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 Post subject: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 1:08 pm 
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Big in Japan
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I splurged on MLB.tv for the entire 2017 season, so expect me to spend quite a bit of my summer opining here.

I'm confident about the Giants this season. Was planning to see them in Pittsburgh on Canada Day weekend, but with the whole situation down South, I might change plans.

Giants have Posey, Belt, Pence, Craw, Panik, Bumgarner, Cueto, Shark, Moore, Span, Nunez all coming back. They've added Melancon at closer, along with Korean star Hwang. Top prospects Beede and Arroyo are almost ready - probably just need a month or two in AAA.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 5:37 pm 
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Rule changes...

1. Clock? Just enforce the existing time limits on pitches. Who the fuck needs a clock. Umps can fucking count to 12 and 24 or whatever it is.
2. Smaller strike zone? Umps literally let the catchers make the calls for them. Let them call the zone as it is consistently before making any more stupid changes.
3. Mound visits by coaches. Fuck em. Coach to the mound means pitching change. These guys have such elaborate signs they can figure it out.
4. Mound visits by catchers/infielders. Fuck em. If a catcher or infielder reaches the mound, automatic free base and batter takes first.
5. Pitcher must call out the coach or trainer to the mound if they are hurt or need to be lifted and they must be lifted. They don't and the coach or trainer goes to the mound, pitching change.

Quicker pace, more offense, more chaos, more fun.

My more radical ideas are to not allow mid-inning pitching changes and to limit pickoff moves to one per pitch sequence. Attempted a pickoff? Can't do another until you've thrown a pitch. That would be a shitshow.

There is nothing I hate more in baseball than pitchers taking too long, then throwing multiple pickoffs, the catchers going out to have a chat and fucking midinning coaching visits and pitching changes.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 3:28 pm 
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Goddamn Rockies better show us they're able to survive past May for once this decade.


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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:42 am 
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Big in Japan
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Loving the World Baseball Classic. Competitive, fast-paced, a few packed stadiums and lots of passion from the players.

Unfortunately, the WBC is blacked out for Canadian MLB.tv subscribers, so I've only caught a few games at my mom's. I've been watching the highlight packages, though.

It's a shame Canada has trouble attracting their best players, but they also shot themselves in the foot by being too loyal to vets. Dempster should never have started against the USA. Hopefully they get future Cy Young winners Paxton and Taillon in four years. (And Quantrill Jr. and Soroka)

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 11:58 am 
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A Canadian Dream Team could've gotten lucky against Colombia, US or DR:

CF Pompey
C Martin
1B Freeman
DH Votto
2B Lawrie
LF Saunders
RF O'Neill
3B Wood
SS Pinero

SP: Paxton, Taillon, Pivetta, Albers

RP: Axford, Henderson, Gagne, Chapman, Zastyrny, Molleken, Loewen, Quantrill Jr.

Instead, they'll have to qualify back into the tournament.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:43 am 
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Nice article on my favourite ballplayer Buster Posey. He's about to turn 30 and hoping to stave off natural decline for a bit. He's put up a HOF resume so far, but he needs a few more great seasons.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/artic ... 025919.php

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 11:19 am 
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Prediction time:

NL: Nationals, Cubs, Giants (Dodgers, Mets)
AL: Orioles, Indians, Astros (Rangers, Royals)

NL MVP: Posey
AL MVP: Trout (obvious pick, if not either Lindor or Correa)

NL Cy: Syndergaard
AL Cy: Darvish

World Series: Indians over Nationals

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Sun Apr 02, 2017 8:04 pm 
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Grrrrreaaaat...Rox designate big reliever Miguel Castro for assignment a day before their opener against the Brewers. Castro was a big piece of the return in the Tulo trade.

On the plus side, that means Denver native Kyle Freeland will be making his Major League debut in his hometown on opening day.


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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:13 pm 
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E.L. wrote:
Nice article on my favourite ballplayer Buster Posey. He's about to turn 30 and hoping to stave off natural decline for a bit. He's put up a HOF resume so far, but he needs a few more great seasons.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/artic ... 025919.php


Well this won't help.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/bus ... ar-BBzFFpD


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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:23 pm 
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Not often, if ever do I link to a Kiz article but...

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/07/ki ... -give-dad/

No matter how poorly this season may go for the Rox, opening day was absolutely perfect. CO native Kyle Freeland wins his MLB debut at Coors Field. His high school was only a few blocks from the last place I lived in Denver before moving to Nebraska.


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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 1:08 pm 
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60 Minutes did a story on Shohei Ohtani aka Japan's Babe Ruth. 22-years-old and already the Japan League's best hitter and pitcher. He wants to come over to America after this season, even if the new CBA caps deals with international players under 25 at 6M. If he waits until he's 25, he could probably make 200M or so, but one assumes he wants to join MLB so he can be the first full-time pitcher/hitter since Babe. Aren't bragging rights worth more than 194M?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/shohei-ohta ... 0-minutes/

My guess? He finds an AL team willing to put him in their rotation and have him DH 3 times a week. Angels or Yankees could offer that.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:12 pm 
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E.L. wrote:
60 Minutes did a story on Shohei Ohtani aka Japan's Babe Ruth. 22-years-old and already the Japan League's best hitter and pitcher. He wants to come over to America after this season, even if the new CBA caps deals with international players under 25 at 6M. If he waits until he's 25, he could probably make 200M or so, but one assumes he wants to join MLB so he can be the first full-time pitcher/hitter since Babe. Aren't bragging rights worth more than 194M?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/shohei-ohta ... 0-minutes/

My guess? He finds an AL team willing to put him in their rotation and have him DH 3 times a week. Angels or Yankees could offer that.


