165 replies to this topic

[Onddeck]

wow, no yanks as gold glove winners... id like to particularly point out Teixeira's absense. son of a

[nmigliore]

The Gold Gloves are always a joke. I think the fact they were announced around 11pm shows just how many people actually care.

If there were a Yankee being robbed for the acknowledgment of his defense though, it has to be Brett Gardner. Dude is an ELITE defensive player and is certainly one of the most under-appreciated players in the league. It's very hard to ever consider a player a +15 or greater true talent level at a position (talking defensive metrics here), but based on what Gardner has done in his career in LF, he seems to be just that, probably greater.

Speaking of awards, these would be my picks for the major ones:

AL MVP: Jacoby Ellsbury. Very hard, actually. Jose Bautista would be a very, very close 2nd for me, and I feel a little guilty giving Ellsbury the edge based on a difference of defensive runs... but defense does matter, and Ellsbury, if not the best hitter, was just the better all-around player. Can't go around with picking either though; I wouldn't argue against Bautista being the choice.

NL MVP: Matt Kemp. Again, very hard. Ryan Braun was the better hitter and Kemp only really wins out because he's a centerfielder. Position, like defense, matters though, so edge to Kemp. Like Ellsbury/Bautista, there is nothing wrong with choosing one or the other here.

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander. Pretty much was equal to Sabathia in value, believe it or not, but loses out in actual results, which I'll go with as a tiebreaker (fairly or unfairly).

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay. Easy choice for me though traditional stat folk will argue Clayton Kershaw is just as deserving.

AL Rookie of the Year: Michael Pineda. I just think he was the most valuable rookie, plain and simple. Brett Lawrie and Dustin Ackley aren't bad choices; neither is Jeremy Hellickson if you like traditional stats (I don't).

NL Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel. Unbelievable season for a reliever, forget the fact he was a rookie. The Braves have a very special arm on their hands.

Edited by nmigliore, 01 November 2011 - 11:33 PM.

[nmigliore]

These are supposedly the new, leaked jerseys for the Florida Miami Marlins:





I think that's the worst uniform I've ever seen, especially the road greys with the blue (turquoise?) and black hat; wtf?

I think the black looks okay but it reminds me too much of the Orioles' black alternates they wear. Doesn't help that their logos are kind of crappy too.

Edited by nmigliore, 05 November 2011 - 10:33 AM.

[nmigliore]

Justin Verlander won the AL Cy Young. No surprises here.

On the topic though, it's kind of ridiculous Jose Valverde and his beautiful 1 win above replacement came in 5th. Poor voters.

And from previous days: Craig Kimbrel took home the NL RoY and Jeremy Hellickson won it for the AL (bleh).

Edited by nmigliore, 15 November 2011 - 02:20 PM.

[Onddeck]

Cant stand the Phillies and cant stand Papelbon...

and I definitely cant stand the contract the two just reached

[nmigliore]

Cant stand the Phillies and cant stand Papelbon...

and I definitely cant stand the contract the two just reached

Committing $50M to a reliever is horrible. Committing more than 3 years to relievers is also generally a horrible idea. The Phillies don't care though; they've been pretty adamant (based on all of their moves) that they could give a crap about what they'll look like in a few years. Not that I mind... I enjoy seeing them dump their farm and tie themselves into contracts to aging players.

Edited by nmigliore, 15 November 2011 - 05:32 PM.

[Devils Dose]

Are the Phillies becoming the Yankees?

Did anything ever happen with that realignment talk from some months ago? I thought that they really wanted to change the playoff system.

[Onddeck]

livin in philly and being a yankee fan, the argument i heard every night was that "at least the phillies dont just buy all their players"...
ehem, im just gonna leave that one alone..

[nmigliore]

Did anything ever happen with that realignment talk from some months ago? I thought that they really wanted to change the playoff system.

Yeah, the Astros are headed for the AL West in 2013. Probably a 2nd wild card will be added too.

I'm not a fan of the other CBA stuff that pertains to amateur players though; MLB is basically capping team spending for draft players (at least for the first 10 rounds with some kinda of luxury tax system) and IFAs.

[Devils Dose]

Yeah, the Astros are headed for the AL West in 2013. Probably a 2nd wild card will be added too.

So that must mean that interleague play will be an all-season thing. Unless we're adding/removing teams, or inserting days off, or reducing the schedule (all of which I'm sure a far more unsavory).

