~2019 MLB Thread~

[ELA]

Unless the ball was like halfway in his glove already, that should have been called a HR.  I believe the rule is that fans can only interfere as the ball is "in play" as in - in the playing area.  If a fan prevents a player from catching the ball past the wall, then it's not interference, only if the fan reaches over the wall into the playing field is it interference.

It was tough to tell, but it appeared he was over the field of play, but the ball was well above the wall, it was going to clear.

[CatsbyAZ]

Living in a baseball town again, suddenly I care about MLB again. 2016 was the last season I followed, the year I moved from a different baseball city, and in the two seasons since the nearest stadium was at least a 5 hour drive. Goes to show how much I comparatively work to follow both College and NFL in out of the way places in Europe or at sea. MLB is definitely an out-of-sight, out-of-mind sport for me. Just don’t have the time to make room in my attention span unless I’m hearing about it everyday (which national sports totally radio barely covers) or a stadium is right down the street. I’ve come to a point with sports where the times are too busy to stay afloat of what’s generally happening with golf, baseball, NHL, soccer, basketball, and it gets me wondering where my other friends find the focus to keep up with it all.

[ELA]

I'm in awe of how much my younger self was able to retain things.  I'll watch a random NHL playoff game here and there, and I'll have HEARD OF maybe 6 total players, and would have known at most 2 of them actually played on that team.  High school me knew most of the rosters of every team in every major sport.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Same.

[rook119]

The Pirates are 0 for 18 on the season when the bases are loaded. 

[MarqHusker]

Competition and general bandwidth for attention is simply too intense when you are one of more of the following; 1. Adult, 2. Parent, 3. Gainfully employed, 4. Property owner, 5. Business owner, 6. develop serious interests outside of sports.

When you have zero, or next to zero responsibilities, you can recall 25 man rosters, lineups,  league leaders, etc.  It's not possible once you possess one of the aforementioned traits.

[Hawkinole]

I've taken a big step back in my baseball fanaticism this past year, so I won't post the whole standings, but I will say this:
The Twins win the AL Central because they're just better than CLE.  The Indians are messing around too much and it's going to bite them this year.

Not sure where you draw your baseball acumen for the AL Central from, but so far you are spot on as of 4/28/2019:

Twins    16-9    (.640)
Indians  15-12 (.556)

[ELA]

Casey Mize continuing to look like the real deal.  Threw a no hitter in his AA debut last night.  His final 2 High A appearances were a pair of 1 hitters, with a bunt single, and an infield single.  He hasn't given up a solid contact hit in like 80 batters.

Problem is he might be too far ahead of schedule.  Tigers are certainly going to suck again next year.  2021 they might be gunning for .500?  Problem is how long can you reasonably hold him down?  Also means the Tigers 2017 and 2018 1st round picks have AA no hitters in the past week, after Alex Faedo last week.  And Matt Manning, also in Erie, is probably rated ahead of Faedo.  Then by some measures their top overall prospect, Franklin Perez, is in extended spring training rehabbing an injury.

There seem to be a ton of arms on the way in a couple years, but man the system still looks hopelessly thin on positional players.

[CWSooner]

The Pirates are 0 for 18 on the season when the bases are loaded.

The Cardinals won 18 games in April and have the best record in the NL.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Not sure where you draw your baseball acumen for the AL Central from, but so far you are spot on as of 4/28/2019:

Twins    16-9    (.640)
Indians  15-12 (.556)

The AL Central isn't hard to figure - 3 teams are godawful, one has been winning the division by default and keeps taking measures to trim payroll, and then there's the Twins, who are better than they should be and have improved.  

[ELA]

And now Kluber (who in fairness has been terrible this year), joining Clevinger on the IL

[ELA]

Ohtani making his season debut tonight

[FearlessF]

0 for 4 with an RBI and 2 Ks

but, the Halos get the win

[MarqHusker]

Mike Fiers has now thrown two no hitters.  Virgil Trucks is not impressed.