MLB Season 2024

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Pelican

Can we at least agree that the the decades-long experiment with limiting pitch counts has [1] not reduced pitcher injuries at any level; [2] left pitchers, particularly SP, vulnerable to stress-related injuries when they finally have to throw 100 pitches in a game; and [3] actually caused more and worse serious injuries?

Based on the discussion immediately above, perhaps a better choice would be to limit how much spin younger pitchers try to apply, with the twisting motions that strain young (and old) arms. But, good luck on that, when it makes those pitchers less effective.

I struggle with the basic concept that throwing fewer pitches leads to more injuries.

Now..if you were to say that throwing as hard as you can creates more injuries, then I would agree 100%.

I would MUCH rather have a pitcher throw at 90 mph for 100 pitches than have a pitcher throw 100+ mph 50 times.

[Cobra Mgr]

Angel Hernandez is like the Pimple Doctor. You know you're going to be disgusted but you watch anyway.

[Westheim]

Someone buy Triston McKenzie dinner, please. Nothing but bone in those socks.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Angel Hernandez is like the Pimple Doctor. You know you're going to be disgusted but you watch anyway.

You all know Angel likes nothing more than the sound of his own voice and is a massive egomaniac. Stop making up categories like "Worst Thing Umpire Has Ever Done" and he'll stop filling the leaderboard!

[thehef]

So I read an article on Angel's latest and it had me wondering why this knucklehead is still employed by MLB. At first I thought it was because of the lawsuit - waiting until that's done before they fire him. But the article reminded me that the lawsuit was dismissed a few years ago...

So the question remains... Has anybody put forth any credible explanations as to why MLB hasn't shown him the door? I'm thinking the other umps must regard him as a black eye on their profession. MLB should see his continued employment & bungling (and their refusal to give him the axe), and his extremely poor reputation among everyone associated with or even remotely following baseball as a blemish on the integrity of the game. Surely there must be at least a few Triple A umps who grade out better than Angel. Or is that the reason, that as poor an ump as Angel is, he still grades out slightly better then the best of the best in AAA?

Just seems strange to me that MLB is - apparently - tolerant of the negative attention Angel brings to the sport. At least an AAA replacement - if as poor as Angel - would take some time to develop a reputation as bad as Angel's, and could thus avert the type of coverage that Hernandez draws.

(The article - https://www.foxnews.com/sports/contr...-fire-this-guy) - btw, had a few pretty good quotes. My favorite was this one, posted on X by someone named Rodger Sherman: "I love that Angel Hernandez had a reputation as a terrible umpire back in the 1990s and 2000s and then people developed advanced methods of grading umpire performance and it turns out he stinks. Not many legends are able to adapt across eras like that." That's some good stuff! )

[monkeyman576]

I wonder if we'll see more middle relievers in the hall of fame in the future because starters aren't being used as often.

[kq76]

Originally Posted by thehef

Has anybody put forth any credible explanations as to why MLB hasn't shown him the door?

I think the likeliest reason is MLB is cheap and would rather have him suck at his job than give him a big payday and set a precedent for others.

It could be the classic, he knows about their dirty laundry and he'll air it all out if they fire him (or even if MLB is clean, I imagine he knows something about someone in the game that they'd like to keep quiet). But I think it's just more likely that they wouldn't want to pay the settlement(s).

One might then say, "but it would be for cause", but can we all agree on how exactly you define who is the worst umpire and is there really no one worse than him? Even if you take UmpireAuditor's assessment as valid, I couldn't match up their 2022 tweet with their data. The closest I could get is they're taking Acc or xAcc and then throwing out the umps that didn't ump some minimum # of games. However they're determining it, is it really the best way?

