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And why all of this obsession with staying under the CBT number?
And was DFA'd today by the Giants after going 3-27 (all singles).
Ichiro was arguably the greatest leadoff hitter of his era, collecting 2,529 of his hits from the top spot, which ranked behind only Rickey Henderson (3,020) and Rose (2,924). However, compared to those two, Ichiro compiled a much higher batting average from the No. 1 hole, with a .323 clip, compared to Rose's .308 and Henderson's .280.
Not on the club: Drew Ferguson (just 2-15 on the spring for the Giants)
LHP Parker Mushinski
The Red Raider ex had shaky control while pitching in Lubbock and that has continued into the pros. This season for QC the 22-year old out of the Metroplex had a 11.9% BB rate, one of the highest of any starter (min: 80 IP) in the system. But there were significant positives as well--a BAA of just .189 and a K rate topping 30%. Given his wildness issues, org brass may have realized his future was not as a starter and on Aug 3 he was moved to the River Bandits bullpen. Alternatively, the move was made to simply limit his innings for the year. Whichever the reason, the results were pretty slick: 14.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 28 K. He also ended the regular season not having given up an ER over his last 21.1 innings. Low 90s FB (T94) and above avg curve was the scouting report from 2017. They've got him listed at 6'0" 225 lbs. A Jim Stevenson signee.
Better today with 1 1/3 scoreless and allowing just 1 hit.
Rangers sign Hunter Pence to a minor league deal with an invite to major league camp.
What are the remaining roster battles?
Cuts #4 of the spring:
Fisher, Perez, Straw, Alvarez, Emanuel, Mayfield, McCurry, Tanielu, Toro.
The difference in signing the contract before or after Opening Day, is that if it's signed after Opening Day of a particular season, and that season's salary is guaranteed under the contract, then that season's salary is not included in the AAV equation, it's simply the base salary for that season, pro-rated based on when it was signed. So it depends on what years are guaranteed by the extension in addition to when it is signed. From what I've seen, the guaranteed years of Bregman's extension are 2020-2024, so the AAV calculation doesn't kick in until next season. His 2019 CBT base salary is simply his salary for 2019, which is only $640,500.
As for the salary cap effects, does today count as opening day because of the game in Japan?
Nunes co-sponsored the "Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act" in 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/us/politics/devin-nunes-twitter-lawsuit.html
Is this what "snowflake" means?
Say hello to minor league camp: Brady Rodgers, Erasmo Pinales, Jose Hernandez, Ryan Hartman and Lorenzo Quintana.
Round #2 (ICYMI from yesterday): Pitchers Bryan Abreu and Akeem Bostick, catchers Garrett Stubbs and Chuckie Robinson, infielders Taylor Jones and Josh Rojas and outfielder Ronnie Dawson.
Today's cuts: Tucker, Armenteros, Whitley, Martin, Bukauskas, Bielak, DeGoti.
Members of Houston's player development staff will go even further, with some likening Abreu's curveball to the absolute hammer that Lance McCullers Jr. possesses. He generates huge spin rates and tremendous depth on his low-80s curve, and he said he actually has more trust in an upper-80s slider that he tightened last season with the help of pitching coach Graham Johnson at Class A Quad Cities. Abreu's breaking balls destroyed right-handed hitters last season, as he held them to a .380 OPS while striking out 52 percent of them. He posted a 1.49 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings between short-season Tri-City and Quad Cities.
Abreu's fastball is difficult to contend with as well, ranging from 92-96 mph with running action. His biggest needs at this point are to refine his circle changeup and continue to improve his control and command. He did a better job of locating his pitches in 2018, cutting his walk rate to 3.8 per nine innings after averaging 6.2 in his first four pro seasons.
After tearing the ACL in his right knee playing football in November 2016, third baseman/second baseman Nick Tanielu played in just two games in 2017 and wasn't back to 100 percent last season. Finally healthy again, he's topping the Astros in slugging (.829), OPS (1.239), hits (12), extra-base hits (eight), homers (four) and RBIs (13) while striking out just three times in 39 plate appearances. "He's always made a lot of contact and hit the ball hard," Putila said. "He's been working with Ben Rosenthal, our Triple-A hitting coach, on improving his load. His OPS last year [.755] doesn't do him justice because he was coming back from the ACL. He's very interesting."
Ok. I thought at one time I remembered 1B being his natural position. Perhaps next season Gurriel transitions to DH and Alvarez takes over at 1B??
Could be wrong but I've only heard of him as LF or DH.
What does "topical substances" mean here?
Does anyone have an understanding about why Josh Fields was released by the Dodgers?
Toro has been at 3B exclusively...
Tucker is good insurance for a Josh Reddick injury or lack of performance in 2019. That's good insurance to have too. Who has impressed me most is Nick Tanielu, the New Zealander. He's been quite steady on defense at third and has hit well from the right side. I'd personally rate him as higher in the pecking order than Tyler White right now, but I'm not the judge of anything, so it means nothing what I think.
