# MLB: July 2018 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 1, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105 "2018-07-01T18:49:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/161 "2018-07-18T17:55:36Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > It seems a bit silly based on tweets from high school. However, I’m surprised his agent didn’t make sure a complete social media review was done when he signed. Haders gonna hate. I agree his agent is negligent. What a horrible way to end a fun night. For those who chose not to watch the ASG you missed a fun back and forth game. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/162 "2018-07-18T17:58:57Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Quiet! You’ll jinx it! Unless they sign Machado to a long-term contract, Dodger fans should hope it does fall through. Combined with the package they sent to Texas for Darvish, its a serious depletion of their farm system. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/163 "2018-07-18T18:02:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I watched the ASG last night (though, admittedly, I was multitasking, and not paying 100% attention to it). Granted, it’s essentially an exhibition game, but it started to feel, to me, like a video game: half of the 20 hits in the game were home runs, all but one run scored via a HR, and there were 25 strikeouts. It was a microcosm of how the game has changed – [as quoted on SI.com](https://www.si.com/mlb/game/1994597): > > Home runs are cool, yes. But, I feel like the old guy, shaking my cane at the yoots, when I bemoan the loss of “small ball” in the game. When both teams are filled with elite hitters I guess the outcome could have been expected…especially as they got to the back of the bullpens. Perhaps if pitchers concentrated on adding changeups to their repitoire, they may mess with hitter timing and give up less HRs. Seems like pitchers concentrate of fastballs and sliders. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/164 "2018-07-18T18:04:08Z")
Sometimes you gotta make the deal if you really want that trophy. It’s better than always being pretty good but never good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/165 "2018-07-18T18:15:40Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > It seems a bit silly based on tweets from high school. However, I’m surprised his agent didn’t make sure a complete social media review was done when he signed. This. He sent them when he was 17, and he’s how old now? 24 or so? Is he sending tweets like that now? Apologize and move on. Sensitivity courses sound like overkill; from the MLB/MiLB players I’ve personally met, you’d have to send most of them to re-education. Really surprised that he’s the only one from the social media generation that’s had ugly tweets turn up so far. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/166 "2018-07-18T18:26:51Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Unless they sign Machado to a long-term contract, Dodger fans should hope it does fall through. Combined with the package they sent to Texas for Darvish, its a serious depletion of their farm system. Unless Corey Seager gets hit by a bus, I don’t think the Dodgers have any intention of utilizing Machado’s services beyond this season. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/167 "2018-07-18T18:35:28Z")
Oh, good, even more reason to root against the Dodgers. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/168 "2018-07-18T19:02:56Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > The All-Star game is a joke and it started with the tie many years ago. Taking selfies on the field and talking to players while the ball is in play. Cartoon bullshit. It used to be serious and for league pride. Have you ever watched the NFL All Star Game? ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/169 "2018-07-18T19:37:39Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > This. He sent them when he was 17, and he’s how old now? 24 or so? Is he sending tweets like that now? Apologize and move on. Sensitivity courses sound like overkill; from the MLB/MiLB players I’ve personally met, you’d have to send most of them to re-education. > > Really surprised that he’s the only one from the social media generation that’s had ugly tweets turn up so far. MLB had to do _something_. They couldn’t just ignore it. I mean, he apparently did use the N word in one of the tweets. That said, I think a suspension would have been a bit much for such an old transgression. Mandated sensitivity training seems about right. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/170 "2018-07-18T19:52:47Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I mean, he apparently did use the N word in one of the tweets. Three of them, actually. Screen apps of all of the tweets in question are in [this article](https://sports.yahoo.com/scene-josh-haders-apology-just-racist-sexist-bigoted-homophobic-tweets-surfaced-081540845.html). And there was at least one I saw referenced in the originally posted article that isn’t in this one. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/171 "2018-07-18T20:30:01Z")
