Spring Training Mega Thread

[Brock Beauchamp]

Stroman is mixing up his pace today. Seems super intentional. Getting set and coming home right away on one pitch, doing the same but holding for a full five seconds before starting his motion on the next. I love that. The clock makes the hitter more aware of your pace, and more sensitive to it if you change that up on him. Use what’s there for you, keep the opponent on the defensive.

I love this. People (mostly slow hitters) have talked up the "strategy" (yawn) of getting a pitcher off his pace by adjusting your jock between every pitch but the real entertainment is, you know, watching actual baseball happen. And giving pitchers the ability to screw with timing while also doing it in a matter of five seconds is something that makes the game a better spectating experience for those of us "in the know" while also not boring us to death with circles around the mound and endless adjustments of batting gloves.

 

I seriously do not understand a single person who is against the pitch clock. My "come to Jesus" moment was the pandemic when I went back and watched old World Series games. They were so much more fun! I didn't realize I missed that pace of baseball until I was so desperate for baseball that I went back and realized why I started to love the game in the first place.

[CubinNY]

Stroman is mixing up his pace today. Seems super intentional. Getting set and coming home right away on one pitch, doing the same but holding for a full five seconds before starting his motion on the next. I love that. The clock makes the hitter more aware of your pace, and more sensitive to it if you change that up on him. Use what’s there for you, keep the opponent on the defensive.

I love this. People (mostly slow hitters) have talked up the "strategy" (yawn) of getting a pitcher off his pace by adjusting your jock between every pitch but the real entertainment is, you know, watching actual baseball happen. And giving pitchers the ability to screw with timing while also doing it in a matter of five seconds is something that makes the game a better spectating experience for those of us "in the know" while also not boring us to death with circles around the mound and endless adjustments of batting gloves.

 

I seriously do not understand a single person who is against the pitch clock. My "come to Jesus" moment was the pandemic when I went back and watched old World Series games. They were so much more fun! I didn't realize I missed that pace of baseball until I was so desperate for baseball that I went back and realized why I started to love the game in the first place.

Not the best analogy, but kind of like the shot clock in basketball. The NBA and college baseball had a serious problem with the end of games and the 4 corner offense and the natural progression of (un)intentional fouls at the end of games. it was prolonging games and causing people to tune out.

 

I think it was a necessary rule change. I'm not sure it's going to help get more eyes on games though.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Not the best analogy, but kind of like the shot clock in basketball. The NBA and college baseball had a serious problem with the end of games and the 4 corner offense and the natural progression of (un)intentional fouls at the end of games. it was prolonging games and causing people to tune out.

 

I think it was a necessary rule change. I'm not sure it's going to help get more eyes on games though.

I don't know how much it will expand viewership of the game but at the very least, I'm going to consider taking my young kids to a weeknight game now, something that was off the table in previous seasons, as we'd have to leave during the sixth inning at the very latest.

[Andy]

i think he mentioned at some point (he might've tweeted it between anti-Semitic takes

 

Man, I am so out of the loop I didn't even hear about this. Be the Ricketts actually gave him a bonus under the table.

 

yeah he was vocally very supportive of kanye (yeah, yeah) and kyrie's BS a few months ago.

I didn't look at it so much as him being supportive of Kyrie, though that may have been in there, as it was pure whataboutism. If I had to read one more Tweet from him complaining that Kyrie's crap getting more attention than Brett Favre's - a hypothesis I'm not sure was accurate to begin with - was purely because of racism I was going to lose it so I just unfollowed instead.

[stitchface]

Stroman is mixing up his pace today. Seems super intentional. Getting set and coming home right away on one pitch, doing the same but holding for a full five seconds before starting his motion on the next. I love that. The clock makes the hitter more aware of your pace, and more sensitive to it if you change that up on him. Use what’s there for you, keep the opponent on the defensive.

I love this. People (mostly slow hitters) have talked up the "strategy" (yawn) of getting a pitcher off his pace by adjusting your jock between every pitch but the real entertainment is, you know, watching actual baseball happen. And giving pitchers the ability to screw with timing while also doing it in a matter of five seconds is something that makes the game a better spectating experience for those of us "in the know" while also not boring us to death with circles around the mound and endless adjustments of batting gloves.

 

I seriously do not understand a single person who is against the pitch clock. My "come to Jesus" moment was the pandemic when I went back and watched old World Series games. They were so much more fun! I didn't realize I missed that pace of baseball until I was so desperate for baseball that I went back and realized why I started to love the game in the first place.