But if you think about Tanielu as insurance, it's good to know he can be in the same role as White in 2018. In the minors ready to come up when injury or lack of performance is keeping the team from winning. Another player who early on impressed me was Abraham Toro. His ability to hit with power from both sides is there, just needs to be more consistent. If Toro continues to improve in the minors, he can eventually be the heir apparent to Marwin Gonzales on this team. Here is hoping his switch goes off in the minors as he continues to get the experience.
His silly stare and cockiness really wore thin last year.
...but the prospect has impressed both Hinch and outfield coach Gary Pettis with his work in left field. "He's a little more athletic and a little bit better in left field than I had anticipated, just because there's so much attention and talk about his bat," Hinch said of Álvarez. [His] size almost pigeonholes him to first base. Instead, the Astros view him more as an option in left field, especially in Minute Maid Park's small configuration. Hinch said this week Álvarez will take a few grounders at first base but will see game time mostly in left field. "He's a big fella that has to work on being fairly perfect with his fundamentals," Hinch said. "He's good in his space — I don't think range is going to be huge for him — but he's attentive, we let him know that needs to be important for him because it gives us an option to call him up."
More praise for Brandon Bielak after his 3 shutout innings yesterday:
Chandler Rome @Chandler_Rome 13h ago
A.J. Hinch: Bielak "probably should be talked about as a guy in the same breath as Whitley and Bukauskas and Martin," Hinch said. "He's got great stuff."
Say hello to minor league camp: Brady Rodgers, Erasmo Pinales, Jose Hernandez, Ryan Hartman and Lorenzo Quintana.
Really? Pizzagate was made up nonsense that ended up with someone walking into the establishment with guns demanding answers. Luckily no one was shot. There weren’t any actual kids involved. There wasn’t even a fucking basement.
Madame Massage Parlour ran a bunch of establishments, at least one of which was staffed with trafficked women. Do you think it’s a coincidence that of all the rub ‘n’ tug shops in all the world Bob Kraft walked into that one?
This whole thing is sleazy as fuck and also - like everything else in the Trump administration- potentially a gargantuan security risk. I think the fake child slaves would be ok with some outrage about that.
The lady who co-founded massage parlors that are staffed with trafficked women turns out to be a doyen of right wing gatherings, and the host of events for Chinese business folk at Mar-a-Lago where they were promised they would get to...erm...press the flesh with the President.
I know all right wing rhetoric is projection, but I had no idea that this principle extended even to PizzaGate.
Maldonado to KC, 1-yr, 2.5M, with another 1.5 in incentives.
According to a new report that just hit MLB Trade Rumors, we offered Martin Maldonado a 2 year contract at the beginning of the offseason that he and Boras turned down.
Maldonado has dumped Boras and hired new representation.
Here's a summary of experiments they'll be running in the Atlantic League:
1. Computers will call balls/strikes
2. Pitching rubber extended to 62 feet 6 inches from home plate
3. The distance between bases will be shortened by 3 inches (by increasing the size of the bases)
4. Infield defensive shifts restricted by requiring two fielders on either side of second
5. Infielders also will be prohibited from setting up on the outfield grass
6. Each pitcher must face at least three batters or complete the half-inning, unless injured.
7. Between inning breaks will be cut from 2 minutes, 5 seconds to 1:45.
8. Mound visits are banned, except for pitching changes or medical issues.
Plate umpires will wear earpieces and be informed of ball/strike calls by a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar. Umps will have the ability to override the computer, which considers a pitch a strike when the ball bounces and then crosses the zone. TrackMan also does not evaluate check swings.
The morning after Bukauskas' third Grapefruit League outing, McCullers recited the rookie's velocities and pitch sequences. The changeup Bukauskas claimed has "come a long way" got rave reviews. "The beautiful thing is he's got a live fastball and he's got a quick, deceiving arm action and the changeup is just a f----ing power pitch," McCullers said. "He doesn't realize it yet, but it is and it will be, when he learns kind of how to mix and match and do his things and creates that plan."
In five innings, Bukauskas has five strikeouts. All appearances have been from the bullpen, not unusual in spring training but unconventional for Bukauskas. One of his most preeminent takeaways from his first month in camp is his seamless implementation of a reliever routine — a trait which could serve well should the major league team require his services later in the season. On Wednesday against the Marlins, Bukauskas sat at 97 mph consistently through a 30-pitch outing.
Bukauskas can incorporate a cutter, too. He began throwing it in West Palm Beach last year, while rehabilitating from a car accident in which he suffered a slipped disc in his back. Using it in Grapefruit League play and seeing a major league hitter break his bat against it bolstered Bukauskas' confidence.
Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN 1m ago
Astros have had recent dialogue with Dallas Keuchel about a possible deal, but as of last night, not close to a deal.
Given a good year I'd bet one or both of Adcock and Hartman would be put on the 40-man.
