2024 Baseball Season

[samhexum]

Dude, do you think anyone has noticed how horrible the Rockies are?

Rockies set MLB record while trailing for 29 consecutive games

Hilarious...  Having Colorado scored 5 in the top of the first, and their pitcher threw 8 shutout innings on 72 pitches!  He couldn't get through the 9th & they went to the 10th tied at 5.

Colorado scored the ghost runner in the 10th & thus still had not trailed until the powerhouse Marlins scored 2 in the bottom half.

[+ WilliamM]

7 minutes ago, samhexum said:

Dude, do you think anyone has noticed how horrible the Rockies are?

Rockies set MLB record while trailing for 29 consecutive games

Hilarious...  Having Colorado scored 5 in the top of the first, and their pitcher threw 8 shutout innings on 72 pitches!  He couldn't get through the 9th & they went to the 10th tied at 5.

Colorado scored the ghost runner in the 10th & thus still had not trailed until the powerhouse Marlins scored 2 in the bottom half.

You sound like The New York Post writers  -  nothing but complaining 

[samhexum]

1 minute ago, WilliamM said:

You sound like The New York Post writers  -  nothing but complaining 

Who's complaining?  There has been much hilarity in this surprisingly entertaining season so far.

[+ WilliamM]

14 minutes ago, samhexum said:

Who's complaining?  There has been much hilarity in this surprisingly entertaining season so far.

Most fans want wins,  not hilarities 

You are the exception 

[samhexum]

13 minutes ago, WilliamM said:

Most fans want wins,  not hilarities 

You are the exception 

When it involves the team I root for, I prefer wins.

When it involves enjoying the sport as a whole, I prefer wacky and fun.

[+ WilliamM]

I have no choice but to ignore you 

[samhexum]

2 minutes ago, samhexum said:

When it involves the team I root for, I prefer wins.

When it involves enjoying the sport as a whole, I prefer wacky and fun.

 

1 minute ago, WilliamM said:

I have no choice but to ignore you 

I thought the fact that the apiarist who cleared the field for play in Arizona last night was allowed to throw out the first pitch was the bees' knees!

I love a good pun... even those not in comic strips.

[samhexum]

On 5/1/2024 at 5:25 PM, samhexum said:

Dude, do you think anyone has noticed how horrible the Rockies are?

Rockies set MLB record while trailing for 29 consecutive games

The streak ends at 31! Just slightly short of Cal Ripken… In their 32nd game of the year, the Rockies finally never trailed. They did, however, enter the ninth inning with a three nothing lead and give up a two run home run, so they tried…

But they failed to fail. 

Whomp whomp! 

[samhexum]

[BuffaloKyle]

11 hours ago, samhexum said:

Hammie needs to do the Craig Kimbrel:

[samhexum]

Swanson's on the IL with a knee sprain.  Perhaps @deej can run his fingers through Dansby's hair to make him feel better.

 

[+ WilliamM]

On 4/29/2024 at 3:58 PM, samhexum said:

Nolan Arenado’s record-tying streak of 10 consecutive Gold Gloves ended last season, when he was not even one of three finalists for the National League award at third base. This season, though, Arenado is deriving new motivation from a surprising source — the player next to him in the St. Louis Cardinals’ infield, rookie shortstop Masyn Winn.

“To be honest, playing with him makes me want to step up my fielding,” Arenado told me on Friday. “He goes hard for everything. Not that I don’t, but after last year the way I fielded, I see him getting after it. And I’m like, yeah, man, I need to get back to that.

“He brings energy. Watch him. He’s constantly talking to the pitcher: ‘Let’s go. You got this guy. Nasty pitch!’ I’m like, man, I used to do that when I was a young player with the Rockies. I kind of slowly got away from it. Now I’m like super quiet.

“He’s constant energy. You feed off it. Some teams might think he’s talking trash. But he’s really just talking to the pitcher all the time. It’s pretty cool.”

----

On 4/29/2024 at 3:58 PM, samhexum said:

What was the source of this Article?