Not the best analogy, but kind of like the shot clock in basketball. The NBA and college baseball had a serious problem with the end of games and the 4 corner offense and the natural progression of (un)intentional fouls at the end of games. it was prolonging games and causing people to tune out.

 

I think it was a necessary rule change. I'm not sure it's going to help get more eyes on games though.

 

 

So Paul O'Neill is to baseball as Dean Smith is to basketball?

[Jaxbro]

Combined no no against the Padres last night. First Spring Training no hitter since 2017. Is it slightly impressive considering the number of players involved by both teams, I don't know. Could be the season highlight.

[CubinNY]

Morel and Mervis have been really disappointing so far this early spring, but overall I’ve liked almost everything else (- Wick) I’ve seen from the Cubs. Really good pitching, great defense, and working counts in the box. They do not have a big run producer on the team though.

 

I’m optimistic.

[Bertz]

Combined no no against the Padres last night. First Spring Training no hitter since 2017. Is it slightly impressive considering the number of players involved by both teams, I don't know. Could be the season highlight.

 

It doesn't mean a ton, but it was a nice flex for the org's pitching depth. That Iowa bullpen is gonna be sort of outrageous.

[PackLandVA]

Has it been addressed how the pitch clock may/may not be affected by the weather (ie - extreme cold, extreme humidity (sweat), rain)? Seems like those conditions could put player/pitchers in unfair situations.

[UMFan83]

Just for fun, lets be optimists and say the Cubs are pretty decent/good this year. Which of these 6 NL teams would you say is most likely to be the weak link that the Cubs can steal a playoff spot from?

 

Dodgers

Padres

Cardinals

Braves

Mets

Phillies

 

The Cardinals maybe?

[CubinNY]

Just for fun, lets be optimists and say the Cubs are pretty decent/good this year. Which of these 6 NL teams would you say is most likely to be the weak link that the Cubs can steal a playoff spot from?

 

Dodgers

Padres

Cardinals

Braves

Mets

Phillies

 

The Cardinals maybe?

Dodgers.

[Bertz]

Just for fun, lets be optimists and say the Cubs are pretty decent/good this year. Which of these 6 NL teams would you say is most likely to be the weak link that the Cubs can steal a playoff spot from?

 

Dodgers

Padres

Cardinals

Braves

Mets

Phillies

 

The Cardinals maybe?

 

Phillies and Cardinals are pretty easy to see missing the playoffs. Phillies are very top-heavy, and particularly coming off that deep run last year I'd be nervous about each of their stars except Turner. Cardinals pitching is riddled with red flags, and post Bader trade the defense is more good than great.

 

Dodgers also aren't invulnerable. I could see them being pretty disappointing in the first half, with them righting the ship eventually (they have too many options not to at some point) but too late to make the playoffs.

 

Mets are old and Padres are thin, but I think even in the worst of scenarios they maintain WC spots.

[Rex Buckingham]

Just for fun, lets be optimists and say the Cubs are pretty decent/good this year. Which of these 6 NL teams would you say is most likely to be the weak link that the Cubs can steal a playoff spot from?

 

Dodgers

Padres

Cardinals

Braves

Mets

Phillies

 

The Cardinals maybe?

 

Whichever team has the most pitchers arms explode/the worst pitching depth

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Just for fun, lets be optimists and say the Cubs are pretty decent/good this year. Which of these 6 NL teams would you say is most likely to be the weak link that the Cubs can steal a playoff spot from?

 

Dodgers

Padres

Cardinals

Braves

Mets

Phillies

 

The Cardinals maybe?

 

Whichever team has the most pitchers arms explode/the worst pitching depth

 

To that end, the Mets rotation is 3 guys 36 or older, a Japanese import that got less than expected, and the prayer that Quintana’s HR rate stays unsustainably low, with little hope for a SP stalwart on the farm. The negative long tail outcomes are really really bad.

[Guest]

Just for fun, lets be optimists and say the Cubs are pretty decent/good this year. Which of these 6 NL teams would you say is most likely to be the weak link that the Cubs can steal a playoff spot from?

 

Dodgers

Padres

Cardinals

Braves

Mets

Phillies

 

The Cardinals maybe?

