiment. And that's all I'll say.

I'd say "bring on Spring Training," but that would involve being hopeful for 2022. Y'all know how I am about hope.

[twoods]

Best case scenario just happened- Atlanta won and celebrated in front of sadface  fans while the Cheastros looked on, and nobody had to hear that awful tomahawk chant all night.

Edited November 3, 2021 by twoods

[emmawoodhouse]

Well, mercifully, it's over. 

[Lantern7]

7 hours ago, twoods said:

Best case scenario just happened- Atlanta won and celebrated in front of their fans while the Cheastros looked on, and nobody had to hear that awful tomahawk chant all night.

No, that'll be the victory parade in a few days.

I don't care if the Astros had rigged the bases with explosives. Better them winning that what we got.

Edited November 3, 2021 by Lantern7

[NUguy514]

Racist cheater Yuli Gurriel being the last out was deeeeeelicious.

Sorry, *tros, maybe next year (you'll lose again).

[Carey]

The series wasn't great over all; to be honest, it was awful.  To be fair, however, there was an ounce of competition.  The Astros had their moments on offense, while Atlanta had their defensive moments, especially in Game 6.  When Atlanta turned hot offensively, it was pretty much curtains for Houston

[Court]

I know none of y'all are happy but I'm thrilled! Soler deserved that MVP. I do love that it was different players stepping up each game. 

Joe Buck is the absolute worst. Can we all agree on that, 🤣

Edited November 3, 2021 by Court

[Peace 47]

5 hours ago, Calvada said:

I wish Henry Aaron was here for this.  Hank is remembered so fondly in Wisconsin and he always spoke highly about his two stints in Wisconsin with the Braves and the Brewers.  He appreciated the fans here and we certainly appreciated him. We know how happy and excited Hank would be about the Braves and we would be happy for him.

I know:  it’s too bad that he died this year just a few months shy of seeing them win it all, considering how long he was tied to the Braves organization, even as an executive after his playing days were over.

I was happy for Snitker for grinding it out for like 40+ years with the Braves and finally getting his championship as the manager; happy for Freddie getting that last out after being a team pillar for 11 years; happy for Dansby Swanson because we went to the same school (haha); happy for Soler being the second Cuban-American World Series MVP.  That was a great win.

Edited November 3, 2021 by Peace 47

[voiceover]

Royals fans everywere cheering on MVP!SolerPower😚 —

And congrats to the Braves and their fans! CO

** To celebrate I plan to rewatch a little thing we call “Miracle at Minute Maid”, which was 8th inning/Game 4/2015 ALDS, when we broke the Astros.  Matt Vasgersian’s shriek of “Kansas City has tied it in the 8th!!” was my ringtone for a year.

[Perfect Xero]

Every now and then your favorite team wins the championship in your favorite sport, and being s sports fan is actually fun!

 

4 hours ago, Calvada said:

I wish Henry Aaron was here for this.  Hank is remembered so fondly in Wisconsin and he always spoke highly about his two stints in Wisconsin with the Braves and the Brewers.  He appreciated the fans here and we certainly appreciated him. We know how happy and excited Hank would be about the Braves and we would be happy for him.  

The Braves won 44 games in the first half and 44 in the second half, which I choose to see as a bit of magic from the Hammer.

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, Court said:

I know none of y'all are happy but I'm thrilled!

I'm thrilled!!  As a neighboring state to Georgia, we were all rooting for the Braves.  We may be rivals in college football, but we can agree on baseball!  Great game and congrats to the Braves and their fans.  FWIW, they're not all "racist dorks" as some would say.  ;) 

[mojoween]

9 hours ago, Court said:

I know none of y'all are happy but I'm thrilled! Soler deserved that MVP. I do love that it was different players stepping up each game. 

Joe Buck is the absolute worst. Can we all agree on that, 🤣

I’m not unhappy.  It would have been nice to be a different NL team, but Houston lost again and that’s really what matters.

Joe Buck is SO funny outside of calling baseball and football that I love him in his real job.  