 

Edited May 12 by WilliamM

[samhexum]

1 hour ago, WilliamM said:

What was the source of this Article

https://theathletic.com/5458004/2024/04/29/the-uniforms-nightmare-will-come-to-an-end-masyn-winns-constant-energy/

 

[viewing ownly]

On 5/1/2024 at 2:36 PM, WilliamM said:

You sound like The New York Post writers  -  nothing but complaining 

Did this comment qualify as a complaint? Strike one!

[samhexum]

The Chisox & Rockies are no longer on pace to break the record for losses, & the Marlins are just about there.

The Sox have been getting a bit more hitting, and Luis Robert should be back in a few weeks.  The Rox have been getting surprisingly competent starting pitching the last few weeks.

[+ WilliamM]

13 hours ago, viewing ownly said:

Did this comment qualify as a complaint? Strike one!

Have you ever  read  a few New York Post  Articles

Does Cindy Addams still write for them

[samhexum]

13 hours ago, WilliamM said:

Have you ever  read  a few New York Post  Articles

Does Cindy Addams still write for them

She does a column (with increasingly conservative headlines) that I skip right past.

Edited Tuesday at 07:42 AM by samhexum
for absolutely NO @%!*ING reason at all!

[samhexum]

On 4/26/2024 at 12:37 PM, WilliamM said:

Gorman will be a major star at bat for the Cardinals 

Not sure about his teammate.  A bit sad

 

On 4/28/2024 at 5:05 PM, WilliamM said:

Nolen Arenado has belted one home run this season while battling 271

And he is still usually in the St Louis line up

Horrible 

One of ESPN's baseball analysts took a look at 3 disappointing teams this season. He wasn't optimistic about the Cardinals:

The Cardinals have been undone by a variety of factors the past couple of seasons, with the rotation falling apart in 2023 and the offense unable to get anything going in 2024 (only the Chicago White Sox are scoring fewer runs per game). Unlike with the Astros, age is an obvious issue here: Paul Goldschmidt is 36 and struggling with a .197 average and .279 slugging percentage (he struck out four times Saturday but had two hits, including a home run, Sunday). Nolan Arenado is 33 and has two home runs. Meanwhile, the rotation, even after Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson joined as free agents, is 24th in the majors in ERA -- and the top five starters are all 33 or older.

It hasn't helped that Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar, who are supposed to fill the meat of the order alongside Goldschmidt and Arenado, are both hitting under .200 as well. Tommy Edman, the projected starting center fielder, has been out all season and the decision to rush Victor Scott II to the majors backfired (he hit .085 before being sent down to the minors). And now Willson Contreras, the most productive hitter in the lineup, is out with a broken arm.

The Cardinals can look back at three key decisions that help explain their struggles the last two seasons:

1. Trading prospects Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantara for Marcell Ozuna. Looking for offense in 2018, the Cardinals acquired Ozuna, who was coming off a monster season with the Marlins. His OPS+ fell from 149 in 2017 to 107 in his first season with the Cardinals. Ozuna was OK in his two years with St. Louis -- he produced 4.7 WAR -- but Gallen and Alcantara have combined for 37.4 WAR in their major league careers so far, turning this into a disastrous trade in the long run.

2. Trading Randy Arozarena for Matthew Liberatore. Arozarena has outproduced Liberatore, 10.8 to 0.2 WAR. Liberatore is still just 24 years old, so it's too early to call this a bad trade, but he's pitched primarily out of the bullpen this season.

3. Trading Adolis Garcia to the Rangers for cash considerations. Garcia has been a two-time All-Star with 11.4 WAR in his three-plus seasons with Texas.

The early returns on the Tyler O'Neill trade aren't great either, as O'Neill has been tearing it up for the Red Sox. There's no guarantee he would have had the same outcomes in St. Louis, of course, but it's yet another outfielder who has succeeded away from the Cardinals -- while their actual 2024 outfield ranks last in the majors in OPS and home runs.

