MLB 2024 Season

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  • tbergstbergs Posts: 9,195
    Buxton returns for a few games and then gets hit on the hand by a pitch and is back on IL with a fractured wrist. 
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,853
    tbergs said:
    Buxton returns for a few games and then gets hit on the hand by a pitch and is back on IL with a fractured wrist. 
    Yeah no shit.  He was a stud on my damn fantasy team and excited to get him back only to have this shit happen...

    Good news is Wander Franco a 20yo will make his debut this week!
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,121
    I think Max Scherzer may murder an ump or opposing manager before the all star break over sticky checks.
  • igotid88igotid88 Posts: 27,147
    And rosin sits on the mound right? I don't know, from what I understand it sounds like they have no choice but to come down hard initially at least to make sure all this shit is followed. But make no mistake on my part, this is much the MLB's Office for getting to this point. But, regardless, pitchers - stop fucking bitching and moaning and adjust. I mean they've said there's literal chemists working for teams. This isn't a matter of arguing whether they're banning the shift, which would be fucking stupid. This is a matter of the game being strikeouts and upper cut home runs. Not fun baseball.
    One former player was calling out that Michael Hill who is apparently MLB's VP of on-field operations and one of the leaders here who was formerly with the Marlins and at that time and a huge champion of it telling pitchers they need to use it.  It's all so hypocritical and the only reason they care is because people are complaining about offense and $$$

    Glasnow said he used sunscreen/rosin. I also hear his point that this is something baseball people either pushed at worst, or ignored at best, and now they are changing how pitchers need to adjust mid-season and could very well lead to injuries.

    Certainly not denying it got out of control or that something needs to be done, but it's just all so hypocritical.
    It certainly didn't help Marlins pitchers
    I miss igotid88
  • igotid88igotid88 Posts: 27,147
    Ok so you're saying that 101mph FB and 95mph change wouldn't be strikes unless he's dropping his hand in some goop?
    It's about spin rate. The movement on those pitchers since they announced the spin rates have gone down and offense has gone up
    I miss igotid88
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,853
    igotid88 said:
    I hope he beans one of their players now, lol.

    Scherzer is the best.


  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,853
    Welcome to the bigs Wander!!!
    https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/wander-franco-mlb-debut-baseballs-top-prospect-makes-history-but-rays-woes-continue-vs-red-sox/

    From reports from people whom know the guy, they say he isn't actually 20 but 25...

    Oh well.  Pujols is like 4 years older too right?
  • MayDay10MayDay10 Posts: 11,604
    Joe Girardi needs to know his place.  Unprofessional douche.  
  • MayDay10MayDay10 Posts: 11,604
    Welcome to the bigs Wander!!!
    https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/wander-franco-mlb-debut-baseballs-top-prospect-makes-history-but-rays-woes-continue-vs-red-sox/

    From reports from people whom know the guy, they say he isn't actually 20 but 25...

    Oh well.  Pujols is like 4 years older too right?
    lol, it seems like Wander Franco has been the #1 prospect for a decade now.  Maybe its because covid slowed time a bit, I dont know, but it feels like we have waited forever
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,582
    Bang up job, MLB. Just outstanding.
  • mfc2006mfc2006 HTOWN Posts: 37,368
    MayDay10 said:
    Joe Girardi needs to know his place.  Unprofessional douche.  
    Yup
    I LOVE MUSIC.
    www.cluthelee.com
    www.cluthe.com
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,853
    MayDay10 said:
    Welcome to the bigs Wander!!!
    https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/wander-franco-mlb-debut-baseballs-top-prospect-makes-history-but-rays-woes-continue-vs-red-sox/

    From reports from people whom know the guy, they say he isn't actually 20 but 25...