 

Whichever team has the most pitchers arms explode/the worst pitching depth

 

To that end, the Mets rotation is 3 guys 36 or older, a Japanese import that got less than expected, and the prayer that Quintana’s HR rate stays unsustainably low, with little hope for a SP stalwart on the farm. The negative long tail outcomes are really really bad.

 

Yeah, I think the Mets are the vulnerable ones, too. Their upper end outcomes are so damn good that it makes you a little uneasy to say it, because if they win 104 games or something then I'll feel stupid, but if we remember that all we're looking for is the team projected for 88+ wins who's most likely to sag back to 92 or something? I firmly believe that could be the Mets. Maybe Baty and Alvarez, their top prospects, really hit, but if they don't, then there's also some age- and injury-related downside in the lineup. I think the prices they paid for guys like Eduardo Escobar, Mark Canha, and Omar Narvaez can obscure the fact that there's a real risk of those guys not producing much of anything in a given season. Their bullpen depth is a bit less daunting than it could be, too.

 

I'm finding that although the Cubs are better, the short-term conversation is mostly unchanged from last spring. Long-term, it feels a lot better. They signed a couple more anchors for the roster for the next several years. We've seen a full season of Nico Hoerner being who we hoped he could be. The farm system is gathering steam. But for this year? It's much like last year, where you can't reasonably *expect* the Cubs to win anything. It's made it easier for me to shrug off projection systems, because I just think that if this team goes where we might hope it will, it'll be on the strength of a combination of things the projection systems were never going to count on. I don't want this to be the vibe of many more springs, but it's a little liberating.

[champaignchris]

Is there a point where a Spring Training win streak becomes something to take any note of?

[CubinNY]

Is there a point where a Spring Training win streak becomes something to take any note of?

It's so hard to put any stock in the records. it's better to win than to lose those, for sure.

[Bertz]

It does a little to affirm the quality and quantity of the depth but mostly its nothing.

 

Feels like the bench is solidifying, with the last spot being a battle between Tauchman and Davis

 

- Barnhart is a lock, and Mckinstry is not far behind

- Heavy implications going around about Morel opening the year in Iowa

- Given the circumstances around his signing, Rios was probably a near lock for the bench from the jump, but even if he wasn't before he's currently earning his way onto the roster

- Madrigal is looking surprisingly solid at 3B, and the Iowa/Chicago decision for him has primarily been framed as predicated on defense

- All of the guys who can play RF in Suzuki's stead range between adequate and bad defensively. It'd be weird to not have a 3rd good defensive outfielder considering all the harping the team has done about defense

- That would leave Deluzio, whose lack of playing time implies he's not actually a strong contender, Tauchman, and Davis as the likely options

 

I'd guess Tauchman's the favorite, but given he would require a 40 man move and the new CBA's service time incentives not an especially heavy one?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

It does a little to affirm the quality and quantity of the depth but mostly its nothing.

 

Feels like the bench is solidifying, with the last spot being a battle between Tauchman and Davis

 

- Barnhart is a lock, and Mckinstry is not far behind

- Heavy implications going around about Morel opening the year in Iowa

- Given the circumstances around his signing, Rios was probably a near lock for the bench from the jump, but even if he wasn't before he's currently earning his way onto the roster

- Madrigal is looking surprisingly solid at 3B, and the Iowa/Chicago decision for him has primarily been framed as predicated on defense

- All of the guys who can play RF in Suzuki's stead range between adequate and bad defensively. It'd be weird to not have a 3rd good defensive outfielder considering all the harping the team has done about defense

- That would leave Deluzio, whose lack of playing time implies he's not actually a strong contender, Tauchman, and Davis as the likely options

 

I'd guess Tauchman's the favorite, but given he would require a 40 man move and the new CBA's service time incentives not an especially heavy one?

 

Given the amount they trusted him in CF last year and his 40 man spot, I would think that Velazquez has to be under consideration. Similarly, Mastrobuoni doesn't require a 40 man move.

[CyHawk_Cub]

Is there a point where a Spring Training win streak becomes something to take any note of?

Do losing streaks likewise matter? I ask because the Cubs were pretty bad in ST 2016. I recall they went on to do some things that season.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Is there a point where a Spring Training win streak becomes something to take any note of?

 

There is no point at which anything that happens in spring training matters outside of staying healthy.

[Guest]

It does a little to affirm the quality and quantity of the depth but mostly its nothing.

