MLB 2015 Season Thread

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

So what you make of the Mets now Jack? looking like a team that could make a playoff run this year!

In obviously loving the pitching but I still think the playoffs might be a stretch too far. When your best hitter is a pitcher, there's something wrong. They just can't score runs and even though they got 7 yesterday, before that they hadn't scored more than 2 in over a week. Not sustainable in the long run and expecting your pitchers to give up only a run a game is too much really.

What annoys me is When Terry Colluns says "when player X gets going" or "when player Y gets going" we're going to be blah blah blah. If a player hasn't got 'going' by the end of June they're not going to get going. It's called not being good enough and unfortunately the Mets have too many of those players on offence.

jack presley

8-10 wrote: »

Has been a controversial subject in the past, it's generally scored as a hit, however on occasion does get scored as just an error - in general the ball has to be touched for the fielder to be charged with an error however the rules state that it is not necessary for it to be touched so it does happen it's just very very rare (happened last year to Ortiz v Darvish during a perfect game bid - scored as an error on the night then MLB overturned it after the game and awarded a hit)

Had it flied out to a single outfielder and just allowed to drop with no touch then I'd agree it's more likely an error (though would usually still be scored a hit), however falling between 2 players and neither of them touching it for me that's both a hit and an error. You can argue that as the rules say the outfielder could ordinarily catch that ball, however when you put into account the other outfielder coming in you're kind of crediting the hitter with hitting it into a location where it's difficult for both outfielders to call if you know what I mean. So in that way he in a way deserves the hit, however I definitely don't think he deserves the home run to be awarded. So it's bizarre, but I'm ok with it being a hit and advancing base on error, single or double is at the discretion of the scorer, we'll see if the MLB take a look retrospectively and rule a scoring adjustment

The thing about scoring is that it's done by an employee of the home team so it's not unusual for an error by a home player to be scored a hit for the batter and vice versa so it's not an exact science.

Scorers can be 'encouraged' to change the scoring of a play after a game and plenty of lobbying goes on I'm sure if someone's chasing a record or on a streak or something. If he says no, I'm sure MLB then review it.

Edit - I wasn't aware of that clean drop fly ball always being a hit even if the fielder should really have caught it. So cancel that previous post about me not even giving coreea a single.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

In obviously loving the pitching but I still think the playoffs might be a stretch too far. When your best hitter is a pitcher, there's something wrong. They just can't score runs and even though they got 7 yesterday, before that they hadn't scored more than 2 in over a week. Not sustainable in the long run and expecting your pitchers to give up only a run a game is too much really.

What annoys me is When Terry Colluns says "when player X gets going" or "when player Y gets going" we're going to be blah blah blah. If a player hasn't got 'going' by the end of June they're not going to get going. It's called not being good enough and unfortunately the Mets have too many of those players on offence.

As a team though you guys are playing tough even with weak bats. The line up is really missing Wright now I thought they would try to bring Marlon Byrd back this off season. Could do with making a move for some players, Ryan Howard would be a nice addition right now although alot of cash involved and maybe trying to make a sneaky move for some Marlins would love if the Nats went out and got Dee Gordon from the Marlins! (Not going to happen of course but just day dreaming here!)

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

As a team though you guys are playing tough even with weak bats. The line up is really missing Wright now I thought they would try to bring Marlon Byrd back this off season. Could do with making a move for some players, Ryan Howard would be a nice addition right now although alot of cash involved and maybe trying to make a sneaky move for some Marlins would love if the Nats went out and got Dee Gordon from the Marlins! (Not going to happen of course but just day dreaming here!)

Next week or so is make or break time. Series against the Cubs starts tomorrow then on the road to the Dodgers and Giants. If they can back from there still above .500 I'll start to believe a wild card might be possible but they really have to get someone who can hit. It's painful at times watching them at the plate.

jack presley

MoyVilla9 wrote: »

Making the most of their trip to Petco Park!

Glad they're having fun but lads, leave the GAA jerseys at home please.

