MLB approved headgear for pitchers a few years ago but almost no one takes advantage of it. Alex Torres is the only guy I’ve seen actually wear something in a game.
Not that anybody pays any attention to the results of spring training games, but i was reading something on ESPN and noticed that Milwaukee is leading Seattle in Cactus League action. It’s 23 to 1. At the end of the fifth inning.
The Brewers scored two in the first, three in the second, three more in the third, ten in the fourth, and five in the fifth.
Ouch.
24-1 top 7th.
Brewers only scored 1 in the 6th. What’s wrong with these people?
Pigs Fly. Tim Tebow get his first spring training hit.
Why again is Tebow playing with the Mets this spring? I don’t begrudge the guy for trying to play professional baseball. I don’t even blame the Mets for giving him a shot in their organization. But my understanding is he’s not an official invitee for spring camp. He’s “on loan” from the Mets’ minor league affiliates for spring games. But why? To sell tickets? I’m genuinely curious.
A team can invite anyone to Spring Training. The Oakland A’s had a roster of 70 players invited this year, which may have been some sort of record.
Publicity is the only rational explanation.
Tebow is batting .111 and looks exactly like a .111 hitter when he swings.
I assume the A’s have a baseball-related reason for each of their spring training invitees. I also assume RickJay is correct that the Mets included Tebow for publicity reasons, not strictly for baseball reasons.
Here is some good info regarding non-roster invitees. I think it also explains Tebow at the Mets training camp. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t cut by this weekend.
Don’t look now, but Tebow has 3 hits in his last 6 AB and is up to .214. Plus a couple of nice catches in the OF.
MVP!MVP!MVP!
Not sure if this is the right thread for it, but it’s the only baseball thread currently on the front page.
In case anyone’s interested, the final report on Jose Fernandez’s boat crash and death has concluded that Fernandez himself was the one in control of the boat when it hit the jetty.
I’m liking the Yankees to compete for a wild card slot. I really think 85 wins is undervaluing this team. There is a fair amount of young pitching talent to give them a chance to win and another very good bullpen will be there to support it.
For the starters, Tanaka, Pineida & CC Sabathia will anchor the staff and there are 4 strong candidates for the 4 and 5 spots, Mitchell, Montgomery, Green and Severino. Warren will almost surely be in the bullpen where I think he is more valuable to the Yanks. I think the fact Montgomery is a lefty should give him bonus points to make up for the lack of major league experience as the other only have a small number of starts themselves.
The outfield is a worry but if they falter, by June or July some of the kids will be ready to come up and help; especially Frazier.
I know Sanchez won’t hit home runs at the rate he did last year but he is a good catcher already with a great and accurate arm. He will probably get 20+ and hopefully 30 homers while hitting well.
Greg Bird is a very good 1st basemen and I expect him to hit well. I’m thinking 20 homers and 30 doubles while hitting maybe .270. Starlin Castro & Didi Gregorious should continue to hit well up the middle. I know Castro is not a great 2B but I feel like Didi is underrated lately as a SS. I see a very good SS when I watch and I’ve read many reports saying he is below average. I’m worried we’ll get little production at third from Chase Headley but maybe Mateo or more likely Gleyber Torres will be the answer by moving one of the vets over to third. Headley is in his walk year so either he steps up for his contract or he will be demoted part way through the season is my expectation.
I’m pretty excited about the Yanks too. I don’t know how far they’ll go, but it will be fun watching all the young players. Hopefully someone like Torres and/or Kaprielian will force their way onto the roster before the year is over.
Sadly, we’re stuck with Headley for 2018 too, unless they find a way to trade him.
The concern with Bird is that he hasn’t batted in a real major league game since 2015. He’s healthy now but he could need some time to get back into the swing of things once the games matter. I like him but don’t be too disappointed if he has a rough patch.
I dunno why anyone would have a problem with Didi Gregorius. He swings at everything, but a decent glove at SS who hits 20 homers at the age of 26 is not a bad thing to have. He’s not going to the Hall of Fame but he looks like the kind of player - he’s 27 this year, remember - who could suddenly post the kind of career year that helps a team win big. Considering that the Yankees gave up just Shane Greene to get Gregorius, I’d classify him as one of the better trade steals of the last few years.
Timely tips to speed sports action from wisecracking Scott Ostler of the SF Chronicle.
Classic Yadi. Love that play. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen an infielder throw behind a runner at first who just hit a single like that. Not at MLB level, and never from the catcher.
USA vs. Puerto Rico in the WBC final tonight.
Feel the excitement!
If Dan Duquette doesn’t shut his fat fucking mouth, i may soon have to consider changing my baseball allegiances. Asked why he didn’t consider trying to sign Jose Bautista, the Orioles Executive VP of baseball operations said:
What is it, do you think, that distinguishes Mark Trumbo from Jose Bautista, in terms of being a “working-class-type baseball player” who is “gritty” and has a good “work ethic”? Any guesses?
Also, as folks on other sites like Deadspin have pointed out, if you’re going to use one of your players as an exemplar of your team’s grittiness and work ethic, why pick a guy who’s been on the team for one whole season, rather than, say, your star center fielder who is about to enter his tenth year with the club? In his nine seasons, Adam Jones has averaged 147 games per year for Baltimore. Again, i wonder what it is that makes Mark Trumbo a better example of grittiness and work ethic than Jones?
Oooh! Oooh! I actually know this one. Trumbo is white; Jones is black, and Bautista is Latino.
Oh, I get it, that’s exactly what you’re saying. You were, like, doing a thing. Sorry.
The “white guy is hardworking, black guy is just talented” thing just won’t go away. What’s funny is that if you asked me to name an Oriole who was an example of a gritty, hardworking guy, Trumbo wouldn’t be one of the first ten guys I’d think of. Trumbo is a big oaf who hits home runs. That’s great, home runs help, but he doesn’t actually demonstrate the typical attributes of the “hard working player” - he has no speed or hustle, no defensive value. He isn’t a guy who worked his way through the minors for eons and finally got the bigs at the age of 30 and made something of himself. The only “Gritty” thing about him is he’s a white guy. On the Orioles you have Jones, obviously, who has put in nine years of solid effort. I like Kim’s game, too, though again he’s pretty new.
If you wanted someone like that who’s gritty, take… well, um, Jose Bautista is a good example. He’s much older so he’s lost his defensive value and stuff, but this is a guy who had an awfully long, hard road to stardom and who had to work and adapt and play multiple positions to keep his career going, much less become a star. But, wrong kind of last name, I suppose.