Major League Baseball 2010

[Toe]

Carpenter has the reputation.

[sahyder1]

Carpenter has the reputation.

Which is why the whole argument against Strasburg in the all-star game was ridiculous. Pelfrey should definitely be on the all-star team.

[Damian WayLNKe]

Giants at Rockies now entering the fifth. Mota just got the Giants out of the inning which had a man on third base and no outs and it ended with a play at the plate.

Edited July 5, 2010 by LNK

[GhostMachine]

I was checking on my fantasy baseball team on Yahoo and noticed an article about the All-Star Game. Charlie Manuel has picked Omar Infante of the Braves to be in the All-Star Game, despite their being more deserving players out there. To make things worse, one of those players is from my favorite team, the Reds. How the hell Infante gets into the All-Star Game over Joey Votto (or about a dozen other players) is beyond me. Hopefully, if there's one player left on the NL bench once the game is over, it'll be Infante, and next year Infante gets left out of the game out of spite even if he somehow actually deserves to be in it.

[livid]

To be honest, I really don't get the Infante as an All-Star hate. Sure, Votto's having a great year but the NL is loaded with 1B and I'm sure Manuel made the decision because he needed more infielders and didn't have too many better options left, especially with Utley and Tulowitzki being hurt. Not to mention that the end game of the All-Star game is (as much as the majority disliking it) to win the game for home field advantage in the World Series and having a player like Infante (who can play pretty much every position except Catcher) will ultimately help, especially if it goes into extra innings and they're getting low on bench players.

Does it suck that people got snubbed? Yes, but that happens every year.

[Lowerdeck]

The Infante pick was a puzzler, for sure. Someone on Yahoo is calling him the worst all-star ever.

Manuel really made some strange picks for the team.

[Evil Chase K]

So glad to see Evan Meek make the All-Star Game. He's been phenomenal this year, part of the reason the Pirates are 23-0 when leading after 8 innings.

He's a great guy too. Extremely hardworking, extremely humble, just an all-around great dude.

Kinda though Andrew McCutchen should go too but Meek definitely deserved it more.

[TheSqauredCircleMessiah]

So glad to see Evan Meek make the All-Star Game. He's been phenomenal this year, part of the reason the Pirates are 23-0 when leading after 8 innings.

He's a great guy too. Extremely hardworking, extremely humble, just an all-around great dude.

Kinda though Andrew McCutchen should go too but Meek definitely deserved it more.

Keith Olbermann (a big baseball fan) is killing the Evan Meek pick, basically saying that Meek pitches in non-pressure situations and isn't even the Pirates go to set-up man. As evidence he uses that Meek only has 1 save and 5 holds, which is good for tied for 44th in the NL and his 5 blown saves are tied for 2nd in the NL. Meek's selection is obviously a case of the players just seeing a low ERA and voting for him.

[HailtotheYo]

The Infante pick was a puzzler, for sure. Someone on Yahoo is calling him the worst all-star ever.

Manuel really made some strange picks for the team.

I agree that Infante is a doozy of a pick and not deserving when there are, in fact, more than a handful of guys that actually merit the selection.

Worst selection of all time ? Not even close. Hell, not even of the last ten years:

Ken Harvey (KC) in '04

Lance Carter (TB) in '03

Varitek in '08

[Evil Chase K]

So glad to see Evan Meek make the All-Star Game. He's been phenomenal this year, part of the reason the Pirates are 23-0 when leading after 8 innings.

He's a great guy too. Extremely hardworking, extremely humble, just an all-around great dude.

Kinda though Andrew McCutchen should go too but Meek definitely deserved it more.

Keith Olbermann (a big baseball fan) is killing the Evan Meek pick, basically saying that Meek pitches in non-pressure situations and isn't even the Pirates go to set-up man. As evidence he uses that Meek only has 1 save and 5 holds, which is good for tied for 44th in the NL and his 5 blown saves are tied for 2nd in the NL. Meek's selection is obviously a case of the players just seeing a low ERA and voting for him.

Yeah I heard that.

I can't agree. Maybe I'm too close to the team due to my job but seeing or hearing every appearance Meek has had so far, it's clear to me that he deserves this. He has a 0.85 WHIP and, as for the blown saves well...I'm gonna let Pat Lackey take it from here:

It's true that Meek has five blown saves this year, but in one he pitched two one-hit innings, struck out three, and the only run that was allowed to score was put on base by someone else. In two other blown saves, key errors by the Pirates' defense made the offending runs unearned (this was also the case in one of his two losses). In a fourth, the runs weren't unearned but they were made possible by poor defensive play (Lastings Milledge misplaying a single into a triple). Put more succinctly, Meek has been in 11 "save situations" this season. In 13 1/3 innings, his ERA is 2.03, his K/BB ratio is nearly 3:1 and hitters are hitting .200/.273/.320 against him. In other words, he's been excellent. Saves are never really a great stat to judge a pitcher by, but they're even less helpful when looking at a seventh- or eighth-inning guy like Meek.

