2010 Baseball Season/Off-Season Discussion

[GeorgeSteele]

I understand the appreciation for the 'old-school' look, but who would mess with guys in these get-ups:




You sport these threads, whoever is at the plate has no chance:

[tim_m]

How about what Rivera did in the ninth last night? Wow... he continues to show why he is simply the greatest ever. Show me another closer that could've gotten out of nobody out bases loaded jam to get the save? Also how about the season Robbie Cano is having? I think he has become dare i say the best hitter in the AL, yes, even better then Morneau. Just like Morneau he hits for average and power. He uses all fields and he is nearly impossible to get out. He is also probably the best defensive second basement in the league. He has a legitimate chance to be the first second basemen to ever win a batting title and gold glove in his career. This is all largely due to Kevin Long. He is a great hitting coach he even has made Swisher a .300 hitter.

[tim_m]

I'm just concerned they might screw him up mentally like they did Joba, however, Joba does seem to be getting back on track again. He was hitting 98 consistently on the gun last night with his fastball and slider.

Apparently, with Joba...they never really told him anything.  They just used (and some would say abused) him as they thought best.  I think THAT'S what mentally messed him up.

With Phil, they've told him his innings limit, and that they will be skipping him for a "few starts" when the opportunity presents itself.  So the only part that they "spring" on him is EXACTLY when that will be.

He seems (and we'll see how he responds on Tuesday, when he pitches) to be OK with it....while Joba never did.

I hope they learned their lesson with how they used Joba, Hughes' is the real deal you do NOT want to mess this kid up.

[Falcon]

A few thoughts now that that novelty baseball is finishing..

Upton should be suspended for dogging it, he's a multiple offender and obviously doesn't get it.  He's cheating the fans of Tampa and more importantly, his teammates.

Same with Zambrano, he's worn out his welcome.  Time for (more) anger management and
a trip outta Chicago.  I have no idea what the hell the Cubs were thinking going long term at 18 per for this idiot. 

Oh ya, it's the Cubs..

Where will Cliff Lee end up??

More bad umping all over the majors this weekend as well, pitiful..

[pilferk]

What is going on with the Red Sox?  They're starting to encroach on "snakebit" with all the injuries.

Ellsbury is still out, with no real sign of when he'll be back.

Beckett's at least a few weeks away...probably some time after the AS break.

Pedroia now has a broken foot...out maybe 4 to 6 weeks.

V. Mart has a broken thumb..more info today.

Bucholz hyper-extended his knee running the bases....he may or may not miss a start (but with that kind of injury, for a pitcher, you gotta be worried).

Lowell is on the 15 day DL with his hip (though, and I don't know one way or the other, is this legit?  Or simply the Sox wanting to make roster room??).

Did I miss anyone?

[faldor]

You covered the major ones.  You've got a couple more minor injuries.  JD Drew returned yesterday after being relegated to pinch hitting duty all week.  He should be good to go, for NOW.  Mike Cameron has been hurt at some level all season long and doesn't appear that he can play every day at this point.  They've been playing with an OF consisting of Darnell McDonald, Daniel Nava, and Bill Hall a lot lately.  Now Hall moves to 2B to fill in for Pedroia. 

Oh, and Jeremy Hermida, who was thrust into a starting role due to the injuries to Cameron and Ellsbury is out with broken ribs.  That's two LF's that Adrian Beltre has barreled over this year and broken their ribs.  He's taking down anyone who gets in his way in more ways than one.

The Sox are hopeful that none of the most recent injuries are as bad as they appear.  They're hopeful Pedroia will only be out 4-6 weeks, V-Mart just a few days, and Buccholz just needs to be pushed back a few days.  Dustin and Victor get checked out again today so they'll know more then.  It's really been amazing what they've been able to accomplish with all these injuries.  They'd have no shame and all the excuses in the world if they were 10+ games out right now, but they've actually gained a lot of ground recently and guys keep filling in without skipping a beat.  But at what point does this all catch up with them?

[pilferk]

The Sox are hopeful that none of the most recent injuries are as bad as they appear.  They're hopeful Pedroia will only be out 4-6 weeks, V-Mart just a few days, and Buccholz just needs to be pushed back a few days.  Dustin and Victor get checked out again today so they'll know more then.  It's really been amazing what they've been able to accomplish with all these injuries.  They'd have no shame and all the excuses in the world if they were 10+ games out right now, but they've actually gained a lot of ground recently and guys keep filling in without skipping a beat.  But at what point does this all catch up with them?