    Oh well.  Pujols is like 4 years older too right?
    lol, it seems like Wander Franco has been the #1 prospect for a decade now.  Maybe its because covid slowed time a bit, I dont know, but it feels like we have waited forever
    Same with Bobby Witt Jr and Julio Rodriguez.  We have heard those names for 3 years now, lol.
  • cutzcutz Posts: 11,400
    I know: ONLY 2 days worth of info.


    https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2180575

    How pitchers are adjusting to baseball's sticky-stuff crackdown
    4h ago


    Around 5:30 p.m ET on Monday, the best pitcher in baseball, New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, became the first person subjected to Major League Baseball's enhanced screening for sticky substances.

    As deGrom walked off the mound at the end of the first inning, he was intercepted at the first-base line by home-plate umpire Ben May before crew chief Ron Kulpa arrived to inspect his glove, hat, and belt. The crowd booed; deGrom smirked. He made his way, uneventfully, through security.

    He said he didn't have a problem with the procedure after he was checked twice during the game. While his spin rate was down Monday, deGrom's fastball at 2,350 rpm instead of 2,500 rpm was still dominant in five innings of work.

    "Honestly, I didn't mind it," deGrom told reporters. "It was quick, and it went pretty easy. We were told that we were going to be checked … it was actually pretty easy walking off the field."

    The new policing process didn't go as smoothly Tuesday. Nationals ace Max Scherzer was annoyed at being checked by umpires, like an airline passenger running late before being pulled aside by TSA for screening. He became incensed when Phillies manager Joe Girardi asked for yet another examination. For a moment, it looked like Scherzer might fully disrobe on the field. Athletics reliever Sergio Romo ripped off his belt and dropped his pants later that night, annoyed with baseball's new process.

    "What we're doing right now, this is not the answer," Scherzer said after the game. "These are (commissioner Rob) Manfred rules. Go ask him what he wants to do with this."

    Rich Schultz / Getty Images Sport / Getty

    However, the "Manfred Rules" appear to be working as MLB intended so far, as the game tries to get out of its sticky situation.

    No pitchers were ejected Monday or Tuesday. Umpires apparently found nothing applied to hats, gloves, belts, or fingertips that was worthy of a 10-game suspension, although it’s unclear how thorough every search was and will be. What seems clear is no pitcher wants to be caught, and especially not be the first caught. What also seems apparent: pitchers and teams already changed behavior following MLB’s June 3 memo that warned of more stringent policing, and that change might have reached a new level starting Monday.

    G Fiume / Getty Images

    What we've learned: Spin rates are down at the individual level since June 3 and continue to decline, and some teams have shed more revolutions per minute than others. Moreover, some pitchers might be making adjustments to their pitch mix, trying to find the right arsenal in an environment of less spin.

    There wasn't a full slate of games Monday, but 897 four-seam fastballs were thrown. The impact from sticky stuff - or lack of it - is immediate, as I learned firsthand. The average four-seam spin rate Monday was 2,265 rpm with an average pitch velocity of 93.8 mph.

    Another 1,632 fastballs were thrown Tuesday, with the spin rate dropping to 2,233 rpm. Through the first two days of increased policing, four-seam fastball spin rate stands at 2,244 rpm.

    That's down from the season average of 2,319 rpm through June 2. The fastball spin rates of Monday and Tuesday marked a further decline from the average from June 3-20, when pitchers averaged 2,269 rpm.


    Decline of spin

    Average velocity and spin for four-seam fastballs in MLB this season

    RangePitchesVeloSpin
    April 1-June 283,98793.62,319
    June 3-2024,33193.82,269
    June 21-222,52993.62,244
    Table: theScore  Source: MLB Statcast




    There are only two known ways to increase fastball spin: through more velocity or by using a grip-enhancing substance. Velocity has remained steady all season, including Monday and Tuesday. From June 3 to June 20, the four-seam fastball ratio of rpm to mph (24.1) was back to a level near where it was in 2015 (24) after increasing each year to 24.8 in 2020 and increasing in the first two months of this season.