Igotadose

Daniel Murphy back tomorrow, hopefully in good form. Agree this is a big week coming up, Mets are not out of the running for 1st place though the Nationals are loaded and Harper's having a ridiculous season, plus Scherzer's the real thing. Mets have been awful against good teams.

Just hoping the September games are meaningful, it's been way too long since they have.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

Igotadose wrote: »

Daniel Murphy back tomorrow, hopefully in good form. Agree this is a big week coming up, Mets are not out of the running for 1st place though the Nationals are loaded and Harper's having a ridiculous season, plus Scherzer's the real thing. Mets have been awful against good teams.

Just hoping the September games are meaningful, it's been way too long since they have.

Lets not get silly now, the Mets are not going to win more games than the Nats!! :D:D

Berserker

Igotadose wrote: »

Daniel Murphy back tomorrow, hopefully in good form. Agree this is a big week coming up, Mets are not out of the running for 1st place though the Nationals are loaded and Harper's having a ridiculous season, plus Scherzer's the real thing. Mets have been awful against good teams.

Mets are on BT Sports tonight. Am off tomorrow and have the channel myself, so will watch it. Another good win for the Astros last night against the Royals.

MoyVilla9

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

Lets not get silly now, the Mets are not going to win more games than the Nats!! :D:D

What's the point of being a fan if we cannot get silly?!

The Yankees are going to win the World Series!

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MoyVilla9 wrote: »

What's the point of being a fan if we cannot get silly?!

The Yankees are going to win the World Series!

That's hardly silly saying the most successful team in baseball history is going to win! :-)

The Nats now , yep , this is the year ..

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

The Nats now , yep , this is the year ..

Wasn't last year the year too?

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

Wasn't last year the year too?

And the year before that ...

and the year before that ...

and the year before that ...

and ...

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

And the year before that ...

and the year before that ...

and the year before that ...

and ...

Ah well, keep saying it and it eventually be true. To be fair, I picked the Nats to win it all too but with my success in predictions you can probably write off their chances this year.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

Ah well, keep saying it and it eventually be true. To be fair, I picked the Nats to win it all too but with my success in predictions you can probably write off their chances this year.

A lot of teams still in with a chance, if Toronto get Cueto and Chapman they could be champs.

Same could be said about a lot of teams. Interesting year ahead!

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

A lot of teams still in with a chance, if Toronto get Cueto and Chapman they could be champs.

Same could be said about a lot of teams. Interesting year ahead!

Yeah I'm enjoying the league this year. Look at the ALE, 4 teams within a game of first. And young teams getting better and there's plenty of good rookies coming through. It's been great to watch so far.

jack presley

40 steals for Billy Hamilton already. Imagine the damage he could do if he could get on base at even an average level.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

40 steals for Billy Hamilton already. Imagine the damage he could do if he could get on base at even an average level.

He is getting on base at an average level for what he is, they need to move him back to the top of the order. And he needs to bunt more.

Waitsian

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

He is getting on base at an average level for what he is, they need to move him back to the top of the order. And he needs to bunt more.

I heard somebody say that he might someday come close to Ricky Henderson's record of 130 in a season. If he doesn't up his OBP he won't.

If he does....look out!

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

He is getting on base at an average level for what he is, they need to move him back to the top of the order. And he needs to bunt more.

That's the point I was trying to make. He steals millions of bases but only has an OBP of around .270 which is well below what a major league hitter should be getting. So imagine his steal numbers if he was hitting .270 and getting on base around .330 or so.

And I think why he doesn't bunt more is because he's not very good at it.

Ian Whelan

Not sure if this is the best place to post this but I am going to a baseball game next month. I'm going for the experience really but I would like to have some idea of how the thing works, I have none at present. What advice would you give to me about learning the rules etc? I don't want to spend hours reading a book but I would like to have an idea about what is going on as I reckon it might be otherwise quite boring.

jack presley

Ian Whelan wrote: »

Not sure if this is the best place to post this but I am going to a baseball game next month. I'm going for the experience really but I would like to have some idea of how the thing works, I have none at present. What advice would you give to me about learning the rules etc? I don't want to spend hours reading a book but I would like to have an idea about what is going on as I reckon it might be otherwise quite boring.

