general 2021 MLB discussion thread

*they *first

i really should proofread my posts before hitting "Submit Post."

d-backs' win today makes this 7-43

― mookieproof, Sunday, May 30, 2021 7:26 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFwcVul2VrA

Who this fuck is this Adolis García dude?!

I'll do one of my periodic cut-and-pastes from Posnanski (I didn't know him either):

El Bombi!

OK, so there’s not a lot of great stuff going on with the Texas Rangers. But, seriously, how can you not get fired up about Adolis García? I mean, this guy has lived a baseball life. He was a star in Cuba, and then he defected to Japan, where he made almost no impact. The Cardinals signed him in 2017 based on his tools — great speed, quick bat, strong arm, etc.

But here’s a little secret that I’ve heard from baseball scouts: When you hear about a player being “toolsy,” it’s often code for “can’t hit.” Before he created Moneyball, Billy Beane, famously, was toolsy. Couldn’t hit. The Kansas City Royals used to have an outfielder named Alexis Gómez, and every year you would hear about this guy’s incredible tools. “He’s a center fielder who can run and throw, and he put on a power display in batting practice,” Baseball America gushed. He also had a great work ethic and was willing to do anything and everything to get better.

Unfortunately, as you guessed, he couldn’t hit.

García, for all his tools, could not convince the Cardinals of his ability to hit either. He did hit 22 homers in Triple-A Memphis in 2018 and 32 homers in Memphis in 2019, but he had a mindblowing 249-36 strikeout to walk ratio over those two seasons. The Cardinals first designated him for assignment and then made the best deal that they could, which meant trading him to the Rangers for $100,000.

But the Rangers found themselves equally unimpressed and also designated him for assignment, inviting anybody who wanted García to just claim him. When nobody did, they brought him to spring training, where he tore things up. The Rangers still didn’t have any room for him, so they left him back in Arizona … until a series of injuries inspired them to give El Bombi an opportunity.

He thought he homered in his second game … twice. The first time came as the ball crashed off the bat, a long fly ball to right that he and pretty much everyone else thought was gone. But this was in Tampa Bay, where the strangest stuff happens, and the ball apparently bounced off the top of the wall. But García was booking, he’s got a lot of speed, and he raced around the bases and was called safe at home, meaning he thought he’d hit an inside-the-park home run.

But that wasn’t true either, as, on replay, he was called out. The hit was ruled a triple.

So the next day he just homered conventionally off Tampa Bay’s Cody Reed.

Still, he always seemed to be on the brink of being dumped from the lineup. On May 2, he was hitting .233/.378/.479, and the dream sequence seemed to be ending for him.

In the three weeks since then, he’s hitting about .350 and slugging about .750, and he’s smashed 11 homers in 21 starts. As I write these words, El Bombi is tied for the lead in home runs.

I know that stuff like this does happen in other sports — a player will emerge from nowhere and outperform all expectations — but it’s particularly wonderful when it happens in baseball. When a Yermin Mercedes or Jesse Winker or Adolis García just starts playing at this crazy level, even if it doesn’t last, it’s so fantastic.

the orioles and diamondbacks are undefeated in june

Unofficial no-hitter aside, Bumgarner sure hasn’t looked good since he got to AZ. 16 ER in his last 12 innings. Only went 2 innings today.

Bumgarner’s FIP predicts better days ahead, but nothing worth the contract he got.

So sad to see how Lincecum, Cain and Bumgarner bodies basically collapsed.

Lincecum especially since he seemed headed for the hall until shit fell apart for him.

Imagine if the Cubs had kept Darvish and added a FA.

watson seems to have gotten dinged awfully hard on defense, and jersey al can tell you what he thinks of that

― mookieproof, Saturday, May 29, 2021 2:52 PM (five days ago)

lollin'.

so... does this count as "framing" and how many GL0RPz will it net you:

This highlight from 2019 of the catcher acting like a throw isn’t coming is a fake out that has not and will not ever be topped pic.twitter.com/m9iWIRRTjg

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 3, 2021

that’s amazing

it's pretty crazy that there are three players tied for the HR lead and they're all 23 or younger. wasn't the common thought that (generally) players peak around 26?

