They could have made a more sensible solution- suppose if a reliever fails to face 3 batters, his replacement gets no warmups from the mound. So if you absolutely must have a pitcher for one batter, you can still do it.
I like the limits on pitchers on the roster. Not enough pinch hitters available anymore.
I don’t think it’s enough of a limit.
I’d like to see it go back to 11, tops. The “emergency pitcher” idea is cool too.
So the Yanks added Gio Gonzales for only $3m. That’s a very good deal for the Yanks.
How would you do that? eliminate the runner’s ability to lead-off/steal? Count pickoff throws as balls? Either one would seriously upset the balance between baserunners and pitchers as-is. Do pickoff throws really take so much time they warrant that?
I’ve seen this idea in a few plces but basically you’d set a number, two or three or whatever, on the number of times a pitcher could attempt a pickoff on a runner at a particular base in one at bat. So if Smith is on base, and Gonzalez is at bat, pitcher Suzuki can only try to pick off Smith twice without penalty. Once you have a new batter OR Smith advances to another base, you reset.
The penalty could of course be simply calling a ball, and that’s my preferred idea. If Suzuki has already tried to pick off Smith twice, he can actually try again, he just has to accept a ball on the batter.
I like two things about this idea:
It will probably increase the use of basestealing as a strategy, which is a great thing. Basestealing is much more interesting that station-to-station baseball.
It adds tactics. Pitchers now just throw at threatening baserunners all the time, and many of the attempts are half-hearted. Limiting pickoffs presents decisions; do you use one now? Later? If you’ve already used two you get a really interesting cat and mouse game; as a baserunner do you ASSUME you can get a huge lead? Or will the pitcher use that against you, giving up a ball for a really good shot at picking you off? The count would affect it of course; the pitcher can’t do that on 3-1 but on 0-2 might be very happy to give up a ball for a crack at killing off a baserunner.
It will reduce delays and improve pace of game. Not by a huge amount, but every little bit helps.
Well, so much for my dreams of seeing Trout wear Dodger blue in a couple of years:
ETA: That’s an AAV of $35.8M, by my math.
It would be neat to see Trout spend his whole career in Anaheim. Apparently the odds of that have greatly increased now.
Trout won the MVP Award for the first time in 2014; since then, his on base percentage has improved every season. You can come up with remarkable Trout facts all day.
Most similar batters at the same age (26) -
Frank Robinson
Mickey Mantle
Ken Griffey Jr.
Hank Aaron
Miguel Cabrera
Orlando Cepeda
Mel Ott
Pretty good comparisons.
I don’t love it but I could live with it if you tweak it so that:
If the Dodgers don’t hire Ben Stein to do the PA work when Bueller is pitching, I don’t even know why the world exists.
Lot of extensions - Astros added two years to Verlander’s contract (now through 2021) and a six-year contract with Alex Bregman that buys out the first 2 years of his free agency.
Even if they just play a recording it would be awesome enough.
If I was Bueller that would be my walk up music.
That being said we’re finally in opening week. I’m looking forward to watching the D-bags get stomped to open the season.
Jacob deGrom joins the parade and agrees to a 5 year, $137.5 million extension.
Is free agency dead?
Well, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sure don’t think so.
Pre-FA contracts like that only exist because free agency does.
Hyperbolic I know, but I don’t remember a run of extensions like this before: Trout, Severino, Sale, deGrom, Verlander, Goldschmidt, Arenado…some of the biggest names in the sport.
Free agency isn’t dead, but it’s diminished. There was supposed to be bidding wars for Harper and Machado. Many thought that Harper would snag the first $400 million dollar contract. Maybe it’s a market correction. Maybe it’s because ageing players aren’t producing anymore since their drugs got taken away. Maybe it’s everything.
ETA: It’s almost time to put this smelly old thread to bed. Baseball is back!
Only 2 more days, and my Dodgers can begin another march towards the Series!
In the exhibition game today between the Indians and the Rangers, they started the ninth inning with a runner on second. WTF? I don’t ever want to see that even in extra innings. I’d much prefer you just call the game a tie. I’d prefer they do it only after 10 or 12 innings, but I could live with making it a tie after 9. But no free passes to second base – never!
Please leave my goddam game alone. People don’t want to watch after an hour,
screw 'em.
Watched a little of the Blue Jays’ game in Montreal as they have done the past few years. I like that they’ve done this and hope they get a team back. (Rays, I’m looking at you). What I want to know is how much it costs to configure Olympic Stadium for two days a year. Seems like a ton of bother. And what do they do with that stadium the rest of the year.
Since Spring Training is over, I’ve given us a head start on tomorrow over here.