    It's fallen to 23.9 since Monday.

    Check out how the 2021 rolling 10-day average for four-seamer spin rates has cratered in graph form here - it's jarring.

    Rich Schultz / Getty Images Sport / Getty

    Some pitchers have had more fastball decline than others.

    Of the 327 pitchers who threw at least 20 four-seam fastballs since the start of the 2020 season through June 2, and threw a fastball since the first memo on June 3 through June 20, 73.1% had an rpm/mph drop. We use an rpm/mph measure, also known as a Bauer Unit, to control for any velocity changes. Among all pitchers, 38.8% had a decline of at least 0.5 Bauer Units, and 17.4% had a decline by more than 1.0 Bauer Unit. Those percentages have inched up each week since the June 3 memo.

    And since Monday, since enforcement began, there's been even more decline.

    Of the 121 pitchers who threw at least 20 four-seam fastballs since the start of the 2020 season through June 2, and who've thrown at least one since Monday, 98 had a rpm/mph decline. That's 81% of all pitchers. Moreover, 63.6% had a decline of at least 0.5 Bauer Units, and 45.5% had a decline by more than 1.0 Bauer Unit.

    Gerrit Cole's rpm/mph ratio (23.4) Tuesday was his lowest since Aug. 13, 2016, when he was on the Pirates. His raw fastball spin was down 244 rpm from his season average, which was in decline since his June 3 start. Scherzer's fastball rpm was down by more than 100 rpm.

    Given the outcry from pitchers, and given those declines, it seems the majority of pitchers were using something; perhaps the majority were using a concoction like sunscreen and rosin, while a smaller group was using the heavy-duty sticky stuff. Remember: Not all sticky stuff is equal. We found rosin and sunscreen increased spin far less than Spider Tack and Firm Grip. And not all individual arms are using sticky stuff equally.

    Icon Sportswire / Getty

    At the team level, some staffs are shedding more spin than others. Through play Sunday, the Tigers (-111 rpm), Diamondbacks (-97), Brewers (-97), Dodgers (-93), Athletics (-86), Reds (-85), Braves (-84), and Giants (-82) have all lost an average of 80 or more rpm on their fastballs between June 3-20 without shedding any meaningful velocity. Only the Rockies (+19), Blue Jays (+13), and Marlins (+6) have added spin.

    There was no correlation among individual teams between less spin and changes in swing-and-miss rates or slugging percentages by opposing hitters, though we didn't adjust for quality of opponent or ballpark. It'll be interesting to see if teams that lose more spin than others have negative performance consequences over time.

    The other interesting development: Some pitchers have made pitch-mix changes.

    Twenty major-league pitchers are throwing their two-seam or sinking fastballs at a rate of 10 percentage points or greater since June 3 through play Sunday. The two-seam fastball benefits from less spin, as pitchers generally want it to sink rather than resist gravity like a four-seamer. Twenty-four pitchers have reduced their four-seam fastball usage by 10% or more. Some notable pitchers who increased two-seamers and reduced four-seamers include Trevor Bauer, Brad Hand, Matt Harvey, Tarik Skubal, and Zack Wheeler. (Wheeler's fastball spin rate went up slightly Tuesday.)

    Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images

    At a league-wide level, there haven't been dramatic changes in pitch usage since June 3, but two-seamer usage is up 0.9%, the greatest climb among pitch types. Perhaps the two-seamer, which has largely fallen out of favor in recent years, can make a comeback.

    While it's difficult to draw too much from short-term pitch-mix usage or perhaps even spin rate changes, it appears pitchers are already adjusting and adapting.

    And while it could be short-term noise, offense is trending in the direction MLB wants since June 3. MLB batting average is up (.245 since June 3 vs. .236 before) and strikeout rates are down (23.4% vs. 24.2%). Walk rate has declined, placing doubt on the idea pitchers need, say, Spider Tack for control.