There's usually a free game on MLB.tv every day so try and find a day when there's one on at a reasonable time and just sit and watch. Between watching and listening to the commentators you should pick it up quickly enough. Any term that comes up that you don't understand, Google will get you the answer.

Any specific questions and ask on here and you'll get an answer quite quickly from someone.

What game are you going to by the way? There might be a fan of that team on here who can give you specific advice about what to do or where to eat/drink etc.

jack presley

According to ESPN 980, Max Scherzer has been lobbying the Nats to pinch hit. Knowing him, he's probably brilliant at that too.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

According to ESPN 980, Max Scherzer has been lobbying the Nats to pinch hit. Knowing him, he's probably brilliant at that too.

There is a competition going on between him and fister for hitting averages I believe. Fister already has one pinch hit this season. I can just imagine Sherzer being p***d off that another pitcher did something he didnt do yet this season.

MoyVilla9

The Yankees send Adam Warren down to the bullpen despite him being their most consistent start over the past few months. Most agree that it has been CC, with his 5+ ERA, that deserves the demotion but the question is "is baseball ready for a $20+/year reliever?". Baseball is a funny game with it's guaranteed contracts, in the NFL they would just cut the player and move on.

8-10

Twins call up top prospect Miguel Sano, later than intended for his debut but he's just after having Tommy john at the start of last year.

This guy is BIG for a kid. If he can hit major league fastballs he'll get a lot of homers

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

MoyVilla9 wrote: »

The Yankees send Adam Warren down to the bullpen despite him being their most consistent start over the past few months. Most agree that it has been CC, with his 5+ ERA, that deserves the demotion but the question is "is baseball ready for a $20+/year reliever?". Baseball is a funny game with it's guaranteed contracts, in the NFL they would just cut the player and move on.

cc hasnt pitched as bad as his results indicate. i was surprised they demoted warren though i have to admit, i wonder could cc become a quality rp?

JONJO THE MISER

Absolutely killing it last 6 weeks on MLB, have to pinch myself im on such a good run, when this happens you get so paranoid as you know variance is right around the corner, second guessing yourself etc, human nature, i have my approach and stats and and will adjust as needs be.

jack presley

Igotadose wrote: »

Daniel Murphy back tomorrow, hopefully in good form. Agree this is a big week coming up, Mets are not out of the running for 1st place though the Nationals are loaded and Harper's having a ridiculous season, plus Scherzer's the real thing. Mets have been awful against good teams.

Just hoping the September games are meaningful, it's been way too long since they have.

I think the past 3 days have answered that question for us. 3 games, 1 run, .160 avg and .109 risp. Season over.

EDIT - At least they only have to face Kershaw and Greinke at Dodger stadium next. Easy peasy....!!!!! (Yes I am delirious)

jack presley

Great to see Jose Fernandez back. One of my favourite pitchers to watch (and he can hit as well!).

8-10

jack presley wrote: »

Great to see Jose Fernandez back. One of my favourite pitchers to watch (and he can hit as well!).

Home Run! Yep he's awesome. Shame he's on the Marlins

8-10

There has been nothing to cheer about all year but that first inning against the Blue Jays is probably the best half inning I've ever seen the red sox play

That poor pitcher charged with 7 earned runs without recording a single run. Ouch!

Back to dibble A.....

Waitsian

8-10 wrote:

There has been nothing to cheer about all year but that first inning against the Blue Jays is probably the best half inning I've ever seen the red sox play

And the Jays get 4 back in the bottom of the second. It's gonna be a hell of a game!

Waitsian

That Sox-Jays game finished with a combined 18 runs, 11 walks and 33 hits. It had 2 reviews and an ejection. Fun night at the ballpark eh?

Berserker

Another good win for the Astros last night @ Sox. That makes it five in a row.

jack presley

Don't be writing the Red Sox out of the ALE yet! Series win over the Astros and are now 7-3 over the last 10. And no one is pulling away in that division so 6 games in nothing.

MoyVilla9

jack presley wrote: »

Don't be writing the Red Sox out of the ALE yet! Series win over the Astros and are now 7-3 over the last 10. And no one is pulling away in that division so 6 games in nothing.

