MLB 2023

[gunnar hendershow]

While the Orioles season has been extremely good regarding a lack of terrible injuries, the Felix Bautista injury has loomed over the playoffs. It's been a lot of work figuring out if it's Cano, Perez, or Wells at the end of games since. And they held out hope since it was a partial UCL tear he may be able to get a few outings before he got the inevitable TJ.

Threw a simulated game (25 pitches) on Tuesday and I guess they saw enough to shut him down and have him get the TJ now.

Ugh, I'm going to be even more of a nervous wreck than usual in save situations in October.

[Your Mom]

@Busch Wyatt

 

 

[Gabriel]

19 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

@Busch Wyatt

 

 

The Mets need a manager that will play whoever is going best, not whoever has been around the longest. Showalter did a better job of that this season, but still not good enough.

I think in the modern MLB, you need a manager who can both cultivate the young guys and get the best out of the current stars, and Showalter isn't that guy.

It always irks me when I see guys who are performing better, or who haven't had a chance to play in a bit, sitting on the bench in favor of a guy who's ice cold and dragging the team down, simply because the guy playing has either been around for x number of years or is making a lot of money.

Field your best players, and if half your payroll is sitting on the bench in favor of cheaper, better players... maybe move those guys?

[GhostMachine]

@Gabriel @Busch Wyatt https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/buck-showalter-fired-five-candidates-for-mets-manager-including-craig-counsell-reuniting-with-david-stearns/ - Which one of these would you most AND least want, if it is one of them?

[Gabriel]

15 minutes ago, GhostMachine said:

@Gabriel @Busch Wyatt https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/buck-showalter-fired-five-candidates-for-mets-manager-including-craig-counsell-reuniting-with-david-stearns/ - Which one of these would you most AND least want, if it is one of them?

Of that list, I think Counsell is the guy I target. He's a bit more of a new school manager and, from what I've seen, holds his players accountable regardless of who they are.

I'd stay away from guys without the experience in the position for now, so McCullough and Flaherty are out, not because they may not be great at it, but because the Mets will want to position themselves to win now as best as they can, and I feel like a more experienced manager with that newer mentality should be the priority.

It also helps that Counsell and David Stearns worked together, so there's a familiarity there and the Mets will know what to expect from him in the position.

[GhostMachine]

RIP, Tim Wakefield. Just saw it posted by the Red Sox on Facebook. 

[The Buscher]

Buck’s a good guy but even with the Mets having a lousy bullpen this year, he made so many decisions I flat out couldn’t understand.

Counsell’s been long rumored to take 2024 off to be with family but I strongly suspect Stearns has intel otherwise and is planning on getting him to Queens.

If not I’d honestly be OK revisiting Beltran who probably got punished more than anyone else from the Astros scandal in hindsight.  Hinch and Cora got to waltz right back into jobs because they had previous success, Beltran deserves a shot somewhere but as far as I can tell the Mets or Yankees are the only teams he’d consider managing.

[gunnar hendershow]

1 hour ago, Busch Wyatt said:

Buck’s a good guy but even with the Mets having a lousy bullpen this year, he made so many decisions I flat out couldn’t understand.

Counsell’s been long rumored to take 2024 off to be with family but I strongly suspect Stearns has intel otherwise and is planning on getting him to Queens.

If not I’d honestly be OK revisiting Beltran who probably got punished more than anyone else from the Astros scandal in hindsight.  Hinch and Cora got to waltz right back into jobs because they had previous success, Beltran deserves a shot somewhere but as far as I can tell the Mets or Yankees are the only teams he’d consider managing.

Kevin Cash has a contract through 2024 with Tampa Bay, he'd be a name I wouldn't be surprised to see jump elsewhere.

Stearns may also go through the organizations that are consistently well-coached and find a first-time manager.

[Krabby]

WOOOOOOOOO! TWINS WIN! TWINS WIN!

[gunnar hendershow]

The Blue Jays are the 1 in 1-18.

[Lint]

So happy to see the Phillies made the WC (and won tonight!) because, where I live, its really the only time I get to watch their games

[The Buscher]

Rays started 29-7, 2nd best record ever through 36 games.  Spend the rest of the year getting run down by the Orioles, “only” winning 99 games.  Without a division title or bye they get obliterated in a 2-game playoff sweep.  Their season ends with 1 run scored over their last 50 innings or so.