    We're still very early in the enhanced policing era, but it's possible the threat of policing alone has leveled the playing field and will get baseball out of this sticky mess.

    Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.

  • DewieCoxDewieCox Posts: 11,411
    One of those angles in Scherzers fit really highlighted his crazy eyes and for an instant I thought he was going to kill someone.
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Behind that bush over there. Posts: 47,141
    Does Rob Manfred consult Bud Selig on every decision he makes? I feel like most things MLB has done over the last 5-10 years and the direction the game has gone has just driven fans further away. Perhaps my team being bad for a decade now is playing a big factor into this. But I find myself not caring about baseball nearly as much as I used to.

    Anyway....I just saw the all star teams will be wearing stupid new uniforms this year instead of wearing their regular uniforms. I realize this is a minor gripe but the aesthetic of the game (uniforms, fields, ballparks) is something I have always loved almost as much as the game itself. Always thought it looked cool to see your home town team's jersey on the national stage. You don't get that in other sports' all star games. Just another thing unique to baseball that has gone by the wayside...



     
    chinese-happy.jpg
  • F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 30,588
    Agree on the unis.  Having the guys all repping their squads while standing/playing next to the variety of other uniforms was a part of the game I thought was cool.
    The other leagues already do this, right?  Baseball was the last holdout?
    I think we are just old, acting like @wobbie and hoping people will stay off our lawns.
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,853
    Does Rob Manfred consult Bud Selig on every decision he makes? I feel like most things MLB has done over the last 5-10 years and the direction the game has gone has just driven fans further away. Perhaps my team being bad for a decade now is playing a big factor into this. But I find myself not caring about baseball nearly as much as I used to.

    Anyway....I just saw the all star teams will be wearing stupid new uniforms this year instead of wearing their regular uniforms. I realize this is a minor gripe but the aesthetic of the game (uniforms, fields, ballparks) is something I have always loved almost as much as the game itself. Always thought it looked cool to see your home town team's jersey on the national stage. You don't get that in other sports' all star games. Just another thing unique to baseball that has gone by the wayside...



     
    Agree on the unis.  Having the guys all repping their squads while standing/playing next to the variety of other uniforms was a part of the game I thought was cool.
    The other leagues already do this, right?  Baseball was the last holdout?
    I think we are just old, acting like @wobbie and hoping people will stay off our lawns.
    Yes dumb.  The NBA actually played in their own uni's from 97-02.  I loved that.  I hate the MLB HR Derby jerseys.  Awful.
  • tbergstbergs Posts: 9,195
    edited June 2021
    Manfred fucking sucks. He seems to have the same management skills for the league as the female owner of the Indians in Major League.

    Also, if you haven't heard Scherzer and Girardis post game interviews they're pretty good. Girardi tries to downplay coming out of the dugout. Scherzer talks about how he was trying to use sweat from his head to get some grip on the ball and then calls out Manfred.
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • xavier mcdanielxavier mcdaniel Somewhere in NYC Posts: 9,052
    Fourth no hitter against a defending champion in the divisional era last night by the Cubs
    2013 Homer Bailey vs the Giants
    2012 Johan Santana vs the Cardinals
    1974 Dick Bosman vs the A's.
    Reading 2004
    Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
    Chicago 2007
    Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
    Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
    Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
    Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
    Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
    Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
    Fenway 2, 2018
    MSG 2022
    St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
    "I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
    Things happen in the game. Nothing you
    can do. I don't go and say,
    "I'm gonna beat this guy up."
  • The JugglerThe Juggler Behind that bush over there. Posts: 47,141
    Does Rob Manfred consult Bud Selig on every decision he makes? I feel like most things MLB has done over the last 5-10 years and the direction the game has gone has just driven fans further away. Perhaps my team being bad for a decade now is playing a big factor into this. But I find myself not caring about baseball nearly as much as I used to.

