The Official 2013 MLB Thread

[PilotMan]

On a night when Homer pitches another no hitter, I still don't think anyone consistently has better stuff than Kershaw. Hard to believe he is only 25 years old. Kershaw throws what is only the 11th shutout against the Rockies in Denver.

[Suicane75]

Puig is absolutely insane.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

Puig is absolutely insane.

Didn't Cespedes start off with a huge bang too? I remember a lot of the same things being said about him, and he is good, but has really fallen off that huge start he had as the league adjusted to him.

[Suicane75]

I can't look up the stats right now but I don't think it's even comparable. Cespedes had a solid year start to finish power wise, decent average, but never came close to a stretch like this I don't think. But not many have. Ever.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Congrats to Bailey.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, it's beyond amazing that the Braves are in first place considering what a comically bad set of hitters they're rolling out night after night.

Simmons still the least productive leadoff hitter in baseball, over $130m tied up in Dan Struggla and Bad Joke Upton ... and they've got like a five game lead in the division.

As much as several Braves have struggled, their first place standing isn't that shocking when you look at the overall numbers. They've scored the 5th most runs in the NL and have allowed the fewest. While their batting average is extremely low, they lead the NL in HR's, BB's, and are 3rd in OPS.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

Puig is absolutely insane.

That Kershaw guy ain't too bad either. I was a little worried there when his ERA was above 2.00 for a whole week.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

As much as several Braves have struggled, their first place standing isn't that shocking when you look at the overall numbers. They've scored the 5th most runs in the NL and have allowed the fewest. While their batting average is extremely low, they lead the NL in HR's, BB's, and are 3rd in OPS.

Best record in the league when they homer, worst record in the league when they don't (or so I read somewhere earlier tonight).

Somewhere Earl Weaver is smiling

edit to add: The shock of their record is as much about the overpriced talent that's struggled, the highly regarded talent that's underperformed (again) and the production from unexpected/unproven players. I mean, who had Gattis 3rd on the team in RBI's/2nd in HR in July & with only 50 games played? Or Chris Johnson hitting nearly 50 points above his career avg? Or Schafer with an OPS over 200 pts higher than his career avg?

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Congrats to Bailey.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, it's beyond amazing that the Braves are in first place considering what a comically bad set of hitters they're rolling out night after night.

Simmons still the least productive leadoff hitter in baseball, over $130m tied up in Dan Struggla and Bad Joke Upton ... and they've got like a five game lead in the division.

Uggla is actually right around his previous 2 seasons, which isn't bad for a second baseman (if we conveniently ignore defense). I assumed BJ Upton was still signed to that overpriced contract, but still around career norms, and then I looked at his stats. Dear lord, that's a .177 average and .317 slugging percentage in July, along with his customary 30%+ K-rate. I thought watching Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia bat was painful.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Uggla is actually right around his previous 2 seasons, which isn't bad for a second baseman (if we conveniently ignore defense).

I'd call it pretty damned bad for the highest paid 2nd baseman in history. He's got a lower SLG than Marco Scutaro for cryin' out loud.

The enormous problem here is that he's being (over)paid to produce like he did in Florida, where he never had a season with an OPS under 800. Here, through 2.5 seasons, he peaked at .765, dropped to the 730s last year & has stayed there.

I think that fan patience with him is starting to reach its limits too. I don't know that we'd be far from him getting booed constantly (rather than just when he's batting) ... if there were actually more people in the stands who were watching baseball rather than having a social outing. I can't remember the last player here who was the source of more outright disgust for his performance than Struggla, maybe Bob Horner (and even that was at least in part due to Horner's demeanor).

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

The enormous problem here is that he's being (over)paid to produce like he did in Florida, where he never had a season with an OPS under 800. Here, through 2.5 seasons, he peaked at .765, dropped to the 730s last year & has stayed there.

I forgot you guys signed him to a 5 yr/$62m deal when he was 31 years old. Maybe he's due for another 33 game hitting streak!

