102 replies to this topic

[devilsrule33]

Aaron Hill with 2 cycles in 11 days. Wow.

[nmigliore]

I'm surprised this thread hasn't gotten any activity this year. I know I'm being somewhat biased, but the R.A. Dickey phenomenon is easily one of the best stories of the season. He was underrated the last couple of seasons anyway, but this year he's truly made a big step towards becoming an ace and there's zero doubt in my mind he's one of the best in the game.

His numbers in the month of June are just ridiculous: 48.1 IP, 21 hits, 8 walks, 55 strikeouts, 0.93 ERA.

On the season, he boasts a 2.15 ERA and opposing batters are hitting .190/.244/.312 against him. Yeah.

The truly amazing part about Dickey's numbers this year is his gaudy strikeout total. Only two starting pitchers in MLB are ahead of him in strikeouts: Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg. That's it. For a knuckleballer, that's just crazy.

[Devils Dose]

Next year's All-Star Game logo.

[nmigliore]

In fact, he [Josh Hamilton] has a pretty good case to be considered THE best player in baseball.

Yikes, how bad does this look right now? Since June 1st, Hamilton is hitting .218/.291/.412, and overall, to put it briefly, he's nowhere near the best in baseball. What a crazy year.

It'll be fascinating to see what kind of contract he gets in the offseason.

Edited by nmigliore, 10 August 2012 - 10:06 AM.

[nmigliore]

In case anyone hasn't realized it by now, Mike Trout is pretty awesome.

.345/.407/.603 slash line. 36/39 in stolen bases. Excellent defensively (+7.8 UZR, +9 DRS). Oh, and he's just 20 years old, the 3rd youngest position player in baseball. He'll run away win the AL RoY, and at this pace, probably the AL MVP too (or at least, he should).

There's certainly plenty of regression due in his offensive numbers, but what a special player.

Edited by nmigliore, 11 August 2012 - 10:06 AM.

[nmigliore]

Melky Cabrera was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone. Big blow to the Giants' playoff chances and Melky's free agency.

[Devils Pride 26]

Melky Cabrera was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone. Big blow to the Giants' playoff chances and Melky's free agency.

Sad day for the game and sports in general

[thefiestygoat]

PED's never bothered me like most fans. I rocked my Melky #28 Yankees shirt today anyway. Though he is stupid to do it with the testing they have in place now.

[nmigliore]

Huge trade going down. Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford going to the Dodgers for Rubby De La Rosa, James Loney, Jerry Sands, Ivan De Jesus, and Allen Webster. Some of those guys are just spare parts but De La Rosa (when healthy) has a big arm and Allen Webster is a pretty good pitching prospect. The Dodgers are supposedly picking up almost the entire tab too, paying $260M+ of the ~$271.5M that is owed. That's nuts. Gonzalez is a good fit -- the James Loney Era lasted 5 years too long -- but also taking on Beckett and Crawford to make it work? That's awful.

On the flipside, great job by Ben Cherington to execute this massive salary dump and still get some solid players back.

Edited by nmigliore, 24 August 2012 - 09:32 PM.

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

I think the trade helps both sides. Boston wanted a mulligan from the Epstein era, and they finally have it. They're now on the hook next year for about $46MM between all their players, and I'm thinking like $9 MM of that is to Lackey. Mesnwhile, as you said, the Dodgers needed a 1B for the absolute longest time. I think Beckett will do MUCH better in a pitcher's ballpark that Chavez Ravine is, but I'm on the fence on Crawford, who I think is injured (safe bet). Maybe he'll turn it around too.

Also, Boston now has massive spending power. Their only horrid contract right now is Lackey, and that's assuming he doesn't come back well from Tommy John.

[nmigliore]

Sure the Dodgers got their first baseman, but they took on way too much to make it happen. They basically assumed 95% of the Gonzalez, Beckett, and Crawford contracts AND gave up a couple of good prospects (Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus in particular loves Webster). Gonzalez is a great player and fills a big need but that's pretty crazy.

The Dodgers are on the hook for a little north $180M next year in committed dollars and that doesn't even account for arbitration contracts and filling other roster holes via free agency.

[SMantzas]

Miggy- How bout my O's still sticking around!?!?

A) you were right about Machado...he's gonna be a beast
B) what do you think of the Saunders trade?
C) do you think Chris Davis is gonna be a consistent 25-30 HR guy? Or is this a flash in the pan season?

[nmigliore]

Miggy- How bout my O's still sticking around!?!?

A) you were right about Machado...he's gonna be a beast
B) what do you think of the Saunders trade?
C) do you think Chris Davis is gonna be a consistent 25-30 HR guy? Or is this a flash in the pan season?

