Comments about Judge has “cemented his place in the HOF” really crack me up. I love the guy, but he has been arguably the AL best hitter for maybe 3 years, has some abysmal postseason performances, and hasn’t achieved a single HOF-worthy milestone. I suppose you are basing your comment in 64 WAR. My son also says Harper is first ballot. I just don’t see it. I guess the standards continue to drop.
Well, thanks for pointing that out. He’s clearly a great hitter. I forgot he had three MVP awards. If what you say is accurate but again we keep finding new excuses for the Hall of Fame. We don’t have the typical benchmarks we used to have. The All-time Numbers are going to decline the longer he plays. In a similar number of Games over 10 years Trout had 75.9 war, about 11 more than judge. But of course we know Trout has cemented his status of the Hall of Fame. I’m just arguing that Judge is no Trout or Pujols etc etc. Jusge will barely break 2,000 hits and may not top 600 HR, but yes he would be in the Hall.
With all due respect to the Royals, the award for the greatest waste of a superstar has to go to the Angels. In fact, having achieved so little with Trout and Ohtani, for several years on the same team, they have demonstrated a level of futility which may never be matched. Just retire the trophy and send it to Anaheim.
Speaking of Bobby Witt - the AL central has 4 really good SS's (ages 21-26). Barring injury and having continued success, the AL Central is suddenly - a well spring of SS's:
As a Mets fan who therefore has, shall we say, not much to give a damn about this year, the real battle has been between the White Sox, Marlins, Pirates, and Nats to see who will not only win my heart, but also win something of consequence and sneak into the post-season.
Man, if all four of them aren't actually kinda good and also plenty fun.
I think that the joke known to some as the Commissioner of Baseball wants his legacy to be: “guy who broke the players union”. I don’t think he cares about anything else. It’s why he took the job, and he believes he’s on a mission.
I hope I’m wrong, but I think this is gonna be long and ugly. And even if he succeeds, baseball could be damaged even more than it was in ‘94.
But does anyone, anyone at all, think that Manfred even likes baseball?
I’m going with George Brett. One team and a Royal. Great player at the heart of a magic season. I grew up in Cleveland but Brett was my favorite player. I always wore number five in his honor.
I think Joe's Yankee hatred is impairing his view of what they are without Judge. Sure, they're not the runaway class of the AL as they are with him, but when others are healthy they have a rotation starting with Schlittler, Cole, Fried, and Rodon and have two other all star hitters. They won't "sneak" into the playoffs if he doesn't come back. They'll make it comfortably, in part because the rest of the AL is so putrid but also because even without Judge they are a good team if not the great one they are with him in the lineup.
1) As a Royals fan, I have to point out that our bullpen is worse than the Nationals (5.33 ERA to 5.07).
2) The Yankees are 6.5 games above the wild card and have been 18-19 without Judge. They are obviously worse, but are just as obviously going to be playing - likely with a healthy Judge - in October. I like to see them fall as much as anyone, but we are going to have to wait until an October short series defeat to start dancing.
3) It seems odd to talk about "best double play combo" without even mentioning fielding.
4) I don't know why people continue to be surprised that one position player can't make a team good. Bobby Witt Jr, for instance, has 11% of the Royals PAs. He touches a ball in the field less than 4 times per game. Heck, WAR tells us this. If you get to 10 WAR in a year (like the aforementioned Judge has before) it is an all time season. I think 0 WAR is supposed to be like a 40 win season. Hey, you have just gotten your team to 50 wins! If you want to get to 90+ wins, you have to take a guy having an all time season and surround him with talent that would be at least .500 anyway playing with a guy they brought up from AAA out of necessity who wouldn't be there otherwise instead of the all time season guy. It is a team sport.
I so loved reading about the adjustment to adjustments. More than the other big team sports, baseball (especially at the major league level) baseball is at least as much about adjusting/scouting as it is about raw talent. It's why a talented prospect has such a hard time turning into a solid player - not only does the level of competition increase and the number games/length of season increase, but even if your debut is strong, the scouting humbles you. Many players can't get past that last step. It also make the game of small and mid-market teams trading good players away for prospects less successful than it could be...the players traded away have come out the other side while the ones you're getting likely won't.