Evan Meek has pitched great this year. I don't need a guy like Olbermann telling me differently.

[HailtotheYo]

It's true that Meek has five blown saves this year, but in one he pitched two one-hit innings, struck out three, and the only run that was allowed to score was put on base by someone else. In two other blown saves, key errors by the Pirates' defense made the offending runs unearned (this was also the case in one of his two losses). In a fourth, the runs weren't unearned but they were made possible by poor defensive play (Lastings Milledge misplaying a single into a triple). Put more succinctly, Meek has been in 11 "save situations" this season. In 13 1/3 innings, his ERA is 2.03, his K/BB ratio is nearly 3:1 and hitters are hitting .200/.273/.320 against him. In other words, he's been excellent. Saves are never really a great stat to judge a pitcher by, but they're even less helpful when looking at a seventh- or eighth-inning guy like Meek.

Evan Meek has pitched great this year. I don't need a guy like Olbermann telling me differently.

11 save opportunies, 5 of them blown. (Y)

and uh, wow .... when you're brought in you're supposed to stop the damage - IE keep the other guy's runner from scoring. Not doing so means you blew it. Lastings Milledge misplayed a ball and turned it into a triple ? Ok, you still got hit though and who says the next guy wouldn't have gotten a hit as well ?

A 7-8th inning guy is supposed to "hold" the game ... he hasn't done that, as evidenced by his lack of "holds" ... outside of that his 7-8th inning performances have been literally in meaningless situations. Yeah, he's been great ... but his performance is misleading. Tyler Clippard has been great too ...

Olbermann is removed from the team/player (unlike you/Pat Lackey). Come on man, the worst thing a fan of the team/player can do is reference a guy who writes a blog for the freaking team. Olbermann is an outsider to the situation who is, oh by the way, as intelligent as they come in terms of sports. You don't need him telling you differently because the truth of the matter takes the shine off, and you don't like that.

[Evil Chase K]

It's true that Meek has five blown saves this year, but in one he pitched two one-hit innings, struck out three, and the only run that was allowed to score was put on base by someone else. In two other blown saves, key errors by the Pirates' defense made the offending runs unearned (this was also the case in one of his two losses). In a fourth, the runs weren't unearned but they were made possible by poor defensive play (Lastings Milledge misplaying a single into a triple). Put more succinctly, Meek has been in 11 "save situations" this season. In 13 1/3 innings, his ERA is 2.03, his K/BB ratio is nearly 3:1 and hitters are hitting .200/.273/.320 against him. In other words, he's been excellent. Saves are never really a great stat to judge a pitcher by, but they're even less helpful when looking at a seventh- or eighth-inning guy like Meek.

Evan Meek has pitched great this year. I don't need a guy like Olbermann telling me differently.

11 save opportunies, 5 of them blown. (Y)

and uh, wow .... when you're brought in you're supposed to stop the damage - IE keep the other guy's runner from scoring. Not doing so means you blew it. Lastings Milledge misplayed a ball and turned it into a triple ? Ok, you still got hit though and who says the next guy wouldn't have gotten a hit as well ?

So he's supposed to strike everyone out?

A 7-8th inning guy is supposed to "hold" the game ... he hasn't done that, as evidenced by his lack of "holds" ... outside of that his 7-8th inning performances have been literally in meaningless situations. Yeah, he's been great ... but his performance is misleading. Tyler Clippard has been great too ...

Have you seen him pitch? With the exception of a few appearances he's been terrific. I don't know why he isn't qualifying for "holds" or why a stat whose definition varies widely and is highly problematic is even brought up to discredit or credit a guy, but perhaps it has something to do with Meek coming in to pitch when the team is already losing. As has happened on numerous occasions.

Olbermann is removed from the team/player (unlike you/Pat Lackey). Come on man, the worst thing a fan of the team/player can do is reference a guy who writes a blog for the freaking team. Olbermann is an outsider to the situation who is, oh by the way, as intelligent as they come in terms of sports. You don't need him telling you differently because the truth of the matter takes the shine off, and you don't like that.