26-28 is the CW I'd say and honestly I think Tatis'll be even better then than he is now.

i'd say a lot of player's peaks are around age 45-55, when they become broadcasters and are able to dispense wisdom and advice from above

Re that fake-out play at the plate, I hate the "unwritten rules" as much as anybody but even I'm kinda like "damn that is rubbing it in with a 12-run lead in the 8th."

nahhhh

three players tied for the HR lead and they're all 23 or younger

And all three are among the four next-best-player-in-baseball group; only Soto is missing. Reminds me of Thomas/Griffey/Gonzalez in '93 (not knowing they'd all, to one degree or another, fall short of expectations).

with a little (bad) luck, the day could end with just nine teams having positive run differentials

didn't quite work out but we've got three divisions (AL central, NL east, NL central) with just *one* positive run-differential team

"The universe is too big for there not to be something else out there, especially for how long it's been around"

-- Giancarlo Stanton to @Buster_ESPN on UFOs

SO GOOD

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 7, 2021

the arizona diamondbacks, who have lost 19 straight road games and 24 of their last 27 overall, have fired hitting coaches eric hinske and darnell coles

their pitching staff is worst in the majors in ERA and opponent's batting average

yasmani grandal has 10 homers and nine other hits

and 48 walks

make that 49

let him be himself

I love how far the Mendoza line he is, while also having a great season.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7880261/john-horgan-support-possible-major-league-baseball-team-vancouver/

i would be so stoked if we got an mlb team. i would not be excited having the oakland a's here, though

though thinking about it, baseball wouldn't survive here. i feel like we really need an nba team, though. i see tons of basketball fans

i saw bill murray sing the national anthem yesterday at wrigley. despite the agonizing cardinals loss (up 5-1, lost 8-5), that was a perfect day at the ballpark. and i have to admit, i wasn't prepared for how powerful/emotional it would feel to be in a packed stadium with 35k fans. it was LOUD! i haven't been to something that loud in a very long time.

I just don’t think Vancouver area has the population to maintain a mlb team. Montreal is the largest area by pop, outside of Mexico City, without a franchise and it makes the most sense, imho. Still a lot of ball fans out there. And even if you don’t want to go back there, Vegas, Portland and Charolette probably all make more sense. I think tormenting Seattle fans a couple times a year will have to suffice for Vancouver’s baseball fans.

o shit the d-backs might win a road game

Didn’t happen. Blew a 7-0 lead to lose their 12th straight.

amazing.

they're gonna win tonight

giants have hit 99 homers in 68 games. in 2012, a year they won it all, they hit 103 all season

record-tying 22nd straight road loss for arizona; can’t imagine torey lovullo survives much more of this

I just don’t think Vancouver area has the population to maintain a mlb team. Montreal is the largest area by pop, outside of Mexico City, without a franchise and it makes the most sense, imho. Still a lot of ball fans out there. And even if you don’t want to go back there, Vegas, Portland and Charolette probably all make more sense. I think tormenting Seattle fans a couple times a year will have to suffice for Vancouver’s baseball fans.

― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Saturday, June 12, 2021 7:46 PM (five days ago) bookmarkflaglink

I don’t think ‘maintaining’ is really a thing anymore considering the value’s growth of mlb franchises. Have a good ballpark and a good team and everything else is really just dependant on how much a billionaire is willing to spend.

they're gonna win tonight

― ✖, Wednesday, June 16, 2021 3:41 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

they're gonna win today

i believe it too. i feel a victory on the road this afternoon. against the giants.

not looking good

uh i meant tomorrow

Turns out both the o's (19 games) and the dbacks (23 games) haven't won on the road since they had their no-hitters.

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-no-hitter-road-curse

Calling it now they're gonna win this one

Down by 8 but I can feel it, today's the day

How has acuña hit 100 HRs already?!

xp made it close!

wander franco will be the first major leaguer born in 2001

(xpost) From the MLB site:

Acuña's 100th homer comes in his 378th game. The only players to reach this milestone in fewer games were Ryan Howard (324), Gary Sánchez (355), Aaron Judge (371), Ralph Kiner (376) and Joey Gallo (377). It was also the fastest any player has gotten to both 100 homers and 75 stolen bases, by number of games.

So acuna is doomed is what im gathering

100 HRs in 378 games = 43 HRs/162
75 SBs in 378 games = 32 SBs/162

early 90s bonds-like

Still, not looking good for his HoF chances.