MLB 2012

[Teleku]

How?  Everybody is still excited and watching baseball in September (if their team actually has a chance).  What do they lose by playing in September?  The nice thing about football is that your team only plays once a week, leaving the other 6 days for fans to rabidly watch/attend the playoff race.  Your not going head to had with it.

[Paelos]

Look, I'm not saying you can't. I would just like the ratings to be higher. I think football steals people's awareness. You need national eyeballs for the playoffs, not just the home towns involved.

[naum]

I think you guys are crazy.  Baseball works fine the way it is.  Long seasons are fundamental to the sport, and a 60-80 game season would destroy the sport and make it un-watchable.  I'm also a fan of the restrictive playoffs.  Fuck sports that let half the teams into playoffs.  It means your playoffs are a god damn joke.  That’s primarily why I'm still not happy about this stupid 2nd wildcard bs.

Also, I'm not really understanding the football gripe.  Why is it important not to compete with NFL in September?  Anybody who gives a shit still follows baseball during that time regardless (as a matter of fact, its probably the time they watch it the most, as playoff races start coming to a head).  It’s not like people can’t follow two sports at once.

Finally, it is simply unconscionable for world series games to be played in November, or even in the waning weeks of October.

Err, why?

Because baseball games in sub fifty degree weather is criminal.

Given the current baseball playoff setup, most teams are eliminated by September. So, I'd say that 80-90% of baseball fans divert their attention to football. Not totally, but enough do that it swipes away the limelight of baseball season climax. In both television ratings and attendance. However, we all know "playoffs" ups the ante, and all of a sudden, meaningful baseball games with live-or-die consequences trump early season football games.

Now, baseball took a half-hearted step to expanded playoffs when it added a wildcard. But it was the worst of both worlds as it did not expand the field significantly and moreover, watered down the divisional races. The race for 2nd amongst 14-16 teams is always going to be more competitive than 1st in a 4-5 team division. Also, when I was a kid, and finishing first meant everything, it meant that finishing 2nd or 3rd or 4th was still important too, as you knew only one team in a division captured a playoff berth. I know that most reject this sensibility, but it is borne out by ratings, attendance. I distinctly remember packed parks in September, if for no other reason to finish ahead of a division rival. Wild card spiked that notion. 

That stated, is why I would go the full route and expand playoffs like hockey & basketball, extend series to best of nine and steal away thunder from NFL and NCAAF that saps away 80-90% of American sports fan attention come September.

[Ingmar]

Because baseball games in sub fifty degree weather is criminal.

Disagree.

[Fordel]

Lets do this, teach me to cheer for the BlueJays.

Which teams do I hate now, who are the enemies. Who is the player I think is awesome and why. How many touchdowns do they need to shoot before they are good?

[Paelos]

Lets do this, teach me to cheer for the BlueJays.

Which teams do I hate now, who are the enemies. Who is the player I think is awesome and why. How many touchdowns do they need to shoot before they are good?

You hate the Yankees, and also the Red Sox. Your best player is Jose Bautista, and you like him because he can hit home runs. The teams do not shoot touchdowns, they score runs. You need to score more runs than the other guys in nine innings, unless the game is tied, and then it's for however many innings it takes until the tie is broken.

You realize that as a Blue Jays fan, your entire self-worth is wrapped up in the 1990s. You likely still listen Bryan Adams, Ace of Base, and Hootie & the Blowfish. Joe Carter is the only famous player that anyone outside of your fanbase recognizes, and it will drive you nuts. You hate Roger Clemens and hope he rots in prison.

[Fordel]

The 90's is a marked improvement from the 60's 

[Sjofn]

You should also hate the Phillies, because fuck those guys.

[Paelos]

You should also hate the Phillies, because fuck those guys.

Something we can all agree on. 

[Paelos]

Apparently they are playing regular season games in Japan? Glad they told us all about it. 

Way to go MLB. Keep fucking up opening day even more.

[Ingmar]

Yeah I dunno what is up with the fake Opening Day games-that-count thing in Japan, really weird. They play 2 games that count, and then go back to regular spring training.

[Sjofn]

wat

[Paelos]

wat

Pretty much. It's in Japan, but it's not opening day, even though it's regular season, which hasn't started yet. 

[caladein]

Those used to be exhibition games, but they have to count for something, which apparently makes them better according to MLB (see: ASG).

I don't really mind it, but it's definitely weird.

[HaemishM]

I'm not entirely comfortable with having OPENING FUCKING DAY in Japan.

[Bunk]

Lets do this, teach me to cheer for the BlueJays.

Which teams do I hate now, who are the enemies. Who is the player I think is awesome and why. How many touchdowns do they need to shoot before they are good?