Article VII Section E of the 2018-2019 NAIA Handbook for having amateur status reinstated:
1. Discontinue violation of NAIA amateur-standing regulations.
2. You will be charged a season of competition for every year you competed at a professional level. The NAIA gives you four seasons of competition for the first 10 semesters or 15 quarters you are enrolled in college.
3. Attending two consecutive semester, or three consecutive quarters, at an institution prior to being a part of an athletic team.
4. Finally, an athlete must submit verification to the NAIA National Coordinating Committee proving they have completed the three previous requirements to restore their amateur status.
Only for those who know what is being talked about here. Anyone care to summarize what happened?
The Wilson story remains heart-breaking to me after all of these years.
The score was 2-1 Reds in the bottom of the 8th. Both runs scored on an error after walks.
Disastrous outing for Devenski today.
McHugh was scheduled for two innings but came out after one due to back soreness.
Dean Deetz has right shoulder soreness.
An offensive adjustment prior to his Arizona Fall League tenure allowed him an eye-popping turnaround. Toro and Astros assistant hitting coach Troy Snitker refined his stance, taking out the pronounced leg kick with his front foot. Toro, who stands 6-foot-1, sets his feet closer together and bends lower at his knees. He still delivers a leg kick when he begins his swing, though it is considerably less demonstrative. [In the AFL] Toro knocked 23 hits in 66 at-bats, accruing a 1.023 OPS. A .463 on-base percentage was bolstered by as many walks (12) as strikeouts.
Hinch: “A very intriguing guy because of the work that he does and hits the ball as hard — or harder — than any of the new guys we have here. As he works on his defense and becomes comfortable at both corners, he becomes even more intriguing.”
Granden Goetzman was signed last July but barely played after being released by the Cardinals. I suspect they're trying to convert the long-time OF into a pitcher.
Pitcher Akeem Bostick, who split last year between Triple-A and Double-A and is in his first big league camp, has been working hard on improving the spin rate on his curveball while trying to get better command of his cutter. In his outing against the Nationals on Wednesday, Bostick – an imposing 6-foot-6 right-hander – said his curveball spin rate was close to 2,300 rpm, which is a step in the right direction. He said he’s typically around 2,100 rpm and is trying to reach 2,400 or 2,500 rpm.
Those were pretty much a given with Kemp the one on the bubble. But Kaplan wrote an article in The Athletic the other day which suggested the Astros would carry only 12 pitchers which opens a spot for Kemp to make the roster with quotes from Luhnow:
“In fact, (a roster with 13 position players is) probably more likely this year than it would have been last year.”
“We’re not going to make that decision until the very end,” Luhnow said. “But if I had to draw it up right now, that’s probably how I would draw it up because then we get to keep all of our players happy and productive and motivated.”
https://theathletic.com/824514/2019/02/18/houston-astros-spring-training-roster-tony-kemp-jake-marisnick/
Major League Baseball and the Atlantic League will announce the experimental playing rule and equipment changes for the 2019 ALPB Championship Season in the coming weeks.
Giants take Drew Ferguson in the 2nd round.
Astros outfielder Derek Fisher has come into camp with a revamped swing he says feels more “natural” than in years past. Fisher, the Astros 2014 supplemental first-round pick, adjusted his swing to get the ball the air more two years ago in Triple-A and had his best minor league season. In the majors with that lofted swing, however, he’s hit .196 with a 38 percent strikeout rate. “I think I just tried to do too much,” said Fisher, 25. “I think I did really good things leading up and I just tried to do more. Now this past offseason I worked to get myself back to how I should be.” Fisher declined to go into details about his swing other than to say it felt better.
The 28-year-old already senses the progress surgery helped him achieve. The spin rate on his curveball accelerated. So did the velocity on his slider. Pre-surgery, [Brady] Rodgers sat 88-92 mph with his fastball. Now, he rests at 92 mph while bumping 94-95 with ease.
Some cat named Taneliu or something just hit a homer. The Astros lead 6-2 middle of 6.
Marisnick has changed his posture at the plate, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. Manager A.J. Hinch described it as he's more "leaned over at his waist." To improve his roster chances, the 27-year-old -- who posted a .674 OPS and a 35.9 strikeout percentage in 2018 -- is working with new hitting coach Alex Cintron. In the past, Marisnick's first move was backwards, causing him to be underneath pitches. According to Hinch, that is what's contributing to his high swing-and-miss rate and low batting average.
Today’s lineup....
Marisnick DH
Fisher LF
Diaz SS
Tucker RF
White 3B
Reed 1B
Stassi C
Tanileu 2b
Straw CF
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RHP Andrew Peters, John Logan CC (IL)
Listed at 6’2” 185 lbs. South Carolina commit.
3B Josh Rivera, IMG Academy (FL)
Listed at 6’2” 205 lbs. Florida commit.
Nate, any thoughts/predictions on our Outfield as ST begins and ends?
Springer
Brantley
Reddick
Marisnick
Fisher
Tucker
Kemp
Straw
*** Seems like Fisher/Tucker/Straw are odd men out for Opening Day Roster?
Davis Daniel left a game this weekend with a forearm injury. Dr. Andrews paying a visit.
