Baseball 2015 Thread

Thank you for making my point......

Well, if you're saying that Ryan Howard's contract is sinking the Phils, Mark Texera and A.Rod are bogging down the Yankees, and Josh Hamilton is an albatross around the neck the Angels, I agree.

Last year's newest $25 million man, Robinson Cano, hit 14 HRs. He was somewhat underwhelming, and not great on defense.

Giants learned a lesson from Zito. But, they still owe Lincecum $35 million thru 2016. Still owe Matt Cain $25 mil a year thru 2019.

A's will compete with Angles, Mariners and Rangers.
 
I’ve been a Pirate fan since…Abner Doubleday was in short pants. I grew up listening to Bob Prince, who was a great “homer” and could make the games seem exciting even when the home team stunk – which was most of the time in that era. The highlight of those years was of course Mazeroski’s homer and beating the Yankees in the ’60 series. That whole season was a dream, with the Pirates seemingly coming from behind to win almost every night. But that’s what happens when you have four or five mediocre players having “career years” at the same time.
The key word for the current Pirate team is POTENTIAL. They have a few proven players in the lineup, but a small army players who have given us glimpses of GREAT potential that hasn’t fully matured yet. If that ever happens…
The pitching staff is solid but potentially great. Starting pitchers Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, and Frank Liriano have all shown glimpses of brilliance, as has returning starter AJBurnett. Burnett played hurt last year in Philly, and this will be his last year, but nobody would go into shock if he won 15 games this summer; he simply knows how to pitch. There are also 2 or 3 secondary starters (e.g., Jeff Locke) who have had hot streaks in the past that make one salivate. The bullpen is OK and anchored by closer Mark Melancon, who looks positively AFRAID when he takes the mound, but his results are passable. The other guys, as a group, have been very good at holding a lead. In fact, the Pirates greatest success over the past 2 years has been when they scored early and held the other team scoreless for the last 6 or 7 innings. This is a demonstration of how strong the bullpen has been (and unfortunately a demonstration of how poorly all of the Pirates have hit in late innings in close games).
The infield is loaded with talent and again I have to use that word, POTENTIAL. Josh Harrison was all-star solid last year at third, Jordy Mercer was good at short, Neil Walker was excellent at second and is always improving. Plus, we got this Korean guy, Jung Ho Kang, who team management is delirious about but is completely unproven in U.S. baseball (had 40 homers last year in Korea). Pedro Alvarez is a puzzle, and the first base job is his to lose. He stunk at the plate last year but was bothered by a couple minor physical problems. He probably will never hit Lefties worth a damn, but has the power to put up 35-40 homers easily. If he doesn’t work out? Hell, anyone can play first base.
The outfield is also loaded with actual and potential stars. Anchored in center by Andrew McCutcheon, we also have a solid left fielder in Starling Marte, and a budding 5-tool superstar in Gregory Polanco in right, as well as three or four other passable alternatives. And don’t discount Corey Hart whom we picked up as a free agent; he has had some good years before.
Catching is a huge question mark. Russell Martin was one of the best defensive catchers in the game for the past couple years, and was contributing significantly with his bat as well last year (his “free agent” year push, I suppose). It is hard to calculate how much he will be missed, because the players all believe he made the pitchers better with his pitch calling and controlling the game (and the umpires, if the rumor is correct). The heir apparent has been Tony Sanchez coming up from AAA, but he just hasn’t worked out as well as everyone expected. We have four guys on the 40-man who can catch the ball, but we don’t know much more than that about any of them.
Clint Hurdle has always been a genius for getting everyone enough playing time to keep them more-or-less happy, but this year will be his biggest challenge yet in that regard. Although we have no classic #4 hitter (unless Pedro starts producing as promised), the roster includes a dozen or more players who probably believe that they deserve to start, but they will have to be happy with 3-400 AB’s.
Overall, I like our chances.
 
