How are we measuring better defense?
Of course RBI, and runs scored. Those matter to MVP voters, more than they should, but there it is.
Hey, I’m a Jay fan but I think the award should go to the player that deserves it, and right now it’s Donaldson. And the analytic stats agree with me; WAR has Donaldson just ahead according to Fangraphs (and just behind according to BRef; really, they’re tied in any sense that matters.) If the best player in the league on the best team in the league isn’t the MVP you need a hell of a strong explanation as to why not.
Right now, I’d go with Donaldson, but if the Angels make the postseason it’s a toss-up. A tie would be acceptable.
Funny thing: the Jays weren’t preseason favorites, but anything short of the pennant now would be a disappointment. I seems like most nights, they score five runs during the national anthem.
Well, that certainly was a game of baseball last night. I’m almost relieved that I can now officially stop holding out hope that the Giants can somehow pull this thing off. Almost, because I am genetically unable to have positive feelings directed toward any sort of Dodgers’ success…
Anyway, Go Mets! And Go Cardinals (because it is their year to win the NLCS, after all).
C’mon, now. Even the scoreboard at AT&T Park congratulated the Dodgers. Surely you can do the same…
This will be especially true if they make the postseason because Trout himself goes insane the last five days. He still has time to push ahead.
Donaldson from this point on is basically playing out the string. His team is in and his value is pretty much in the books now.
Nope, sorry. The scoreboard operator is paid to be ‘sporting’; I do all of this on my own dime.
Now…if you’d like to make a donation to the “SP 2016 season ticket fund”, then we can talk. 
This.
The AT&T Park scoreboard guy needs to go work at Chavez Ravine.
As a Giants fan, I have decided that I will never attend a home Giants game again, because every game I go to, they lose (the last one being the humiliating 20-0 shellacking by the Dodgers last season).
So, a guy in Ottawa gets out of Jury duty because he has Jays playoff tickets. I think the whole country is behind the Jays, even the justice system.
I think I don’t like Rob Manfred. He’s not at all interested in implementing the DH in the NL, which is fine (let them play stone age baseball), but is considering making pitchers face at least 2 batters to speed up the game. Are people still complaining about length or pace of games? That’s kind of a huge rule change that I frankly doubt will save much time.
Yes, people are still complaining. Usually not very coherently, but it’s a thing.
This rule doesn’t sound so dumb, though, strictly from a time/pace perspective–it effectively bans OOGy pitchers. Each such pitcher not brought in saves at least one pitching change (where he would be replaced in turn), sometimes two (if the preceding pitcher ends up just staying in).
And hey, maybe with that bullpen role no longer available, teams would opt for another PH/PR/U guy on the bench, meaning more tactics on the offensive side.
It’s a terrible idea.
Jesus Christ, am I the only person who can see the main problem is batters not standing in the goddamned batter’s box? Stepping out and fiddling with their gloves between every pitch? Get them back in there and you’ll shave five to seven minutes off every game and improve the pace.
At least we’ll keep playing real baseball in the senior circuit.
When did the NL game stop evolving and become "real baseball’? Was it when Astroturf was introduced? The rabbit ball, maybe? Or the rule letting batters call for a high or low pitch, perhaps?
The between innings clock and whatever other measures were taken for this season have shaved 6 minutes off the average game time. And actually, I think it’s the pitchers who diddle daddle between pitches. I say this as a Red Sox fan who has had to watch Clay Buchholz take forever.
And eliminating the OOGy is completely stupid. So you make the pitcher face 2 batters. If the manager wanted him to face one guy, don’t you think it’s because his confidence level is less than optimum that he’ll get the 2nd guy out? And then pull him after he gives up that hit. You’ve just added time to the game!
There *is *a pitch clock in the rules, so I hear. Never seen or heard of it being used, though.
There is an explicit, visible one in the minors (maybe only some leagues?). Joe Posnaski wrote an interesting post about it. He was extremely opposed, until he actually attended a game where he found it actually pretty damn good.
I don’t really like it either, but that’s because I like maximizing tactical leverage for managers. I think it probably would help pace-of-game.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said this in the past fifteen years.
So all the sports are playing at the same time today. I’m going into overload already and only the football has started! So many meaningful baseball games too!
Kershaw only needs 6 Ks to get to 300 and only needs three innings to lead the league (maybe all mlb?) in innings pitched, and he isn’t going to win the Cy Young. This has been a great season of Baseball.