MLB Thread

[mojoween]

7 hours ago, Moose135 said:

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...

I hate all of this, heh.  Pitcher throw strikes, batter hit ball.  If they’re successful at that, my eyeballs will tell me if it’s award-worthy.

[mojoween]

Quick someone check on Lantern he must be so annoyed right now.

[Lantern7]

6 hours ago, mojoween said:

Quick someone check on Lantern he must be so annoyed right now.

Yep. I didn’t know free agents can sign contracts right now. I hope the new GM’s got sturdy fingers, because the dike is leaking and the holes need plugging.

Had to add “right now” after the initial post.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Lantern7

[mojoween]

Fancy some new duds, Cleveland fans?  (Also I wonder when they are going to update that Twitter handle…?) 

 

[Kawaiiko]

LOL I like the reference to Elf (despite the fact that IT. IS. NOVEMBER.).

[mojoween]

Not gonna lie…Bryce Harper as MVP surprised me.  Did Bryce win partly because Tatis missed a bunch of time?

[cleo]

WTF

ETA lol never mind. I forgot Harper is in the NL.

Edited November 18, 2021 by cleo

[emmawoodhouse]

Ohtani was unanimous. 

[Perfect Xero]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Not gonna lie…Bryce Harper as MVP surprised me.  Did Bryce win partly because Tatis missed a bunch of time?

Harper was significantly better at getting on base this season and had a slightly higher slugging percentage

[mojoween]

Freddie Coleman was speaking my language. He said on his radio show that they should call it Player of the Year instead of Most Valuable Player if they’re not going to take the numbers into account. He even said that the Angels would’ve been terrible with or without Ohtani; but the Blue Jays got within one game of the playoffs because of Vladdy, which makes Vladdy more valuable.

Also the baseball writers can fuck right off with their “oh the fans need to understand exactly what Ohtani’s doing” like we’re some dumb unwashed masses who don’t understand the game. We know what he’s doing - he pitches, he hits, and he does both very well. What the writers don’t seem to want to understand is that fans have teams.  I have a team I root for. Ohtani is not on it. Therefore, I don’t really care if he hits bats and fields in 162 straight games. I don’t give a rip about the Angels, so he’s a nice story but I’m not gonna lose my mind over it.

Ok I’ll hop off my soapbox now and stop bitching.

[bosawks]

[Mittengirl]

On 11/13/2021 at 1:10 PM, cambridgeguy said:

 

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.

Miguel has already announced that he will retire after his contract is up.  Of course, he would be far from the first to change his mind.  I think his knees bother him too much and he really likes playing in the field, rather than full time DH.  He seemed happier this year, with Hinch putting him at first a little more often. 

[shoregirl]

5 hours ago, bosawks said:

[Rootbeer]

Only in Cleveland:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/cleveland-guardians-team-shop-sign-crashes-shortly-after-new-merchandise-goes-on-sale/ar-AAQUAKh?ocid=uxbndlbing

[Lamb18]

I was wondering where the G went but I think the worker is holding it in the third picture.

[mojoween]

A-Rod and David Ortiz are both first-year HoF eligible this year so it’s going to be interesting to see just how seriously the writers take proven and/or unproven steroid use.

[cambridgeguy]

Barring new information Ortiz is likely a first ballot HOFer (and if not will get in soon enough) while A-Rod is guaranteed to languish like Bond and Clemens have.   I expect most voters will consider him innocent until proven guilty on the PED charges, and his postseason heroics are going to push him over the top.  Of course, it would be hilarious if his old teammate Curt Schilling also got voted in.

[mojoween]

David Ortiz was on the Mitchell report so unsure why he is not tarnished with the same brush…?

[Rootbeer]

5 time All-Star reliever Doug Jones has died of complications of COVID at age 64.  He pitched for 7 teams including the Indians and Astros.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/five-time-mlb-all-star-doug-jones-has-died/ar-AAR0KYG?ocid=uxbndlbing

[Mittengirl]

The picture used in the article linked above is of Todd Jones, not Doug Jones.  AFAIK, Todd is fine.  And not 64.  And a former Tiger, as evidenced by the uniform shown in the picture, which Doug was not.  Someone really screwed up.

[cambridgeguy]

13 hours ago, mojoween said:

David Ortiz was on the Mitchell report so unsure why he is not tarnished with the same brush…?

Because most people like him and there's enough ambiguity around the results to give him the benefit of the doubt if you want to, especially since he never tested positive again.  Contrast that to his old buddy Manny Ramirez, who also seemed to be pretty well liked (hey, it's just Manny being Manny) but got nailed later on and is now languishing on the ballot.