Looked through the archives - apparently I didn't make fun of his contract at the time, but I did find this fun post on that page

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

This year's NL Rookie Class could be one for the ages. - just throwing out there:

- Heyward
- Posey
- Jaime Garcia
- Gaby Sanchez
- Aroldis Chapman (cheating a bit, I know)
- Stratsburg (injured, but still)
- Mike Leake (solid before running out of gas)
- Starlin Castro (playing an above average major league SS at 20)
- Neil Walker / Pedro Alvarez / Jose Tabata (decent young Pirates players)(Bumgarner/Travis Wood)

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Over/under on (number in the minors or out of baseball) and (number in a different organization) in 5 years. I'll go 3 and 5.5. Heyward is a no brainer, and Posey and Starlin seem destined for 10+ year careers as well, but as far as pitchers go one is out for all of next year, one threw 13 innings (some ace rookie set-up flamethrowers turn into Mariano Rivera - some Joba or K-Rod) and I'm willing to bet that either Leake or Garcia won't ever match this season's numbers.

Checking in only 2.5 years later
- Heyward 1 good year, 1.5 bad ones, still young but not the surefire ASG mainstay I assumed he'd be
- Posey had an ok year last year
- Garcia had a good sophomore year, but has less than 200 IP in the last 2 seasons and is out for the year
- Sanchez is now a platoon 1B in Pittsburgh
- Chapman hasn't made the leap to starter, but has been great as a closer (and Daniel Bard and Neftali Feliz provide cautionary talea for staying in your lane)
- Strasburg missed the next season due to injury, and continues to have IP limits hanging over his head, but has been great when on the mound
- Mike Leake has actually stayed relatively injury-free and been a solid #3/4 starter
- Castro has OPS'd .730 since, .597 this year. Did somehow make the ASG the last 2 years.
- Neil Walker - similar numbers to Uggla, but only getting paid $3m
- Pedro Alvarez - horrible 2nd season, but recovered nicely the past 2 years
- Jose Tabata - below average platoon outfielder
- Madison Bumgarner - borderline ace. Not sure why he gets so little respect outside SF, (or why Crapshoot as a Giants fan had him below Leake in the first place?)
- Travis Wood - bad W/L record, but not bad stats since being traded to the Cubs.
(The 2 other players who received RoY votes were Ike Davis - 32 HR's last year, but a .500 OPS this year, and Johnny Venters who is out for the year.)

It has fared much better than the AL class. Other than Austin Jackson who is a solid CF'er, Neftali Feliz is out for the year, Danny Valencia is on his 3rd org, Wade Davis is a below-average starter, Brennan Boesch is a backup OF (at best) on NY, John Jaso has bounced around as a platoon catcher, and Brian Matusz has been demoted to the bullpen. Yikes.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

At a certain point you have to stop going after "Rays" fans and go after baseball fans. Anyone who goes to the current out of the way monstrosity will keep going when it's downtown on the waterfront, and you'll attract a lot more casual fans. Maybe there are better options in downtown Tampa, but I never went to that area, and we can at least agree the stadium should be on the water (maybe with a retractable roof if necessary) in an area with restarurants etc surrounding it. It's no surprise casual fans don't want to travel 10 miles inland and spend their time in a concrete dome.

I think you have the right idea, but the demographics here suggest the opposite. Most of the Rays fans live inland and most of the "2nd home/tourist/retirees" Yankee/RedSox fans live near the water in St. Pete.

The Channelside district where the Tampa Bay Lightning play seems the best (with 30 minute commutes for more fans) and an opportunity for workers to go to the game after work. It's on the water and near restaraunts...but it's in Tampa and St. Pete has a 25 year lease on the Rays...and that's an hour or longer commute through two cities for the much larger Rays fan base.

With the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway now interconnected with the I-4 right at the Port of Tampa/Channelside district...it's an almost perfect location for a new stadium.

[cougarfreak]

Recheck Mike Leake. His stats this year are bona fide #1 stuff. I know it's only 1/2 a season, but he's really come into his own. Probably wont hold up to a sub 2.5 ERA, but he's been damn good.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by cougarfreak

Recheck Mike Leake. His stats this year are bona fide #1 stuff. I know it's only 1/2 a season, but he's really come into his own. Probably wont hold up to a sub 2.5 ERA, but he's been damn good.

He's coming off a whole year of 4.58 ERA and still only has a K rate of 5.8/9. Mat Latos is a #1, Leake is maybe up to solid #3 going forward, but no way he's a #1.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

He's coming off a whole year of 4.58 ERA and still only has a K rate of 5.8/9. Mat Latos is a #1, Leake is maybe up to solid #3 going forward, but no way he's a #1.

I don't disagree but let's not focus on K/9 as a measure of a number one. Look at his K/BB ratio and it is above 3. Less than a homerun per 9 pitching in GABP. I don't think he is a number one either but you can be a number one without striking guys out.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by tucker rocky

So who is on the bus for Pittsburgh going all the way to the WS since 1979?

