MLB 2012

[HaemishM]

Just looking at the NL Central teams projected lineups is  enducing. How did the Central become the dumping ground for over-the-hill and underachieving hitters? The Brewers look to have the best hitting along with the Reds, but it's best among worst. With Braun missing and Ramirez a typical slow starter (wait until about June before he starts hitting homers), that team is going to struggle early. I expect the Berkman and Beltran to each have about 20 HR's at best, scattered all over the season. But as usual, the division will be up for grabs.

[WayAbvPar]

Latest dispatch from Team Dysfunctional- Chone Figgins will be batting leadoff, and Ichiro will be batting 3rd. Jesus fucking wept.

[HaemishM]

That would have been great... 3 years ago. Figgins isn't even cracking .300 anymore is he?

[Ingmar]

BP projects him at .255/.335/.306. So decent walk rate and basically nothing else.

EDIT: And I'm up to the chapter on Baltimore. WHO THE HELL ARE ALL THESE TERRIBLE PLAYERS.

[JWIV]

BP projects him at .255/.335/.306. So decent walk rate and basically nothing else.

EDIT: And I'm up to the chapter on Baltimore. WHO THE HELL ARE ALL THESE TERRIBLE PLAYERS.

It's all part of Duquette's awesome master plan to sink the team even further to hopefully depress the price so Angelos will finally be forced to sell.  Seriously, it's so god damn terrible this year. 

[Ingmar]

They should change the Oriole mascot to Fatbird.

[ghost]

Just looking at the NL Central teams projected lineups is  enducing. How did the Central become the dumping ground for over-the-hill and underachieving hitters? The Brewers look to have the best hitting along with the Reds, but it's best among worst. With Braun missing and Ramirez a typical slow starter (wait until about June before he starts hitting homers), that team is going to struggle early. I expect the Berkman and Beltran to each have about 20 HR's at best, scattered all over the season. But as usual, the division will be up for grabs.

It seems like it has been the dumping ground since the days of Tom Seaver going to the Reds.  In the past it has seemed to work, however, with guys like Buddy Bell and Bo Diaz heading to the Reds and giving them a nice boost.  Free agency has really been a game changer for the smaller markets as more money has been thrown around. 

[Ingmar]

Braun won his appeal, Brewers are looking much better now that they don't have to miss out on him for 50 games.

[HaemishM]

News story is a bit vague. Does that mean he won't miss any time? If so, the Brewers just moved to my top of the NL Central list.

[ghost]

Wow.  That's pretty amazing.  Has anyone ever won a drug appeal in any sport?  I can't recall one, and I know he's the first for baseball.

[Ingmar]

I can't think of any either. Must have been some pretty convincing evidence of a false positive I guess.

[ghost]

Hopefully the evidence will be shown or at least discussed.  I like Braun, and it makes me feel good to think he was innocent.

[Ingmar]

That stuff is almost certainly going to be under a confidentiality agreement, I doubt we'll see anything.

EDIT More detail now: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7608360/ryan-braun-wins-appeal-50-game-suspension

Braun didn't argue evidence of tampering, didn't argue anything about science being wrong but argued protocol had not been followed. A second source confirmed to ESPN investigative reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada that Braun did not dispute the science but rather questioned chain of custody/collection procedure.

According to one of the sources, the collector, after getting Braun's sample, was supposed to take the sample to FedEx/Kinkos for shipping but thought it was closed because it was late on a Saturday. As has occurred in some other instances, the collector took the sample home and kept it refrigerated. Policy states that the sample is supposed to get to FedEx as soon as possible.

Braun's initial T/E ratio was more than 20:1. And sources previously confirmed synthetic testosterone in his system. Source says MLB is livid and is considering options and other comment.

[HaemishM]

So he actually did cheat, but because the guy didn't drop the pee in a FedEx box that night, he gets off? 

[Paelos]

So he actually did cheat, but because the guy didn't drop the pee in a FedEx box that night, he gets off? 

[Ingmar]

It all sounds pretty shady. On the other hand, this is the exact sort of situation where "anonymous sources" might have a particular agenda of one sort or another. For me it all boils down to "who the fuck knows what happened at this point."