The Giants went after Gustave hard when he became a minor league free agent, but he waited until about 10 days ago to sign. The front office was pretty psyched to get the 26-year-old right-hander.
...asked the club to give him a list of things he needed to work on. He was told to work on his arm strength, continuing to improve his defense and being more consistent with his load during his stance so he can hit lefties better.
Question for the experts, and apologies if it’s already been answered, but why the dramatically different opinions on Yordan Alvarez?
Jackson: Yordan Alvarez didn’t rank after being high in your mid season list. What sorcery did Keith Law whisper in Eric’s ear? But for real, that’s a huge swing. What do you see now that you didn’t eight months ago.
12:08
Eric A Longenhagen: We re-shuffled last year’s final update a bit and sent it around to teams for feedback and they almost all said to move him down, that they had him in as a DH-only.
Is that a change? I did not think I was asleep while scoring. But maybe I was.
It is the inning’s leadoff batter.
MLB Pipeline with their preseason Top 100 rankings:
7. Forrest Whitley, RHP
8. Kyle Tucker, OF
44. Yordan Alvarez, OF
62. Josh James, RHP
81. Corbin Martin, RHP
97. J.B. Bukauskas, RHP
Probably won't make the roster this year, but an interesting BA article on Brandon Bielak who really doesn't get
much pub.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/brandon-bielak-continues-to-impress/
If you want to see a bunch of the college guys from Texas play in one weekend go to the college classic at MMP this year.
And Keith Law with his preseason Top 100 rankings:
4. Whitley
17. Tucker
48. Martin
67. JBB
70. James
Notes on Law's rankings:
*Yordan Alvarez didn't even make his "near miss" list.
I have FUBO.TV now. They do not, as of yet, have Attsportsnet on their line-up.
They both have apparently been signed. I haven't seen that talked about. I could be wrong.
Correa won his case.
Devo agreement:
https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/1092246014961037312?s=19
Brock Dykxhoorn was released so he could sign with the SK Wyverns of the KBO.
I have no idea what category this particularwenchwretch falls under, because I'm not familiar withherhis work at all, but good journalists of all kinds should be celebrated, because they are few and far between these days.
What happened to file and trial? Does club option count as multi-year?
Add Austin Wates to Ben Orloff and Kirk Saarloos on the list of ex-Bus Riders who are now assistants at D1 baseball programs. The former 3rd round pick (2010) was recently named to the coaching staff at Kansas State. Spent parts of 5 years in the system before going to the Marlins in the Marisnick trade.
I wish we had MiLB data to help supplement these numbers. I'd sure be interested to see spin data for Whitley, Bukauskas, Martin, etc.
I assume Zach Zubia (Texas) is draft-eligible, and though he’s a slug, his bat is pretty impressive. Surprised none of those sources mentioned him going within the top five rounds.
Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN 3m ago
Breakdown of Wade Miley's possible performance bonuses on top of his $4.5m salary with Houston: $100K for 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 games started; $100K when he reaches 25, 35, 45, 55 and 60 relief appearances.
Question for the masses but particularly Nate. Does Armenteros, provided he pitches well in spring training, have a realistic shot at making the big club? His stats are impressive and I thought he looked great in spring last year.
So the way I read it, is that it would be hard for J Luhn to ship off some of our excess inventory (5 or 6 players) in bulk to get one solid gem?
Did you mean don’t understand or don’t give a fuck?
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/wade-miley-489119
Could someone help me consider what a package of three or four players from below could get us (since they are out of options)? Reverse engineering kind of question. 4 for 1 type trade1. Tony Kemp
2. Derek Fisher3. Great White4. Max Stassi
5. AJ Reed6. Jake Marisnick
Plus some mix of eitherReddick/Bukauskas/Framber/Josh James
Thoughts?
Fantastic!
Goddamn, man.
Why didn't we think of this sooner?
Split-squadders sweep the Rainjizz!!!
...with former Astros coach Deacon Jones about his experiences meeting Jackie Robinson and his own baseball journey. I'm sure it will be great.
Solis has also had TJ. https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/astros-jairo-solis-will-miss-entire-2019-season/
JJ Cooper in today's BA chat says Jairo Solis recently had Tommy John so adding him to the list.
And now BP with their list:
- 7. Whitley
- 14. Tucker
- 46. Josh James
- 49. Alvarez
- 80. JBB
And now BA:
5. Forrest Whitley
12. Kyle Tucker
34. Yordan Alvarez
77. Josh James
78. Corbin Martin
Notes on the BA rankings:
*Nine organizations account for nearly 60% of the list: Padres (9), Rays (9), Braves [8], Blue Jays (7), Astros (5), White Sox (5), Cardinals (5), Reds (5), Dodgers (5).
*Red Sox, Yankees and Cubs all had zero prospects on the list.
*JBB one of the "last, last cuts" according to one of the BA writers.