Also, Clayton Kershaw took the NL Cy Young. Too many K's and wins for the Kennedys and Lees to compete.

[nmigliore]

Yeah, not a surprise Kershaw won it, the BBWAA probably creamed their pants over him winning the triple crown. The good news is, while Halladay would have been my choice, Kershaw was at least very deserving. He was an elite starting pitcher this year on any level you want to look at it.

It's amazing to think he's just 23 and has been one of the game's best over the last 3 years.

Edited by nmigliore, 17 November 2011 - 02:46 PM.

[nmigliore]

Verlander takes home the AL MVP.

It's not a horrible choice but I thought Ellsbury and Bautista were both a lot more deserving.

And the winner for worst ballot of the year goes too.... http://rangersblog.d...ns-mvp-one.html

Edited by nmigliore, 21 November 2011 - 02:17 PM.

[NJDevs4978]

Verlander takes home the AL MVP.

It's not a horrible choice but I thought Ellsbury and Bautista were both a lot more deserving.

And the winner for worst ballot of the year goes too.... http://rangersblog.d...ns-mvp-one.html

I don't have an issue at all with giving a starting pitcher the MVP. A starting pitcher impacts around 30 AB's a game for their once every five games start, give or take a few. A hitter only impacts four or five AB's in one game which prorates to around 20-25 in a five-game stretch, and a few fielding plays but no hitter's getting the MVP for their fielding.

[nmigliore]

Huh? I didn't say I had a problem with a starting pitcher winning the award - I have no problem with that idea whatsoever. There was a good stretch during last season where Halladay probably deserved the NL MVP and Zack Greinke had a great argument to win the award in 2009. I just don't think he was as valuable as the other 2 players I mentioned.

Edited by nmigliore, 21 November 2011 - 04:44 PM.

[NJDevs4978]

I'd have a hard time with giving the MVP to any Red Sox player after they choked away the playoffs in record-breaking fashion. I'd rather give it to Bautista of the two, though you could argue since guys on non-playoff teams can win it and have done so it should be renamed most outstanding player instead of most valuable, MVP just sounds better than MOP.

But when Verlander was basically the difference in getting Detroit to the playoffs I see no reason not to give it to him.

Huh? I didn't say I had a problem with a starting pitcher winning the award

I didn't say you did but that's usually the first thing that gets brought up when someone argues against a SP winning it.

Edited by NJDevs4978, 21 November 2011 - 04:47 PM.

[nmigliore]

A team's contending status should have zero weight on the award - whether they missed the playoffs by 20 games or choked it away in the final days. MVP is the most valuable player; it's an individual award. Why penalize Ellsbury for the rest of what his team contributed to? In fact, they wouldn't have been alive the last week if Ellsbury wasn't on the roster.

I would have voted Ellsbury over Bautista but the difference isn't that significant, unless you really love defensive metrics and take them for 100% accuracy (you shouldn't). You can flip a coin between the two players, really.

Verlander was excellent but not the most valuable player in the AL last year, at least not in my opinion (and it has nothing to do with him being a starter).

Edited by nmigliore, 21 November 2011 - 04:50 PM.

[nmigliore]

The draft officially sucks:

JeffPassan Draft tax: Teams >5% over slot=75% tax. 5-10% over, 75% tax, loss of 1st-round pick

More stuff on the new CBA here: http://www.mlbtrader...tax-draft-.html

At least they moved the signing deadline up a month but I hate these draft changes. Teams that love taking gambles and going overslot like the Jays and Pirates will probably be livid.

Edited by nmigliore, 22 November 2011 - 01:40 PM.

[thefiestygoat]

I'm also not a fan of the new CBA at all but that should come as no surprise....

[nmigliore]

The changes to IFA sounds partly interesting. All teams will get $2.9M to spend this year. But starting in 2013 or 2014, their IFA budget will depend on their win-loss record; eg: best teams get least to spend, worst teams get most to spend. The money could also be traded.

There's also the possibility of a worldwide draft.

Ryan Braun just announced as NL MVP.

Edit: also this small bone thrown to small markets:

Teams in the ten smallest markets and with the ten lowest revenues will enter a lottery for six additional first and second round picks, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times

Edited by nmigliore, 22 November 2011 - 02:07 PM.

[NJDevs4978]

So apparently the Marlins think Pujols is actually 36 years old lol.