You hate the Yankees, and also the Red Sox. Your best player is Jose Bautista, and you like him because he can hit home runs. The teams do not shoot touchdowns, they score runs. You need to score more runs than the other guys in nine innings, unless the game is tied, and then it's for however many innings it takes until the tie is broken.

You realize that as a Blue Jays fan, your entire self-worth is wrapped up in the 1990s. You likely still listen Bryan Adams, Ace of Base, and Hootie & the Blowfish. Joe Carter is the only famous player that anyone outside of your fanbase recognizes, and it will drive you nuts. You hate Roger Clemens and hope he rots in prison.

Wow, I peak my head in to the hated baseball thread and actually found something entertaining, well done. Pretty accurate overall.

I'll add, that if you are a bit older Jays fan, you will also be the only baseball fans that think Tom Henke was the greatest closer in history.

As for current - the big thing Jays fans are excited about is Brett Lawrie. Rookie from BC, he hit .293 with 9 homers in 161 at bats last year.

[Teleku]

I'm not entirely comfortable with having OPENING FUCKING DAY in Japan.

Haven't they been doing this for a long time now?  Did something change?

[HaemishM]

I noticed it? 

[Ingmar]

Cain locked in for 5 years. Now if only we had a middle infield. I'd whine about CF but the Gary Brown era starts next year.

[01101010]

GO TRIBE!! (see you in the MLB 2013 thread) 

[Sjofn]

Cain locked in for 5 years. Now if only we had a middle infield. I'd whine about CF but the Gary Brown era starts next year.

I am lead to believe having a shortstop you don't feel happy about is a tradition for you. Why do you hate tradition? I assume you hate 2B because the good(ish?) one is extremely breakable (and currently still broken, right?).

[Ingmar]

I put Sanchez at even odds to not play this year, he's his a 'plateau' in his recovery which means who the hell knows how long til he can play, and then he'll probably immediately hurt himself again. That leaves:

Ryan Theriot (because we have to have a shitty utility infielder with a name ending in -ot apparently)
Emmanuel Burriss (who has 651 plate appearances in his major-league career, and a MASSIVE *14* extra base hits, and he doesn't have a great walk rate to go with the fact that he has about as much power as me, but at least he's pretty fast)
Brett Pill (ha ha ... no)

What is baffling to me is they cut Mike Fontenot who was the 'best' of a bunch of bad options there. A platoon of him and Theriot would have been nearly passable since they had complementary platoon splits. Well not baffling, the problem is Burriss has been smacking the shit out of the ball and causing Giants executives to forget what the words 'small sample size' mean.

[Trippy]

Cain locked in for 5 years. Now if only we had a middle infield. I'd whine about CF but the Gary Brown era starts next year.

I am lead to believe having a shortstop you don't feel happy about is a tradition for you. Why do you hate tradition? I assume you hate 2B because the good(ish?) one is extremely breakable (and currently still broken, right?).

Rich Aurilia was decent enough for a while.

[Ingmar]

That was almost worse, since that one totally awesome year meant he hung around for years being terrible and everyone just hoped it would happen again. Then he went to Cincy, had his 2nd best year, so we brought him back to suck some more! Of course by then he was crapping things up at 1B and 3B, which are even worse places to hit badly.

That was a really awesome one year though.

[Sjofn]

See? 

[Paelos]

Could be worse. We replaced our defensively awesome SS with a punk kid that assumed he would make the roster as a given, so he hit .221 in spring. Oh and our RF struck out the most of any outfielder.

I have a feeling our hitting will continue to suck.

[HaemishM]

I root for the Cubs. I win at losing. 

[Paelos]

I root for the Cubs. I win at losing. 

Bright side. Castro is a good SS, Mather will be a solid OF for average, and Soriano is still your best player (which means you hope he hits better this year).

Your biggest problem is probably your Catcher, as Soto is too young to suck that hard hitting the ball. When your catcher hits before .230 on the year, with 124 Ks, that's atrocious. Second biggest concern is probably your starting pitching. Samarja will be fine and I like him as a starter, as will Garza and Maholm. Dempster is old as dirt, and I don't think Wells has the stuff to be a starter in the Majors on any other team as a righty. You dumped the greasefire that is Zambrano, and have some dude named Lopez who has been passed around AAA more than a $10 hooker.

So I'm guessing the rotation is Garza, Dempster, Maholm, Samarzja, Wells? Oh I forgot you picked up Volstad. He sucks.

[01101010]

I root for the Cubs. I win at losing. 

Amateur...

[HaemishM]

Wells is going to the bullpen. He imploded last year. Cubs' rotation is Dempster, Garza, Maholm, Volstad and Samardzija. Yeah, not a lot of quality arms left there. Dempster never gets run support and he's winding down on a career that has been marred by injury. I suspect he's one rotator cuff away from going back to the bullpen for the last 2-3 years of his career. The bullpen is going to be a horror show. Marmol is still awesome but he blew a lot of saves last year and isn't lights out as you'd expect. Kerry Wood is old as dirt and just as crumbly. Sean Marshall is gone and I still can't figure out why - he was our best pitcher last year, bar none. Mahlom couldn't even hang around the PIRATES - which will probably be a better team than the Cubs this year.