I think if MLB was dead set on getting rid of the worst umpires, which I would completely agree with, I think they'd have to say, ahead of time, "next year we're going to judge umps by metric X and whoever doesn't hit minimum # Y over some minimum # of games we're going to let go". They might not even be safe from having to pay a settlement by doing that, but it'd at least probably look fair to most people. Does anyone but the union (and maybe their friends and family) want these bad umps to keep their jobs? Probably not, but you should still make it seem fair. I'd rather cut the worst ump by whatever metric because then you're not risking having to fire more than you want to, but what if you got to a point where they're all decent, that wouldn't be fair or make much sense. But I do think it's easy to say, "going forward we're demanding a minimum of 90% accuracy and whoever doesn't meet that is going to be replaced".

Just imagine the social media all year long though, "the following umpires are below the threshold, will they have time to get above it? Or will they call their bookie and throw the rest of their games?" Or say Angel falls below that threshold at any point, do you then immediately take him off home plate for the rest of the year? It's problematic to say the least.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

I wonder if we'll see more middle relievers in the hall of fame in the future because starters aren't being used as often.

It would be hard to quantify their achievements, though, wouldn't it? Who led the league in Holds last year? I haven't a clue.

[Westheim]

Patriots' Daaaay...!

No, nothing. Just happy to drop everthing of no value (so, everything) in the dumb office and go home early for a 17:00 local ballgame.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Patriots' Daaaay...!

No, nothing. Just happy to drop everthing of no value (so, everything) in the dumb office and go home early for a 17:00 local ballgame.

I thought they played before noon?

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

I thought they played before noon?

My bad - 17:00 *my* time. It's 11am ET.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

It would be hard to quantify their achievements, though, wouldn't it? Who led the league in Holds last year? I haven't a clue.

Hector Neris. 33.

Wow. This guy is GOOD.

562 MLB games, lifetime WHIP 1.16.

Career slash line: .216/.295/.362, with an OPS of .658.

He strikes out 30.0004% of all the batters he faces.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

Hector Neris. 33.

Wow. This guy is GOOD.

562 MLB games, lifetime WHIP 1.16.

Career slash line: .216/.295/.362, with an OPS of .658.

He strikes out 30.0004% of all the batters he faces.

Totally sucked as a closer, though. The Phillies tried for four seasons, and it ruined them every time. Interesting.

(I might have simply written "30%". Not sure the extra ".0004%" moves the needle that much, tbh.)

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Westheim

My bad - 17:00 *my* time. It's 11am ET.

No, really my bad. I forgot you're in Europe.

[monkeyman576]

According to chat gpt, the top 10 relievers by WAR since 2000 with under 50 career saves.

Andrew Miller: Career WAR: 14.8 (20 saves)
Joaquín Benoit: Career WAR: 15.2 (53 saves)
Dellin Betances: Career WAR: 14.3 (36 saves)
Scott Linebrink: Career WAR: 12.4 (42 saves)
Will Harris: Career WAR: 10.5 (23 saves)
Tyler Clippard: Career WAR: 13.3 (68 saves)
Darren O'Day: Career WAR: 10.5 (21 saves)
Pat Neshek: Career WAR: 11.1 (36 saves)
Pedro Strop: Career WAR: 8.9 (29 saves)
Steve Reed: Career WAR: 8.8 (21 saves)

[Cobra Mgr]

great. I see baseball's unwritten rules are carrying into college.

[Boomcoach]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

great. I see baseball's unwritten rules are carrying into college.

I think that is the same guy that started a situation last week, by kneeing a runner who was on the ground and had been tagged out, that resulted in 11 ejections. Unwritten rules or not, he's got history as a jerk.

[dsvitak]

I am watching the Cardinal's game. Announced crowd just over 3k. Pretty quiet.

[monkeyman576]

I am going to the Mariners Rockies in Denver on Sunday!

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

I am watching the Cardinal's game. Announced crowd just over 3k. Pretty quiet.

Ouch. They might get a better crowd for Whitey's funeral.

(I'm honestly surprised. Redbird Nation always seemed fairly dedicated.)