You gotta be worried that, eventually, the subs are going to play to the back of their baseball cards (or lack thereof, in the case of the AAA guys who are holding down the fort).  So far, many of them have overachieved expectations.

If they don't, and are able to hold down the fort throughout....the Sox farm system is, potentially, going to yield some nice rewards on the trade market.  Because, right now, these guys look like MLB ready players and not "prospects".

[pilferk]

Its so damn frustrating. We all know the man has no hit lights out stuff. He just can't consistently repeat his delivery. He never really learned to "pitch". His start last night made me want to puke. I would like to know how he made it in this league so long without never really learning to pitch and mostly being a thrower. You could be on to something with Eiland's absence. Do you have any idea what is up with that? All the games i've watched lately they've mentioned him being gone but they all say unspecified personal reasons.

They're being very non-specific and saying it's for a "family issue", but that nobody is sick.

That's it.  Beyond that, the team isn't saying anything, and I can't find any news reports out there either. 

News says that Eiland will be back with the Yanks on Tuesday!  Maybe that can help straighted AJ out.

[tim_m]

Its so damn frustrating. We all know the man has no hit lights out stuff. He just can't consistently repeat his delivery. He never really learned to "pitch". His start last night made me want to puke. I would like to know how he made it in this league so long without never really learning to pitch and mostly being a thrower. You could be on to something with Eiland's absence. Do you have any idea what is up with that? All the games i've watched lately they've mentioned him being gone but they all say unspecified personal reasons.

They're being very non-specific and saying it's for a "family issue", but that nobody is sick.

That's it.  Beyond that, the team isn't saying anything, and I can't find any news reports out there either. 

News says that Eiland will be back with the Yanks on Tuesday!  Maybe that can help straighted AJ out.

I hope so he has been painful to watch. Last night's game with Pettitte was ugly. No way in hell should we have won that one. I would've loved to be a fiy on the wall for Girardi's tirade after that sloppy game.

[faldor]

The Sox are hopeful that none of the most recent injuries are as bad as they appear.  They're hopeful Pedroia will only be out 4-6 weeks, V-Mart just a few days, and Buccholz just needs to be pushed back a few days.  Dustin and Victor get checked out again today so they'll know more then.  It's really been amazing what they've been able to accomplish with all these injuries.  They'd have no shame and all the excuses in the world if they were 10+ games out right now, but they've actually gained a lot of ground recently and guys keep filling in without skipping a beat.  But at what point does this all catch up with them?

You gotta be worried that, eventually, the subs are going to play to the back of their baseball cards (or lack thereof, in the case of the AAA guys who are holding down the fort).  So far, many of them have overachieved expectations.

If they don't, and are able to hold down the fort throughout....the Sox farm system is, potentially, going to yield some nice rewards on the trade market.  Because, right now, these guys look like MLB ready players and not "prospects".

McDonald and Nava have proven they can play at the big league level, at least on a good team surrounded by other good hitters.  But I don't think they're anything more than a 4th outfielder on most clubs.  And they're not going to be shielded as much now with both Pedroia and V-Mart out of the lineup.  One of them is most likely going to hit second now.  It does appear Victor is going to go on the DL now, so the lineup for the foreseeable future will be something like this.

Scutaro SS
Nava/McDonald LF
Ortiz DH
Youkilis 1B
Beltre 3B
Drew RF
Hall 2B
Cameron/McDonald CF
Varitek C

Still not a bad lineup, but nowhere near as strong with your normal 1-3 hitters in there.


As for Mike Lowell.  I'm not sure what the deal is with him.  It does seem kind of suspect that just when they needed to make a roster move he all of a sudden needed to go on the DL.  I think he is hurt, I don't think it's a fabricated injury.  But they certainly didn't need to DL him since he never plays anyway.  And if they're looking to move him or he still wants to be traded, a trip to the DL while not even playing isn't a step in the right direction I wouldn't think.  I'm guessing both parties have reserved themselves to accepting the situation that he's not going anywhere.  Might as well deal with it the best they can. 

[tim_m]

Looks like Utley and Polanco are going on the DL for the Phils. That's going to hurt. Also, looks like Zumaya is done for the year. Ouch.

[tim_m]

And the yankees continue to puzzle me with their stupid moves. Now they're skipping Hughes' next start in LA. Yeah sit your best pitcher real fuckin smart Girardi grow a brain. The kid has had plenty of innings in the minors. Leave him the fuck alone. If you fuck him up like you did Joba you should lose your job.

