2018 Season MLB Non-Phillies News/Notes Discussion

Lawman 2018-05-15 18:19:07 UTC #81

zambonir 2018-05-15 18:51:08 UTC #82

I gather he'd been appealing, dropped the appeal since he's going to be on the DL for a while anyway. Or maybe timing was coincidental from below.

Under MLB's drug policy, players are not automatically suspended for use of a diuretic unless MLB can prove he intended to use it as a masking agent.

A source familiar with the case told ESPN's T.J. Quinn that Cano tested positive before the season and appealed. During the appeal, MLB apparently was able to determine his intent, resulting in Cano dropping his appeal, the source said.

Cano said he was given Furosemide by a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic and that the substance is used to treat "various medical conditions" there and in the United States.

"While I did not realize at the time that I was given a medication that was banned, I obviously now wish that I had been more careful."

xogfog 2018-05-15 19:25:55 UTC #83

Since Cano just got hurt (broken finger on HBP) he was put on the DL. Turns out the ban does not distinguish between healthy or DL games, so part of the ban will be time he was going to miss anyway. He will lose his salary during the 80 days though.

andyb 2018-05-15 20:07:32 UTC #84

That happened to Galvis too if I recall when he got his suspension.

andyb 2018-05-15 20:51:16 UTC #85

Pop times - the science behind it:

Alfaro throws the hardest (90.1 mph). His pop times are also very good though not the best. His transfers do look better to me. Of course if this catching thing does not work out he might be able to pitch at 100 mph. Stranger things have happened (i.e. Kenley Jansen).

tom81 2018-05-16 01:32:55 UTC #86

Tough luck for AJ and the Diamondbacks.

zambonir 2018-05-21 19:29:08 UTC #87

Turns out the Phillies have more starters than they know what to do with but here's an update on the Rays' four-man rotation, and non-traditional bullpen. Sergio Romo "started" two games in a row.

andyb 2018-05-21 19:36:54 UTC #88

Romo as a starter is a fascinating decision. The model we all think about would be the first reliever going 3-4 innings as a long reliever. But Romo is a ROOGY. So if the first 3 batters in the lineup are stacked with right-handers (and because they bat 1-3 are actually critical outs also) then this makes perfect sense.

Time for Pat Neshek to get healthy so he can start 30-40 games while relieving in 30 more randomly.

andyb 2018-05-21 20:56:11 UTC #89

One of the fascinating stories this year has been Jordan Hicks, who now officially throws as hard as Aroldis Chapman ever did (3 105 mph pitches yesterday). Promoted him straight from A ball (like if we promoted Sixto now).

Check out the movement on that pitch:
https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/998310451225202689/photo/1

Even though he does not have great control and a great offspeed stuff, his fastball basically moves enough to the point it is virtually unhittable.

el-pietro 2018-05-22 14:43:09 UTC #90

It also means that if he gets the first three guys out and the real starter comes in to face the 4th batter in the second inning that the third time through the order penalty actually starts with the 4th 5th and 6th batter and should be less damaging as they are not as good as the first three hitters. At least in theory. So you could possibly get more innings from your back of the rotation starters.

zambonir 2018-05-22 18:53:39 UTC #91

More on the Rays thing. Another crazy idea, that you could sneak a pinch-hitter into the game early, before the starter has his first AB. Would be a bit convoluted but not impossible.

bkeich 2018-05-22 20:00:13 UTC #92

I have a very close relationship to Hicks. He is one of my college roomate's wive's friend (yea, I was kidding about close). It was funny to see a post on Facebook about how happy his Mom was about him throwing 105 because I know that college roommate is a die hard Phillies fan and was just as unhappy about the pitch as i was (although impressed).

I really wonder at what point we get to "throwing too hard to not hurt yourself". Is it 108? 110? 120? The number just keeps climbing. At what point is 100MPH the standard to even get a look at by the ML's? It isnt far away apparently.

Steve Carlton threw 88 MPH on his best day, now it wasnt his best pitch obviously, but I bet he struck out 800-1200 people with that fastball on strike 3 because they HAD to look for his slider or curve. He was sneaky with it and blew it by people.

I wonder what Bob Gibson actually threw? 93? How about Walter Johnson? 90? Who knows, but I bet they arent the numbers we are seeing now.

Austinfan 2018-05-22 21:11:19 UTC #93

One of the things the Phillies have been working with Velasquez is to get him to relax and not try to throw so hard.

When you can throw 105, if you don't try, you can throw 97-99 all day, and probably with much better command and movement, since you can focus on spin and mechanics instead of maxing out every pitch.

Look at Seranthony, boy doesn't even look like he's breathing heavy, throws 97-99, 98 MPH cutters (which simply isn't fair), and then drops an 86 MPH slider into the K-zone.

Hicks will either learn, blow out his arm or just be a flashy but inconsistent pitcher who wows you one inning, gets blown out the next when he walks himself into trouble.

zambonir 2018-05-25 22:29:30 UTC #94

Mariners 7-3 w/o Cano but they've also lost Gordon for a bit. They got Denard Span and bullpen help.

fish 2018-05-27 18:29:48 UTC #95

The padres picked up Hughes and a draft pick in a salary dump for what appears to be 7 million and a low level catcher. Seems like if there were deals to be made for salary dumps and draft picks this was a good year for the Phils to get in on that action.

zambonir 2018-05-27 18:45:16 UTC #96

I don't really get that one. As much money as the Phillies have I don't know that anyone would value the 74th pick in the draft as being worth a player and $7 million (or even just $3 million). The Padres must actually be hoping Hughes can pitch. The Phillies wouldn't even be able to spare the 40-man spot.

allentown 2018-05-27 23:17:51 UTC #97

This is just another case of the Commissioner killing baseball and making the extent to which baseball uses its monopoly powers to keep amateurs and young players compensation well below market value. Hughes hasn't had even a mediocre season since 2015. This just shows the market value of not even a first-round draft pick. That value is the difference between the value of tying up a guy signed at this spot vs the bonus paid for the privilege of tying him up for up to a decade. It's a corrupt system which needs to change.

andyb 2018-05-30 21:56:53 UTC #98

In rehab clock news I think Carlos Tocci is 16 days into his rehab for a pretty nominal injury for the Rangers. He has not played that well on rehab, so I would think there is some possibility that he could be returned if they choose not to activate him.

They probably end up keeping him because the team is so bad (dropping Ryan Rua perhaps), but there is a possibility they could choose not to since Tocci is really not that great a prospect.

nycphils 2018-05-31 23:15:44 UTC #99

With Pullin quitting we have a spot for Tocci in CF at LHV so hope we get him back. Still young.

zambonir 2018-06-01 04:42:51 UTC #100

Pretty fascinating. Among other things there are 50% fewer bunts now than there were just nine years ago.

“There’s almost nothing for me to do [during a game],” another longtime manager said recently. “You change the pitchers, and you wait for somebody to hit a home run. You’re not doing nearly as much stuff as you used to. You don’t even think about doing some of that stuff.”