EDIT 2: Some pro-Braun opinion to go with the other stuff: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/18159/a-big-win-for-ryan-braun

EDIT: In other news, I find it pretty amazing that Roy Oswalt still hasn't signed anywhere. There are craploads of teams where he'd be an upgrade, he must be asking for something fairly ridiculous salary-wise.

[HaemishM]

The more I hear about the Braun stuff, the more I'm hearing that he got off on a technicality. The idiot who was supposed to FedEx the sample took it home instead of getting it to FedEx immediately, so MLB can't properly document that it COULDN'T have been tampered with. Nothing saying he was innocent, just that MLB can't properly prove he was guilty because they (or likely their contracted 3rd party) did not follow proper procedure. In other words, someone probably lost their job so a millionaire cheat could play ball.

[Paelos]

He's on the radar now, suspension or not. Watch his numbers go into the toilet. That's always the best revenge, imo.

[ghost]

I'll take it at face value.  He got off for whatever reason, and is therefore exonerated completely.  It is my understanding that it is almost impossible to win an appeal, so here you have it.  Now let's play some baseball.

I love looking at baseball stats.  Justin Verlander is damned good.   

[ghost]

Hal Steinbrenner plans on lowering the Yankees Payroll to $189 million or less. 

"I'm looking at it as a goal, but my goals are normally considered a requirement," Steinbrenner said. "Plenty of teams win without the kind of payrolls we have."

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  I really like the Yankees being the "big bad guys" of baseball.  What I like best about it is that they don't always win, even with the bloated payroll.  It makes the game more interesting, in my opinion.  That will also require them to get rid of several of their big stars.  I wonder who will be on the cutting block?

And they already are committed to $118 million for 2013 and $75 million for 2014, all of it going to four players: Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter.

Who out of these guys will they get rid of? 

[Ingmar]

Jeter in 2014 is just an option, I have to imagine he'll be done by then. That's only 8 million though and it *is* a player option so you never know.

[ghost]

These guys always like to hold on until they're a million years old.  I bet he picks it up.  

I would personally be looking at unloading A Rod, if I were in charge.  He's getting old and he's not much of a gamer.  He's like Lebron, soft when it matters. 

[Ingmar]

These guys always like to hold on until they're a million years old.  I bet he picks it up.  

I would personally be looking at unloading A Rod, if I were in charge.  He's getting old and he's not much of a gamer.  He's like Lebron, soft when it matters. 

Career post-season numbers: .277/.386/.498

As a SS/3B. Those are star numbers any way you slice it. They're lower than his career slash numbers, sure (.302/.386/.567), but we're only talking about a 300 PA sample size.

[HaemishM]

The Yankees will not be able to unload A-Rod without eating a good chunk of his contract. He's just paid too damn much no matter what his numbers are. He's also not really regarded as a Post-season clutch kind of guy, even though his numbers are decent.

So long as Sabathia can pitch 160+ innings and post an ERA under 4, he'll have a job because pitching is just that thin all around the majors these days.

[ghost]

Well that's the point, really-  for that kind of money he should be Reggie Jackson on steroids 

[Ingmar]

Jackson's career postseason slash: .278/.358/.527. And he played at a less valuable defensive position where it is much easier to get good production.  

The thing about Reggie is that his WS numbers are amazing, but he was WRETCHEDLY BAD in the ALCS. Almost like all that stuff about clutch hitting is just a myth!

[caladein]

Almost like all that stuff about clutch hitting is just a myth!

Won't someone think of the narratives?

[ghost]

Jackson's career postseason slash: .278/.358/.527. And he played at a less valuable defensive position where it is much easier to get good production.  

The thing about Reggie is that his WS numbers are amazing, but he was WRETCHEDLY BAD in the ALCS. Almost like all that stuff about clutch hitting is just a myth!

Quit fucking with my childhood.   

[Ingmar]

ho ho ho

[Ingmar]

2 more wild card teams and the one-game play-in are officially official.

[ghost]

Sweet.  More MLB playoffs.   

[Ingmar]

By a whole 2 games!

[Paelos]

I would have been happier if they just made the divisional series 7 games instead of 5. I hate that 5 game rule in the first round.

[Fordel]

Does this means the Jays have a shot in hell of anything yet?

[Ingmar]

Yes, now they only have to beat 1 out of the 3 ridiculous teams in their division!