Random Baseball Musings

[Little Slide Rooter]

With the retirement of first Chipper Jones and now Derek Jeter, will we ever see a player with a career that long, but for the same team?

 

If you'd asked me a few years ago, I'd have said Pujols. Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp are each on contracts that would have them at 14 years if they make it to the end, and even that's iffy.

 

I guess I could see the Nationals forking over that kind of commitment for Bryce Harper. Mike Trout's another candidate, but he's currently signed through 2020, and he'll only be 28 at the time which is nuts to think about on its own. I guess if Stanton played for most teams, they'd be taking it into serious consideration.

[Andy]

I think we might still see some one-team careers, but I'd be surprised if any of them lasted 20 years. So few players last that long to begin with, let alone on one team. Trout is probably the only one that might fit the bill right now.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

With the retirement of first Chipper Jones and now Derek Jeter, will we ever see a player with a career that long, but for the same team?

Arismendy Alcantara, Addison Russell, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Jorge Soler, Kyle Schwarber.

[Cubswin11]

Kershaw?

[sneakypower]

a couple years ago, i would have bet a decent amount that Cano would finish his career as a Yankee

[Clem Fandango]

Votto, maybe? He's got the long term contract.

[jersey cubs fan]

Pedroia is 30 and signed through 2021.

[EhDubya]

Chase Utley

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Chase Utley

Jimmy Rollins?

[TruffleShuffle]

joe posnanski on more hilarious ned yost ineptitude: http://joeposnanski.com/joeblogs/the-gomes-affair/

 

The Royals led by three runs going into the sixth inning, when starter James Shields got into a little trouble. With one out, he gave up a single to Daniel Nava, a home run to Xander Bogaerts, a ground rule double to Stephen Drew. After striking out David Ross for the second out, he was ready to face Jackie Bradley Jr., who is hitting .225 this year and is slugging .309. It seemed likely that Shields would get out of the inning with the lead.

 

Only then, Ned Yost made one of the most impossibly absurd moves of the season. I think baseball managers often get unfairly second guessed because often they are pressed into making SOME decision, and a certain percentage of the time a decision will turn out wrong even if it is the smarter choice. This was different. There was no real decision here. Shields, like most pitchers, had no problem with Bradley (strikeout, groundout to first). There seemed nothing to do but let Shields finish off the inning. You don’t bring in a reliever for Jackie Bradley at this point in his career.

 

Only … Yost did. Which is only the beginning of the insanity. He did not bring in any reliever. He brought in Scott Downs.

 

...

 

I’m not sure the value of trying to figure out what was going on in Ned Yost’s brain when he made the decision, but let’s assume that he thought it would good to get a lefty-lefty match-up against Jackie Bradley Jr.

 

Three things, listed in ascending importance:

 

1. You don’t match-up with Jackie Bradley Jr.

2. While Bradley Jr., so far in his young career, hasn’t really hit anybody, he’s been better against lefties than righties.

3. There was NO CHANCE IN THE WORLD Bradley was going to hit once Yost brought a lefty.

 

Could you imagine the joy in that Red Sox dugout when they saw Scott Downs coming into the game? Boston hasn’t been given a gift like that since the Larry Bird draft. I’m sure manager John Farrell, after rubbing his eyes to make sure this was really happening, needed all of one millisecond to send lefty-killer Jonny Gomes to the on-deck circle. The Royals had James Shields against Jackie Bradley Jr. With one bold stroke of bizarro genius, Ned Yost turned it into Scott Downs vs. Jonny Gomez. Remember what Jean van de Velde did on the 72nd hole of the British Open? Yeah. It was like that.

 

OF COURSE Gomes homered, that’s not even the point here. If Gomes had somehow, against pretty much all reason, made an out it still would have been a spectacularly bad move.

 

The point is: Ned Yost is not good at this part of managing.

 

“I outsmarted myself,” he would tell reporters afterward, which is not at all what he did. People often compare managing to chess … and the comparison is usually silly. But this was exactly like chess. It was like Ned Yost was a beginner chess player, and he moved his queen to check the king thinking that was a bold and smart move and did not realize that his opponent had four pieces in position to take the queen. That is not outsmarting yourself. That is not knowing how to play chess.

[Clem Fandango]

Stanton hit a home run out toward center field that nearly hit their celebration monstrosity, but just missed it to the right and it went past it to hit the batter's eye

 

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/0/v34597371/sfmia-stantons-solo-blast-puts-marlins-on-board

 

EDIT: 466 ft. according to hit tracker

[Guest]

Stanton has 6 homers this year of more than 450 feet. The next best team is the Giants, with 4.

[Derwood]

joe posnanski on more hilarious ned yost ineptitude: http://joeposnanski.com/joeblogs/the-gomes-affair/

 

Kind of like choosing to face Mike Lowell instead of Lenny Harris?

[Gmoney08]

Kershaw?

 

I cant remember the last good pitcher to stick with one team. It seems even less likely to happen with the arm injuries now and the fear of long pitching deals.

[Gmoney08]

Kershaw?

 

I cant remember the last good pitcher to stick with one team. It seems even less likely to happen with the arm injuries now and the fear of long pitching deals.

 

I guess Mariano did it but I cant think of a SP.

[bukie]

Kershaw?

 

I cant remember the last good pitcher to stick with one team. It seems even less likely to happen with the arm injuries now and the fear of long pitching deals.

 

I guess Mariano did it but I cant think of a SP.

Glavine.

 

Also Verlander so far.

[SouthSideRyan]

Kershaw?

 

I cant remember the last good pitcher to stick with one team. It seems even less likely to happen with the arm injuries now and the fear of long pitching deals.

 

I guess Mariano did it but I cant think of a SP.

Glavine.

 

Also Verlander so far.

 

Glavine went to the Mets for 3-4 years

[SouthSideRyan]

Jim Palmer was the last HOF pitcher to do it and he retired 30 years ago

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

King Felix might be the best bet.

[Guest]

Carlos Gonzalez has been worth -0.2 wins this year in 56 games after being worth 4.8 last year in 110 games.

 

I hate baseball.

[ConstableRabbit]

Colby Lewis... Wow.

[hawkeyecub]

Colby Lewis... Wow.

 

What an idiot.

[Sammy Sofa]

Well, that's one to meltdown to try and gloss over your shitty season.

[imb]

is shelby miller dead? him and carlos martinez sucking balls is really awesome

[Gilby]

is shelby miller dead? him and carlos martinez sucking balls is really awesome

 

I think Martinez will still be really good, but yeah Miller might be broken.

 

On another note, how long of a leash will Lunhow be given? Already screwed up the last two drafts and has a bad reputation among players/agents. I'd consider [expletive] canning him now.