Oakland and Baltimore are my picks to be their opponent, if they(Pittsburgh) get that far.

Man, no one is going to watch that WS .

I'm rooting for Pittsburgh, but I think they need like a Boston or Detroit to make it in the AL to get some decent ratings.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

edit to add: The shock of their record is as much about the overpriced talent that's struggled, the highly regarded talent that's underperformed (again) and the production from unexpected/unproven players. I mean, who had Gattis 3rd on the team in RBI's/2nd in HR in July & with only 50 games played? Or Chris Johnson hitting nearly 50 points above his career avg? Or Schafer with an OPS over 200 pts higher than his career avg?

Which makes it scary when you realize that players like Johnson and Schafer are in no way going to continue all year like that. Thankfully they have a 7 game lead on Washington - they just got Harper back and that's really going to help that struggling offense.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Man, no one is going to watch that WS .

I'm rooting for Pittsburgh, but I think they need like a Boston or Detroit to make it in the AL to get some decent ratings.

Screw ratings. I hope unpopular teams make it in, I don't care about ratings or how much money the MLB makes, I care about the game.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

Screw ratings. I hope unpopular teams make it in, I don't care about ratings or how much money the MLB makes, I care about the game.

I care about whether or not it interests me.

Pitt vs Balt, yeah, I could see the nostalgia of that having at least some appeal.

Pit vs Oak? That's up there with a mid-season NBA tilt for me.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Not at all an A's fan, but they're awfully fun to watch. Just no rooting interest Jon? If you like baseball, the A's are a good team to watch.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Not at all an A's fan, but they're awfully fun to watch. Just no rooting interest Jon? If you like baseball, the A's are a good team to watch.

I can get behind watching some things with no rooting interest. Heck, sometimes it's actually easier for me to watch with no rooting interest.

I actually thought about this for a bit, why the diff in my gut reaction to Pit/Bal compared to Pit/Oak.

The first is the nostalgia factor I mentioned. '71 matchup is at least arguably the first WS I can clearly remember watching ('70 is fuzzy at best).

You might think, then, that I'd have some attraction to Oakland because of my clear recollections of their '72-'74 teams. Except that I realized those aren't what I think of when I think of Oakland now. Instead it's Canseco, McGwire, et al. That's what's come to represent the franchise to me. And that's a negative connotation that drops my interest.

The second is the "who?" factor. Keep in mind, I've played fantasy baseball online pretty much since it was invented I think -- and I'm a waiver wire hot streak picking up fool -- so it's not like I don't have at least fair name recognition for a decent number of players. I looked at the A's current season stats, there's literally 3 players in their top 8 (AB's) that I can't swear to ever having heard of before today, a 4th I had to check to make sure he was who I thought he was.

With Baltimore, there's 1 guy that rings no bells, but there's also a very familiar former Brave (McLouth) and a former Georgia Tech star (Wieters).

There was probably a time (Twins-Cardinals series comes to mind) when I might have been more interested just because it's the WS. Those days are gone for me, and have been for a number of years now.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Not at all an A's fan, but they're awfully fun to watch. Just no rooting interest Jon? If you like baseball, the A's are a good team to watch.

Thankfully there are millions of other fans beyond you and I.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

Screw ratings. I hope unpopular teams make it in, I don't care about ratings or how much money the MLB makes, I care about the game.

I care about being able to watch the World Series on basic OTA TV . Bad enough ratings, and it'll be cable only one day (heck part of the playoffs already are)!

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I can get behind watching some things with no rooting interest. Heck, sometimes it's actually easier for me to watch with no rooting interest.

I actually thought about this for a bit, why the diff in my gut reaction to Pit/Bal compared to Pit/Oak.

The first is the nostalgia factor I mentioned. '71 matchup is at least arguably the first WS I can clearly remember watching ('70 is fuzzy at best).

You might think, then, that I'd have some attraction to Oakland because of my clear recollections of their '72-'74 teams. Except that I realized those aren't what I think of when I think of Oakland now. Instead it's Canseco, McGwire, et al. That's what's come to represent the franchise to me. And that's a negative connotation that drops my interest.

The second is the "who?" factor. Keep in mind, I've played fantasy baseball online pretty much since it was invented I think -- and I'm a waiver wire hot streak picking up fool -- so it's not like I don't have at least fair name recognition for a decent number of players. I looked at the A's current season stats, there's literally 3 players in their top 8 (AB's) that I can't swear to ever having heard of before today, a 4th I had to check to make sure he was who I thought he was.