[NUguy514]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

I’m not unhappy.  It would have been nice to be a different NL team, but Houston lost again and that’s really what matters.

That's where I am.  I'm not happy for the Braves' racist fans and their racist gesture and chant, but I'd still have rather seen those players win than the cheaters on the other team.

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, NUguy514 said:

That's where I am.  I'm not happy for the Braves' racist fans and their racist gesture and chant, but I'd still have rather seen those players win than the cheaters on the other team.

Not enough for me. Not like I’d expect the team to go to another city and give them the title of champion.

Deadspin does a quick post-mortem on the season.

[mojoween]

Buster Posey is expected to announce his retirement.  And doesn’t it feel like he has been in the league since the 90’s?

Also, this doesn’t have anything to do with anything, but his real first name is Gerald, which I just found out.

Edited November 3, 2021 by mojoween

[Jane Tuesday]

19 hours ago, Court said:

Joe Buck is the absolute worst. Can we all agree on that, 🤣

Awwww!  Really unpopular opinion, even (especially?) among Cardinals fans, but I have a soft spot for Joe. I remember when he was starting out calling games on the radio with his dad. He's not the best, but not the worst, surely? 🤣🤣🤣

And he's an unabashed fan of that other STL team, the Blues! He can't be all bad. 

[Chit Chat]

38 minutes ago, Jane Tuesday said:

Really unpopular opinion, even (especially?) among Cardinals fans, but I have a soft spot for Joe.

I'm fine with Joe Buck, but since I don't usually follow baseball (unless it's the Braves and them making it to the playoffs), I haven't heard him announcing baseball games, just football with Troy Aikman.  Maybe I missed something?

[Perfect Xero]

I think Joe Buck is tolerable most of the time, as a Braves fan I'd rather listen to Buck call a game over Chip Caray whining about shifts and analytics for half the game.

I do wish Buck would get over his habit of reminding people that a player is near the end of their contract any time they produce a big moment late in the series. It's such a wet blanket to toss onto things.

[OtterMommy]

Comments about supposed racist aspects of the different teams have gone far enough.  Time to move off from it.  Thanks!

[Court]

Y'all the entire metro Atlanta area is shut down Friday for the parade. It's so exciting. I wasn't going to be able to go because I work in a school and we already had several people out prior to this. Subs don't show up. But now I can go and take my Freeman obsessed daughter. 

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, Court said:

I wasn't going to be able to go because I work in a school and we already had several people out prior to this. Subs don't show up. But now I can go and take my Freeman obsessed daughter. 

Yay for you!!  Did they open up Truist Park Tuesday night for fans to watch the game? I thought I heard the owner say something about it.  That was probably a lot of fun for those fans.  That last play of the game with Swanson's throw to Freeman was incredible!!  Enjoy the celebration!

[cambridgeguy]

Looks like Buster Posey is going to retire.  When the time comes his HOF case will probably be one of the more interesting one.  Do his great peak numbers outweigh his lack of longevity?  He also has 3 WS rings, although his postseason stats aren't all that good.

[jennifer6973]

11 hours ago, Court said:

Y'all the entire metro Atlanta area is shut down Friday for the parade. It's so exciting. I wasn't going to be able to go because I work in a school and we already had several people out prior to this. Subs don't show up. But now I can go and take my Freeman obsessed daughter. 

So what you're saying is stay off 85/75.  Or both might be free and clear during the middle of the day.

[Court]

12 hours ago, jennifer6973 said:

So what you're saying is stay off 85/75.  Or both might be free and clear during the middle of the day.

Stay off everywhere, 🤣

[smittykins]

As much as I love Gardy, I think it’s probably time for him to hang it up. 😟

[Chit Chat]

On 11/3/2021 at 10:49 PM, Court said:

But now I can go and take my Freeman obsessed daughter. 

How was the parade?  I hope you had a great time.  

[Court]

8 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

How was the parade?  I hope you had a great time.  

