General Baseball Chit-Chat Thread

[Transmogrified Tiger]

The Dodgers-D’backs start a 4 game series tonight. The D’backs already have a 7 game lead on them. Feels like the Dodgers have to at least split. If Dodgers lose 3 of 4 or get swept, even though it’s early, a 9 or 11 game hole is a pretty big hill to climb even with ~80% of the season left.

 

 

ON THAT NOTE

 

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[imb]

The Dodgers-D’backs start a 4 game series tonight. The D’backs already have a 7 game lead on them. Feels like the Dodgers have to at least split. If Dodgers lose 3 of 4 or get swept, even though it’s early, a 9 or 11 game hole is a pretty big hill to climb even with ~80% of the season left.

 

 

ON THAT NOTE

 

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woahhhhh

[We Got The Whole 9]

Any thoughts on Bauer's thinly veiled accusations that the Astros pitchers are cheating? Any reasonable explanation for some of their pitchers spikes in spin rate?

[toonsterwu]

What's ridiculous about the Diamondbacks is what Hazen has done since he's gotten there - he's taken a moribund team and has them competitive, with smart key moves, and he's revived the system in one year. They were a mess, system-wise, when he got there, and now, it's a pretty healthy system with some fairly intriguing guys at the top. Smart moves and a good draft has rebuilt things fast. Can't figure out who I prefer - Duplantier or Widener. Jasrado Chisholm might be on the way to breaking through as a top 100, and perhaps even top 50, type of prospect.

[Cubswin11]

Any thoughts on Bauer's thinly veiled accusations that the Astros pitchers are cheating? Any reasonable explanation for some of their pitchers spikes in spin rate?

You’d think they have to be doing something to affect spin rates since it’s multiple guys with the upticks but it’s pretty stupid by Bauer to accuse them of doing something illegal with no basis of facts. Maybe they figured out something proprietary to mess with mechanics to do it, maybe not and they are “cheating.” But do accuse them I’d like to see evidence along with it.

[OleMissCub]

Wow....

 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Any thoughts on Bauer's thinly veiled accusations that the Astros pitchers are cheating?

 

100% chance that Trevor Bauer will one day tweet an InfoWars link with the caption “really makes u think”

[CyHawk_Cub]

Bauer will wind up a dorky version of Curt Schilling.

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

Bauer will wind up a dorky version of Curt Schilling.

I can't wait to not buy his video games.

[Cubswin11]

Christian Villanueva is going all Donaldson 2.0 on us

[We Got The Whole 9]

Christian Villanueva is going all Donaldson 2.0 on us

Seriously. He looks totally locked in and is crushing all types of pitches. What the horsefeathers.

[TruffleShuffle]

i liked villanueva and thought he could be a decent starter (solid glove, hit for reasonable average) but i really didn't think he'd hit for much power. maybe like 15-20 homers annually.

[Regular Show]

Any thoughts on Bauer's thinly veiled accusations that the Astros pitchers are cheating? Any reasonable explanation for some of their pitchers spikes in spin rate?

 

I believe Bauer was the one who said that pitchers that use pine tar can get a few hundred extra RPM/higher spin rate in an ESPN article. He claimed pine tar gives a significant advantage to pitchers and not just a better grip on the ball to improve control.

 

I think maybe this is what he is insinuating with the Astros pitchers?

[ConstableRabbit]

Any thoughts on Bauer's thinly veiled accusations that the Astros pitchers are cheating? Any reasonable explanation for some of their pitchers spikes in spin rate?

 

I believe Bauer was the one who said that pitchers that use pine tar can get a few hundred extra RPM/higher spin rate in an ESPN article. He claimed pine tar gives a significant advantage to pitchers and not just a better grip on the ball to improve control.

 

I think maybe this is what he is insinuating with the Astros pitchers?