1. I didn't realize that Pat Lackey was a Pirates writer. I saw his article on Fanhouse and decided to quote it.

2. This is false. Just because a guy writes for the team (does Lackey even do that?) doesn't mean he's a homer or knows nothing. The most intelligent guy I know when it comes to baseball and the Pirates is my friend Rocco DeMaro who does the Pirates pre- and post-game shows. He is terrific and he tells it like it is. I'd take his word on Pirates-related matters over any national guy any day of the week.

[HailtotheYo]

1. I didn't realize that Pat Lackey was a Pirates writer. I saw his article on Fanhouse and decided to quote it.

2. This is false. Just because a guy writes for the team (does Lackey even do that?) doesn't mean he's a homer or knows nothing. The most intelligent guy I know when it comes to baseball and the Pirates is my friend Rocco DeMaro who does the Pirates pre- and post-game shows. He is terrific and he tells it like it is. I'd take his word on Pirates-related matters over any national guy any day of the week.

LMFAO :lmao: You quoted a guy and you don't even know who he is ?

Here, I'll help you out:

Lackey's Blog - Where have you gone Andy Van Slyke ?

I specifically linked it to the "about" page. You took a quote from a guy that is no more "in" the game of baseball than any of us. You did that, instead of maybe get something from your so called "in house expert." Lackey is basically you, writing a blog. (Y) great work.

Also, I'd really like for you to look at a statement you made:

... but perhaps it has something to do with Meek coming in to pitch when the team is already losing. As has happened on numerous occasions.

If he's that good, why is he mainly being used in trash situations ? I can think of one ...

[naiwf]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?n1=meekev01&t=p&year=2010

A quick glance at that link shows that Meek is basically a mop up guy. 21 of his 38 appearances have taken place with the team losing, 4 of them came in a tie and the other 13 have come with a lead. However 11 of the 13 times he had a lead he pitched the 6th or 7th innings

25 of his appearances happened in the 5th/6th/7th innings and only 3 of the 13 times he pitched in the 8th or 9th inning was he asked to protect a lead or preserve a tie.

His stats look great, but they also appear to be ultimately meaningless since he's almost never in a pressure situation.

[Lowerdeck]

Worst selection of all time ? Not even close. Hell, not even of the last ten years:

Ken Harvey (KC) in '04

Lance Carter (TB) in '03

Varitek in '08

With Harvey and Carter, those were the team representatives just because they had to have someone. That wasn't the case with Infante.

Though what was going on with picking Varitek in 08? He didn't do well that year.

[HailtotheYo]

Worst selection of all time ? Not even close. Hell, not even of the last ten years:

Ken Harvey (KC) in '04

Lance Carter (TB) in '03

Varitek in '08

With Harvey and Carter, those were the team representatives just because they had to have someone. That wasn't the case with Infante.

Though what was going on with picking Varitek in 08? He didn't do well that year.

Meh, fair points about the other two, and another discussion all together.

I did remember some though:

Brian Wilson (san francisco) in '04 I think. He had saves, but not because of anything he was doing. 4.37 era and a 1.4 whip ... AND Lincecum was already an all-star

Cal Ripken Jr '01 (retirement yeah yeah) The Iron Man hit a meager .240 with just four HRs and an OPS+ of 56 in the first half.

Varitek was puzzling as hell: "The Red Sox catcher ended the first half of the season hitting just .218, and had more strikeouts (73) than hits (56). Varitek was selected to the team by other players, something that slightly embarrassed him, even though he says, “Cut out the last three weeks and I’d be OK.” Not quite. 'Tek was just 15-for-113 with 38 strikeouts since May 21, and for the month of June, his batting average was an embarrassingly low .122 (just 9 hits in 83 plate appearances)." - RealClearSports article.

[gunnar hendershow]

Cal Ripken could have been injured the entire season and still have been voted onto the All-Star team by the fans (or at worst finished 3rd or 4th). It's something you'll only see nowadays from Jeter or Mauer, if anyone.

[HailtotheYo]

Oh, absolutely .... still a shit pick though.

[Fait Accompli]

Buster Olney is reporting that the Yankees and Mariners are "just about done" with the specifics on sending Cliff Lee to New York. As a Yankee fan...this makes me giddy.

[Meacon Keaton]

Buster Olney is reporting that the Yankees and Mariners are "just about done" with the specifics on sending Cliff Lee to New York. As a Yankee fan...this makes me giddy.

Me too, my friend, me too. Lee in our rotation will be a glorious thing.