With Baltimore, there's 1 guy that rings no bells, but there's also a very familiar former Brave (McLouth) and a former Georgia Tech star (Wieters).

There was probably a time (Twins-Cardinals series comes to mind) when I might have been more interested just because it's the WS. Those days are gone for me, and have been for a number of years now.

Its interesting - I can name 15-20 players on almost any major league team (excluding the Marlins, and even that if I push it) with up to 40 Giants (in the org) - but I'd love to see a Pirates - A's series, for example - I have emotional connections to both those teams, or to TB (because I like the philosophy). I guess whichever baseball team I'm watching, I find something to root for one way or another, and I like the game enough that I will always watch the WS.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Its interesting - I can name 15-20 players on almost any major league team (excluding the Marlins, and even that if I push it) with up to 40 Giants (in the org) - but I'd love to see a Pirates - A's series, for example - I have emotional connections to both those teams, or to TB (because I like the philosophy). I guess whichever baseball team I'm watching, I find something to root for one way or another, and I like the game enough that I will always watch the WS.

Bud Selig may jump off a bridge if there was a As- pirates series

[MrBug708]

Papelbon - Idiot

Jonathan Papelbon says Yasiel Puig on All-Star team would be 'a joke' - ESPN

"The guy's got a month, I don't even think he's got a month in the big leagues," Papelbon said during the interview. "Just comparing him to this and that, and saying he's going to make the All-Star team, that's a joke to me.

I'd take him more seriously if he
A - Named people who deserved to be there before him
B - Didn't make the all star team as a rookie in a year where he played 68 innings the whole year. I'll round off and say he played 40 before the all star game. All while Puig has been in over 260 innings of baseball. Yes, different roles but all the same, it was very dumb to say

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Papelbon - Idiot

I don't think Papelbon has ever been described as a mental giant...

[Crapshoot]

Its an exhibition for the most part (I wish they took away that stupid home field advantage rule, but Selig is ... Selig). Puig is an attraction - why the hell not have him there? People want to see him play - go for it.

[cartman]

The Rangers signed Manny to a minor league deal to see if he might be able to help out later in the season.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

I care about being able to watch the World Series on basic OTA TV . Bad enough ratings, and it'll be cable only one day (heck part of the playoffs already are)!

I almost brought that up ... figured nobody would care

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Papelbon - Idiot

What is this, "People Posting Stuff I Almost Posted" Day?

I actually did some research & was about to call him out on this stupidity myself, but I didn't care for how decent a case could be made for what he said (as facepalmingly stupid as he said it).

As of yesterday (or the day before, whichever day that story came out) there were only 26 position players with better WAR values than Puig. One of them was another rookie, so 25 that aren't moot to Pape's argument.

The wrinkle came when 8 of those were outfielders just like Puig.

In WAR order, those are
Gomez (Mil) .309/12/37 .906 OPS 4.8 WAR
McCutchen (Pit) .293/9/42 .822 OPS 4.1 WAR
Gonzalez (Col) .292/22/60 .956 OPS 3.6 WAR
Marte (Pit) .286/8/26 .803 OPS 3.6 WAR
Parra (Ari) .301/7/26 .811 OPS 3.3 WAR
Bruce (Cin) .278/18/56 .841 OPS 2.7 WAR
Pence (SF) .280/13/42 .806 OPS 2.5 WAR
Brown (Phl) .275/21/58 .863 OPS 2.4 WAR
----
Puig (LA) .443/8/17 1.218 OPS 2.3 WAR

The vote leaders, last I've seen are
Beltran (StL) .309/19/50 .891 OPS 1.9 WAR
Gonzalez (Col) see above
J.Upton (Atl) .252/15/38 .820 OPS 1.3 WAR
-----
Harper (Was) .278/13/24 .961 OPS 1.7 WAR
McCutchen (Pit) see above

I can't do anything about the 3 OF's that the fans vote in, and in good conscience I couldn't argue that any of the 6-7 other guys (not getting voted in) ahead of Puig in WAR aren't deserving of an all-star selection themselves. And you can't really take 9-11 outfielders, can you?

Personally, I'm absolutely fine with Puig as an all-star roster selection. Beast mode has been on since day one. And I think Papelbon's stated logic is f'ed up, veteran protectionism at its worst. But there are enough people that you could make a case for being AS selections -- based on actual performance -- that it isn't the slam dunk I thought it would be before I looked it up.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

What is this, "People Posting Stuff I Almost Posted" Day?