MLB Pipeline with their preseason Top 100 rankings:
7. Forrest Whitley, RHP
8. Kyle Tucker, OF
44. Yordan Alvarez, OF
62. Josh James, RHP
81. Corbin Martin, RHP
97. J.B. Bukauskas, RHP
Notes on the MLBP rankings:
*Houston 3rd among all organizations with the most prospects on the list behind the Padres (10) and Braves [8] and tied with the ChiSox (6) and Rays (6).
*In terms of MLBP's prospect point rankings (which give more weight to the best prospects), the Astros ranked 5th while other prospective playoff teams ranked far behind (Dodgers 11th, Cardinals 17th, Indians 19th, Brewers 23rd, Yankees 24th, Red Sox 28th and Cubs 29th) suggesting Houston has more ammunition to make trade deadline deals.
*The Astros were 2nd only to the Braves with 4 RHPs on the list.
Guillen [age 27] is even younger than Jason Bell, 28, who guided the ValleyCats to the New York-Penn League title last season. And at least Bell had experience coaching in college and elsewhere in Houston's system before getting the job.
Guillen interviewed with Astros director of player development Pete Putila, who says he prefers a younger, less-experienced candidate who can be taught the Houston way of instructing players. "One of the things that gets overlooked sometimes in player development is coach development, which for me personally is probably more important than player development,'' Putila said. "When you get coach development right, player development should come. We're really looking to redefine and enhance the role of manager and we're trying to figure out how we can get more out of those positions. It's a good opportunity for someone to learn how to manage the way we want them to manage in that regard."
And now BP with their list:
- 7. Whitley
- 14. Tucker
- 46. Josh James
- 49. Alvarez
- 80. JBB
And now BA:
5. Forrest Whitley
12. Kyle Tucker
34. Yordan Alvarez
77. Josh James
78. Corbin Martin
Notes on the BA rankings:
*Nine organizations account for nearly 60% of the list: Padres (9), Rays (9), Braves [8], Blue Jays (7), Astros (5), White Sox (5), Cardinals (5), Reds (5), Dodgers (5).
*Red Sox, Yankees and Cubs all had zero prospects on the list.
*JBB one of the "last, last cuts" according to one of the BA writers.
Why not Walt Bond?
...Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan, Astros Manager of Authentication and Team Historian Mike Acosta, 2019 Astros HOF inductee and Special Assistant to the GM Craig Biggio, Astros Community Outreach Executive and former broadcaster Bill Brown, Astros VP of Communications Gene Dias, 2019 Astros HOF inductee Larry Dierker, President of the Houston / Larry Dierker Chapter of SABR Bob Dorrill, Astros VP of Foundation Development Marian Harper, MLB.com National Correspondent Alyson Footer, MLB.com Astros Beat Writer Brian McTaggart, and baseball and Houston historian Mike Vance.
As I said, they were at the end of their World Series, and we did not stop in either one the towns.
Nate, since I sort of tune out in the off-season and am unaware, has there been something written on the "10,000 feet" view of the "purge"? Seems like there was a lot of movement beyond folks taking their skills to other organizations.
We decided that in the minor leagues, we would hire an extra coach at each level. The requirements for that coach were that he had to be able to hit a fungo, throw batting practice, and program in SQL. It’s a hard universe to find where those intersect, but we were able to find enough of them—players that had played in college that maybe played one year in the minors that had a technical background and could understand analytics.
...until the point where we realized that we no longer needed that, because our hitting coaches and our pitching coaches and our managers are now fully technology enabled. They can do the translation. And they’re actually real baseball people who have had careers in coaching and playing.
You’ve got 150 people working in baseball operations, 200 players in a system, some of them have no high-school education. Some don’t speak English. You’re dealing with a very difficult population to implement new things that are not normal to them. The program of sending the people out and eventually changing over a large part of our hitting and pitching coaches and managers, quite frankly, to be a bit more open-minded, progressive group is when our implementation started to take root.
Big data combined with artificial intelligence is the next big wave in baseball, and I think we’re just starting to scratch the surface. But we’re making a big investment in this area.
You have to be first. You have to create an advantage for yourself. If you’re not looking at what’s coming down the road—and technology and data are so important— somebody else is going to.
...Yuli Gurriel, a guy we found in our international scouting out of Cuba who took a lower-dollar offer to be with the Astros and could’ve gone to another team.
Guaranteed money gets factored in as part of the AAV calculation--besides signing bonuses, a club buyout of an option year also goes into the AAV (if Brantley had a club option of $15MM for 2021 but the Astros had a buyout option of $3MM, that $3MM is considered guaranteed money and therefore also would have been pro-rated over 2019 and 2020).
White smoke,probably need to get the engine checked.there's a new car in your future.
I'm glad that stupid tradition is dead.
And nowthey haveMLB Pipeline with their end of season Top 100 rankings:
- 5. Tucker
- 8. Whitley
- 42. Alvarez
- 95. Josh James
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=prospects
Is Clemens trending upwards? I have not kept up with his previous years, but I seem to remember a year where he got less than double digit votes.
