MLB 2022

[The Buscher]

Wow, the betting odds were moved by incorrect info!  Jackson Holliday is the pick.

[gunnar hendershow]

Holliday was the guy that kept popping up from the team's writers and such. Like there'd be mention of all the names and they'd inevitably come back to Holliday.

This organization can't pass up a possible franchise SS.

[The Buscher]

Every year during the draft I find myself progressively feeling older and older that high school seniors look like little kids.

But Jackson Holliday genuinely looks like he's in middle school.

[Your Mom]

I haven't really been closely following this year for obvious reasons but do my fellow fans think the All Star Game will be fun? Was thinking of easing back in by watching the Derby tonight and the game tomorrow. However it might just make me sad considering I think we are going to trade both our All Stars in the next few days  

[gunnar hendershow]

Home Run Derby goes on way too long nowadays, but the first round is always enjoyable. The ASG will open with Kershaw pitching to Ohtani, which rules. Idk about anything after that. Maybe Jorge Lopez makes it in for the O's in the 7th or 8th or something, that might keep my interest.

Tomorrow is really just a vehicle for America to get one look at Alejandro Kirk and go "oh that's my guy."

[The Buscher]

Supposedly Ohtani told officials he’d prefer to not pitch, which is unfortunate, but does clear the way for presumptive Cy front runner Shane McClanahan to start.

In terms of pure numbers, Kershaw over Alcantara is a total screw job.  But the game is meaningless in terms of stakes, and in LA so it makes sense.

Weird how there still have to be 12 pitchers on the All Star rosters when extra innings were eliminated.  If it’s tied after 9 they go into a mini home run derby, which is gimmicky as hell yet sounds way more fun.

[DYSI]

1 hour ago, Your Mom said:

I haven't really been closely following this year for obvious reasons but do my fellow fans think the All Star Game will be fun? Was thinking of easing back in by watching the Derby tonight and the game tomorrow. However it might just make me sad considering I think we are going to trade both our All Stars in the next few days  

I could never get into the All Star Weekend aside from the occasional HR Derby but it could use something new to attract the casual fans.

Like do all clubs do an Old Timer's Day game like the Yankees?

I wouldn't mind watching an Old Timer's All Star Game every other year or so. I know the NBA does the shooting contest with former players, so it would be an ode to something like that. Especially with the 100th ASG coming up around the corner.

I would also pay to see an Old Timer's NFL Pro Bowl.. >_>

[The Buscher]

32 for Julio Rodriguez to start the derby. Damn. Used to be a day where guys didn’t even get that much in the first two rounds combined.

[The Buscher]

Cute idea to have Albert in this but it went pretty much as you’d expect.  Schwarber basically gets a first round bye.

...or maybe not  a lousy showing from Schwarbs means Pujols goes into sudden death!

Pujols wins! 

[The Buscher]

The streak...is over  

[The Buscher]

Congrats to Juan Soto

Now that he’s been beaten I’d be cool with Pete never doing one of these again.  Both because his swing is always jacked up right after the break and also because he looked downright miserable tonight, like it was an obligation for him.  I know he takes it seriously but damn man it’s a break from a grueling season, basically everyone else in the stadium looked like they were having fun.

[The Buscher]

The All Star jerseys are a lot better this year, which isn’t really saying anything because last year’s were an abomination.  This one at least has the correct team name letter scripting front and center, even if the color scheme is different.

Still, it’s a joke that they are doing this instead of having them wear their normal jerseys like they have for decades.

I get that it’s a ploy to sell more jerseys.  But I really can’t imagine having the money to afford an authentic jersey and choosing to get one of these instead of your team’s normal jersey.

[gunnar hendershow]

The All Star batting practice/Home Run Derby jerseys always were so few and far between at home games. Like I guess the year Baltimore hosts I might buy an orange-colored one for whoever the O's representative is. But I can't imagine buying one just because. Maybe some fanbases aren't as dedicated to "everyone wears the same color" as mine. The ASG jerseys themselves are a much less focused on the hosts colors and such, but still just feel pointless.

[GhostMachine]

The 2012 and 2015 jerseys are the last two designs that I liked, but not enough to buy any of them. 

Players not wearing their normal uniforms during the actual game sucks, but I guess MLB and Nike have to make money.