Hitting is going to be fucking nightmare. Soriana is our best hitter - and he's probably going to hover around .260 with about 20 homers. His steals are gone. Marlon Byrd is trade bait and has never lived up to the contract. Dejesus could be good, but the expectations that will likely be placed on him will not be met. Castro and Barney are an exciting 2-3 combo, but I'm not sure Castro is ready for the 3 hole yet, especially with a 29-year old rookie first basemen hitting behind him. Our 3rd baseman is the walking wounded that I still can't figure out why we traded for. There are some potential studs in the farm system (1B Rizzo, CF Brett Jackson) but the holes are bigger than they could hope to be. Soto is a good catcher who can hit, but playing catcher is going to ensure he doesn't hit and is constantly fighting injury.

[Ingmar]

I root for the Cubs. I win at losing. 

Bright side. Castro is a good SS, Mather will be a solid OF for average, and Soriano is still your best player (which means you hope he hits better this year).

Your biggest problem is probably your Catcher, as Soto is too young to suck that hard hitting the ball. When your catcher hits before .230 on the year, with 124 Ks, that's atrocious. Second biggest concern is probably your starting pitching. Samarja will be fine and I like him as a starter, as will Garza and Maholm. Dempster is old as dirt, and I don't think Wells has the stuff to be a starter in the Majors on any other team as a righty. You dumped the greasefire that is Zambrano, and have some dude named Lopez who has been passed around AAA more than a $10 hooker.

So I'm guessing the rotation is Garza, Dempster, Maholm, Samarzja, Wells? Oh I forgot you picked up Volstad. He sucks.

Soto had a down year last year but he doesn't suck. Look past the low average, his walk rate is pretty good and he hits for power. A career .800 OPS at catcher is nothing to complain about. I'd guess he'll come in as the 3rd or 4th best hitter on the team when all is said and done. Soriano will not, he is old and terrible and way too expensive. I don't even know why you mention Mather, dude is like the 5th outfielder on that team and he can't hit a lick.

The big problem for the Cubs, besides Soriano and his contract, is that at every infield position other than shortstop looks like it will be below average, in some cases well below average (first base.) Byrd and DeJesus will be the other starting OF and will both be OK-not-great.

[Paelos]

Soto had a down year last year but he doesn't suck. Look past the low average, his walk rate is pretty good and he hits for power. A career .800 OPS at catcher is nothing to complain about. I'd guess he'll come in as the 3rd or 4th best hitter on the team when all is said and done. Soriano will not, he is old and terrible and way too expensive. I don't even know why you mention Mather, dude is like the 5th outfielder on that team and he can't hit a lick.

The big problem for the Cubs, besides Soriano and his contract, is that at every infield position other than shortstop looks like it will be below average, in some cases well below average (first base.) Byrd and DeJesus will be the other starting OF and will both be OK-not-great.

I mention Mather because he made the team, hit well in Spring, and has the potential to earn a spot when the Cubs inevitably trade Byrd for an arm. I also think he's a good player having seen him on the Braves last year, but we didn't have a spot for him with the Bourne trade. As for Soto? His career goes good-bad-good-bad in terms of hitting. So you would hope he has a good year. My main problem is that 1 - he strikes out 1/4 ABs, and 2 - his walk/K rate sucks for a guy that should know the strike zone better than anyone.Example, I would rather have Chris Ianneta who sports a similar average, but is much smarter at the dish.

[Ingmar]

Walk/K rate isn't something I really put a lot of value in - walk/plate appearance is more important and he's pretty solid there. An out is an out, Ks are a bit overrated in terms of how bad their impact is compared to other outs.

EDIT: On Ianetta, he's got a great eye, there's no question, but I think his lack of power is going to hurt a lot, Coors Field is masking a pretty limp bat in his career numbers.

[naum]

Pirates have estimated payroll of $40M. In past seasons, they were in the bottom pool with Royals, Padres, and recently Devil Rays… …but now those clubs are sporting 55M+.

[Paelos]

Walk/K rate isn't something I really put a lot of value in - walk/plate appearance is more important and he's pretty solid there. An out is an out, Ks are a bit overrated in terms of how bad their impact is compared to other outs.

EDIT: On Ianetta, he's got a great eye, there's no question, but I think his lack of power is going to hurt a lot, Coors Field is masking a pretty limp bat in his career numbers.

We'll have to disagree on K's then. I think they are an indicator of a player who is making unproductive outs. An out isn't always an out when it's moving runners.