Actually, he's never thrown more than 150 innings (pro, minors, or combined) in any one season.

2006: 146 innings
2007: 119 innings
2008: 70 innings (injury)
2009: 106 innings

So they do have to build his arm up.  And there some compelling (if not conclusive) data that says if you increase work load too much on a young arm...you're setting them up deal with arm injury, loss of velocity, and a whole host of other issues.

Knowing that, you have 2 options:

1) Don't rest him and take the risk.

2) Rest him and don't take it.

Given Phil's upside, there's just no reason to take that risk....not for, potentially, a  few measly wins.  Given his potential, I'd rather he skip a couple starts this year and see him pitching for the Yanks over the next 10 than to see them risk his arm.

They've said they're not going to do this a lot, and they're not going to handle this like they did with Joba.  His innings limit is going to be around 180...he's thrown 86 so far.  If he can hit 180....the gloves will pretty much be off next year.   And...Thursday is an off day, anyway...so you get to keep the rest of the rotation on schedule (which helps their rhythm and timing).  It's not all that bad.  It's not like you're skipping his start and throwing Gaudin out there to pitch that day.

Still think skipping Huges' was a good idea? His command was terrible and his velocity down. Maybe they'll think twice about messing with the kid again now.

[pilferk]

Still think skipping Huges' was a good idea? His command was terrible and his velocity down. Maybe they'll think twice about messing with the kid again now.

Yup.

It's one start.  I'll trade one loss for an extended career.  Every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

And I'm not sure it was rust, either.  EVERYBODY has bad starts.  His just happened to follow a couple extra days off.

http://www.pinstripealley.com/2010/6/29/1544332/mariners-4-yankees-7-cg-for-c-lee

[pilferk]

Looks like Utley and Polanco are going on the DL for the Phils. That's going to hurt. Also, looks like Zumaya is done for the year. Ouch.

How do you throw a ball SO hard that your fracture your own elbow.

Jeesh....that's some serious torque right there.

[tim_m]

Still think skipping Huges' was a good idea? His command was terrible and his velocity down. Maybe they'll think twice about messing with the kid again now.

Yup.

It's one start.  I'll trade one loss for an extended career.  Every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

And I'm not sure it was rust, either.  EVERYBODY has bad starts.  His just happened to follow a couple extra days off.

http://www.pinstripealley.com/2010/6/29/1544332/mariners-4-yankees-7-cg-for-c-lee

I hope for our sake it was just some rust and a bad start. The lower velocity concerned me. You would think with extra days he would amped up a bit.

[tim_m]

Looks like Utley and Polanco are going on the DL for the Phils. That's going to hurt. Also, looks like Zumaya is done for the year. Ouch.

How do you throw a ball SO hard that your fracture your own elbow.

Jeesh....that's some serious torque right there.

No kidding!

[tim_m]

It looks like Girardi is wondering if skipping Hughes' played a part in his performance last night. I don't know if it will keep him from skipping him again though. Hughes refused to admit that it played any part though. He has also apparently been battling a bad cold. That could've played a part but again he refuses to say it did.

[faldor]

Guys have bad starts.  It was bound to happen eventually and I'll assure you it will happen again. The guy wasn't going to go 20-2 with a 1.50 ERA the rest of the way.  The extended rest is a convenient excuse for a bad outing. You'd much rather have him strong for the stretch run and on into the playoffs.  If that means a few extra days rest here and there, it's worth it in the end. 

[tim_m]

Guys have bad starts.  It was bound to happen eventually and I'll assure you it will happen again. The guy wasn't going to go 20-2 with a 1.50 ERA the rest of the way.  The extended rest is a convenient excuse for a bad outing. You'd much rather have him strong for the stretch run and on into the playoffs.  If that means a few extra days rest here and there, it's worth it in the end. 

Yeah but kinda makes you wonder when even Girardi is questioning wether it had an effect or not. I hope it was just a bad outing and maybe his bad cold hurt a bit. Not that he is using that as an excuse but if you feel like crap it certainly affect him. This kid is way too valuable to mess up in any way. I just worry after what they did to Joba. That poor kid was screwed up for a good year. I'd also like to know where the hell Seattle is finding all the sudden offense! For a team that can't score runs they sure have lit up two of our best ptichers the last two nights. Yikes!

[tim_m]

Utley gone for 2 months that is gonna hurt.