# MLB: April 2016
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [April 1, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845 "2016-04-01T17:29:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/21 "2016-04-03T20:13:57Z")
Getting ready for the new year I was looking over stats from last year for the Tigers and was surprised to see the Victor Martinez had the Worst WAR in the league for qualified(or nearly qualified,in his case) players. I knew it wasn’t a good hitting year for him,especially compared to his MVP consideration level 2014. And there is no defense obviously, but I didn’t remember it being quite that disastrous.
---
### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/22 "2016-04-03T21:45:29Z")
[The Phillies are retiring the Phanatic.](http://thatballsouttahere.com/2016/04/01/phillies-saying-goodbye-to-the-phanatic/) Let your outrage flow like a waterfall!
Or maybe it’s a PR stunt?
---
### Author:  [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)
#### Post date: [April 3, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/23 "2016-04-03T21:48:59Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> [The Phillies are retiring the Phanatic.](http://thatballsouttahere.com/2016/04/01/phillies-saying-goodbye-to-the-phanatic/) Let your outrage flow like a waterfall!
>
> Or maybe it’s a PR stunt?
Or maybe the date of the article is relevant.
---
### Author:  [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/24 "2016-04-04T01:05:07Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> Doesn’t everybody? Fookin’ posers.
>
> The Dodgers are starting the season very broken, with Grandal, Kendrick and Ethier all on the DL for Opening Day. And for our 5th starter, we have a guy who will throw his very first major league pitch this Friday.
>
> Oh, well. Everybody will be rehabbing with Rancho Cucamonga, which means I can see them for less than $75! 😃
I’m actually an Angels fan (secondary to the Cubs, in honor of my late grandma), but they are completely wasting Trout’s prime years. It’s just frustrating.
Side note: Rancho Cucamonga is my favorite town name! I thought it was a funny name my Dad made up until an embarassingly late age.
Baseballbaseballbaseball
Glad the Jays and Pirates won!
---
### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/25 "2016-04-04T01:26:54Z")
> [@Asimovian](#):
>
> I plan to be planted in front of the TV all day. Go Pirates, First run of the season has been scored!
And the RBI goes to…
…
…
… the Pitcher!
Let’s hear it for Real Baseball™!
---
### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/26 "2016-04-04T01:51:02Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#):
>
> I’m actually an Angels fan (secondary to the Cubs, in honor of my late grandma), but they are completely wasting Trout’s prime years. It’s just frustrating.
They missed the playoffs last year by what, a game or two?
Trading the greatest player in baseball rarely works out well.
---
### Author:  [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/27 "2016-04-04T11:02:50Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> [The Phillies are retiring the Phanatic.](http://thatballsouttahere.com/2016/04/01/phillies-saying-goodbye-to-the-phanatic/) Let your outrage flow like a waterfall!
>
> Or maybe it’s a PR stunt?
GO Phanatic!!!
And take all of the other mascots with you!
---
### Author:  [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/28 "2016-04-04T12:31:09Z")
> [@dalej42](#):
>
> I live very near to Wrigley and I’m ecstatic. I spend a lot of time in sports bars and you won’t believe how much Cubs hype there is this year. There’s almost no Bulls talk at work and there is less Blackhawks talk this year. It’s a Cubs year, but I’m ready for another Hawks Stanley Cup too.
Next time I go to Chicago to catch a Cub game, I know where I’m staying.
---
### Author:  [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/29 "2016-04-04T12:33:10Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#):
>
> And the RBI goes to…
> …
> …
> … the Pitcher!
> Let’s hear it for Real Baseball™!
Let it be known that a Giants fan and a Dodgers fan agreed on something on Opening Day. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/30 "2016-04-04T13:14:37Z")
Anyone know why the Tigers & Marlins are playing their opener tomorrow and not today?
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### Author:  [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/31 "2016-04-04T14:21:42Z")
Title defense off to a nice start…Go Royals! Three-peat!
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### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/32 "2016-04-04T14:26:09Z")
With apologies to Andy Williams:
\*It’s the most wonderful time of the year
With the grass finished growing
And pitchers all throwing, hey it’s out of here!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year
It’s the hap-happiest season of all
With the fans in their seats and the pitcher’s mound meetings
Now throw the fastball
It’s the hap-happiest season of all
There’ll be plenty of boasting
Peanuts will be roasting
Now life has returned to The Show
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of the
World Series long, long ago
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!\*
Play Ball!
---
### Author:  [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/33 "2016-04-04T15:34:45Z")
David Ortiz has become one of my favorites of all time so I want to soak up his final season. David Price has looked very solid in preseason ball but other than that the Red Sox aren’t giving me a lot to get excited about. They need some young players to surprise if they want to compete for the East.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/34 "2016-04-04T17:35:02Z")
Six of the Seven “experts” at _[Sports Illustrated](http://www.si.com/mlb/2016/03/31/playoff-picks-awards-picks-mvp-cy-young-rookie-of-the-year)_ picked the Red Sox to make the playoffs, with two predicting that they win the East. I think the Jays will take the division again, but the Sox look formidable.
---
### Author:  [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/35 "2016-04-04T17:44:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> If I may, allow me to briefly share my opinion on the fact that the baseball season commences soon;
>
> BASEBALL! BASEBALL! BASEBALL BASEBALL BASEBALL BASEBALL BASEBALL!
>
> Baaaaaaaseball’s back, baseball’s back, I love baseball, baseball, baseball! Lots of baseball, lots of baseball, lots and lots and lots of baseball!