To be fair, the trades for Goldschmidt and Arenado have worked out, as none of the players the Cardinals gave up on those deals have done much, but their traditional player development pipeline has dried up in recent years -- or, more precisely, some of the highly regarded prospects haven't taken off. Gorman strikes out too much, Jordan Walker is back in the minors again after hitting .155 to start the season, and Dylan Carlson has been injured and seen his bat regress since a good rookie season in 2021. The lack of pitching in their farm system meant St. Louis had to dip into free agency this season just to fill the rotation.

Were some of these players overrated as prospects? Is there a development issue going on at the major league level?

John Mozeliak and Mike Girsch, who run baseball operations in St. Louis, have been in the organization forever (as have most of the other top lieutenants), so it was noteworthy that the Cardinals brought former Red Sox and Rays executive Chaim Bloom into the fold as an adviser prior to this season. Adding a new voice to review processes and provide new ideas makes a lot of sense. Mozeliak is signed through 2025 and he curiously signed manager Ollie Marmol to a two-year extension through 2026 back in March, but you have to wonder if jobs are on the line with another poor season.

All this could also just be the natural cycle of things: It's hard to stay on top like the Cardinals have done for more than two decades -- or arguably, all the way back to the early 1980s. Like the Astros, when you win year after year, you're not drafting high. The Cardinals haven't had a top-15 selection in the draft since 2008 and a top-10 pick since 1998. No matter how good your scouting and player development departments are, it's difficult to keep hitting on those late first-round draft picks. Factor in that they have never been a big player in free agency, which means they have to nail everything else. And the Cardinals simply haven't done that in recent years.

This does feel like the end of an era. Unlike the Astros, the Cardinals weren't good last year, so it's harder to be optimistic about a turnaround. Perhaps their fans sense this: Boos have been heard regularly at Busch Stadium. It's not a fan base used to losing.

Edited Monday at 07:29 PM by samhexum
to ensure maximum delight for the reader!

[+ WilliamM]

4 hours ago, samhexum said:

 

One of ESPN's baseball analysts took a look at 3 disappointing teams this season. He wasn't optimistic about the Cardinals:

The Cardinals have been undone by a variety of factors the past couple of seasons, with the rotation falling apart in 2023 and the offense unable to get anything going in 2024 (only the Chicago White Sox are scoring fewer runs per game). Unlike with the Astros, age is an obvious issue here: Paul Goldschmidt is 36 and struggling with a .197 average and .279 slugging percentage (he struck out four times Saturday but had two hits, including a home run, Sunday). Nolan Arenado is 33 and has two home runs. Meanwhile, the rotation, even after Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson joined as free agents, is 24th in the majors in ERA -- and the top five starters are all 33 or older.

It hasn't helped that Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar, who are supposed to fill the meat of the order alongside Goldschmidt and Arenado, are both hitting under .200 as well. Tommy Edman, the projected starting center fielder, has been out all season and the decision to rush Victor Scott II to the majors backfired (he hit .085 before being sent down to the minors). And now Willson Contreras, the most productive hitter in the lineup, is out with a broken arm.

The Cardinals can look back at three key decisions that help explain their struggles the last two seasons:

1. Trading prospects Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantara for Marcell Ozuna. Looking for offense in 2018, the Cardinals acquired Ozuna, who was coming off a monster season with the Marlins. His OPS+ fell from 149 in 2017 to 107 in his first season with the Cardinals. Ozuna was OK in his two years with St. Louis -- he produced 4.7 WAR -- but Gallen and Alcantara have combined for 37.4 WAR in their major league careers so far, turning this into a disastrous trade in the long run.

2. Trading Randy Arozarena for Matthew Liberatore. Arozarena has outproduced Liberatore, 10.8 to 0.2 WAR. Liberatore is still just 24 years old, so it's too early to call this a bad trade, but he's pitched primarily out of the bullpen this season.