You are so right. The Nationals are a good team- except for the bullpen. However, ownership is an embarrassment….even though other teams have stingy owners, the Nats seem to outdo others when it comes to not investing in current players or adding players to help the team. Nats need relievers. Nats need to sign Wood a long term extension. Nats need to extend contracts to others too…CJ, Griffin, Mead.
To us long-time fans- it’s pretty obvious that ownership would rather sell than buy.
PCA's season is more remarkable when you see where he was at the end of May. Was hitting .237, slugging below .400 and OPS in the low 700's. I truly thought last seasons first half was the aberration.
Joe, how is it possible that you wrote a sentence or two about the possible worst team in the American League, mentioned two different teams, and neither was the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels? I will admit that I am (was?) an Angels fan, and that Arte Moreno has pretty completely and single-handedly destroyed my love for baseball, but I find it amazing that the Angels didn't get included in your brief discussion of the worst teams in the AL.
The thing about Moreno. He isn’t cheap like the Lerners. He just happens to spend his money foolishly – Hamilton, Pujols, Rendon. Three excellent players who pretty much were all used up by the time he way overpaid for them. He wasn’t cheap on signing his own players- Trout. . He just did not seem to have a baseball person who could make good decisions as far as top flight personnel to add to the team.
While nothing is happening except the All Star Game stuff.....
So there's a thing where, for a bullpen game, the name "Johnny Wholestaff" is used to designate the "starting" pitcher.
So I'm wondering - if Johnny Wholestaff were a real pitcher instead of a combination, what would his stats look like?
1. Johnny only appears in games that are CLEARLY bullpen games (and almost certainly designated as such) - no one inning 'opener' followed by a long relief guy; no starting pitcher removed early because of injury.
2. The last pitcher used in one of these games does NOT count towards his stats. Everyone else gets added in.
How does Johnny Wholestaff compare to the average MLB starter?
Based on my lifetime as a baseball fan, now raising a 17-year old baseball fan, I believe the All-Star Game (in all sports) is mostly for young fans, so I really don't get worked up over many aspects of it. But because I think it's for young fans, I feel strongly that the first pitch should take place at 6 p.m. Eastern, allowing the core audience to actually watch it.
And, further, I think they should sharply limit the commercial breaks to keep it moving. I can't imagine that the ratings are particularly impressive, so it's not like Fox is giving back a lot of money by having two-minute breaks between innings. Last time I watched, there were so many two- and three-pitch at bats, the game felt dominated by its commercial breaks.
6pm ET would be before school gets out on the left coast, a bit too early. But I agree with the broader point that the game is for casual fans particularly children, so it should be accessible to them.
It's a big country. Someone is going to have to miss a little of the game. It would be nice if -- just once -- a 7-year old living in the Eastern Time Zone could see the end of an important game. (Though the World Cup schedule is generally working for those of us in the East.)
You really consider the All-Star game important game? I watched the All-Star game every year when I was younger. To me the only thing less appealing than watching the baseball All-Star game would be the NBA All-Star game and the NFL All-Star games which are jokes.
I do. Not for you or I, but for the younger versions of us who watched "every year when [we were] younger." I don't see the appeal anymore and won't be watching. But the less cynical version of me loved seeing the stars sharing the screen. The game needs those younger, less cynical folks to become (paying & viewing) fans as us olds shake our fists at the clouds while talking about how it was better when we were ten.
Comments about Judge has “cemented his place in the HOF” really crack me up. I love the guy, but he has been arguably the AL best hitter for maybe 3 years, has some abysmal postseason performances, and hasn’t achieved a single HOF-worthy milestone. I suppose you are basing your comment in 64 WAR. My son also says Harper is first ballot. I just don’t see it. I guess the standards continue to drop.
I mean, he has 3 MVP awards. You know who has more? Shohei and Bonds. That's it.
There's only 10 other players with even 3, and most of them are inner circle type guys. The worst of the bunch is probably Campanella or Trout.
His slugging is 6th All-Time. His OPS is 9th All-Time. OPS+ is 7th All-Time. His Home Run every 11.2 AB is 2nd All-Time.