>
> Baseball hats and baseball gloves! Baseball on radio and on TV! Live baseball, baseball stories, baseball players! Home runs, strikeouts, great plays and stolen bases! Baseball! Lots and lots and lots of baseball!
>
> Baseball!
> Baseball!
> Baseball!
> Baseball!
>
> I wrote a haiku about baseball!
>
> Green diamond, timeless
> Heroes clash upon the field
> The greatest of sports
All of this! Every single word! It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
---
### Author:  [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/36 "2016-04-04T18:01:27Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#):
>
> Six of the Seven “experts” at _[Sports Illustrated](http://www.si.com/mlb/2016/03/31/playoff-picks-awards-picks-mvp-cy-young-rookie-of-the-year)_ picked the Red Sox to make the playoffs, with two predicting that they win the East. I think the Jays will take the division again, but the Sox look formidable.
It’s fun to look back at last year’s predictions and see just how well–or not well–people did.
Speaking of SI, in 2015 looks like they had six experts pick the five AL playoff teams.
Three of the experts picked the Blue Jays as one of the teams, along with four other teams that, well, missed the playoffs altogether.
The other three experts picked five teams each, and they all missed the playoffs. So out of thirty predictions, only three were correct. No one picked Kansas City, Houston, the Rangers, or the Yankees…too busy showing their bona fides for Oakland, Boston, Cleveland, and Seattle…
---
### Author:  [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/37 "2016-04-04T18:12:01Z")
Yeah Boston was a popular pick last year to make the playoffs. I think Toronto will be right back there. Stroman looked good in his first start. I like that kid. Lots of energy.
---
### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/38 "2016-04-04T18:21:13Z")
A buddy and I are doing something called the Blue Jays MVP Project and I invite you all to participate. Here’s how it works.
1. Pick your favourite team. Most of you have probably done this already.
2. Every time your team wins a game, select three stars, like a hockey game. The most valuable player of the game is the first star, then second star, then third star. For instance, for last night’s Blue Jays game I picked
First Star: Marcus Stroman (8 IP, 5K, 3 ER)
Second Star: Troy Tulowitzki (Home run, seven plays at SS)
Third Star: Edwin Encarnacion (2 RBI, run scored)
2a. No ties. No fourth stars, no saying there’s one first star and two second stars. First, second, third. If the decision is hard, it’s hard. Suck it up.
1. Every time your team LOSES a game, you just pick a third star. No first or second star.
2. Players are then awarded 5 points for every 1st star, 3 points for every 2nd star, and 1 point for every third star. Note that this means eight points are awarded for every win and just one for every loss. If a guy does all his production in games his team loses, too bad!
3. Your choices for 1st-2nd-3rd start should generally be oriented around who most helped the team win that game but how you determine that is up to you. Maybe you disagree with me giving EE my third star. I don’t care. Want to give some rookie a third star for getting his first MLB hit? Go nuts.
4. At the end of the year the person with the most points is the team MVP. If in the very unlikely event of a tie, the tiebreaker is whichever guy you think should win it.
It’s pretty easy to set this up in Excel to make keeping points easy. And if you want, get friends to submit their stars to you (I’ve already roped my buddy into this) and add up more picks.
Let’s see how this works.
---
### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/39 "2016-04-04T18:58:29Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> A buddy and I are doing something called the Blue Jays MVP Project and I invite you all to participate. Here’s how it works.
>
> 1. Pick your favourite team. Most of you have probably done this already.
>
> 2. Every time your team wins a game, select three stars, like a hockey game. The most valuable player of the game is the first star, then second star, then third star. For instance, for last night’s Blue Jays game I picked
>
> First Star: Marcus Stroman (8 IP, 5K, 3 ER)
> Second Star: Troy Tulowitzki (Home run, seven plays at SS)
> Third Star: Edwin Encarnacion (2 RBI, run scored)
>
> 2a. No ties. No fourth stars, no saying there’s one first star and two second stars. First, second, third. If the decision is hard, it’s hard. Suck it up.
>
> 1. Every time your team LOSES a game, you just pick a third star. No first or second star.
>
> 2. Players are then awarded 5 points for every 1st star, 3 points for every 2nd star, and 1 point for every third star. Note that this means eight points are awarded for every win and just one for every loss. If a guy does all his production in games his team loses, too bad!
>
> 3. Your choices for 1st-2nd-3rd start should generally be oriented around who most helped the team win that game but how you determine that is up to you. Maybe you disagree with me giving EE my third star. I don’t care. Want to give some rookie a third star for getting his first MLB hit? Go nuts.
>
> 4. At the end of the year the person with the most points is the team MVP. If in the very unlikely event of a tie, the tiebreaker is whichever guy you think should win it.
>
> It’s pretty easy to set this up in Excel to make keeping points easy. And if you want, get friends to submit their stars to you (I’ve already roped my buddy into this) and add up more picks.
>
> Let’s see how this works.
That’s some serious commitment. I’m in for the Tigers.
Will your buddy’s points and yours go into a collective pool, with one MVP chosen at the end? Or will each of you have an MVP by the end of the year?
---
### Author:  [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-april-2016/750845/40 "2016-04-04T21:25:18Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> They missed the playoffs last year by what, a game or two?
>
> Trading the greatest player in baseball rarely works out well.
I know it wouldn’t work out well, I’m just bitter because they could have actually tried to build a decent team around him, but instead they decided they didn’t want to overspend the luxury tax.
Pujols will still hit home runs and Simmons will be fun to watch on defense, so it won’t be a complete waste of time other than Trout. But it could have been so much better.
For the next few days, of course, I’m not too upset since I am more interested in the Cubs doing well!
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