Pretty much: https://sports.yahoo.com/argument-make-pine-tar-foreign-substances-legal-pitchers-152648272.html

 

ETA, Bauer is saying it should be allowed:

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[Cubswin11]

Lol, it sounds like Bauer used pine tar or some substance to prove a point in the first inning of his last start since his spin rate was up in that inning to where he said he could get it with a substance.

[UMFan83]

Lots of former Cubs and Cub prospects seem to be doing well. Villanueva and Soler for ML clubs. Meanwhile Jimenez came back and hit 4 HRs, Torres earned a ML callup, Paredes might be the best Tigers bat prospect, Dylan Cease just threw 7 with 12 Ks last night, Araujo hasn't been terrible for the O's...

 

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IIRC McCullers on the Astros has been accused of pine tar on the ball before. No?

 

[PackLandVA]

Lots of former Cubs and Cub prospects seem to be doing well. Villanueva and Soler for ML clubs. Meanwhile Jimenez came back and hit 4 HRs, Torres earned a ML callup, Paredes might be the best Tigers bat prospect, Dylan Cease just threw 7 with 12 Ks last night, Araujo hasn't been terrible for the O's...

 

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IIRC McCullers on the Astros has been accused of pine tar on the ball before. No?

 

 

 

 

Yep. They’d be 108 years with no WS.

[Sammy Sofa]

https://screengrabber.deadspin.com/missouri-outfielder-leaves-field-on-stretcher-after-cra-1825762135

 

Missouri’s Cade Bormet tumbled into an unpadded brick wall during the Tigers’ home game against Georgia tonight while trying to field a foul ball, causing the freshman outfielder to be removed from the field on a stretcher by emergency personnel.

 

Cade Bormet

 

Cade Bormet

 

[glow=red]Cade Bormet[/glow]

 

Unless he's a particularly lame Star Wars Extended Universe bounty hunter, this name is completely unacceptable.

[weis21]

I’ve lived in Greenville, NC for 17 years and just found out Joe West is from this town. I am both simultaneously disgusted at learning this and supremely proud that seemingly NOBODY from this town gives a horsefeathers about him.

 

Very conflicting.

[OleMissCub]

Ricky Gutierrez played in over 1100 games and had a -1.4 career WAR.

 

I’d be interested to know what the most games played is for a guy with a negative WAR.

[soccer10k]

Ricky Gutierrez played in over 1100 games and had a -1.4 career WAR.

 

I’d be interested to know what the most games played is for a guy with a negative WAR.

 

Chris Gomez with 1515 games. This is bWAR. Don’t know if fWAR is different.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gomezch02.shtml

[Clem Fandango]

Ricky Gutierrez played in over 1100 games and had a -1.4 career WAR.

 

I’d be interested to know what the most games played is for a guy with a negative WAR.

 

Chris Gomez with 1515 games. This is bWAR. Don’t know if fWAR is different.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gomezch02.shtml

 

Chris Gomez has -2.2 fWAR. Gutierrez has -3.1 fWAR. You know who has -3.3 fWAR?

 

Neifi Perez

[Clem Fandango]

But Doug Flynn is the answer you're looking for. Flynn has the lowest fWAR with -8.3 of anyp layer with over 1000 games played (1300+ for Flynn).

 

The only players worse:

 

Gus Weyhing with -10.2 (in the 1800s, but he also was a pitcher who had 40 fWAR as a pitcher+ so he doesn't count, plus he was only a hitter in 500+ games)

 

and Bill Bergen with -16.2 fWAR (1900-1911. 947 games played)

 

Flynn played from 1975-1985, so in the non dead-ball era (and even most of the dead ball era), he's probably pound for pound the worst player to get the most playing time ever. In fact, the next player with a negative fWAR and more games played than Flynn is former Cubs legend Jerry Morales with -3.9 fWAR. He played from 1969-1983 and played in 1441 games.

 

The third player on that list with more games played than Flynn and a negative WAR?

 

Neifi Perez.

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[SouthSideRyan]

There are more teams in the AL Central at .500 or below (5) than there are in the entire NL(4)