So I stand humbly in the presence of your exalted judgement, a bothsideismist.
I would like to vote for John Hickenlooper in 2020. Maybe Kamala Harris. Otherwise I might vote Green Party again.
You know I think it's funny that I'm looked at as some kind of Republican apologist. I'm a registered Democrat who voted for Bernie in the primaries.
2013 BBWAA (38.8%)Clemens...59.5%
2014 BBWAA (29.2%)
2015 BBWAA (39.2%)
2016 BBWAA (52.3%)
2017 BBWAA (45.0%)
2018 BBWAA (51.2%)
2013 BBWAA (37.6%)Kent..........18.1%
2014 BBWAA (35.4%)
2015 BBWAA (37.5%)
2016 BBWAA (45.2%)
2017 BBWAA (54.1%)
2018 BBWAA (57.3%)
2014 BBWAA (15.2%)Wagner....16.7%
2015 BBWAA (14.0%)
2016 BBWAA (16.6%)
2017 BBWAA (16.7%)
2018 BBWAA (14.5%)
2016 BBWAA (10.5%)Pettitte......9.9%
2017 BBWAA (10.2%)
2018 BBWAA (11.1%)
Oswalt and Berkman are both going to drop off the ballot. That's pretty surprising.
Rivera with 100%.
Reportedly the Dodgers are close to acquiring Russell Martin.
Seems like everybody in MLB is telling the Marlins to screw off with their asking price.
I also think both sides are guilty.
DING, DING, DING... oh wait, did I just insult you by doing that?
Better than the delightful circle jerking off of each other I see in this.
This social media experiment, it isn't as fall-safe as one might think.
As a parent, this might be the one thing that would make me prone to violence if because of a social mandate, my parenting is overridden by a social media scorecard.
It takes a village.
Fine, you think those kids are just stupid. But, I also think kids learn from the actions of the adults around them. So, if you think they are going to be taught a lesson at home, you have more faith in their families than I do.
Since Stubbs is on the 40 man now, doesn't the ST list automatically include him?
Tell that to a BoSox fan who doesn't mind beating the crap out of a Yankee wearing fan at Fenway.
Eggszactly. Sorta like a Yankee cap.
I certainly might have missed it, but I didn't see anyone on this thread make or defend any threat of violence. I'm not sure who you are arguing with.
But violence being justified? I personally do not have that threshold. For example, if I'm pro-lifer (ardent) do I justify groups that advocate violence against doctors because we hold similar views on life? I would hope not, it's not that clear cut. I would distance myself from those prone to violence (*righteous indignation*) because they think the other person deserves it.
It's just not right.
By a young man who is what, 16 years of age? That allows adults to confront them?
True. But does not give anyone license to confront them with their own morality.
Perhaps to avoid being bullys ourselves, we should learn to not allow our prejudice over a stupid cap to drive us to the dark side of us and yet rather look to the better angels of our nature.
As humanitarian as we want to be towards others, we should practice the same for all... cap or no cap. Else you have *NO* "right" to stand on.
I encourage anyone who feels this way about Confederate iconography to read Battle Cry of Freedom. Actually, I encourage everyone to read Battle Cry of Freedom.
Heyman says Reds are “finalizing” a deal for Gray.
I'm waiting to see if another outlet independently confirms the story before I trust the authority for the 20 best celebrity nip slips.
The A's knew that was going to happen before they signed him. I'm not arguing one way or the other, just trying to wrap my head around a rather unique situation.
He didn't sign the original contract on the expectation of an increase.
Looks like Murray signed his draft deal in June, according to the rules when is the earliest he can sign a MLB contract? I would think it's any time after his draft season ends?
Aren't all the clubs taking a "file and trial" approach?
But beyond that, front offices now have a tool to measure how effective their coaches are. Judging a hitting coach on the success of his hitters has long been a hard to quantify–even over the course of a full season normalized statistics can be incredibly noisy. Now it can be quantified by how hard his hitters hit and how much quality contact they make, pitch by pitch and swing by swing.
Anyone spot Billy Spiers on the Clemson sideline this season?
Link
Alvarez, Kemp, and Valdez. Who says no?
Has Correa actually accepted any contract from the Astros since agreeing to his draft bonus? He’s made them renew him each year, right?
He was damn good (not just lucky) away from Yankee Stadium last year. Not sure I’d pin my hopes on him, but it’s easy to imagine him returning to form.
Definitely not James. Bukauskas maybe.
The Astros typically carry 12 position players, so at this point that would be Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, Aledmys Diaz, Robinson Chirinos, Max Stassi, Brantley, Springer, Reddick and Marisnick. The other spot would be between Tyler White or Kemp, I'd imagine. White's power potential -- he had a .888 OPS last year in 210 at-bats -- makes him a strong candidate to get at-bats at designated hitter.