How does this signing bonus cap thing work, though? Team pays a $200M posting fee to his Japan league team. Team pays him the 6M bonus and then what? They sign him to a 5-year deal for $100M or something? Is that bonus cap on salary too for a year or certain number of years?

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 3:06 pm 
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Bosc wrote:
How does this signing bonus cap thing work, though?


Last year MLB and the PA signed a new CBA that included some little changes. Most notably, you can only offer a max of $6 million to any international free agent (meaning outside USA, Canada, Puerto Rico) under age 25. So no more 40M for Aroldis-type deals.

A few years ago, MLB and the Japan league (NPB) revised the posting system. Now you can only offer a max of 20M, and the player can choose which MLB team he goes to. So no more 50M blind postings like for Darvish and Dice-K.

That 20M post and 6M bonus doesn't include salary, which would be your standard rookie minimum + arbitration after 3 years. Rookies are supposed to be under team control for 6 years, but in the case of a big name like Ohtani, it is possible to alter a deal to allow him to reach free agency faster.

If you're over 25, anything goes. Sign for a billion dollars if you can get it.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 3:31 pm 
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E.L. wrote:
Bosc wrote:
How does this signing bonus cap thing work, though?


Last year MLB and the PA signed a new CBA that included some little changes. Most notably, you can only offer a max of $6 million to any international free agent (meaning outside USA, Canada, Puerto Rico) under age 25. So no more 40M for Aroldis-type deals.

A few years ago, MLB and the Japan league (NPB) revised the posting system. Now you can only offer a max of 20M, and the player can choose which MLB team he goes to. So no more 50M blind postings like for Darvish and Dice-K.

That 20M post and 6M bonus doesn't include salary, which would be your standard rookie minimum + arbitration after 3 years. Rookies are supposed to be under team control for 6 years, but in the case of a big name like Ohtani, it is possible to alter a deal to allow him to reach free agency faster.

If you're over 25, anything goes. Sign for a billion dollars if you can get it.


Wow. They got the NPB to agree to that? So MLBPA/MLB prevent international rookies from getting crazy deals that Canada/US/PR can't. Japan might retain more talent this way, while MLB teams potentially save lots of money but certain teams can't spend crazy amounts.

Lots of aspects to it, but like always, the players actually in the league and the league come to an agreement to control the players outside of the league and who get less and less.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 4:14 pm 
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The NPB didn't like the old posting system either. They felt poorer teams were letting go of talented homegrown players for a quick buck, which in turn weakened the league overall.

There was also a feeling that Dice-K only got a crazy posting fee from Boston because they didn't want the Yanks to sign him and not because they wanted the player. The plan was for the Sox to win the posting fee, then not negotiate with him so he'd have to go back to Japan and his team would be obligated to refund the posting fee.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 12:14 pm 
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Eric Thames, man.

This is awesome:

http://nesn.com/2017/04/eric-thames-res ... and-urine/

https://twitter.com/AdamMcCalvy/status/ ... 2818515969

Guy seems pretty genuine and likeable just judging by that. I hope he's not even taking any supplements so there's an absolute zero chance of anything even tainted.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Sat May 06, 2017 8:12 pm 
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http://nypost.com/2017/05/06/mets-accid ... -of-dildo/ :haha:

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2017 3:37 pm 
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Just got back to Nebraska after spending MDW in Colorado to see friends and family, the highlight was of course watching the Rockies (1st in the National League!!!! I'm saying that now even though I'm superstitious because I have no idea how long I can say that before the meaty part of the season begins) defeat the Cardinals (who are no slouches) at Coors Field.

Anyhow, it was a great game, Rox won 8-4 thanks to Gerardo Parra (filling in for Carlos Gonzalez) who went 3-for-4 with a 3-run homer to boot. All of STL's 4 runs came off home runs with no one on. Kind of an oddity, but thankfully damage was minimal.

Lo and behold, the Rox have something to offer late in May other than the ambiance of Coors Field!

Awesome setup for people living in the Denver Metro Area. Thanks to RTD's Light Rail system now stretching as far as Golden and Arvada you don't have to drive to get to downtown Denver. I believe they're trying to expand it as far north as Boulder which would be insanely awesome.

Very surprised at the current picture of the NL West. Right now it's Colorado and Arizona battling it out for the top spot with LA and SF lagging a bit (not sure if that's gonna last though). Of course it's not surprising to see the Padres, San Diego teams just seem destined for suckiness.


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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:09 pm 
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Take a bow, Steve Pearce. 2 walkoff grand slams in 4 days. Only 2 other players in history had 2 in a season.

Yesterday's is the one from your childhood ball games, where you're down by 3 in the bottom of the ninth. It wasn't 2 outs and a full count, but still awesome.

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 Post subject: Re: 2017 MLB Season
PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 9:18 pm 
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Bartman gets WS ring from Cubs. Classy move.

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