2017 regular-season game chatter

there's a pretty interesting home run crown chase in the AL this season, in that barring a big run by someone else, it looks like it's going to come down to these guys (total HR in parentheses)

Aaron Judge (37)
Joey Gallo (37)
Khris Davis (37)
Mike Moustakas (36)
Justin Smoak (36)
Logan Morrison (35)

weird bunch, i wouldn't have picked any of them other than Davis for top ten before the season.

It feels like Edwin hasn't really gotten hot yet this year, although he is coming off a 10-HR month (otherwise not very good). He hit as many as 16 in a month with the Jays. Longshot, but having great memories of what he was like on a tear, I wouldn't be shocked if he ended up with 45.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/sports/baseball/boston-red-sox-stealing-signs-yankees.html

if only it had worked

(nats call up prospect)

Victor Robles will be the first MLB player who was born after The Notorious B.I.G. died.

— Paul Swydan (@Swydan) September 7, 2017

NYY-TBR series moved to Queens

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20636736/new-york-yankees-tampa-bay-rays-play-citi-field-due-potential-impact-hurricane-irma

almost coulda watched the end at breakfast

http://www.knbr.com/2017/09/12/giants-complete-whimsical-odyssey-finally-sink-dodgers-at-211-a-m/

earliest Opening Day ever (sort of) etc for 2018

http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/82632/from-the-earliest-opening-day-ever-to-the-toughest-road-what-you-need-to-know-about-mlbs-2018-schedule

Worthy of Ball Four:

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/09/12/253821934/a-praying-mantis-showed-up-in-the-yankees-dugout-so-the-players-built-him-a-habitat

In all likelihood all-time record for most total HRs hit in an @MLB season (current mark is 5,694) will be broken tonight. Plan accordingly.

— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) September 19, 2017

Sale probably put the AL Cy Young back up for grabs last night. Wouldn't it be great if he and Kluber faced each other in the next couple of weeks? I think Kluber still has the edge.

looks like the Angels are done

A’s rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell, who earlier in the day profanely bashed President Donald Trump on Instagram, became the first major-league player to kneel during the National Anthem on Saturday before Oakland’s game at the Coliseum.

The product of a military family, Maxwell placed his hand on his heart and faced the flag during the anthem while taking a knee before the game against Texas. Teammate Mark Canha placed his hand on Maxwell’s shoulder.

Saturday morning, Maxwell, who is African American, took a strong stand on Instagram against Trump’s remarks about NFL players who choose to kneel during the National Anthem.

After Trump’s comments urging NFL owners to fire any players who kneel for the anthem, Maxwell posted a tweet from Andrew Steinthal that suggested that all NFL players should kneel for the anthem on Sunday. Below the post, Maxwell added in a comment, "Yeah, f- this guy! Our president speaks of inequality of man because players are protesting the anthem! F- this man! Seriously on the highest platform for our country expressing that it is OK for there to be division of man and rights!"

Maxwell was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, when his father, who also is named Bruce, was stationed there with the Army. The younger Maxwell is highly patriotic - he took great pride in the July 4 uniforms and catcher’s gear he received this year - so his decision to kneel appears to be entirely in opposition to Trumps comments and in solidarity with the NFL players who have taken a knee for the anthem.

Maxwell was not in the lineup Saturday because he is going through the concussion protocol after taking a foul ball off the mask Wednesday at Detroit.

While numerous players and athletes in other sports have joined Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protest over the past year, no big-leaguer had done so before Maxwell. A year ago, Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones, who is African American, told USA Today that no major-leaguers had followed suit "because baseball is a white man’s sport."

The percentage of African Americans on Opening Day rosters this year was 7.1 percent, the lowest since 1958, according to USA Today.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/athletics/article/A-s-Bruce-Maxwell-first-MLB-player-to-kneel-for-12223798.php

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKc34ckUMAIQXRI.jpg

pic.twitter.com/EHXwg8Zpax

— Oakland A's 🌳🐘⚾️ (@Athletics) September 24, 2017

A year ago, Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones, who is African American, told USA Today that no major-leaguers had followed suit "because baseball is a white man’s sport."

The percentage of African Americans on Opening Day rosters this year was 7.1 percent, the lowest since 1958, according to USA Today.

not just on the field, either. there's a crazy discrepancy in the kinds of baseball-related jobs that white people hold, especially white men, vs everyone else. at the top tier of an organization, like the 150 or so who get a picture in the team's press guide, it's almost entirely white people. same deal with many of the other mid-level job tiers - security, the groundskeeper crew, the tv crew.

Very Proud of @bruu_truu13 taking a Knee and being the 1st Major leaguer 2 do so #Courage #Inclusion #Justice #inequality #FreedomOfSpeech

— LaTroy Hawkins (@LaTroyHawkins32) September 24, 2017

Turns out there is more uncertainty over the NL wild card than in the AL.

altuve had an insane swinging bunt where he apparently got down the line 3.3 seconds, the fastest in the statcast era

Andrelton Simmons is such a defensive monster, cuts off throw and throws behind Correa, then jumps in rundown and fires home to catch Altuve pic.twitter.com/I4RbhTMBIh

— Ozzie (@OzzieStern) September 25, 2017

simmons is a god

it seems really odd to me that with only a week or so left in the regular season, there are only SIX starting pitchers who have 200 IP

Sale - 214.1
Santana - 206.1
C. Martinez - 205
Samardzija - 201.2
deGrom - 201.1
Verlander - 200

it seems like there are 5-8 others who may pass that mark. last season there were 15 SPs with 200 or more IP, but in 2015 there were 28.

last night's shift against joey gallo:

https://cdn.fangraphs.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/shift.png

scanning the list of players with negative fWAR, it's striking how many (former) stars there are:

pujols -1.7
beltran -1.2
cargo -0.2
bautista -0.1
miguel cabrera -0.1

i mean, i understand why - you don't simultaneously accumulate enough PAs to qualify for the list and produce negative value unless the team has a reason to believe you're capable of much more. but still, seems like these guys were monsters just a couple years ago

i'd be willing to bet if you went year-by-year looking at every negative WAR "leaders" you'd probably get close-to-retirement stars in there pretty often.

so hey, Cubs-Nationals is set. I find it hard to root for either.

yes it must be hard for you to root for a competent team with so little practice

wocka wocka

Sunday stunt:

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/9/27/16376670/tigers-andrew-romine-nine-positions-one-game

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Xx5zuUSrL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

makes u think

life lessons from right field: you gotta watch the corner in the carolina mudcats stadium. a "ball" (a "life problem") can take a weird bounce back in the "corner" (the "place you live in") and the hitter (possibly also a "life problem") could end up getting a "triple" (you could "make a mistake". i forget the batter's name. i don't think the manager was mad at me, though, considering i didn't usually play that position.

- excerpt, chapter 9, "life lessons from right field", justin toole

tip #2: never take a shit in a borrowed catcher's mask. it's not worth it. nobody "gets" your humor.

tip #3: if you ever want to make it to "triple a" (a "meaningless promotion for someone your age"), exhibition stunts are not the way to go

What is there to watch for today, besides Stanton batting leadoff?

I was going to say that the best record in the AL is still up for grabs, but Cleveland has the tiebreaker over Houston, so no.

Every team that will finish over .500 in the AL will make the playoffs this year.

117 players hit 20 or more home runs

41 players hit 30 or more home runs

NBC News: Stephen Paddock searched for hotels near Fenway Park in Boston, senior official says. Few if any hotels have any view of stands.

— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) October 5, 2017

yikes

christ