3. Trading Adolis Garcia to the Rangers for cash considerations. Garcia has been a two-time All-Star with 11.4 WAR in his three-plus seasons with Texas.

The early returns on the Tyler O'Neill trade aren't great either, as O'Neill has been tearing it up for the Red Sox. There's no guarantee he would have had the same outcomes in St. Louis, of course, but it's yet another outfielder who has succeeded away from the Cardinals -- while their actual 2024 outfield ranks last in the majors in OPS and home runs.

To be fair, the trades for Goldschmidt and Arenado have worked out, as none of the players the Cardinals gave up on those deals have done much, but their traditional player development pipeline has dried up in recent years -- or, more precisely, some of the highly regarded prospects haven't taken off. Gorman strikes out too much, Jordan Walker is back in the minors again after hitting .155 to start the season, and Dylan Carlson has been injured and seen his bat regress since a good rookie season in 2021. The lack of pitching in their farm system meant St. Louis had to dip into free agency this season just to fill the rotation.

Were some of these players overrated as prospects? Is there a development issue going on at the major league level?

John Mozeliak and Mike Girsch, who run baseball operations in St. Louis, have been in the organization forever (as have most of the other top lieutenants), so it was noteworthy that the Cardinals brought former Red Sox and Rays executive Chaim Bloom into the fold as an adviser prior to this season. Adding a new voice to review processes and provide new ideas makes a lot of sense. Mozeliak is signed through 2025 and he curiously signed manager Ollie Marmol to a two-year extension through 2026 back in March, but you have to wonder if jobs are on the line with another poor season.

All this could also just be the natural cycle of things: It's hard to stay on top like the Cardinals have done for more than two decades -- or arguably, all the way back to the early 1980s. Like the Astros, when you win year after year, you're not drafting high. The Cardinals haven't had a top-15 selection in the draft since 2008 and a top-10 pick since 1998. No matter how good your scouting and player development departments are, it's difficult to keep hitting on those late first-round draft picks. Factor in that they have never been a big player in free agency, which means they have to nail everything else. And the Cardinals simply haven't done that in recent years.

This does feel like the end of an era. Unlike the Astros, the Cardinals weren't good last year, so it's harder to be optimistic about a turnaround. Perhaps their fans sense this: Boos have been heard regularly at Busch Stadium. It's not a fan base used to losing.

The loss of  Tommy Edmon was     crucial 

[samhexum]

On 5/1/2024 at 5:25 PM, samhexum said:

Dude, do you think anyone has noticed how horrible the Rockies are?

Dude, do you think anyone has noticed the Rockies are the only NL team with more than 2 wins in a row right now?

BREAK UP THE ROCKIES!  5 IN A ROW!

[+ WilliamM]

6 hours ago, samhexum said:

Dude, do you think anyone has noticed the Rockies are the only NL team with more than 2 wins in a row right now?

BREAK UP THE ROCKIES!  5 IN A ROW!

The folks in Denver Vail and Fort Collins noticed 

[samhexum]

Dude, do you think anyone has noticed the Rockies have given up only 14 runs in their last 7 games?

BREAK UP THE ROCKIES!  7 IN A ROW!

[samhexum]

How's this for some organizational pitching…

The Yankees won 4-0 tonight and all four of their minor-league teams won, three of them by shut out. 

Including the major league team, the organization gave up three runs in five games tonight. 

It means absolutely nothing, of course, but I thought it was kind of cool, nevertheless

[+ WilliamM]

Matt Carpenter is the new lead off player for the. Cardinals

Glad he is back. Nice guy 

[samhexum]

On 5/16/2024 at 2:03 AM, samhexum said:

How's this for some organizational pitching…

The Twins entered their series against the Yanks having won 17-of-20.

Carlos Rodon gave up a homer on the second pitch he threw in the first game.

The Yanks proceeded to shut them out for the rest of the 3 game series.

Aaron Judge's last 2 games:  6-7, 5 doubles, 1 HR, 1 ball caught at the wall, 2 walks.  His slump may be ending.