A [shocking tweet](https://twitter.com/TheJudge44/status/343776819364888577) made five years ago by Aaron Judge has also emerged. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/172 "2018-07-18T20:50:06Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > MLB had to do _something_. They couldn’t just ignore it. I mean, he apparently did use the N word in one of the tweets. That said, I think a suspension would have been a bit much for such an old transgression. Mandated sensitivity training seems about right. Why couldn’t they just ignore it? Or make the usual statement, “We deplore such views, those views he held then aren’t the views then or now of MLB or his team or him at the present time, yadda, yadda. He tearfully regrets his thoughtless words that have caused so many, so much pain.” You get the idea. He was an asshole. At 17. When he wasn’t an employee of MLB. Many of us were assholes at 17. Are we going to mandate that employers should punish people for things they foolishly wrote on their social media—like here, for instance—7 years prior? For crying out loud, the word “nigger” is practically used as a condiment in much of the music people, including athletes like him, listen to. And from artists that MLB has no problem using to promote their industry. It is an ugly word, one that people should not use to describe other people—despite the current reality noted above—and, again, he is an asshole for having used it in the context that he did. No one though, AFAIK, is saying that he is saying the word that way _now_. Again, tell him to apologize—or really, tell the Savonarolas of the social justice industry to just fuck off already—but mandated re-education courses? It’s overkill. Feel free to suspend him, a la the Astros’s Yuli Guriel getting suspended for making a racial gesture concerning an opposing player, if he’s classless enough to make those statements now though. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/173 "2018-07-18T21:23:29Z")
If MLB just ignores it, or even if they just make a statement condemning it, they open themselves up to a lot of criticism. Any mention of the N word in 2018 (even if it was years ago) is a big deal. Sending the guy to sensitivity class isn’t going to hurt anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/174 "2018-07-18T22:35:20Z")
I wouldn’t ignore the other tweets, either. A sport that sponsors “Pride” nights all over the league probably doesn’t want to have one of its players saying, “I really hate gay people” without providing some sort of response. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/175 "2018-07-18T23:30:34Z")
I guess requiring him to go to some sensitivity class can be seen as his punishment for not having enough common sense to go back and delete high school tweets. I’m pretty sure someone from his agent’s office and/or the team would have mentioned social media and being careful with what you say. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/176 "2018-07-19T14:57:57Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > He was an asshole. At 17. And he may still be. It can take a while to clear the poison from your system. The training might do him good, and it at least couldn’t hurt. But it’s still being done so MLB can look like it’s doing something, no question. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/177 "2018-07-19T17:33:50Z")
Cubs vs Cardinals in the only MLB game tonight. It’s a tough stretch for the Cubs with 8 games against the Cards and 4 against the D-backs with no days off, and that includes a day night doubleheader this Saturday. But, that is 9 consecutive games at Wrigley and then 3 in St. Louis before their next day off. MLB was not scheduling any games on Thursday after the All Star Break for a few years, but I guess that’s been somewhat eliminated with the new scheduling format. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/178 "2018-07-19T20:06:50Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > He’s young and isn’t a free agent until 2020. I’m sure they’ve been listening to offers, but you gotta have SOME good players and you can always accept the arbitration deal and deal him in 2019 if need be. > > Considering how dreadful the Reds started the year, they’re not doing all that bad. Look at that lineup; this team can hit, and except for Joey Votto no one is old or expensive, and they’re committed to Votto, who will post .400 on base percentages until he gets tired of doing it. The Reds are a classic example of a team that isn’t good but has a very clear weakness that can be corrected. Add a good starter, have one other guy rebound, and this team could be damn good in 2019. > > I’m not gonna lie to you, they have to bring in external help for pitching. But it’s quite plausible one of Castillo, Romano or Mahle could take a big step forward in 2019. Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, I could see them keeping Gennett now after thinking about it but I guess you never know. If I was them I’d deal the mostly resurrected Harvey and also try to unload Billy Hamilton (another fan favorite due to defense and speed), maybe as a package deal, to a contender with good pitching prospects to spare, and maybe trying to sign a decent vet pitcher somewhere in the mix. It’s really too bad about Homer Bailey…they signed the wrong pitcher to a long term deal, it should have been Johnny Cueto. At least the Reds are only beholden to him for another $28 million…not chump change, but survivable. I also agree about the younger starters, especially Castillo. The Reds do have a solid, young core of good position players that can score, all we need is a little more starting pitching. The pen is pretty good already. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/179 "2018-07-19T21:27:02Z")
Manny Machado home/road split is fairly extreme. Dodger Stadium is much more pitcher friendly than Camden Yards. The Dodgers are taking a big gamble. > **[2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, News and Draft Kit](https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/)** ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105/180 "2018-07-19T22:57:21Z")
Ohtani cleared to start throwing. Its a miracle. I wasn’t counting on him till 2020. > **[Shohei Ohtani Cleared To Begin Throwing Progression](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/07/shohei-ohtani-cleared-to-begin-throwing-progression.html)** > > Angels starter/DH Shohei Ohtani has been cleared medically to resume throwing, per a club announcement. The news came on the … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2018/817105.md?page=10)