I’ve been a Pirate fan since…Abner Doubleday was in short pants. I grew up listening to Bob Prince, who was a great “homer” and could make the games seem exciting even when the home team stunk – which was most of the time in that era. The highlight of those years was of course Mazeroski’s homer and beating the Yankees in the ’60 series. That whole season was a dream, with the Pirates seemingly coming from behind to win almost every night. But that’s what happens when you have four or five mediocre players having “career years” at the same time.
The key word for the current Pirate team is POTENTIAL. They have a few proven players in the lineup, but a small army players who have given us glimpses of GREAT potential that hasn’t fully matured yet. If that ever happens…
The pitching staff is solid but potentially great. Starting pitchers Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, and Frank Liriano have all shown glimpses of brilliance, as has returning starter AJBurnett. Burnett played hurt last year in Philly, and this will be his last year, but nobody would go into shock if he won 15 games this summer; he simply knows how to pitch. There are also 2 or 3 secondary starters (e.g., Jeff Locke) who have had hot streaks in the past that make one salivate. The bullpen is OK and anchored by closer Mark Melancon, who looks positively AFRAID when he takes the mound, but his results are passable. The other guys, as a group, have been very good at holding a lead. In fact, the Pirates greatest success over the past 2 years has been when they scored early and held the other team scoreless for the last 6 or 7 innings. This is a demonstration of how strong the bullpen has been (and unfortunately a demonstration of how poorly all of the Pirates have hit in late innings in close games).
The infield is loaded with talent and again I have to use that word, POTENTIAL. Josh Harrison was all-star solid last year at third, Jordy Mercer was good at short, Neil Walker was excellent at second and is always improving. Plus, we got this Korean guy, Jung Ho Kang, who team management is delirious about but is completely unproven in U.S. baseball (had 40 homers last year in Korea). Pedro Alvarez is a puzzle, and the first base job is his to lose. He stunk at the plate last year but was bothered by a couple minor physical problems. He probably will never hit Lefties worth a damn, but has the power to put up 35-40 homers easily. If he doesn’t work out? Hell, anyone can play first base.
The outfield is also loaded with actual and potential stars. Anchored in center by Andrew McCutcheon, we also have a solid left fielder in Starling Marte, and a budding 5-tool superstar in Gregory Polanco in right, as well as three or four other passable alternatives. And don’t discount Corey Hart whom we picked up as a free agent; he has had some good years before.
Catching is a huge question mark. Russell Martin was one of the best defensive catchers in the game for the past couple years, and was contributing significantly with his bat as well last year (his “free agent” year push, I suppose). It is hard to calculate how much he will be missed, because the players all believe he made the pitchers better with his pitch calling and controlling the game (and the umpires, if the rumor is correct). The heir apparent has been Tony Sanchez coming up from AAA, but he just hasn’t worked out as well as everyone expected. We have four guys on the 40-man who can catch the ball, but we don’t know much more than that about any of them.
Clint Hurdle has always been a genius for getting everyone enough playing time to keep them more-or-less happy, but this year will be his biggest challenge yet in that regard. Although we have no classic #4 hitter (unless Pedro starts producing as promised), the roster includes a dozen or more players who probably believe that they deserve to start, but they will have to be happy with 3-400 AB’s.
Overall, I like our chances.

Raise the Jolly Roger!

Cubs are supposed to compete this year. Cards always seem to find a way.
 
Padres made a bunch of moves. Brought in Matt Kemp, James Shields, Justin Upton, Derek Norris, Will Myers and others. Ticket sales are up 81%.
wow I cant believe it.First the royals surprise me forking out big dollars to james shields,now the pads are doing the same thing,who would have thunked?
 
I used to have a George Brett rookie card. It was the year TOPPS made the mini ones. He was a favorite of mine growing up. All my baseball cards got stolen a few years ago.

I don't think Cespedes would have made the difference with the A's winning the division. Truth is, Sonny Grey and Kazmir struggled down the stretch and Lester was pretty good. The offense struggled as a whole. But, the A's didn't lose to the Royals in the playoffs for a lack of offense. Lester had a history of being clutch and he didn't pan out. Cespedes got hurt, in fact, and didn't do much for the Sox who tried to trade him this offseason.

It's hard to justify $10 million right now for Billy Butt. On the positive side, he's only 28 and has a career .314 average vs lefties. A's sold Brandon Moss high. Butler strikes out less. Beane thinks Butler's vibe will fit in well in the A's clubhouse. We'll see. His best year was 2012. '13 and '14 were not good.
 