I tried out for the Houston Oilers in '77 as an end/punter and had their team made. There was really nobody in the way of two-sport stars back then. Dave DeBusschere did it a little bit. Pitched for the White Sox and played for the Pistons. Gene Conley pitched with the Red Sox and played basketball for the Celtics. I was going to play (football) only on Sundays and then when the baseball season was over play full time. We had it all set up and then the (Astros') front office found out about it and upped my salary to buy me out of it.
Interesting: Crane said he still expects Luhnow to add a bat and a pitcher, “I’m sure we’ll make 2 or 3 moves before it’s done.”Fuller quotes from Crane:
here have been enough players, especially middle infielders, who have overcome the "undersized" label to have Major League success. That's why it might be a mistake to overlook the 5-foot-8 Santana, who was having a huge United States debut in the Appalachian League after two summers in the Dominican Summer League.
Two things stand out for the second baseman: his knack for contact and his high-energy play. His career has been brief, but he's always hit, with a quick swing and very few strikeouts. He might never be a huge power guy, but he is capable of driving the ball with more strength than you'd expect, and he already is showing a very advanced approach at the plate and a willingness to draw walks. He's an average runner who should be capable enough at second defensively.
Santana loves to compete and his makeup, when combined with his hit tool, gave the Mets confidence to jump him over the Gulf Coast League up to the Appy League in 2018, where he was one of the league's best hitters. That ability to swing the bat should carry him up the ladder, and if he can maintain that approach, a future as an everyday offensive-minded second baseman awaits.
Mostly because they’re cheap. Also because of my pie in the sky optimism.
As far as Karns and TOS I’ve always thought he was underrated and Tyson Ross, Vince Velasquez and Matt Harvey all had good to decent seasons. Has there been an improvement in the recovery process or is it just small sample size?
Gio, Karns, Brett Anderson, Buchholz. I’d be happy with any of them.
I think Gio's curve rates high on the almighty spin-rate list, too. And perhaps the fact that Luhnow's protege Stearns traded for him in MIL last year is an indication that the analytics like his potential... if the 25 IP he threw for the BrewCrew are any indication, maybe they did help him: 5.0 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 2.13 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, after putting up very sub-par stats for the Nats prior to the trade.
BAlso mentioned the following as rising prospects:
- Johanse Torres--way too old for DSL but "95-99 FB and a potentially plus slider are worth paying attention to"
The only two estimates I've seen for a contract were 6 yrs @ $7MM AAV (MLBTR) and 3 yrs @ $10MM AAV (Ken Davidoff). Posting fee is 20% of the 1st $25MM and 17.5% of the next $25MM. Important to note that the release fee (aka posting fee) is NOT subject to the CBT.
Other than Baty, is there anyone in the Houston/Austin/SA area that needs watching?
- LHP Nick Lodolo/Junior--the 6'6" Horned Frog likely gets picked quickly if he steps up his game this spring.
- OF Jerrion Ealy/HSer--Ole Miss commit who also plays football which of course affects signability.
- SS Braden Shewmake/Junior--the 6'4" Aggie and lefty swinger might not stick at shortstop.
- OF JJ Bleday/Junior--another lefty swinger, the Vandy player has the arm for RF.
- 1B Michael Busch/Junior--yet another lefty. Luhnow likes his Tarheels but might like this one more if he could play 2B or LF (which may be a possibility).
- OF Matt Wallner/Junior--lefty hitter with arm for RF who currently patrols CF for Southern Miss.
- OF Maurice Hampton/HSer--LSU commit who like Ealy has the football card to play.
- SS Will Wilson/Junior--the NC Stater might have to shift to 2B.
- SS Logan Davidon/Junior--the Clemson switch-hitter is likely to stick at SS. Wood bat struggles in the Cape though.
- RHP Tyler Dyson/Junior--FB touching upper 90s but command/control and developing 3rd pitch needed.
- 3B Brett Baty/HSer--lefty hitter out of Lake Travis HS is a Longhorn commit.
- SS Matthew Lugo/HSer--the Carlos Beltran BB Academy product is a U of Miami commit.
- OF Kyle Stowers/Junior--lefty swinger for Stanford has arm for right.
- RHP Ryne Nelson/Junior--a two-way player for Oregon as an infielder/reliever, the hard-thrower moves into the starting rotation this spring.
- RHP Matthew Thompson/HSer--one of two highly-rated Cypress Ranch HS pitchers who are Aggie commits.
- RHP JJ Goss/HSer--the other.
- 1B/OF Mike Toglia/Junior--will be one of the youngest college juniors at the time of the draft/switch-hitter/above average defender at 1B but may be able to play corner OF.
- LHP Erik Miller/Junior--another Stanford Cardinal/has struggled in the CCBL.
- 1B Logan Wyatt/Junior--lefty hitter for Louisville/great eye at plate/lotsa power/probably limited to 1B.
- OF Will Robertson/Junior--lefty swinger for Creighton may be limited to left.
- SS Nasim Nunez/HSer--superb defender/questionable bat/switch-hitter.
Others of note: SS Bobby Whitt, Jr (Colleyville Heritage HS), 3B Josh Jung (Texas Tech) and C Shea Langeliers (Baylor) are all projected to go in the first 10 picks.