They cannot pitch. Not going anywhere with the rotation they have, regardless of any push they make in the AL East.

jack presley

MoyVilla9 wrote: »

They cannot pitch. Not going anywhere with the rotation they have, regardless of any push they make in the AL East.

I don't watch many of their games but from their scores I can see what you mean. They must have the highest runs scored in all their games as they all seem to end 12-8 or something. Is the hitting good enough to keep them in it?

8-10

jack presley wrote: »

I don't watch many of their games but from their scores I can see what you mean. They must have the highest runs scored in all their games as they all seem to end 12-8 or something. Is the hitting good enough to keep them in it?

Well seeing how bad we've been overall this season and still being 6 games out you'd have to say that the hitting had been good enough to just about keep them in it but I agree with moyvilla, without pitching it's not going to happen. This is one of those divisions where nobody seems to want to win it despite it being there for the taking.

Red Sox should play the long game and continue to develop Swihart, Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Barnes and Mookie Betts. Clay Buchholz has to be the most underrated pitcher in baseball right now. 3 earned runs in his last 4 starts is the stuff you expect from an ace pitcher and he's quietly doing his stuff well. Came within a half inning of a complete game shut out the other night but still great to see him go that late into games.

So should tick along for the rest of the year and I'd say .500 ball would be a realistic target.

For me the Blue Jays will win the division. They're the team that will make the 'win now' trades and should have enough to get past the other 3 who are all equally average this year.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

8-10 wrote: »

Well seeing how bad we've been overall this season and still being 6 games out you'd have to say that the hitting had been good enough to just about keep them in it but I agree with moyvilla, without pitching it's not going to happen. This is one of those divisions where nobody seems to want to win it despite it being there for the taking.

Red Sox should play the long game and continue to develop Swihart, Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Barnes and Mookie Betts. Clay Buchholz has to be the most underrated pitcher in baseball right now. 3 earned runs in his last 4 starts is the stuff you expect from an ace pitcher and he's quietly doing his stuff well. Came within a half inning of a complete game shut out the other night but still great to see him go that late into games.

So should tick along for the rest of the year and I'd say .500 ball would be a realistic target.

For me the Blue Jays will win the division. They're the team that will make the 'win now' trades and should have enough to get past the other 3 who are all equally average this year.

The Blue Jays have the most talent but they need pitching badly. A loan move for Ceuto and Chapman before they hit free agency would be clever but the reds discovered how to win again recently for a minute and that threw that up in the air. Likewise though they could go Hamels/Papelbon and I think the BJays would be very dangerous if they picked up a combo.

The Redsox pitching is terrible. Cant see them coming close to the division , personally as the teams stand at the moment roster wise I think the Orioles will win the division.

8-10

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

The Blue Jays have the most talent but they need pitching badly. A loan move for Ceuto and Chapman before they hit free agency would be clever but the reds discovered how to win again recently for a minute and that threw that up in the air. Likewise though they could go Hamels/Papelbon and I think the BJays would be very dangerous if they picked up a combo.

They could also go Samardzjia/Grilli. I agree with you, a good combo like that and they'll be dangerous

Waitsian

MoyVilla9 wrote: »

They cannot pitch. Not going anywhere with the rotation they have, regardless of any push they make in the AL East.

The Jays are the same. Best hitting team in MLB by a fair bit but their their starting rotation isn't great. Buehrle, the old workhorse, has been good as has Estrada but Dickey has been terrible, Hutchinson not much better, and since Sanchez hit the DL they've had guys up from the Minors for spot starts and they've been pounded. I think the bullpen is 15th in the league, so ok.

There's talk of the Shark, or Cueto, or Kazmir and several others coming in but do you sell the farm (again!) for a chance at the whole thing, especially with these hitters in your line-up? <shrugs>

Who'd be a GM eh?

jack presley

mod9maple wrote: »

Who'd be a GM eh?

Exactly. The player you trade away is bound to become the next star while the 'star' you get in return fades out and doesn't live up to potential.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

Exactly. The player you trade away is bound to become the next star while the 'star' you get in return fades out and doesn't live up to potential.