They may even call up Bundy, apparently. That could be really fun. I just don't see them sticking around though; I think Detroit wins that 2nd wild card spot and the Angels, despite being 4 GB, have the talent to make a late run. Oakland is a better team too. I'm definitely cheering for something funky though; I hope the O's or Oakland sneak in.

Joe Saunders is average at best but the O's are at a point where even the slightest of upgrades could make a big difference, so he was a solid addition. Getting Jason Hammel back as soon as possible could be big.

Davis' power isn't a flash in the pan, no. If given the at bats, I've never doubted his ability to hit for that kind of power; that's always been his best attribute, after all. The problem with Davis is that he's useless in just about every other facet of the game. He doesn't walk. He strikes out a ton. Since he's primarily a DH -- the most offense-demanding position in baseball -- he doesn't play the field, and when he does, he's a below average glove wherever you put him. What you see right now is pretty much what you're going to get; that may seem acceptable if you just look at HR totals and ignore OBP and positional values, but trust me, it's not. He's not too far from being a replacement level player.

Wei-Yin Chen was a nice find.

Whatever happens, just enjoy the ride and be happy your team is even still playing in meaningful games.

Edited by nmigliore, 26 August 2012 - 11:22 PM.

[SMantzas]

They may even call up Bundy, apparently. That could be really fun. I just don't see them sticking around though; I think Detroit wins that 2nd wild card spot and the Angels, despite being 4 GB, have the talent to make a late run. Oakland is a better team too. I'm definitely cheering for something funky though; I hope the O's or Oakland sneak in.

Joe Saunders is average at best but the O's are at a point where even the slightest of upgrades could make a big difference, so he was a solid addition. Getting Jason Hammel back as soon as possible could be big.

Davis' power isn't a flash in the pan, no. If given the at bats, I've never doubted his ability to hit for that kind of power; that's always been his best attribute, after all. The problem with Davis is that he's useless in just about every other facet of the game. He doesn't walk. He strikes out a ton. Since he's primarily a DH -- the most offense-demanding position in baseball -- he doesn't play the field, and when he does, he's a below average glove wherever you put him. What you see right now is pretty much what you're going to get; that may seem acceptable if you just look at HR totals and ignore OBP and positional values, but trust me, it's not. He's not too far from being a replacement level player.

Wei-Yin Chen was a nice find.

Whatever happens, just enjoy the ride and be happy your team is even still playing in meaningful games.

Yeah, Chen has been amazing so far. I'm not crazy about losing Lindstrom, since our bullpen has been solid. I have no idea how Arrieta is gonna do in the bullpen

[nmigliore]

Dylan Bundy is coming up!

The Baltimore Orioles initially had said that they would not promote their top pitching prospect, right-hander Dylan Bundy.

A pennant race and an 18-inning game have a way of changing a team’s best-laid plans.

Bundy, 19, is heading to the majors.

The Orioles' game against the Mariners ended shortly before 4 a.m. ET. Bundy learned of his promotion in Florida via a phone call shortly after that, a source said.

http://msn.foxsports...an-bundy-091912

I don't know how limited his role will be, but every slight improvement matters at this point. Although Baltimore's playoff odds are already good (77-78%), winning the division is huge in the new playoff format. Bringing Bundy aboard could make a difference.

Edited by nmigliore, 19 September 2012 - 09:47 AM.

[SMantzas]

Dylan Bundy is coming up!


http://msn.foxsports...an-bundy-091912

I don't know how limited his role will be, but every slight improvement matters at this point. Although Baltimore's playoff odds are already good (77-78%), winning the division is huge in the new playoff format. Bringing Bundy aboard could make a difference.

Awesome news. The future is here! I hope he has the same impact Machado has had. Do you think he'll work out of the bullpen?

[nmigliore]

Do you think he'll work out of the bullpen?

Definitely. Bigger question will be how often he'll be used.

[thefiestygoat]

I always feel like a jerk when I have to cheer against these kids that come up at that young of an age.

[nmigliore]

Kris Medlen of the Braves has put up some superb numbers this year in a swingman type of role, but check out his splits since moving into the Braves' rotation permanently in late July. After 8 shutout innings last night in Miami, his ERA (since moving into the rotation) is 0.76, his K/BB is 8.0, and opposing batters are hitting just .195/.223/.251 off of him. He hasn't gone less than 6 innings since August 5th. What an incredible run.

It's kind of funny that among all of Atlanta's highly touted arms over the last few years -- Hanson, Delgado, Teheran, Vizcaino, Minor -- it's been the much less-heralded 5'10" (if that) pitcher with a fastball that tops out in the low-90's, Kris Medlen, that is emerging as the guy who may have the best future.

Edited by nmigliore, 20 September 2012 - 02:58 PM.

[SMantzas]

Miggy- is LJ Hoes a good prospect