nmigliore Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 (edited) DR33 usually does the honors in creating this thing but we're a week away from the season beginning and I feel a bit silly bumping the 2012 thread, so, here we are. A couple of great pieces of baseball reading came out this week: First is this fantastic interview between Jonah Keri and Coco Crisp on the art of base-stealing. Some really cool stuff in here with Crisp breaking down a bunch of examples of him stealing in various situations: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9072118/jonah-keri-art-stealing-bases And then this article penned by Eno Sarris who interviews Joey Votto on hitting: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/joey-votto-on-hitting/ Don't mind the websites, it's nothing saber-minded or anything, just some great baseball writing. Edited March 24, 2013 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 (edited) My predictions: Standings AL East winner: Blue Jays AL Central winner: Tigers AL West winner: Angels AL Wild Card 1: Rangers AL Wild Card 2: Rays AL Sleeper: Indians - I like what they did this offseason, and although they look more like a .500ish team on paper, there's certainly large enough error bars to push them into wild card contention with rebound seasons from the pitching staff (Jimenez, Masterson, the reincarnation of Kazmir) and Trevor Bauer looming. NL East winner: Nationals NL Central winner: Reds NL West winner: Diamondbacks NL Wild Card 1: Braves NL Wild Card 2: Cardinals NL Sleeper: My sleeper would be the D-Backs, but I have them winning the NL West, so that feels sort of cheap. If I had to put something down, I'll say the Rockies are probably better than they are being credited for. I don't see them contending or anything, but I could see a near-.500 team, which would be a heck of an improvement over last season and compared to what some of the projection systems think of them (CAIRO: 72 wins, ZiPS: 70 wins). Awards AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (yeah, boring pick and he probably won't win it again, but he's probably the safest bet to be in the race year in and year out) AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (see Cabrera) AL Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers NL MVP: Joey Votto NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg NL Rookie of the Year: Shelby Miller Edited March 30, 2013 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 You don't have the Giants or Dodgers even making the playoffs? Interesting. I think the Rangers fall off, especially with all the other improving teams in the AL. The AL East is a total crapshoot. Toronto has the most talent, but they're Toronto, and a collection of hired guns so who really knows if they live up to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 (edited) You don't have the Giants or Dodgers even making the playoffs? Interesting. It's a tough division to predict. You can make a good case for any of those three teams to win it, really. They all look like 85-or-better win teams on paper. I just really like Arizona; their starting pitching depth is probably tops in the league which can help them sustain success if/when injuries/ineffectiveness occur and they were better than their record credited them for last year. Admittedly, I also chose them partly because I wanted to be a little bold/different from the standard Dodgers/Giants pick. I'd be pretty surprised if they aren't at least in the wild card race. The Dodgers are the real bust team of the group; tons of hype but plenty of question marks and holes for a $200M+ roster. I could see the NL West 2nd place finisher grabbing a wild card spot too, but I went with St. Louis. I'd do a redo on my Rookie of the Year pick though; totally blanked on Jed Gyorko of San Diego and Shelby Miller of St. Louis. Edited March 30, 2013 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Apparently today is the day to hand out massive contract extensions to star players. Verlander tacked on 5 years to his current deal, which makes it 7/180 plus a vesting option that could push it to 8/202. Buster Posey gets 9/167, starting this year. Kershaw may also be extended over these next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Dose Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 As we can clearly see, the Johan Santana situation has been taken as a very big, cautionary tale by MLB GMs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 As we can clearly see, the Johan Santana situation has been taken as a very big, cautionary tale by MLB GMs. lol I was gonna say it seems like MLB GM's subscribe to the Lou theory of not wanting to do extensions during the season with all the extensions getting done hours before Opening Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Dose Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 I see the Angels and Reds get the honor of being the first team's to ever start their seasons with an interleague game. That will be an interesting, unusual thing to follow this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 2 homers in 2 at bats for Harper already, wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 WOW this probably trumps the Harper homers: Clayton Kershaw is dominating, 3 hits through 8 innings, and is sent up to bat in the bottom of the 8th because of his low pitch count. He hits a solo homerun to leadoff the inning. Unreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 Marwin freakin' Gonzalez breaks up Yu Darvish's perfect game bid with 2 outs in the 9th. Wow. Darvish exits with 8.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 BB, 14 K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils Dose Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 awwwwwww He doesn't even get to complete the shutout. That's pretty much expected though. The Rangers probably didn't want Darvish even throwing 100 pitches, just had to let him try for history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 I hate the Rangers but I always cheer for guys to get no-hitters and perfect games (unless its the Red Sox) so I feel bad for Yu Darvish. I'm still sad that Mike Mussina never had a perfect game after numerous near completions of the feat. I remember being crushed as a 13 year old when he lost it with one out to go against the Red Sox and Carl Everett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 This article about the evolution of free agency and the way it is now is from FanGraphs but it isn't a sabremetrics article at all. I think its a solid read for any baseball fan. Interesting to see how many guys are being locked up by their original clubs and how the market allows the smaller clubs to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Marwin freakin' Gonzalez breaks up Yu Darvish's perfect game bid with 2 outs in the 9th. Wow. Darvish exits with 8.