We did! My boss gave us two tickets to the ceremony/concert and it was awesome! The energy was electric. Heredia brought an actual sword. 🤣

[mojoween]

3 hours ago, smittykins said:

As much as I love Gardy, I think it’s probably time for him to hang it up. 😟

Nooooooooooo I’m not ready.

Regarding Buster Posey and the HoF, it appears that he has very similar career numbers to Jorge Posada, who basically got thrown off the ballot his first year of eligibility due to a low number of votes.  So therefore, because I am petty, I do not think Posey is a Hall of Famer.

[cambridgeguy]

On 11/5/2021 at 8:19 PM, mojoween said:

Regarding Buster Posey and the HoF, it appears that he has very similar career numbers to Jorge Posada, who basically got thrown off the ballot his first year of eligibility due to a low number of votes.  So therefore, because I am petty, I do not think Posey is a Hall of Famer.

I think Joe Mauer will be an indicator of how Posey does.  I'd argue that Mauer's peak numbers were superior, but his prime was also relatively short and unlike Posey he limped along as a powerless 1B/DH rather than retiring. 

[mojoween]

How is Randy Arozarena up for Rookie of the Year?

[Lantern7]

Once again: the winner of the Cy Young in the National League has to thank Jacob deGrom for taking himself out of the running. If he had been average for the rest of the season, he would’ve been a finalist thanks to the first half.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Lantern7

[Moose135]

19 hours ago, mojoween said:

How is Randy Arozarena up for Rookie of the Year?

Per the MLB rules, 

Quote

A player shall be considered a rookie unless he has exceeded any of the following thresholds in a previous season (or seasons):

• 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues.
• 45 total days on an active Major League roster prior to Sept. 1, when clubs are allowed to expand their rosters from the 25-player limit to include any player on the 40-man roster.

Arozarena played 20ish games in each of 2019 and 2020, but only has a total of 84 at-bats (99 total plate appearances) over those two years.

 

Edited November 9, 2021 by Moose135

[mojoween]

That is utter madness.  I mean Arozarena is great and fun to watch, but if he played in any major league game in 2019, he just cannot be Rookie of the Year in 2021.

[Moose135]

That's not how MLB looks at it. There have even been a handful of guys who have gotten ROTY votes in two seasons - they came up late in the season and really tore it up before coming up full time the following year.

[theatremouse]

Sure but this is functionally a third season, which makes it weirder. I don't know that I disagree with their rules, but it's weirder.

[mojoween]

Nine years ago I posted this on FB (seriously if you were to follow me on Facebook you would see out of context posts about baseball, college hoops and football with a myriad of cat pictures and videos):  “The Tigers went to the World Series.  The Angels didn't make the playoffs.  I don't understand why there is a question about the MVP.”

I knew who this was referring to without looking it up, heh.  This year, though,  I’m already gearing up to be upset on Vladdy’s behalf because I’m quite sure the MVP race will go the way of the guy who did not make the postseason.

[shoregirl]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

 

I knew who this was referring to without looking it up, heh.  This year, though,  I’m already gearing up to be upset on Vladdy’s behalf because I’m quite sure the MVP race will go the way of the guy who did not make the postseason.

But the Blue Jays missed the playoff too didnt they?

I would vote for Vladdy too but in both leagues your MVP are not going to be on a playoff team. Semian and Vladdy are on the Jays and Othani on the Angels. Harper, Tatis and Soto on the Phillies, Padres and Nats .

Edited November 13, 2021 by shoregirl

[mojoween]

Ohhhhhh I forgot that Toronto just missed the cut.  But still.  They were a fuck of a lot closer than the Angels were, and would not have sniffed game 163 if Vladdy were not there.

[cambridgeguy]

It's not a new argument - does MVP mean the best player in baseball or the best player on a playoff contender?  This isn't basketball, where someone like peak Lebron can drag a crappy team into the playoffs.  Does a player who has a historically great season get locked out of the award because his team's executives are a bunch of incompetents who signed over the hill players to crippling contracts?