Clearly, he's had a very short career due to injuries, but it's blatantly obvious that he is one of the greatest hitters ever.
Well, thanks for pointing that out. He’s clearly a great hitter. I forgot he had three MVP awards. If what you say is accurate but again we keep finding new excuses for the Hall of Fame. We don’t have the typical benchmarks we used to have. The All-time Numbers are going to decline the longer he plays. In a similar number of Games over 10 years Trout had 75.9 war, about 11 more than judge. But of course we know Trout has cemented his status of the Hall of Fame. I’m just arguing that Judge is no Trout or Pujols etc etc. Jusge will barely break 2,000 hits and may not top 600 HR, but yes he would be in the Hall.
And he will have to have a very productive age 35 onward, which is difficult. Just ask Pujols!
With all due respect to the Royals, the award for the greatest waste of a superstar has to go to the Angels. In fact, having achieved so little with Trout and Ohtani, for several years on the same team, they have demonstrated a level of futility which may never be matched. Just retire the trophy and send it to Anaheim.
Speaking of Bobby Witt - the AL central has 4 really good SS's (ages 21-26). Barring injury and having continued success, the AL Central is suddenly - a well spring of SS's:
1. Bobby Witt (Royals)
2. Kevin McGonigle (Tigers)
3. Colson Montgomery (White Sox)
4. Brayan Roccio (Guardians)
"I’m kind of falling for the White Sox"
Kind of?! My man, what's taken you so long?
As a Mets fan who therefore has, shall we say, not much to give a damn about this year, the real battle has been between the White Sox, Marlins, Pirates, and Nats to see who will not only win my heart, but also win something of consequence and sneak into the post-season.
Man, if all four of them aren't actually kinda good and also plenty fun.
I think that the joke known to some as the Commissioner of Baseball wants his legacy to be: “guy who broke the players union”. I don’t think he cares about anything else. It’s why he took the job, and he believes he’s on a mission.
I hope I’m wrong, but I think this is gonna be long and ugly. And even if he succeeds, baseball could be damaged even more than it was in ‘94.
But does anyone, anyone at all, think that Manfred even likes baseball?
I’m going with George Brett. One team and a Royal. Great player at the heart of a magic season. I grew up in Cleveland but Brett was my favorite player. I always wore number five in his honor.
I think Joe's Yankee hatred is impairing his view of what they are without Judge. Sure, they're not the runaway class of the AL as they are with him, but when others are healthy they have a rotation starting with Schlittler, Cole, Fried, and Rodon and have two other all star hitters. They won't "sneak" into the playoffs if he doesn't come back. They'll make it comfortably, in part because the rest of the AL is so putrid but also because even without Judge they are a good team if not the great one they are with him in the lineup.
Give us a break promoting your book!!
Boo
Please please give us a break promoting your book. We know it’s out!!
Hiss
I have to point out a few things.
1) As a Royals fan, I have to point out that our bullpen is worse than the Nationals (5.33 ERA to 5.07).
2) The Yankees are 6.5 games above the wild card and have been 18-19 without Judge. They are obviously worse, but are just as obviously going to be playing - likely with a healthy Judge - in October. I like to see them fall as much as anyone, but we are going to have to wait until an October short series defeat to start dancing.
3) It seems odd to talk about "best double play combo" without even mentioning fielding.
4) I don't know why people continue to be surprised that one position player can't make a team good. Bobby Witt Jr, for instance, has 11% of the Royals PAs. He touches a ball in the field less than 4 times per game. Heck, WAR tells us this. If you get to 10 WAR in a year (like the aforementioned Judge has before) it is an all time season. I think 0 WAR is supposed to be like a 40 win season. Hey, you have just gotten your team to 50 wins! If you want to get to 90+ wins, you have to take a guy having an all time season and surround him with talent that would be at least .500 anyway playing with a guy they brought up from AAA out of necessity who wouldn't be there otherwise instead of the all time season guy. It is a team sport.