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 BB, 14 K. On a comebacker through the box no less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) Craziness in Cali last night...I'll let the video, tweets, and article give the details.Greinke breaks collarbone after hitting Quentin After he was plunked on the left shoulder in the sixth inning, Quentin started walking toward the mound. Greinke appeared to say something and Quentin then charged the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner.They dropped their shoulders and collided, and Quentin tackled the pitcher to the grass. Both ended up on the bottom of a huge scrum as players from both sides ran onto the field and jumped in. Greinke lowered his left (non-throwing) shoulder into Quentin and took the brunt of the blow as they collided.After the teams started clearing the field, Jerry Hairston Jr. came running across the field yelling and pointing at someone in the San Diego dugout and had to be restrained. Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp also was livid, perhaps in part because Padres starter Jason Marquis threw a high-and-tight pitch to him in the first inning. All this on a 3-2 pitch in a 1 run game. Mattingly pointed out that Quentin crowds the plate and Quentin really overreacted. Mattingly was rightfully pissed in the post game press conference. Hairston Jr was apparently pissed because a Padre was making fun of Greinke's injury. Here's the video of the brawl:http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26208555&topic_id=11493214&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_26208555&v=3But apparently the festivities didn't end there...@MartyCaswell"Players just ran out of Dodgers clubhouse...appears Matt Kemp and Carlos Quentin went after it in players parking lot""Kemp and Quentin were nose-to-nose and had to be separated by Clayton Richard"The Dodgers twitter actually had a pretty good message to San Diego: Edited April 12, 2013 by thefiestygoat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted April 13, 2013 Author Share Posted April 13, 2013 (edited) Haven't seen this yet but apparently Jose Reyes was carted off the field tonight after badly hurting his ankle. Was crying and everything. Wow. Really sad. Edited April 13, 2013 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 yea they're speculating broken ankle...he was hitting .395 to start the season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95Crash Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 Straight out of an episode of Seinfeld: Diamondbacks owner forces Dodgers fans to change clothes or move seats http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/diamondbacks-owner-forces-dodgers-fans-change-clothes-move-201010214--mlb.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muevelos Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 Straight out of an episode of Seinfeld: Diamondbacks owner forces Dodgers fans to change clothes or move seats http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/diamondbacks-owner-forces-dodgers-fans-change-clothes-move-201010214--mlb.html I wouldn't do it that's wrong to ask that. You have the right to support your team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmigliore Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 (edited) Pretty awesome pregame ceremony at Fenway honoring the victims and first responders in the Boston Marathon bombings. David Ortiz with a glorious quote, on live television: "This is our fvcking city. And no one is going to dictate our freedom." http://www.sbnation.com/2013/4/20/4246276/david-ortiz-red-sox-pregame-ceremony Edited April 20, 2013 by nmigliore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I think it's time to call the D-Backs the D-Bags this season. Back in April you had the situation where Quentin overreacted and charged Greinke after accidentally being hit and ended up causing Greinke to miss a lot of time. Then tonight Puig gets hit in the nose (accidentally but warrants retaliation due to it being the face). Greinke does the right thing by retaliating by hitting Montero in the back which by the unwritten rules should've been the end of it. Kennedy then hit Greinke to escalate the situation and allow all hell to break loose. I just don't understand what the D-Backs were thinking. I think the Dodgers have every right to be pissed. I was a fan of Ian Kennedy even though he didn't work out for the Yankees. Lost some respect for him tonight. All the links to the HBP's, benches clearing, brawl, etc. are on mlb.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onddeck Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Yea I saw this. Absolutely bullsh!t from the D-Bags. You hit their star player, you should expect some retaliation. But no, you can't leave it at that. Not only do you hit their Ace pitcher but you also threw at him high. I can't believe it, it's such trash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi, I'm VALUE! Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I actually went the opposite way with this one. Yeah, d-bag move to pop Grinke, but you notice that both highly publicized bench-clearing brawls involve Zack Grenke/LA Dodgers starts? I'm not going to stand here and absolve Kennedy/Gibson/et al of wrongdoing here, but the Dodgers have built themselves a real punk team and now they're getting into it. Funny line from Yahoo's coverage of this: ''It got pretty ugly,'' Montero said. ''They came out of nowhere, just throwing punches. When everybody was trying to break it up, they just kept coming and throwing punches. It was like 25 against 72, because all the DL guys were out there, too. I guess their arms were feeling pretty good because they were throwing good punches.'' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I actually went the opposite way with this one. Yeah, d-bag move to pop Grinke, but you notice that both highly publicized bench-clearing brawls involve Zack Grenke/LA Dodgers starts? I'm not going to stand here and absolve Kennedy/Gibson/et al of wrongdoing here, but the Dodgers have built themselves a real punk team and now they're getting into it. Funny line from Yahoo's coverage of this: Note: For some reason my mind thought Quentin was on the D-Backs last night when I was posting...shows how much NL baseball I watch and how tired I was. I'll leave my original post unedited for accuracy and embarrassment. I can't really get on Greinke or the Dodgers at all for either situation. The Quentin thing doesn't happen if he was even keeled and realized he wasn't getting thrown at on a 3-2 pitch in a 1 run game. When you crowd the plate, you'll get hit unintentionally. Last night doesn't happen if the D-Backs follow protocol and just leave it as is, after the Dodgers justly hit Montero. I love brawls but I was disappointed last night that to see the D-Backs break the code and escalate the situation. I believe their is supposed to be some sort of fine for players on the DL that get involved in bench clearing situations. Should be interesting to see how this plays out. Dodgers were really out in full force though, even Kershaw throwing punches which I'm sure no Dodgers fan wanted to see. OT: I just read that the Dodgers sometimes use Kershaw as a pinch runner? Are they nuts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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