[Rootbeer]

12 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

The picture used in the article linked above is of Todd Jones, not Doug Jones.  AFAIK, Todd is fine.  And not 64.  And a former Tiger, as evidenced by the uniform shown in the picture, which Doug was not.  Someone really screwed up.

I didn't even look at the photo, but you're absolutely correct, not Doug Jones.

[mojoween]

3 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

Because most people like him and there's enough ambiguity around the results to give him the benefit of the doubt if you want to, especially since he never tested positive again.  Contrast that to his old buddy Manny Ramirez, who also seemed to be pretty well liked (hey, it's just Manny being Manny) but got nailed later on and is now languishing on the ballot.

A-Rod never tested positive either.  Neither did Bonds or Clemens.  

[cambridgeguy]

3 minutes ago, mojoween said:

A-Rod never tested positive either.  Neither did Bonds or Clemens.  

A-Rod has admitted to using PEDs and he was suspended, so a positive test (or lack thereof) is irrelevant in the minds of many voters.  As for Bonds and Clemens, this isn't a court of law where it's innocent until proven guilty.  If there's plenty of circumstantial evidence (and they don't really like you) then it's clear a fair number of voters are willing to bring down the hammer.  Anyone who thinks on the field performance is all that matters is kidding themselves, otherwise Curt Schilling would have gotten in by now.

 

[mojoween]

I always figured roids were roids regardless of the “likability” of the player but that also could be because Ortiz sucks and Boston sucks.

I don’t understand why the Yankees sign guys who are super positive and make everyone around them fun for one year and then ditch them.  Farewell, Rougie.  Was nice to know you.

[mojoween]

I’m confused why Max Scherzer is team-hopping.  It can’t just be money, can it?

[Lantern7]

3 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I’m confused why Max Scherzer is team-hopping.  It can’t just be money, can it?

He wants a challenge in Flushing?

Reminder for the Mets: do not get any player on the cover of Sports Illustrated when they do the preview issue. Fewer covers per year means potentially greater potency in the “cover curse.” Why take chances?

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 11/23/2021 at 5:32 PM, mojoween said:

I don’t understand why the Yankees sign guys who are super positive and make everyone around them fun for one year and then ditch them.  Farewell, Rougie.  Was nice to know you.

Same boat for me, I am devastated to learn that Marcus Semien is leaving the Jays, but I am really happy for him that he made gangbusters money.

[JTMacc99]

On 11/23/2021 at 9:56 AM, cambridgeguy said:

As for Bonds and Clemens, this isn't a court of law where it's innocent until proven guilty.  If there's plenty of circumstantial evidence (and they don't really like you) then it's clear a fair number of voters are willing to bring down the hammer. 

Speaking of purely subjective evaluations, it has been my opinion for a very long time that the only good way to deal with the steroid era is exactly what is happening. 

For all intents and purposes, steroid use was "legal" in MLB for a long time. Players who chose to take steroids, knowing there wasn't really anything stopping them, have to deal with the fact that history is now judging their achievements as tainted. As we should. If I had a vote, I would absolutely look at careers and consider which ones were probably impacted by steroid use, and vote accordingly.

 

As for Bonds, there is no doubt in my mind that he got annoyed at all of the other players racking up big numbers and essentially said, "Hold my beer. I'll show everybody what it looks like when a good player does this."  And between him being an unlikeable dude, and his shattering records, he was probably the biggest catalyst for the things that brought an end to it. 

His career is super easy to evaluate as "no steroids" and "duh, steroids", and that the "no steroids" portion was a very clear HoF career including 3 of his 7 MVP awards.

Because of that, and his selfishness/narcissism inadvertently helping bring an end to the steroid era, I would be okay with him getting in at some point. 

[emmawoodhouse]

35 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Same boat for me, I am devastated to learn that Marcus Semien is leaving the Jays, but I am really happy for him that he made gangbusters money.

That's how I feel every winter when my team loses at least one young star who wants bank. Including Semien a couple years ago. Next year, we lose both Matt Chapman and Matt Olson and will be garbage for years. 😢

[emmawoodhouse]

Rough day to be a Dodgers fan. Lost Scherzer (kind of expected) and Seager (not as expected). 

[mojoween]

The Rangers sure aren’t fucking around, yeah?

[cambridgeguy]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

I’m confused why Max Scherzer is team-hopping.  It can’t just be money, can it?

Why not?  He already won his World Series and he's probably done enough to make the HOF.  Making 40+ million a year (with an opt out after year 2 if the Mets really suck) sounds pretty good.  And hey, if the Mets do well he'll get a lot of credit.  If they suck then it's because the Mets are the Mets.

