2021 MLB Non-Phillies News/Notes

[bkox]

Jake Arrieta has signed with the #Padres and is starting Wednesday vs #Rockies

— Bob Nightengale ( @BNightengale ) August 16, 2021

[Patchmk88]

That stinks. Means we will miss him.

[HopeSpringsEternal]

Pray for rain in Denver?

[flyers19rw]

An interesting article in today's WaPo regarding umpires and balls/strikes. It's time to robo call them and allow the umpires other calls on the field but still subject them to video review.

Analysis | MLB umpires are squeezing the strike zone, and it’s hurting some...

[andyb]

I read that this morning (I am in DC). Interesting article but there was one aspect they should have explored further. One of the criticisms this year was that they were calling fewer strikes than expected and it was a change from the past when they called more. But offense is down this year even post sticky stuff. Makes me think offense is really down this year.

Which is where I go back to a multi-pronged solution to baseball's various issues:
- Robo Umps (will hurt hitters compared to today)
- Deader ball that carries less far (will hurt hitters)
- Potentially move the mound back 6-12 inches (will help hitters potentially a lot)
- Pitch clock (potentially help hitters)

Lots of little things need tweaking. FWIW I would move the testing from Low A to AA on this stuff next season. We should not implement robo umps cold turkey and we should probably not have AAA as the experimental level. But I think it needs to happen.

[BaseballCat]

I went to an Atlantic League game in High Point a few weeks ago where at mid season they moved the mound back 6 feet or so and was told by people I know there that pitchers were quitting in high numbers stating they were trying to make it back to affiliated ball. Frankly I agree with the that it is a stupid idea especially done mid season.

On an unrelated note, the player formally known as D’arby Myers was playing for the Long Island Ducks and has formally changed his name to Johnni Turbo. He did not play, but this made me smile and laugh at the same time. Go get ‘em Johnni

[flyers19rw]

My support of robo umps comes from the need for consistency in the calls. That would benefit both hitters and pitchers. Also it would resolve the issue of the strike zone-arm pit or letters? Knees or shins? Knowing where the zone is would be beneficial to all.
The pitch clock needs to work both ways as well. The pitch has to be delivered in X seconds. However the batter needs to be ready to hit in the same amount of time. Some hitters are taking way too much time to get set for the next pitch; two legged rain delays.
Moving the mound back would be a drastic move. Lowering it a couple of inches might be as useful.
The failure of many hitters to take advantage of the options offered to them is irksome. Can anyone hit to the opposite field? Lay down a bunt? Properly run the bases? I get it that the long ball is exciting. However when it leads to countless strike outs, balls being banged into shifts for outs, being able to play small ball makes sense. This falls on the players not the structure of the game. Talented players in the mold of Whitey or Rod Carew would hit .400 if teams shifted them to pull like they do these days. Players need to adjust.

[andyb]

I don't disagree. The robo umps seems logical. It is really a bigger problem now because of the automated box we see on TV. Before we did not always know if an ump missed a call. Now we do instantly.

I just think the robo umps are the lesser problem compared to too many strikeouts and home runs. That is what baseball really needs to fix.

Interestingly when scoring umps on the automated zone and how accurate their calls are, it is all the younger umps that are clustered near the top (with the old dinosaurs like Joe West at the bottom of accuracy rankings). Maybe umps need to retire when they hit a certain age (55 or 60?).
https://umpscorecards.com/site-data/umpires.html

[andyb]

ESPN tackled some of this today:

Eight things we would change about MLB

[zambonir]

The older umps still remember a world before the automated zones and evaluations. At least, the ones who didn't retired/get forced out after the union was decertified.

[andyb]

Stealing this from a PhuturePhillies Hinkie post. Names on the least accurate list are pretty familiar and not surprising.

Most accurate:

Tripp Gibson … 40 YO
Jeremie Rehak … 33 YO
Alan Porter … 43 YO
John Libka … 34 YO
Will Little … 37 YO
Pat Hoberg … 34 YO
Nic Lentz … 31 YO
Edwin Moscoso … 28 YO
John Tumpane … 38 YO
Jansen Visconti … 33 YO

Least accurate:

Ed Hickox … 59 YO
Gerry Davis … 68 YO
Kerwin Danley … 60 YO
Joe West (MuFossil ) … 68 YO
Brian O’Nora … 58 YO
Ron Kulpa … 52 YO
Greg Gibson .., 52 YO
Tom Hallion … 64 YO
Laz Díaz … 58 YO

only 46 YO Adrian Johnson finishes in the bottom 10 home plate umps.

[BostonRoss]

Huh, no Angel or CB on the lest accurate list. I guess their missed calls are mostly on the bases.

[schillingfan]

Both of them qualify, along with Joe West, as being among the most obnoxious umps.

[Lucky_Beagle]

I saw this note on a player for the Rays, is this in the best interest of baseball?

Rays recalled RHP Louis Head from Triple-A Durham.

It's the ninth time -- seriously -- that Head has been added to the bullpen from Durham this season.

[andyb]

That is the intent of the option rule unfortunately. It is one reason (along with gaming pitcher rests) that the IL probably needs to increase to 15 days. A 42-man roster (as opposed to 40) would also help lower the callups an individual might get, as well as lower the number of times that players bounce around between major league organizations because they are designated for assignment.

Increased use of the IL coupled with larger rosters has just narrowed the number of healthy options on any team's 40-man lists to the point that you keep using the handful of players on that list.

[bkox]

Mets owner trashes his team on twitter:

It’s hard to understand how professional hitters can be this unproductive.The best teams have a more disciplined approach.The slugging and OPS numbers don’t lie.

— Steven Cohen ( @StevenACohen2 ) August 18, 2021

[BostonRoss]

If I were a AAAA player, I think I would prefer bouncing between the majors and AAA to staying in the minors all year. Besides having some time with the big club and playing a little at the highest level, a few days or weeks of major league pay is probably important to most minor leaguers.

[DurhamBull]

The downside is that the player has to leave Durham.

[zambonir]

The service time alone!

But for all the talk of the "Mike Williams Expressway" back in those days, the way teams cycle through the bottom of the bullpen and are able to get around the recall rules has definitely changed. And then you also have situations like what they did with Eflin a few years ago, where they skipped a couple of his starts and optioned him. Not that it wasn't the best thing for the team.

[bkox]

Its not just relief pitchers.

Mickey Moniak has been recalled and optioned 7 times this season.