2018 MLB Thread

[MarqHusker]

Might as well get this started, with the Baseball HOF voting results to be announced this Wednesday.

According to the Tibbs tracker, we could have a big class (nevermind the large 'Vets committee' class).  75% or more required to get in.

the Tracker has about 50% of available ballots counted thus far (anonymous and public), and it would appear
Lock:  Chipper Jones.
Very Likely: Jim Thome and Vlad Guerrero
Close:  Trevor Hoffman an Edgar Martinez
Just outside:  Mike Mussina.

Those other guys:  Bonds making progress , as is Clemens, but likely at 60% at best, same with Schilling, which is spinning wheels too in the same range.

[ELA]

Noticed this past weekend was the halfway point between the start of college basketball and the start of MLB.  That's a good feeling.

I've never jumped on one side or the other of too many in the HoF, but reading that, man, starting to feel like the writers are getting soft.  Jim Thome is one of my favorite players, but Hall of Fame lock?  He feels like a borderline guy to me.  Did Mussina ever win a Cy Young?  He always struck me as a high strikeout guy that the sabre guys love retroactively, but was just always really good, but I never thought of him in that elite echelon of pitchers in the 90s.  But if Jack Morris is going in, kind of hard to keep Mussina out.

[847badgerfan]

Yeah, I feel like Thome is borderline too. Lots of home runs for sure, but a BA of around .275 doesn't do it for me.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Batting average??  C'mon Badge, OBP!!!  lol

I do think Thome is an odd 'lock' guy.  I was thinking about him the other day once I heard how high his released ballots % was.  I was looking at his numbers and Sammy Sosa came to mind.  Of course Sosa has the PED elephant on his back, but I compared them and guess what - they're nearly the same player except for 2 things:
1 - Sosa's stolen bases as a youth, and
2 - 800 walks

Similar traditional numbers, big HR, low BA, high K rates, etc.  But Thome's patience makes him that much better.  800 walks.  Hmmph.

[FearlessF]

I think 600 plus HRs gets you a lock if you weren't accused of roids

He also played 3rd until Matt Williams was aquired

[OrangeAfroMan]

Thome finished 2nd all-time in strikeouts, falling about 50 short of Reggie's total.

[FearlessF]

and let me check........... yup, Reggie is in

and with about 50 less HRs than Thome

seems fair

couple locks

[CousinFreddie]

I'm still sad about Ted Simmons missing it by one vote in December.  I loved to watch that guy. 

[MarqHusker]

I'm still sad about Ted Simmons missing it by one vote in December.  I loved to watch that guy.  

that made me angry.   He's on a short list of guys from my lifetime which I think have been sorely overlooked.

[MarqHusker]

If we're gonna bag on a guy w/ a low .BA (and Those .276), yet he does make Mr. October (.263) look pedestrian.

Thome (thanks to the walks) is +48pts OBP on Reggie, and over 55pts in SLG.   Heck Ty Cobb and his 118 HRs is ahead of Reggie in slugging comfortably.   Reggie did steal 200+ bases (again, when people tried to steal a lot more).  For the record, the game's greatest 3B hit .267 for his career.  Killebrew was sub .260 and McCovey was .270.    Again, BA not all that informative in terms of total player value.

I grew up a big time Reggie fan, bought his candy bar, put white tape around the neck of the bat, tried to bat lefty from time to time.    I'm actually stunned his K record has stood this long, considering how much higher the K rate is nowadays.  

I'm surprised by Thome's high first year totals, I think he's benefitting as the anti-juicing poster child, not to mention how the media loved the guy.   I don't think he really had a stint as the game's best player, and his peak is ok (not a lot of black ink), but the longevity is what's getting him all the love.  (longer version of what OAM said).

[FearlessF]

I'm still sad about Ted Simmons missing it by one vote in December.  I loved to watch that guy.  

cousin grew up in St. Louis and was a huge fan of Simmons
who wasn't? the flowing locks...  Simba
great hitter

[OrangeAfroMan]

Chipper, Vlad, Hoffman, and and Thome are Hall of Famers.

On a side note.....Johan Santana is off the ballot.  Got the same number of votes as.......Jamie Moyer.  WTF

[MarqHusker]

Always interesting to look at those down ballot totals.  El Caballo got a vote I see.   Santana was all peak, and Moyer was no peak, all career.  

In other big baseball news, the Milwaukee Brewers dropped their 25? year partnership with Klement's (sausages) and announced a partnership with Johnsonville.   In a dubious case a few years ago, it was made clear that MLB owned the rights to the sausage race, so that will no doubt continue, this time with Johnsonville's name all over it.

Johnsonville is ok,  if I couldn't buy a brat/italian from a local butcher, I'd go with Klement's, especially some of their specialty spiced sausages.  Usinger's still makes the best hot dogs in Milwaukee, nobody close.

[Hawkinole]

I am a White Sox fan. I liked Thome when he was with the Indians, and the Phillies. I was saddened to see one aging star, Frank Thomas being replaced by an almost equally aging star, Jim Thome. But Thome grows on you as you learn his back stories. Great guy in the club house. Philanthropist. Peoria guy.

Thome made it into the Hall of Fame today. I thought he was the most deserving of the recipients. My opinion isn't worth much. I would have put Vlad Guererro, next.