[emmawoodhouse]

25 minutes ago, mojoween said:

The Rangers sure aren’t fucking around, yeah?

No they aren't, and I'm hating life right about now. Seattle also had a couple big signings. If the Angels ever get healthy, my team is in for a world of hurt next year. ☹️

Edited November 29, 2021 by emmawoodhouse

[cleo]

Somehow I still feel like the Rangers will still suck lol. All the best to Semien but I just don't think he will reproduce what he did in Toronto with Texas.

I never studied Seager's numbers a lot but he always seemed streaky and prone to injury. 

So Correa to the Yankees? Or is he going to wait until Feb? 

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by cleo

[wknt3]

On 11/23/2021 at 5:32 PM, mojoween said:

I don’t understand why the Yankees sign guys who are super positive and make everyone around them fun for one year and then ditch them.  Farewell, Rougie.  Was nice to know you.

I kind of understand it this year given the number of prospects other teams are eying for the Rule 5 draft. I mean I like Odor, but enough to watch someone winning awards for another team? Nope. It's different from when they let someone go to save a few bucks.

[Perfect Xero]

6 hours ago, mojoween said:

I’m confused why Max Scherzer is team-hopping.  It can’t just be money, can it?

It's probably just the money, the reports are that the offers from the Angels and Dodgers weren't anywhere close to what he's getting from the Mets.

[Rae Spellman]

Molly Knight suggests that being a member of the leadership council of the MLB Players Association might have impacted Scherzer's decision.

Quote

And it makes sense that Scherzer signed with the Mets even though in the past he said he wanted to a) play for a winner and b) pitch in warm weather year round. (At press time the Mets check neither of those boxes). Despite his personal preferences, as a member of the leadership council of the MLB Players Association, there was no way that Scherzer could turn down a contract that would increase the record AAV for an MLB pitcher by twenty percent. Contracts like the one Scherzer just signed set the market for future deals. Thanks to Scherzer, we are now probably only a year or two away from a guy signing a contract worth $50 million a year.

 

[mojoween]

Happy Lockout Day!  Isn’t this fun.

[wknt3]

!
News the MLB used 2 types of baseballs in 2021 could throw curveball into labor talks

[cambridgeguy]

This seems hilariously petty

No headshots for you!

[Moose135]

21 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

This seems hilariously petty

No headshots for you!

I wonder if there is some standard language in the now-expired CBA giving MLB the rights to display player photographs, and with no CBA in effect, that permission is not valid?

[cleo]

Apparently there are some legal issues about using name, image, likeness, but those issues would not mean MLB would have to strip its website, but they sure would like people to think that they have no choice, just like they have no choice but to lock out players.

ETA my limited understanding is that they cannot use players images for promotion but reporting news articles, signings etc is all fair game. But Manfred will just wipe everything out bc.....? It hurts the players? I don't really get the rationale myself but he's like the disappointed parent saying I have no choice boys! Even though the actual truth about the law is nuanced and he's just being an ass.

Edited December 2, 2021 by cleo

[NUguy514]

Steve Cohen is paying a dead arm $130 million.  Have fun with that, Mets fans!

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, NUguy514 said:

Steve Cohen is paying a dead arm $130 million.  Have fun with that, Mets fans!

Is Steve Cohen becoming the Jerry Jones of MLB?

[Perfect Xero]

Weird bit of trivia, the Braves won both the first and last World Series played under the recently expired CBA.

[Jane Tuesday]

20 hours ago, cleo said:

ETA my limited understanding is that they cannot use players images for promotion but reporting news articles, signings etc is all fair game. But Manfred will just wipe everything out bc.....?

To give them the benefit of the doubt, it may be a technical issue.  If all the images are on the same server, it would be easier to just route them all elsewhere, versus picking and choosing and worrying about legalities of individual images.  Especially given how many pages are on their sitemap, individual team pages, etc.

Then again, they've changed way more than just images, so... probably just being petty.

[Lantern7]

19 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

Steve Cohen is paying a dead arm $130 million.  Have fun with that, Mets fans!

 

18 hours ago, xaxat said:

Is Steve Cohen becoming the Jerry Jones of MLB?

I’m open to positivity, even if the Mets’ track record with former Cy Young winners isn’t great. Also, the lockout.

[cleo]

I also noticed they're still selling jerseys with player names etc out of the MLB shop. Can't let anything stop the profit! So I'm pretty sure it's pettiness that they removed the pictures and the rest. 

[mojoween]

Minnie Minoso and Buck O’Neil are getting into the Hall so at least there’s one good thing.  Also Bud Fowler, Jim Kaat, Gil Hodges and Tony Oliva.