I’ve been a Pirate fan since…Abner Doubleday was in short pants. I grew up listening to Bob Prince, who was a great “homer” and could make the games seem exciting even when the home team stunk – which was most of the time in that era. The highlight of those years was of course Mazeroski’s homer and beating the Yankees in the ’60 series. That whole season was a dream, with the Pirates seemingly coming from behind to win almost every night. But that’s what happens when you have four or five mediocre players having “career years” at the same time.
The key word for the current Pirate team is POTENTIAL. They have a few proven players in the lineup, but a small army players who have given us glimpses of GREAT potential that hasn’t fully matured yet. If that ever happens…
The pitching staff is solid but potentially great. Starting pitchers Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, and Frank Liriano have all shown glimpses of brilliance, as has returning starter AJBurnett. Burnett played hurt last year in Philly, and this will be his last year, but nobody would go into shock if he won 15 games this summer; he simply knows how to pitch. There are also 2 or 3 secondary starters (e.g., Jeff Locke) who have had hot streaks in the past that make one salivate. The bullpen is OK and anchored by closer Mark Melancon, who looks positively AFRAID when he takes the mound, but his results are passable. The other guys, as a group, have been very good at holding a lead. In fact, the Pirates greatest success over the past 2 years has been when they scored early and held the other team scoreless for the last 6 or 7 innings. This is a demonstration of how strong the bullpen has been (and unfortunately a demonstration of how poorly all of the Pirates have hit in late innings in close games).
The infield is loaded with talent and again I have to use that word, POTENTIAL. Josh Harrison was all-star solid last year at third, Jordy Mercer was good at short, Neil Walker was excellent at second and is always improving. Plus, we got this Korean guy, Jung Ho Kang, who team management is delirious about but is completely unproven in U.S. baseball (had 40 homers last year in Korea). Pedro Alvarez is a puzzle, and the first base job is his to lose. He stunk at the plate last year but was bothered by a couple minor physical problems. He probably will never hit Lefties worth a damn, but has the power to put up 35-40 homers easily. If he doesn’t work out? Hell, anyone can play first base.
The outfield is also loaded with actual and potential stars. Anchored in center by Andrew McCutcheon, we also have a solid left fielder in Starling Marte, and a budding 5-tool superstar in Gregory Polanco in right, as well as three or four other passable alternatives. And don’t discount Corey Hart whom we picked up as a free agent; he has had some good years before.
Catching is a huge question mark. Russell Martin was one of the best defensive catchers in the game for the past couple years, and was contributing significantly with his bat as well last year (his “free agent” year push, I suppose). It is hard to calculate how much he will be missed, because the players all believe he made the pitchers better with his pitch calling and controlling the game (and the umpires, if the rumor is correct). The heir apparent has been Tony Sanchez coming up from AAA, but he just hasn’t worked out as well as everyone expected. We have four guys on the 40-man who can catch the ball, but we don’t know much more than that about any of them.
Clint Hurdle has always been a genius for getting everyone enough playing time to keep them more-or-less happy, but this year will be his biggest challenge yet in that regard. Although we have no classic #4 hitter (unless Pedro starts producing as promised), the roster includes a dozen or more players who probably believe that they deserve to start, but they will have to be happy with 3-400 AB’s.
Overall, I like our chances.

Raise the Jolly Roger!

Cubs are supposed to compete this year. Cards always seem to find a way.

the cubs being my favorite team in the national league,I would be excited about what we are hearing that they are expected to compete this year except I don't buy it because they are in the toughest division in baseball.If they were in another division,i would be excited about them this year but since they are in that division,i cant get excited about it.I will believe it when I see it that they are contenders.
 
I used to have a George Brett rookie card. It was the year TOPPS made the mini ones. He was a favorite of mine growing up. All my baseball cards got stolen a few years ago.

I don't think Cespedes would have made the difference with the A's winning the division. Truth is, Sonny Grey and Kazmir struggled down the stretch and Lester was pretty good. The offense struggled as a whole. But, the A's didn't lose to the Royals in the playoffs for a lack of offense. Lester had a history of being clutch and he didn't pan out. Cespedes got hurt, in fact, and didn't do much for the Sox who tried to trade him this offseason.

It's hard to justify $10 million right now for Billy Butt. On the positive side, he's only 28 and has a career .314 average vs lefties. A's sold Brandon Moss high. Butler strikes out less. Beane thinks Butler's vibe will fit in well in the A's clubhouse. We'll see. His best year was 2012. '13 and '14 were not good.
true that they did not lose to the royals for lack of run support but they did not deserve to get that far though and go any further for being idiots to let him go.
 
Did KC do anything to ad some pop to that anemic collection of hitters?

No which is no surprise considering their owner should be called David ASS instead of being referred to as David Glass.Ewing Kauffman until this past year,had to be rolling over in his grave the way he took that franchise into the ground for so many years.

One thing I think he did do right though is not resign Billy Butler.He was worthless this past season and the year before as a designated hitter.If thats all they were going to keep him for which they were,then it was smart to unload him.They couldnt get any worse at the DH spot now,they can only get better so that will help.lol

btw,did you watch those three videos of mine? by chance did you see those moments back in the 70's when they happened live like I did? If you DID, am I right that since then,this was the first time you had seen those moments since way back then in the 70's when they actually played the game for the love of the game instead of the love for the money?
Seems inexplicable to me unless they have some hot prospects in the minors. Did not watch the vids. I do agree the huge contracts are ruining most major team sports though I think its more recent problem than all the way back to the 70's


don't care about the classic royals huh? what about my other question,did you watch those playoff games back then when it happened? I still to this day vividly remember watching those games at that exact moment when they happened live at the moment right on the spot except for the pine tar incident.That one I did not see live.I do remember seeing it on the news highlights that afternoon though of them talking about it.
 
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he cubs being my favorite team in the national league,I would be excited about what we are hearing that they are expected to compete this year except I don't buy it because they are in the toughest division in baseball.If they were in another division,i would be excited about them this year but since they are in that division,i cant get excited about it.I will believe it when I see it that they are contenders.