I so loved reading about the adjustment to adjustments. More than the other big team sports, baseball (especially at the major league level) baseball is at least as much about adjusting/scouting as it is about raw talent. It's why a talented prospect has such a hard time turning into a solid player - not only does the level of competition increase and the number games/length of season increase, but even if your debut is strong, the scouting humbles you. Many players can't get past that last step. It also make the game of small and mid-market teams trading good players away for prospects less successful than it could be...the players traded away have come out the other side while the ones you're getting likely won't.
You are so right. The Nationals are a good team- except for the bullpen. However, ownership is an embarrassment….even though other teams have stingy owners, the Nats seem to outdo others when it comes to not investing in current players or adding players to help the team. Nats need relievers. Nats need to sign Wood a long term extension. Nats need to extend contracts to others too…CJ, Griffin, Mead.
To us long-time fans- it’s pretty obvious that ownership would rather sell than buy.
So sad.
As long as the Lerners own the team, they’ll be one of my least favorite teams. Right now running neck and neck with thr A’s.
They're in the real estate business. That's what you have to understand about the Lerners. They don't care about anything except land.
PCA's season is more remarkable when you see where he was at the end of May. Was hitting .237, slugging below .400 and OPS in the low 700's. I truly thought last seasons first half was the aberration.
I'm so happy the Mets got a rental of Javy Baez in exchange.
Just kill me now.
Joe, how is it possible that you wrote a sentence or two about the possible worst team in the American League, mentioned two different teams, and neither was the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels? I will admit that I am (was?) an Angels fan, and that Arte Moreno has pretty completely and single-handedly destroyed my love for baseball, but I find it amazing that the Angels didn't get included in your brief discussion of the worst teams in the AL.
Come on now, get it right. It's the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels... of Anaheim.
The thing about Moreno. He isn’t cheap like the Lerners. He just happens to spend his money foolishly – Hamilton, Pujols, Rendon. Three excellent players who pretty much were all used up by the time he way overpaid for them. He wasn’t cheap on signing his own players- Trout. . He just did not seem to have a baseball person who could make good decisions as far as top flight personnel to add to the team.
While nothing is happening except the All Star Game stuff.....
So there's a thing where, for a bullpen game, the name "Johnny Wholestaff" is used to designate the "starting" pitcher.
So I'm wondering - if Johnny Wholestaff were a real pitcher instead of a combination, what would his stats look like?
1. Johnny only appears in games that are CLEARLY bullpen games (and almost certainly designated as such) - no one inning 'opener' followed by a long relief guy; no starting pitcher removed early because of injury.
2. The last pitcher used in one of these games does NOT count towards his stats. Everyone else gets added in.
How does Johnny Wholestaff compare to the average MLB starter?
And I thought my All-Star Game apathy was just me . . .
Based on my lifetime as a baseball fan, now raising a 17-year old baseball fan, I believe the All-Star Game (in all sports) is mostly for young fans, so I really don't get worked up over many aspects of it. But because I think it's for young fans, I feel strongly that the first pitch should take place at 6 p.m. Eastern, allowing the core audience to actually watch it.
And, further, I think they should sharply limit the commercial breaks to keep it moving. I can't imagine that the ratings are particularly impressive, so it's not like Fox is giving back a lot of money by having two-minute breaks between innings. Last time I watched, there were so many two- and three-pitch at bats, the game felt dominated by its commercial breaks.
6pm ET would be before school gets out on the left coast, a bit too early. But I agree with the broader point that the game is for casual fans particularly children, so it should be accessible to them.
It's a big country. Someone is going to have to miss a little of the game. It would be nice if -- just once -- a 7-year old living in the Eastern Time Zone could see the end of an important game. (Though the World Cup schedule is generally working for those of us in the East.)
You really consider the All-Star game important game? I watched the All-Star game every year when I was younger. To me the only thing less appealing than watching the baseball All-Star game would be the NBA All-Star game and the NFL All-Star games which are jokes.
I do. Not for you or I, but for the younger versions of us who watched "every year when [we were] younger." I don't see the appeal anymore and won't be watching. But the less cynical version of me loved seeing the stars sharing the screen. The game needs those younger, less cynical folks to become (paying & viewing) fans as us olds shake our fists at the clouds while talking about how it was better when we were ten.
I'm old enough to remember weekday day games in the LCS.
I'm old enough to remember afternoon All Star games!