2020 MLB Thread

[ELA]

Listening to the Cardinals' broadcast, their announcers seem completely oblivious to the fact that the Cardinals' issues are of their own doing...as opposed to the other teams, whose schedules they screwed up

[ELA]

Wait, I assumed the Tigers-Cardinals were doing a DH today, to make up earlier games, as part of a weekend series.  They literally flew to St. Louis for a day, to play a DH, that was cancelled because the Cardinals were dipshits, and now go to Chicago to face the White Sox this weekend?

How does that make any sense?  If they were going to cram this one in, at least force St. Louis to travel.  Cardinals and Marlins should have forfeited all of those games.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Singer on KC almost threw a no-no tonight.  He's a Gator. 
In a rotation with AJ Puk and Dane Dunning (both higher prospects), Singer was the ace much of the time.

[Hawkinole]

Wait, I assumed the Tigers-Cardinals were doing a DH today, to make up earlier games, as part of a weekend series.  They literally flew to St. Louis for a day, to play a DH, that was cancelled because the Cardinals were dipshits, and now go to Chicago to face the White Sox this weekend?

How does that make any sense?  If they were going to cram this one in, at least force St. Louis to travel.  Cardinals and Marlins should have forfeited all of those games.

I seen no evidence St. Louis plays CWS this weekend.

[ELA]

I seen no evidence St. Louis plays CWS this weekend.

Detroit had to lose a day off, to fly to St. Louis for a DH, then turn around and go to Chicago to start a series with the White Sox tonight...because the Cardinals went to a casino

[ELA]

Giolito and Mize locked in a scoreless draw in the 6th.  Might see this in the Division for a few years

Also love seeing Giolito in there at over 100 pitches, sweating it out the third time through the order.  The SP dual is what makes baseball.  I don't know the answer to it though, other than to contract rosters.

[OrangeAfroMan]

We just need some rules to set the parameters of the type of baseball that tilts towards the entertainment side of things and away from ideal winning strategies.  

[Hawkinole]

I am a complete homer when it comes to MLB, my team being the White Sox-.644.

I have to say this year's team is the best White Sox team since I became a fan in the late-1960s, even better than the 2005 World Series champion White Sox that went 11-1 in the playoffs and World Series. That team had good pitching, and timely hitting, while playing small ball.

This team has a lot of pitchers, with two really good starters, and powerful hitting. I would guess in terms of dominance that this team is the best White Sox team since 1917 that went 100-54 and finished 9-games ahead of the Red Sox before defeating the NY Giants 4-2 in the World Series.

Now that I posted this, they'll probably look like the 1969 Cubs. Their remaining games are with:

4-games v. the 2nd place Twins-.617
2-games v. the Cincy Reds-.435
4-games v. the Cleveland Indians-.565
3-games v. the 1st place Cubs-.574

[OrangeAfroMan]

The Sox were always going to have a big year of advancement, we just didn't know when it would be.  847Badge thought they'd win the division last year, but he was a year off.


I also think, and this is not a knock, that they have a wealth of early-to-mid-20s players who tend to have really bad, over-corrected 2nd halves to their seasons...which they'll avoid in this 60-game season.


Hopefully they'll avoid that sharp regression to the mean throughout the playoffs.  

[Cincydawg]

Da Braves keep finding pitchers somewhere, even with a lot of injuries to their starters.

I recall the good ol' days when they would throw Glavine/Maddux/Smoltz/Avery and then Pete Smith at you.  I have been on teams coached by Avery and Smith in Fantasy League, great fun, good guys.  I wonder how well I will be able to throw this year daily, and in the middle of the night sometimes.

[FearlessF]

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Albert Pujols needed nearly five weeks to tie Willie Mays for fifth place on the career home run list. It took only five days for the Los Angeles Angels slugger to pass him.

Pujols hit No. 661 in the fifth inning on Friday night against the Texas Rangers to break the tie with Mays, then connected again in his next at-bat in the 6-2 victory.

[OrangeAfroMan]

I sincerely doubt it, but I truly hope Pujols has no idea that the advanced metrics have him being a horrifically shit player, going on 3 years now.  I hope he produces those nice, round numbers that meant you were good some years ago and that he feels like he's contributing to the team.  


I hope none of the writers or TV guys have let slip the secret that he's setting the Angels franchise back years and embarrassing himself.  

[ELA]

I sincerely doubt it, but I truly hope Pujols has no idea that the advanced metrics have him being a horrifically shit player, going on 3 years now.  I hope he produces those nice, round numbers that meant you were good some years ago and that he feels like he's contributing to the team. 


I hope none of the writers or TV guys have let slip the secret that he's setting the Angels franchise back years and embarrassing himself. 

I'm sure he knows, but doesn't care.  Same with Miggy.  He said his goal was to hit .300 this year.  A .300 hitter with no speed and little power, doesn't do much for ya.  And that was his best case scenario.

And at least the Tigers are bad right now with or without him, so I don't mind (not my money) overpaying to see him hit milestones in Detroit.  The Angels have a lot of talent, and can't build it up because of how much they have sunk into Pujols.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Who is the best all-time first baseman?  If Pujols doesn't surpass Gehrig, then no one will, right?

I literally haven't compared their stats until posting them here.

Gehrig
114 career WAR (accumulation stat)
179 OPS+
no bonus for fielding or baserunning (zero or near-zero in both)

Pujols
101 career WAR
146 OPS+
plus baserunner (but near zero) and elite defender


I don't think the argument can be made that Pujols was BETTER than Gehrig, but due to his additional volume and playing now rather than back then, you could say he had a better CAREER:
3200+ hits    (2700+)
662+ HR      (493)
2099 RBI     (1993)
669 doubles   (534)
148 career fielding runs (~10 total runs per win, if you believe that sort of thing, and if you don't, his total is massive, especially for a first baseman)

2 fielding runs for Gehrig.


No, we don't know how long Gehrig would have played for if he'd stayed healthy, but Pujols has been playing on zero feet for about 5-6 years now.

The disparity in OPS+ is wiiiiiiide, and Pujols has fallen off a cliff.  He's done what Frank Thomas almost did and played himself out of a .300 career batting average.

Pujols is an all-time great, obviously, he's better than Foxx or McCovey or McGwire or whoever else you want to slot in behind Gehrig, but I don't see how anyone could surpass #4.