    Anyway....I just saw the all star teams will be wearing stupid new uniforms this year instead of wearing their regular uniforms. I realize this is a minor gripe but the aesthetic of the game (uniforms, fields, ballparks) is something I have always loved almost as much as the game itself. Always thought it looked cool to see your home town team's jersey on the national stage. You don't get that in other sports' all star games. Just another thing unique to baseball that has gone by the wayside...



     
    Agree on the unis.  Having the guys all repping their squads while standing/playing next to the variety of other uniforms was a part of the game I thought was cool.
    The other leagues already do this, right?  Baseball was the last holdout?
    I think we are just old, acting like @wobbie and hoping people will stay off our lawns.
    Yes dumb.  The NBA actually played in their own uni's from 97-02.  I loved that.  I hate the MLB HR Derby jerseys.  Awful.
    That's right. Totally forgot the NBA did that for a brief period. 
    chinese-happy.jpg
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,853
    Does Rob Manfred consult Bud Selig on every decision he makes? I feel like most things MLB has done over the last 5-10 years and the direction the game has gone has just driven fans further away. Perhaps my team being bad for a decade now is playing a big factor into this. But I find myself not caring about baseball nearly as much as I used to.

    Anyway....I just saw the all star teams will be wearing stupid new uniforms this year instead of wearing their regular uniforms. I realize this is a minor gripe but the aesthetic of the game (uniforms, fields, ballparks) is something I have always loved almost as much as the game itself. Always thought it looked cool to see your home town team's jersey on the national stage. You don't get that in other sports' all star games. Just another thing unique to baseball that has gone by the wayside...



     
    Agree on the unis.  Having the guys all repping their squads while standing/playing next to the variety of other uniforms was a part of the game I thought was cool.
    The other leagues already do this, right?  Baseball was the last holdout?
    I think we are just old, acting like @wobbie and hoping people will stay off our lawns.
    Yes dumb.  The NBA actually played in their own uni's from 97-02.  I loved that.  I hate the MLB HR Derby jerseys.  Awful.
    That's right. Totally forgot the NBA did that for a brief period. 
    Most likely the best All Star games they ever played too.
  • eeriepadaveeeriepadave West Chester, PA Posts: 40,711
    edited June 2021
    Nola ties the major league record with 10 consecutive K's in a row alongside Tom Seaver!
    Post edited by eeriepadave on
    bf959b1f-9b77-457c-baf8-038776f33339_zps8a6a389d.jpg?t=1365722973
    8/28/98- Camden, NJ
    10/31/09- Philly
    5/21/10- NYC
    9/2/12- Philly, PA
    7/19/13- Wrigley
    10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
    10/21/13- Philly, PA
    10/22/13- Philly, PA
    10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
    Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly
    Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly
  • tbergstbergs Posts: 9,195
    Nola ties the major league record with 10 consecutive K's in a row alongside Tom Seaver!
    That's amazing!
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,853
    Go Ohtani!

    My favorite pic in baseball in years.  TY Mr Lindor for brightening my day!
    Francisco Lindor39s middle finger is the MLB photo of the year - New York  Daily News
  • tbergstbergs Posts: 9,195
    Schwarber is on some sort of tear. Unbelievable. He was on waivers in my league a few weeks back, but I didn't pull the trigger. Probably would have single handedly won me last week's match-up.
    It's a hopeless situation...
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,853
    tbergs said:
    Schwarber is on some sort of tear. Unbelievable. He was on waivers in my league a few weeks back, but I didn't pull the trigger. Probably would have single handedly won me last week's match-up.
    Was going to pick him up but didn't need another OF... oh well.
  • F Me In The BrainF Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 30,588
    Is Stanton again the most overrated player in all of baseball?
    Seems like a decent guy and I don't root against him...not his fault he makes absolute superstar money to be an average to above average player.
    The love he receives is the love that is saved
  • igotid88igotid88 Posts: 27,147
    I miss igotid88
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