Speaking of which, I'd forgotten that Pujols' contract has finally expired.  I'm assuming no one is going to sign him, and if so it's an unpleasant end to an epic career.  I'd expect to see something similar when Miguel Cabrera finishes in 2023.

[shoregirl]

I view it as how much better did those players make those teams. The Phillies would have been much worse if Harper didnt have the season he did and the same could be said about San Diego and Tatis. Even Othani cant go out and pitch 9 innings everyday and bat in all 9 spots.

[mojoween]

I love A-Rod (I KNOW) but he didn’t help the Rangers get anywhere other than last place.  His numbers were good, but how can he be the most valuable if he didn’t elevate the team?

[twoods]

I don’t know how you can’t give the MVP to Ohtani. It’s not his fault his team was shitty and the other MVP was injured. He contributed with his pitching and hitting, and the Angels would have definitely been bottom dwellers without him. 

[cambridgeguy]

You'd literally need two good players to replace what Ohtani did - can't get much more valuable than that.  Elevating your team from crappy to mediocre still counts as improving it - otherwise just change the rules and tell the voters to only consider playoff contenders.  Bill Simmons is someone I've heard make this argument - you're not valuable if your team sucks.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Even as a Toronto/Vladdy fan, I get Ohtani winning.  I understand rewarding the player instead of the team.  Most Valuable Player is too an ambiguous title to me.  He was the player of the year.  He should be rewarded for it.

I don't know any Ohtani's stats, though.

https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/stats?category=batting&sort=hr&season=2021&seasonType=reg&sortOrder=desc

Edited November 14, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[JTMacc99]

MVP is, and always has been, weirdly subjective. A lot of the winners are a guy who had a great year on a good team, and frequently on a team that won a division. It also tends to disregard pitchers contributions over every day players.

I always think of Steve Carlton and the 1972 Phillies as the "OMG, how bad would they have been without that guy?" as THE example of a good player on a bad team. 

He went 27-10, a 1.97 ERA, 310 Strike Outs, and pitched 346.1 innings (!) on a team that won 59 games. His 12.5 WAR that season was the second highest single season in the last 50 years.  He finished fifth in the MVP voting that year.

 

And who, you ask, had the highest WAR in the last 50 years? Surely that guy won the MVP, right?

With a Ruthian like WAR of 13.3, a record of 24-4, a 1.53 ERA, and 268 Strike Outs for the 98-64 1985 NY Mets, Dwight Gooden finished 4th in the NL MVP voting.  The winner was Willie McGee of the 101-61 St. Louis Cardinals.  He hit .353 that year and had a nice 8.2 WAR, but still, Gooden was clearly the best player. That WAR indicates he was also the most valuable player to his team (by a lot) that year.

 

As long as I'm dragging WAR into this, Ohtani's 9.1 this year far outpaces the second highest WAR in the AL this season, Marcus Semien's 7.3 which was even better than his teammate Guerroro's 6.8.  Both had amazing years and are worthy MVP candidates, but if I had a vote, it would go to Ohtani.

[Lantern7]

I love baseball stats . . . but I have limits. Is there a simple formula to determine a player’s WAR?

[Moose135]

48 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Is there a simple formula to determine a player’s WAR?

No. At its most "basic" level:

WAR = (Batting Runs + Base Running Runs + Fielding Runs + Positional Adjustment + League Adjustment + Replacement Runs) / (Runs Per Win)

If your head hasn't exploded lately, take a look here, and it will...

Calculating Position Player WAR, A Complete Example | Sabermetrics Library (fangraphs.com)

There is more here:

What is WAR in Baseball? How To Calculate War In Baseball (scottfujita.com)

The best part? Different places use different calculations, so there can be different results for the same player...

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, Moose135 said:

The best part? Different places use different calculations, so there can be different results for the same player...

It's becoming somewhat more relevant, and I would expect it at some point to become standardized by the Baseball Nerds. 

No sport appreciates a good statistic more than baseball, and this one does seem to do a nice job of pointing out who really had great years.