Joking aside about them not having any fans, that’s just a gut punch for a fanbase.  This playoff format sucks.  8-teams was way more enjoyable and actually felt like it justified 162 games to figure out the best of the best.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yeah and the worst thing is the Rangers didn't have to blow up their pitching on Thursday in game 3 so they're coming in very well-rested and outside of not being able to use Montgomery and Eovaldi (presumably) will be ready for game 1.

It's a pretty stupid format because on top of what happened to the Rays this year and Mets last year there's no re-seeding. Orioles are definitely facing the Rangers even though everyone knows Toronto and Minnesota are lesser teams.

[Meacon Keaton]

49 minutes ago, Busch Wyatt said:

Rays started 29-7, 2nd best record ever through 36 games.  Spend the rest of the year getting run down by the Orioles, “only” winning 99 games.  Without a division title or bye they get obliterated in a 2-game playoff sweep.  Their season ends with 1 run scored over their last 50 innings or so.

Joking aside about them not having any fans, that’s just a gut punch for a fanbase.  This playoff format sucks.  8-teams was way more enjoyable and actually felt like it justified 162 games to figure out the best of the best.

I hate to say that I called this years ago, but...I don't hate to say it.

This crap was going to happen. I'm not sad it was the Rays that it happened to, but I've said for a decade that baseball playoff expansion is awful. You play 162 games a year to prove you're a championship team and two bad games in October ends it all. The only thing playoff expansion does is line the pockets of the owners and the league. 

The same thing is going to happen in the college football playoff. A 9-3 Alabama is going to beat a 13-0 Boise State in the first round of the playoff one day and everyone is going to look around at each other and be like, "...is this what we signed up for?"

[The Buscher]

I remember for years everyone said the division series was basically just luck “anything can happen in a 5 game series”.  Then what the hell does that mean for a 3 game series?  Or when it was 1 single game?  Ridiculous.

If you really needed playoff expansion money you could’ve talked me into a 7 game division series.  I mean if you’re only letting 8 teams in, that’s fine.  Let them play long series to ensure the best team really wins.  Hell, I’ll go further, you could’ve talked me into a damn 9 game World Series like the old days.  At least I’m seeing the best of the best.

Letting so many teams in and having it end so fast for 4 teams makes me wonder why I spend hours and hours watching all year.  The 2022 Mets season, after it ended, just left me feeling like I’d completely wasted my time.

[gunnar hendershow]

Teams from Florida really brought it this postseason.

[The Buscher]

The video of Berrios standing on the top of the dugout watching his old team celebrate was heartbreaking.  Chris Bassitt seems to come over and tell him "it should've been your day".

Numerous Jays players have questioned the decision to pull him after 47 pitches and I don't blame them.  Analytics have a place in the game but they can't be the be-all, end-all.  You're paying this guy a fortune to pitch in games like this and you yank him early before he's even really in trouble.  Then why sign him?

If they beat Berrios, they beat Berrios.  But give the guy a chance to do what you were paying him to do.

[gunnar hendershow]

I get the matchup thought process with all those lefties but in the 4th inning you just can't pull a starter who has been dealing. You leave so much more to chance, especially if they guy coming in is off.

[Krabby]

Yeah - sometimes you gotta just go with your gut and Berrios had a decent chance of working his way out of the jam at the bottom of the order.

I mean I am glad he didn't; but he wasn't rattled or outmatched

[Gabriel]

The Jays did what the Jays do.

I think it's time to move on from Schneider. So many games lost because of bad managerial decisions, and I don't think he's going the guy to bring this group forward.

I also think it's time to explore trading Vladdy. Back the truck up for Bichette, move on from Vladdy and look for consistent bats this off-season. It's worth exploring what it might take to bring back Chappy on a short-term deal. I think we got what I expected or better from most of the additions from last off-season, but trading runs for run-prevention didn't work out because it went too far in the other direction instead of creating a balance.

So, again... drop Schneider... trade Guerrero... look for bats that get on base consistently, who can provide good run prevention as well.