Cubs brought in Jon Lester, Miguel Montero, Dexter Fowler, etc.. Pitching looks better. Rizzo and Castro are up and coming. Jorge Solar, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant have potential, as they say.
 
he cubs being my favorite team in the national league,I would be excited about what we are hearing that they are expected to compete this year except I don't buy it because they are in the toughest division in baseball.If they were in another division,i would be excited about them this year but since they are in that division,i cant get excited about it.I will believe it when I see it that they are contenders.

Cubs brought in Jon Lester, Miguel Montero, Dexter Fowler, etc.. Pitching looks better. Rizzo and Castro are up and coming. Jorge Solar, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant have potential, as they say.
yeah on PAPER they look good and you would think they would compete but they have been so horrible for so many years that you can understand why I am skeptical,that I have to see it first before I believe it?
 
Other than CC Sabathia coming to camp at 305 pounds, the most funny thing about the Yankees is the ARod story. He shows up to camp early, much to the dismay of... everyone. He's like a $25 million cold sore that you can't get rid of. Secretly, the front office wants him to do horribly, so they have an excuse to cut him. Maybe they'll bat him 9th. He collects a $6 million bonus for everyone he passes on the HR list, and he's only 6 behind Willie Mays. Hilarious.

"The Yankees, however, now view the marketing bonuses as worthless and invalid, according to sources, the result of Rodriguez’s suspension for violating the game’s collectively bargained drug policy and his scorched-earth attack on baseball and the Yankees. The club plans to do battle with its onetime superstar over paying the bonuses, and is prepared to fight Rodriguez if he files a grievance with the Players’ Association."
 
Got some box scores yesterday.

Pirates won. Jung Ho Kang homered. Jihadi John will be pleased.

Bumgarner got rocked. He's just lobbing it in there, because it doesn't count.

Looks like Cespedes hit a grand slam for Detroit.

None of it means anything, other than being a sign that Spring in near.
 
Never too early for Baseball right?

Lots of story lines going on this year.

What's your team and what are your predictions?

My team is the Nationals and my 1st prediction is that Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are about to BLOW UP! And *cough* Max Scherzer *cough* Jordan Zimmerman *cough* Doug Fister *cough* Gio Gonzalez *cough**cough**cough* The Nationals FUCKING RULE!!!

2nd Prediction: everyone will boo A-Rod

3rd Prediction: the Padres will be awful

4th Prediction: The Cubs win a lot? :eek::eek::eek: :dunno: :confused: :cuckoo:

World Series Champion: The Washington Fucking Nationals

How about you all?

Trying to be optimistic about this years Mets, but I have been burned far too many times to get all excited just yet. I still plan to attend more games this year than last year (i went to two of them, and one time was with company seats).

In any event Baseball will take a back seat to Hockey as long as the Rangers are in it.
 
Mariners are look really good this year, they are favorites to win the division, nice change from showing promise to disappointing.

My favorite NL team, the Cubs look like they could challenge for the division but I am not sold on them yet, they always seem to under achieve.
 
My team has won three of the past five world Series.

I think it would only be fair to let somebody else take a turn.

would be great if it were the pirates or at least get there.My Royals finally got there for the first time in 30 years.Now lets have it be the pirates,my favorite team in the NL.
 
My team has won three of the past five world Series.

I think it would only be fair to let somebody else take a turn.

would be great if it were the pirates or at least get there.My Royals finally got there for the first time in 30 years.Now lets have it be the pirates,my favorite team in the NL.
A couple posts ago you said the Cubs were your favorite NL team.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
would be great if it were the pirates or at least get there.My Royals finally got there for the first time in 30 years.Now lets have it be the pirates,my favorite team in the NL.


If it somehow comes to their facing the Dodgers in the NL championship series, I promise you I'll be the biggest Pirate fan you've ever seen.
 
would be great if it were the pirates or at least get there.My Royals finally got there for the first time in 30 years.Now lets have it be the pirates,my favorite team in the NL.


If it somehow comes to their facing the Dodgers in the NL championship series, I promise you I'll be the biggest Pirate fan you've ever seen.

my ideal situation would be my favorite team in the national league the Cubs playing my second favorite team in the NL the pirates to go to the world series but that's not going to happen.

we all know as everyone else does around the country the cubs will be out of it by june with the season over by then. "sure they are much better on PAPER this year which is why a lot of people predict they will be a contender,but I got to see it before I believe it.because it looks good on paper doesn't always translate to wins." remember,they are playing in the toughest division in baseball unfortunately for them.sucks for me as well.

so realistically,that would be my best hope in the NL is the pirates face the dodgers in the championship series.like randy newman says-I love LA so I would not mind the dodgers winning myself.Not a dodger fan,just a fan of the city of LA is why I would be happy with them getting there as well.lol
 

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