2017 Non-Phillies MLB Discussion

zambonir 2017-07-29 19:05:25 UTC #61

For those with Buck Showalter fantasies the Hellickson trade is kind of interesting.

Both Duquette and manager Buck Showalter are under contract through next season, so it was illogical to think that they would embark on a long-range rebuilding program without some commitment from ownership beyond the 2018 season.

Kind of insane to think a GM would have that attitude but at the same time, how do either of them go into next season as lame-ducks? I mean, the Phillies did that too, but Amaro had at least belatedly started rebuilding, and had his marching orders (plus Gillick looking over his shoulder).

andyb 2017-08-03 15:26:28 UTC #62

Three true outcomes. Good thing or bad thing?
https://theringer.com/inefficiency-week-sports-mlb-end-of-baseball-aaron-judge-three-true-outcomes-855405c6d5b7

The top 10 list of pitchers is full of stars - suggesting that velocity and bat missing ability are really the most important thing in pitching. Teams are churning out more pitchers that throw harder with high K rates because these pitchers do perform better. And since it is hard to determine the injury risk of any individual pitcher, the short term benefits are easy for teams to assess and the long term costs harder.

Average fastball is now 93.6 mph. My guess is the Phillies are in the bottom 10 in terms of fastball velocity overall.

allentown 2017-08-03 16:06:03 UTC #63

A very interesting article. An almost 2 mph rise in average FB velocity over a decade is really quite amazing. The juiced ball really pushes hitters to emphasize the HR. Certainly the most amazing Phillies stat from last season,, to me at least, was Galvis hitting that many HR.

andyb 2017-08-03 16:14:21 UTC #64

One does wonder how far baseball can go with velocity. I assume they will increase the rosters and we will see more pitchers at some point. Right now though the incentive is for teams to prepare all these kids to throw hard and then use/abuse them during their 6 years on inexpensive control. Then go get a new set of young pitchers.

Sort of like how the NFL churns through running backs. Why ever pay a premium if the goal is to use and abuse them for 4 years then get a younger back to do the same thing?

At some point the unions will be justified in getting higher pay for younger players. Minimum salaries and arbitration rewards will increase hopefully to compensate them.

bkox 2017-08-09 00:32:47 UTC #65

andyb 2017-08-10 16:29:30 UTC #66

Aaron Brown has some company in the failed hitter/LHP conversion club. The Dodgers are giving Ike Davis a shot at pitching.

bkox 2017-08-19 22:20:56 UTC #67

jimbomill 2017-08-19 23:25:05 UTC #68

The Umpires should spend more time improving the quality of their product.

zambonir 2017-08-19 23:54:30 UTC #69

They might call a strike but it's up to Statcast

(borrowing from some other jokes on Twitter)

bkox 2017-08-22 21:26:28 UTC #70

bkox 2017-08-27 22:07:48 UTC #71

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/brewers-minor-leaguer-cardiac-event-hit-pitch-195849778.html

tom81 2017-08-29 23:43:59 UTC #72

Pirates place Juan Nicasio on outright waivers. I'd claim him and hope to resign him in the offseason.

2017 Season Phillies Discussion (News/Notes, etc.), continued

Philsmania 2017-08-30 14:51:08 UTC #73

Just wondering how that would be enforced. Mandatory ejections for certain kinds of behavior? Sanctions against teams whose fans behave badly? Philadelphia would probably be in trouble if the latter was true.

bkeich 2017-08-30 16:19:27 UTC #74

Sorry for this guy, but my other thought is "please dont mandate (or even allow) chest protectors for hitters". Every pitch will be a HBP if we start really putting them in armor.

Lucky_Beagle 2017-08-30 20:04:04 UTC #75

Maybe there wouldn't be a HBP any more call it a ball and keep batting. If it doesn't hurt you don't get first base!

schillingfan 2017-08-30 21:13:59 UTC #76

what's happening with the Astros home games?

EastFallowfield 2017-08-30 21:17:10 UTC #77

They're playing their weekend series in Houston, but moving Friday game to day/night DH. Matt Harvey to pitch for NY.

LoneStarPhan 2017-08-31 03:47:48 UTC #78

Playing Rangers in Tampa after declining to play in Arlington. Astros wanted to switch series but Rangers didn't want to play 12 of their final 15 games this year on the road. In addition, they had over 30,000 tickets already sold for a late September series with the Astros and refused to ask fans to come out for that series this week.

Rangers beat the Astros 12-2 last night before 3.485 fans last night and Rangers won again tonight, 8-1, with 6,183 in attendance. Had the Astros agreed to play in Arlington as the home team, which they could have done, they attendance certainly would have been multiple times what it was in Tampa since Rangers fans would have come out even on short notice. The Rangers offered all of the proceedings from a series played in Arlington with the Astros as home team to the Astros or to Houston flood relief.

LoneStarPhan 2017-08-31 03:55:54 UTC #79

I hadn't heard that as yet. Houston continues to have major flooding including areas downtown. Flooding expected to take weeks to totally go down. The airports did open today to limited schedule but major roads including I-10 still closed.

The preseason game between the Cowboys and Texans was canceled so that Texan players could return to Houston to check on their families. Game was originally to be played in Houston, then was moved to Arlington and finally called off totally today. 45,000 tickets sold for the game and refunds can be obtained, but unclaimed money will be donated to the Houston relief effort. I say Houston, but the area hit by this storm is far bigger than Houston and several times the area devastated by Katrina in and around New Orleans in 2005.

LoneStarPhan 2017-08-31 03:59:16 UTC #80

Runs on gas stations tonight in North Fort Worth. Several are out of gas and long lines at others as nervous folks seek to keep their tanks full as potential shortages occur due to the loss of a significant part of the US refining capacity. Supposedly, there should not be significant long term disruption in the supply of gasoline, although prices will spike. I filled up at Sam's Club this afternoon paying 2.049 (about 10 cents more than a couple days ago at the same location). I noticed some stations had gone up 30 cents from their price early in the week to around 2.399.