 

Feels like the bench is solidifying, with the last spot being a battle between Tauchman and Davis

 

- Barnhart is a lock, and Mckinstry is not far behind

- Heavy implications going around about Morel opening the year in Iowa

- Given the circumstances around his signing, Rios was probably a near lock for the bench from the jump, but even if he wasn't before he's currently earning his way onto the roster

- Madrigal is looking surprisingly solid at 3B, and the Iowa/Chicago decision for him has primarily been framed as predicated on defense

- All of the guys who can play RF in Suzuki's stead range between adequate and bad defensively. It'd be weird to not have a 3rd good defensive outfielder considering all the harping the team has done about defense

- That would leave Deluzio, whose lack of playing time implies he's not actually a strong contender, Tauchman, and Davis as the likely options

 

I'd guess Tauchman's the favorite, but given he would require a 40 man move and the new CBA's service time incentives not an especially heavy one?

 

That pretty much nails it, imo. I think the locks are:

 

C: Gomes, Barnhart

1B: Hosmer, Mancini

2B: Hoerner

SS: Swanson

3B: Ríos, Wisdom

LF: Happ

CF: Bellinger

 

That's 10. McKinstry not having options pretty much locks him in. I think whether Madrigal makes it depends more on how much they trust Wisdom defensively in right field as it does on Madrigal himself. For whatever amount of time Suzuki misses, Wisdom out there does make sense, but only if he gets some reps out there and acquits himself well in the next couple of weeks.

 

If we count McKinstry and Madrigal, we're saying right field is covered with Wisdom (and maybe some Mancini). Tauchman would balance those two out in terms of handedness, so I give him the leg up over Velázquez. I sorta wonder if we're underestimating the likelihood that they just DFA Velázquez, or find a late-spring trade destination for him, just get back a fringy relief arm who's not on the 40 yet. Short-term, they have better options, and medium- to long-term, is there really much chance that he's more valuable than Davis, PCA, even Canario or Alcántara? So that's my prediction. Tauchman for the last spot, Velázquez out of the org to clear the 40-man room. Given that they're still a year away, it'd be nice not to have to make a tough call like this on a toolsy young player, but I don't think they're going to have the luxury of waiting. If they do, it's probably because of another injury, so let's hope they don't.

 

In this scenario, by the way, we also see Iowa look pretty strong to open the season. Torrens, Mervis, Mastrobuoni, Morel, DeLuzio, Davis, there are a lot of guys you'll feel ok about seeing whenever the need arises during the season who head to Triple A to begin it.

[fromthestretch]

Honest question...number of remaining options aside, can some explain the appeal of McKinstry over Mastrobuoni? Or is it really just that the former is out of options and the latter isn't?

[squally1313]

It does a little to affirm the quality and quantity of the depth but mostly its nothing.

 

Feels like the bench is solidifying, with the last spot being a battle between Tauchman and Davis

 

- Barnhart is a lock, and Mckinstry is not far behind

- Heavy implications going around about Morel opening the year in Iowa

- Given the circumstances around his signing, Rios was probably a near lock for the bench from the jump, but even if he wasn't before he's currently earning his way onto the roster

- Madrigal is looking surprisingly solid at 3B, and the Iowa/Chicago decision for him has primarily been framed as predicated on defense

- All of the guys who can play RF in Suzuki's stead range between adequate and bad defensively. It'd be weird to not have a 3rd good defensive outfielder considering all the harping the team has done about defense

- That would leave Deluzio, whose lack of playing time implies he's not actually a strong contender, Tauchman, and Davis as the likely options

 

I'd guess Tauchman's the favorite, but given he would require a 40 man move and the new CBA's service time incentives not an especially heavy one?

 

Given the amount they trusted him in CF last year and his 40 man spot, I would think that Velazquez has to be under consideration. Similarly, Mastrobuoni doesn't require a 40 man move.

 

This might be more of a conceptual question, but do we look at decisions like 'playing Velazquez in center' last year a little different going into this year given the pretty clear lack of importance place on actually winning games last year? I treat the second half of last year (and really probably the whole year) as more of an audition for the younger guys than some sort of tacit approval of skill sets.

[Guest]

Honest question...number of remaining options aside, can some explain the appeal of McKinstry over Mastrobuoni? Or is it really just that the former is out of options and the latter isn't?

 

I think McKinstry has a longer track record of hitting, and especially hitting in a way that will translate to the majors. But Mastro could also easily end up playing more this year than McKinstry; it’s just that McKinstry has to get the first crack in order for them to keep both for the longest time possible.