I actually did some research & was about to call him out on this stupidity myself, but I didn't care for how decent a case could be made for what he said (as facepalmingly stupid as he said it).

As of yesterday (or the day before, whichever day that story came out) there were only 26 position players with better WAR values than Puig. One of them was another rookie, so 25 that aren't moot to Pape's argument.

The wrinkle came when 8 of those were outfielders just like Puig.

In WAR order, those are
Gomez (Mil) .309/12/37 .906 OPS 4.8 WAR
McCutchen (Pit) .293/9/42 .822 OPS 4.1 WAR
Gonzalez (Col) .292/22/60 .956 OPS 3.6 WAR
Marte (Pit) .286/8/26 .803 OPS 3.6 WAR
Parra (Ari) .301/7/26 .811 OPS 3.3 WAR
Bruce (Cin) .278/18/56 .841 OPS 2.7 WAR
Pence (SF) .280/13/42 .806 OPS 2.5 WAR
Brown (Phl) .275/21/58 .863 OPS 2.4 WAR
----
Puig (LA) .443/8/17 1.218 OPS 2.3 WAR

The vote leaders, last I've seen are
Beltran (StL) .309/19/50 .891 OPS 1.9 WAR
Gonzalez (Col) see above
J.Upton (Atl) .252/15/38 .820 OPS 1.3 WAR
-----
Harper (Was) .278/13/24 .961 OPS 1.7 WAR
McCutchen (Pit) see above

I can't do anything about the 3 OF's that the fans vote in, and in good conscience I couldn't argue that any of the 6-7 other guys (not getting voted in) ahead of Puig in WAR aren't deserving of an all-star selection themselves. And you can't really take 9-11 outfielders, can you?

Personally, I'm absolutely fine with Puig as an all-star roster selection. Beast mode has been on since day one. And I think Papelbon's stated logic is f'ed up, veteran protectionism at its worst. But there are enough people that you could make a case for being AS selections -- based on actual performance -- that it isn't the slam dunk I thought it would be before I looked it up.

The difference between Puig and all those veterans is that his WAR is from only one month of play while all the others are in 3 months. So sure there are guys with higher WARs but it's because they broke with the team from season start, while Puig had to wait for the Dodgers to get their head out of their ass.

Here are both Harper's and Trout's stats for April - June last season.

Harper 245 PA, 36 Runs, 60 Hits, 8 HR, 22 RBI, .274 BA, .475 Slg, and .822 OPS
Trout 258 PA, 48 Runs, 78 Hits, 8 HR, 32 RBI, .336 BA, .526 Slg, and .917 OPS

Here is Puig
107 PA, 19 Runs, 44 Hits, 7 HR, 16 RBI, .436 BA, .713 Slg, and 1.180 OPS

If Puig makes the ASG it's based on the fact that he has had one of the greatest starts of any player ever in baseball, and I'm fine with that. Plus since it's all about hype and who people want to see, he's the "next big thing" right now and I'm fine with him getting in. Not to mention I'm a Dodger fan and think it would be awesome to see him in.

People were questioning whether Trout and Harper should have been in last season, and I think we can all agree it was great to see them make the game.

[MrBug708]

http://princefielderslides.tumblr.com/

[JonInMiddleGA]

Hasn't it been argued in the past that so-and-so shouldn't make the AS team this year since "he was hurt & hasn't even played half the season"? My memory at least suggests that's been a somewhat common complaint.

Like I said earlier, I don't have any problem with him being named at all. But I'll admit that I'm starting to feel like there's at least some reasonable arguments as to why someone else deserves the slot.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Hasn't it been argued in the past that so-and-so shouldn't make the AS team this year since "he was hurt & hasn't even played half the season"? My memory at least suggests that's been a somewhat common complaint.

You are probably right but they were on the voting even if they were hurt. I'm sure the ability of the player was proven and gained a nod.

[PilotMan]

Thank you Bug for my laugh of the day!

[MrBug708]

There are some great ones there

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

The difference between Puig and all those veterans is that his WAR is from only one month of play while all the others are in 3 months. So sure there are guys with higher WARs but it's because they broke with the team from season start, while Puig had to wait for the Dodgers to get their head out of their ass.

Here are both Harper's and Trout's stats for April - June last season.

