MLB 2023

[The Buscher]

Brutal news for the Angels:  Mike Trout going on the IL with a left hamate fracture.

Could be even worse news for the Angels and baseball as a whole long-term as hamate fractures are very often linked to a prolonged if not permanent decline of barrel control and, by extension, power.  He’s dealt with so many injuries over the years and always has managed to bounce back to elite production, really hope he hasn’t finally picked up the injury that wrecks him.

[gunnar hendershow]

I think Nick Markakis had that injury and he went from a 20+ HR threat to a pure contact hitter.

[Lowerdeck]

On 03/07/2023 at 15:18, I Think You Should Busch said:

My guess is Jansen got picked just for the saves/being a known name.  Chris Martin meanwhile has pretty much the same innings total but a sub-1 WHIP and a 1.73 ERA so he could've been another token middle relief guy to make it.  If they had taken a Tigers reliever and insisted on naming another starter they could've thrown Bryan Bello in there who is at least respectable.

 

Yeah, Bello or Turner would have been more fitting to be Boston's representative.  Jansen has been ok, but there's better.

[Your Mom]

I'm not like pro violence or anything but teammates having each other's backs is cool  

 

 

[gunnar hendershow]

Tigers with the combined no-hitter

[The Buscher]

Alonso heads to the ASB hitting just .211 with his OBP, SLG, OPS, and OPS+ all well below career norms and on pace to have the 2nd-most K's of his career.

Not only is he playing the worst he has in his career, he's clearly pressing from the complete lack of protection behind him. He rushed himself back from a wrist injury (returning a week and a half after an injury that normally takes a month) and is trying too hard to smack it outta the yard at the expense of literally everything else about his game.

But hey he has 26 dingers and instead of resting his still hurt wrist will get to take 900 max effort swings that don't count today. Wooooo.

[gunnar hendershow]

Definitely did not expect 54 wins at the All-Star Break even with the balanced schedule and less AL Beast games as a result. The thing is, the team is legitimately good now and there isn't this weird feeling they're punching above their weight that there was during the good years with Showalter.

Pitching isn't quite there but, once Means is back, they've basically got rotation spots 2-5 figured out with other options out there (maybe Grayson Rodriguez returns to his pre-injury form). Bullpen is shaky at times but Felix is a beast, Cano has regressed a bit but is still top 8th inning guy as is Coulombe. Rest has been a matter of riding the hot hand before they hit a rough patch, so would like more consistency out of Baker, Baumann, or Perez once he's back from injury.

Curious what happens at the trade deadline. I think a big prospect trade (Norby, Mayo, Ortiz) happens in the winter vs midseason. Wouldn't be surprised to see their only move be for bullpen help or a deeper rotation guy if someone gets hurt which would disappoint the fans but there isn't a true top tier starter that just seems like they'll be able to be traded for this month.

[The Buscher]

Found it funny that on the Reddit baseball page, there was a thread where everyone has the chance to "air their grievances" about their clubs.  And there were posts from fans of pretty much all of the teams that were better than expected (Orioles, Reds, D-Backs etc) basically like "man some of our fanbase is really insufferable now that we're good for the first time in a while"

The price to pay for having expectations now, I suppose.

[gunnar hendershow]

6 minutes ago, I Think You Should Busch said:

Found it funny that on the Reddit baseball page, there was a thread where everyone has the chance to "air their grievances" about their clubs.  And there were posts from fans of pretty much all of the teams that were better than expected (Orioles, Reds, D-Backs etc) basically like "man some of our fanbase is really insufferable now that we're good for the first time in a while"

The price to pay for having expectations now, I suppose.

During the stretch last week where they lost 6 out of 7 the sense of dread everywhere was palpable. Then they called up Cowser and rattled off 5 wins in a row including a bludgeoning of the Yankees in the Bronx and another 2 TD effort in Minnesota. Now everyone's riding high.

[The Buscher]

Adley has such a beautifully violent swing

[The Buscher]

Nothing sums up the Mets season quite like Pete Alonso already being eliminated from the Derby before he’s taken a single swing.  Absolutely amazing display from Julio Rodriguez.

[gunnar hendershow]

2 hours ago, I Think You Should Busch said:

Adley has such a beautifully violent swing

He swings with a little more control in games, and it's probably why his hard hit % is pretty low.