 

[The Buscher]

Manfred effectively confirmed today that the league-specific jerseys would remain.  And he had the gall to say that everyone wearing their own uniforms in a game “was never appealing”.

The man is so unbelievably clueless as to what the fans want in pretty much every area.  One of the worst commissioners in sports history.

[The Buscher]

Mets 1B coach Wayne Kirby was scheduled to miss the start of the second half for some sort of medical procedure.

Pete Alonso and Manny Machado just now had has name written on their “stand up to cancer” cards  that got me in the feels

[The Buscher]

The AL wins again just like they always do.  Was mostly background noise for me.

The ASG has been incredibly formulaic for a while now.  Great pitching usually beats great hitting even in the best of times, let alone in an exhibition where the hitters are mostly up there free swinging trying to get it over with.

All the scoring comes from one or two pitchers having an off day and everyone else just sorta breezes by.  Once the closers come in throwing 100 against mostly ancillary All Stars, there’s no real chance of anything happening.

[The Buscher]

So deGrom was meant to make a simulated start yesterday, in what was thought to be his final hurdle before rejoining the team.  The start was scratched due to deGrom feeling shoulder soreness over the weekend.  The team emphasized that he did play catch instead, and is now supposed to do his sim start tomorrow instead.  But the fact that they dropped this news just as the ASG was starting felt very intentional, and leaves me thinking I'll be reading tomorrow that his sim start was pushed back again.

If he actually does make his sim start tomorrow and is back in the bigs next week, awesome.  But unfortunately we're well over a year into this with deGrom and it's tough not to get the mindset of "it's always something" and wonder if he's actually going to come back.

His contract situation will be fascinating.  All indications are he still plans on opting out no matter what because he's scheduled to make "just" $30.5 million in 2023 with a $32.5 million club option for 2024.  No question a healthy deGrom would blow that out of the water when Scherzer got a $43 million AAV.  But how much would he reasonably get if he never actually returns this year?

It pains me to say it because he was on a number retirement trajectory, but if the guy barely pitches this year and still opts out they might really have to let him go.  I know Cohen has endless money but even the Mets and Dodgers probably aren't gonna go much higher than the "Cohen Tax" threshold.

[GhostMachine]

12 hours ago, CM Busch said:

The AL wins again just like they always do.  Was mostly background noise for me.

The ASG has been incredibly formulaic for a while now.  Great pitching usually beats great hitting even in the best of times, let alone in an exhibition where the hitters are mostly up there free swinging trying to get it over with.

All the scoring comes from one or two pitchers having an off day and everyone else just sorta breezes by.  Once the closers come in throwing 100 against mostly ancillary All Stars, there’s no real chance of anything happening.

I haven't watched the ASG in about 4 years, and its basically because of the reasons you said. Same old same old.

 

[Krabby]

5 hours ago, CM Busch said:

So deGrom was meant to make a simulated start yesterday, in what was thought to be his final hurdle before rejoining the team.  The start was scratched due to deGrom feeling shoulder soreness over the weekend.  The team emphasized that he did play catch instead, and is now supposed to do his sim start tomorrow instead.  But the fact that they dropped this news just as the ASG was starting felt very intentional, and leaves me thinking I'll be reading tomorrow that his sim start was pushed back again.

If he actually does make his sim start tomorrow and is back in the bigs next week, awesome.  But unfortunately we're well over a year into this with deGrom and it's tough not to get the mindset of "it's always something" and wonder if he's actually going to come back.

His contract situation will be fascinating.  All indications are he still plans on opting out no matter what because he's scheduled to make "just" $30.5 million in 2023 with a $32.5 million club option for 2024.  No question a healthy deGrom would blow that out of the water when Scherzer got a $43 million AAV.  But how much would he reasonably get if he never actually returns this year?

It pains me to say it because he was on a number retirement trajectory, but if the guy barely pitches this year and still opts out they might really have to let him go.  I know Cohen has endless money but even the Mets and Dodgers probably aren't gonna go much higher than the "Cohen Tax" threshold.

The tough part is what is he going to be like when he comes back - pitching is such a mental game in addition to the physical, is he going to be the same guy that dominated the league or is he gonna be a shell of his former self or somewhere in between?