Harper 245 PA, 36 Runs, 60 Hits, 8 HR, 22 RBI, .274 BA, .475 Slg, and .822 OPS
Trout 258 PA, 48 Runs, 78 Hits, 8 HR, 32 RBI, .336 BA, .526 Slg, and .917 OPS

Here is Puig
107 PA, 19 Runs, 44 Hits, 7 HR, 16 RBI, .436 BA, .713 Slg, and 1.180 OPS

If Puig makes the ASG it's based on the fact that he has had one of the greatest starts of any player ever in baseball, and I'm fine with that. Plus since it's all about hype and who people want to see, he's the "next big thing" right now and I'm fine with him getting in. Not to mention I'm a Dodger fan and think it would be awesome to see him in.

People were questioning whether Trout and Harper should have been in last season, and I think we can all agree it was great to see them make the game.

Does all this really matter? Is he even on the ballot? If not, his only chance is to get in via the fan vote for the last slot. Bochy has all but said he's not going to include him.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

So great to see Hosmer on this HR tear of late. I thought he was going to be relegated to being a singles hitter for the rest of his career.

[DaddyTorgo]

Just saw this tweet when I was checking out ESPN

JLundbladESPN Jeremy Lundblad
Since 2008, Joey Chestnut has had more hot dogs (380) than the #Astros have wins (377)

[TroyF]

Sorry, Puig does not belong on the all star team. Should be a simple rule for position players and tarting pitchers, if you don't qualify for the league leaders, you are not an all star. Period.

[SackAttack]

No argument. I'd love to see him play, but I'm not going to be particularly broken up if Bochy doesn't take him.

[MrBug708]

The purist in me says he hasn't done enough to "earn" an invite but this is not an exhibition game anymore and if Bruce wants to win, you have to put the best players on the team. I would say Puig is one of the best NL players right now and should be on the team.

[sterlingice]

Prince Fielder slides should be on a site called tumbl(e)r

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Sorry, Puig does not belong on the all star team. Should be a simple rule for position players and tarting pitchers, if you don't qualify for the league leaders, you are not an all star. Period.

Yawn.

The exhibition/fan's game argument goes against that.
And this year, the best-chance-to-win argument goes against that too.

Then again, your proposal also just eliminated relief pitchers. Unless we're going to make an exception for them ... in which case we could just call Puig a really good hitting reliever that's on a really really strict pitch count.

[korme]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

The purist in me says he hasn't done enough to "earn" an invite but this is not an exhibition game anymore and if Bruce wants to win, you have to put the best players on the team. I would say Puig is one of the best NL players right now and should be on the team.

The purist in you should argue with yourself and say that 150 PAs does not make one proven to be better than those other guys with years of experience.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by korme

The purist in you should argue with yourself and say that 150 PAs does not make one proven to be better than those other guys with years of experience.

Years of experience are irrelevant for the game this year, Jonathan Papelbon.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Yawn.

The exhibition/fan's game argument goes against that.
And this year, the best-chance-to-win argument goes against that too.

Then again, your proposal also just eliminated relief pitchers. Unless we're going to make an exception for them ... in which case we could just call Puig a really good hitting reliever that's on a really really strict pitch count.

I have always hated the way the all star game worked anyway. I do not subscribe to the idea every team should have one. He has less than 150 at bats. If sanity prevails, he will jot be on the team. My guess is sanity will not prevail and he will be there. I respect other opinions on it, I personally believe he shouldnt be anywhere near the stadium. To each his own. . .

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I have always hated the way the all star game worked anyway. I do not subscribe to the idea every team should have one. He has less than 150 at bats. If sanity prevails, he will jot be on the team. My guess is sanity will not prevail and he will be there. I respect other opinions on it, I personally believe he shouldnt be anywhere near the stadium. To each his own. . .

I would enjoy an All-Star game that was about the very best, proven players. But that's not what the All-Star game is, otherwise there wouldn't be the requirement of one player from each team.

And I suspect that's the right choice. The purist All-Star game approach would appeal to the hard core baseball fans, but I doubt the popularity would match the current, exhibition-style approach.

That's fine by me - having been to an All-Star game weekend and participating in all the festivities, it's about the fan experience, and I think gearing the whole weekend toward a broader audience is the right call.

The only thing that really bugs me about the current set up is having the outcome have anything to do with the World Series, though I see Selig's point in wanting to have something on the line lest the game become too farcical.

[JPhillips]

I don't give a damn about the actual game. The only reason I pay any attention is because of any Reds that make the team. I imagine there are a whole lot of fans like me.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

There's a reason I was pleading with him.

You're not trying hard enough!