Him doing the bonus swings from the right side was awesome, they should've let him take someone else's spot in the semis based on that alone.

[The Buscher]

I'm sure other fanbases do the same thing but I have to laugh how every year Mets fans seem to forget the purpose of the MLB Draft isn't to draft for immediate need.  "Why have the Mets drafted so many high school shortstops when Lindor is here for another decade?"

First off, the position they play now is moot.  From youth level right up through high school the same basic coaching concepts applies.  If you're the most talented athlete on the team, and you don't pitch, you're being put at shortstop.  Drafting a high school shortstop is akin to a college football program recruiting someone and classifying them as an "Athlete" rather than giving them a position.  There's plenty of time to move them to a position of actual need as they get further along in the minor leagues.

And time they will have, because they're friggin' high schoolers!  Only the true generational prodigies like Bryce Harper can go from high school to the majors in a year in a half.  Even the best high school draftees will take 3-4 years to get to the bigs, and even that is very rare.  Most take half a decade or more, and even more will never make it at all.  Getting angry that they are "overdrafting" a position shows a lack of any real understanding on what the MLB Draft is about or how player development works in general.

[Meacon Keaton]

I don't think casuals, even a lot of diehards, could name their favorite teams first round pick from last year. People, including the media, try to draw parallels to the NFL draft and it's such an entirely different beast. People carry over that "These guys will surely help us now!" mindset from the NFL Draft that they can't wrap their minds around not seeing these guys for four, five, or six years if at all.

And you're spot on about positions. All these kids play shortstop or center in high school, just like pretty much every current MLB player did at that age.

[DYSI]

21 hours ago, Meacon Keaton said:

I don't think casuals, even a lot of diehards, could name their favorite teams first round pick from last year. People, including the media, try to draw parallels to the NFL draft and it's such an entirely different beast. People carry over that "These guys will surely help us now!" mindset from the NFL Draft that they can't wrap their minds around not seeing these guys for four, five, or six years if at all.

And you're spot on about positions. All these kids play shortstop or center in high school, just like pretty much every current MLB player did at that age.

Only Yankees first round pick I ever remembered was Brien Taylor. Smh.

[Meacon Keaton]

27 minutes ago, DYSI said:

Only Yankees first round pick I ever remembered was Brien Taylor. Smh.

Lemme introduce you to our current captain and the one before him!

I think the earliest one I can remember without looking it up is Eric Duncan. That was in high school, so 2001-2003? It was the first year I paid any attention to the draft, and I only knew who we took because of a fantasy baseball magazine that recapped the first round of the amateur draft and I studied it like nobodies business. The article was convinced he was going to be a stud, and thus, so was I.  

[DYSI]

Speaking of the Yankees..

https://www.threads.net/t/CumcpkHu-KR/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

We couldn't have gotten a better sponsor at least? 

EDIT: I guess EWB is Team Elon. >_>

Edited July 12, 2023 by DYSI
Threads..

[Meacon Keaton]

I hate it, but it's much less noticeable than a lot of other teams, at least?

[The Buscher]

Not at all surprised the Yankees are getting a patch.  It is kinda eye-rolly to do it when they refuse to do a city connect jersey they'll wear only a few times a year, or still insist on having an archaic facial hair policy, but eventually everyone will get a sponsorship patch.

My biggest uniform complaint is the same it's been since 2021 - it is so daft that the teams don't wear their own uniforms and caps during the ASG anymore.  As a kid it was always awesome to see all the different uniforms out there on the field.  As an adult, I can't tell who everyone on the field is when they're all wearing the same thing.  It actively hurts the presentation.

I don't even get it from a business/money perspective.  Who is really buying ASG jerseys?  I doubt the sales are any different now than what they were when the players just wore the ASG jerseys during the Derby.

[GhostMachine]

Most of the ASG jersey designs since they switched to teams wearing them have been awful. This year's design wasn't exactly great.

I also preferred it when everyone just wore their normal uniforms.

*edited to add* Though I do recall the one year Bobby Cox managed and loaded up the reserves with his own players probably would have pissed off fans less if they weren't wearing normal unis. 

Edited July 17, 2023 by GhostMachine