If I am the blue jays GM I go out and get Hamels, Cueto and Chapman and I win it all.

I don't think they need to give up the entire farm to do it. They have serious depth in talent there in Sp's and I think overall you have such an abundance of talent in the AL East that you need to take your shot when it comes. Remember the Yankees are there and are in a down cycle at the moment, they will come and win three or four in a decade so while the chance is there then the bluejays should take it.

On a side note, how do the Cardinals do it every year? It's amazing management. I am actually going to the AS game and really looking forward to it, gutted that Bryce wont be participating in the HR Derby on a personal level but glad he wont be for the overall team.

Speaking of which how does the AL even get a hit when you consider it could be -

Sherzer, Greinke, Cole, De Gromme, Miller, Burnett, Bumgardner for an inning followed by Rosenthal and Chapman .. ridiculous! probably give Melancon an out as well....

jack presley

Cool that you're going to the ASG. How'd you get tickets for that?

I hate all the off the field stuff about the ASG: the voting, every team being represented, the home field in the WS etc. but the actual game itself is fun to watch. As you say there's going to be some quality pitching on display it's definitely something I'll be interested in watching.

jack presley

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman wrote: »

If I am the blue jays GM I go out and get Hamels, Cueto and Chapman and I win it all.

I don't think they need to give up the entire farm to do it. They have serious depth in talent there in Sp's and I think overall you have such an abundance of talent in the AL East that you need to take your shot when it comes. Remember the Yankees are there and are in a down cycle at the moment, they will come and win three or four in a decade so while the chance is there then the bluejays should take it.

Is love to see Toronto make a splash and win the AL. They're one of the teams I like to see doing well and I still have a soft spot for Jose Reyes.

Maybe Mod4Maple can answer but would they be prepared to trade away some prospects. I know Cueto would be a rental (is Chapman too?) but I'd imagine the Reds will ask for a lot for them.

On a side note, how do the Cardinals do it every year? It's amazing management.

Best run team in American sports I'd say. They don't have the budget of the Yankees or the Dodgers yet even when they lose a star player, someone else steps up and they continue to perform as if nothing happened.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

Is love to see Toronto make a splash and win the AL. They're one of the teams I like to see doing well and I still have a soft spot for Jose Reyes.

Maybe Mod4Maple can answer but would they be prepared to trade away some prospects. I know Cueto would be a rental (is Chapman too?) but I'd imagine the Reds will ask for a lot for them.



Best run team in American sports I'd say. They don't have the budget of the Yankees or the Dodgers yet even when they lose a star player, someone else steps up and they continue to perform as if nothing happened.

I have a really good friend who runs a sports website and he basically can get tickets for pretty much any sporting event, so I tapped him up when I knew I would be in the states for the ASG.

I think Chapman would be a rental as well as far as I am aware but they go in free agency in the summer so there is a chance that the Reds, take what they can get right now.

I have a soft spot for the Blue Jays as well , I spent time in Toronto from 97-2001 pretty much every summer I spent there and went to a fair few games and became aquainted with baseball during that time. Would love to see them going all in this year. A Jays/Nats finals for me would be perfect

jack presley

Reading a lot this morning that last night might have been Cueto's last start in a Reds uniform. What a way to go out if it was!

Another pitcher that I love watching. His motion is great to watch, almost robotic.

The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman

jack presley wrote: »

Reading a lot this morning that last night might have been Cueto's last start in a Reds uniform. What a way to go out if it was!

Another pitcher that I love watching. His motion is great to watch, almost robotic.

absolutely love him, sickened me last night he was so good against the Nationals but he is great to watch.

I hope he goes to a contender

Waitsian

I'm going to make a bold prediction! The Jays will trade one or two established players eg Encarnacion or Reyes or Hutchinson or Dickey packaged with low-level prospects, or even maybe one stud prospect eg Norris or Pompey to get a SP or maybe two.

We'll see how I've done come August 1.

Waitsian

Ah what the heck! I'll make an even bolder prediction.

One of the 4 established players mentioned above will be in a

Mets

uniform for the second half of the season.