...was his velocity down later in the year?
Here you go...
Fastball velocity by month
March/April - 94.3
May - 95.0
June - 94.8
July - 94.4
August/September - 94.0 (Only 1 game in August)
- 1B Michael Busch/Junior--yet another lefty. Luhnow likes his Tarheels but might like this one more if he could play 2B or LF (which may be a possibility).
My thought at the time was he had become too predictable, and hitter were stiiting on and crushing his changeup.
His change was easy to spot without the great movement, and they were laying off of it and he wasn't locating his FB either so then BP
Each Club’s final Actual Club Payroll for a Contract Year in which the Competitive Balance Tax is applicable shall be calculated on the December 2 following that Contract Year and shall be the exclusive figure used for the purpose of determining whether a Club has exceeded the Base Tax or Surcharge Thresholds.
A Uniform Player’s Contract with a term of more than one (1) championship season (“Multi-Year Contract”) shall be deemed to have a Salary in each Guaranteed Year equal to the “Average Annual Value” (“AAV”) of the Contract (plus any bonuses subsequently included by operation of Section E(4) below).
E(4)
Any amounts that are actually earned by a Player as Performance Bonuses, Award Bonuses or any other bonuses properly included in a Uniform Player’s Contract shall be included as part of the Player’s Salary in the Contract Year in which the service or performance giving rise to the Bonus was provided. Potential bonuses shall not be included in the AAV calculation made pursuant to Section E(2) above.
But being the debbie downer I am, me suspects Devo's arm is shot...
How do performance bonuses figure in, like "you get an extra million if you pitch/play X number of games..."?
How does a signing bonus affect calculating the team salary for luxury tax purposes?
So basically it's a posting system sort of like Japan's?
You are right, I read the wrong part but the source that he used for that figure, cots, has updated to add Brantley and the figure shows 169.8, not sure what has changed, it's harf to navigate on my phone.
Heres the link for those interested
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KggX-IVrw6TywbOR6OIooQyxAY1MpTlnq88PqnNkuWQ/pubhtml
So looking at cots, it lists altuve at 23 million but thats not actually true for next season. His number for 2019 is actually 9.5 million and 2020 he starts making 29 million per year
I'd be interested in taking a flyer on Matt Harvey. He was such a dominant pitcher that I wonder if Brent Strom can work some magic on him.
Major League Baseball and the Cuban Baseball Federation and INDER have reached an agreement, a source who preferred to remain anonymous told CiberCuba. The information, which comes from an official close to a Major League organization, clarifies that Cuba and MLB have signed a new agreement for 2019 that will initiate a new era in the history of both countries, after 58 years of contradictions. These will be some of the guidelines of the new agreement:
1. Cuban players who emigrate after 2019 in search of free agency, this will be denied.
2. The Cuban Baseball Federation will present its best talents to the MLB organizations and sign from the Island, obtaining the INDER 25% of the contract's profits.
3. Baseball players who continue the process of free agency and emigrated until 2018 will remain in current market patterns regardless of the new agreement.
This new agreement would put an end to the mass exodus of baseball players that began systematically in 1991 and has reached its extreme limits in the last five years.
...so I'm guessing $15-20MM would be the maximum add prior to opening day. That would put CBT payroll in the $195-200MM range giving the club flexibility later in the season.
Like Kemp, White is out of options. If they're both on the OD roster, then you're making the bet on both that they'll remain on the 25-man roster the entire year. I like both players and aren't advocating for getting rid of them but I can see a possible scenario over the winter where Luhnow trades 'em because (A) they may be at their maximum trade value (B) better to get something for them now rather than run the risk of losing them later and get nothing in return and (C) as part of a package targeting MLB-ready player(s) to being received in return who have options remaining.
Noe, I am very glad you are back and posting. Stay this time.
According to MLB trade rumors, we are close to signing a deal with Michael Brantley.
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The flyers that they'll take are on guys with velocity and high spin.
Is there a breakdown out there of FAs spin rates?
How about taking a chance on Buchholz? Could we catch lightening in a bottle twice on a lower tier/cost guy?
Who's the 2nd player they lost in the Rule 5? All I saw was Riley Ferrell, which I'm not really sure why that's upsetting.
We just lost two decent prospects to Rule 5.
I'll state unequivocally the Astros will NOT lose anyone in the minor league phase.
Two plus an option. I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure that is what I read.
Bob Nightengale @BNightengale 12m ago
The Houston #Astos, who would love to keep Charlie Morton, have made initial offer of one year and an option for him to stay.
On the plus side, I guess the Rays probably won't have the money to sign Cruz after this (I'm going to keep banging this drum until it happens).
The deal also includes a third-year option that could be as low as $1 million if Morton misses significant time over the first two years because of injury and could be worth as much as $15 million if he remains healthy.
If Morton signs somewhere else, I am going to be surprised, no, shocked.
Why couldn't the Astros structure the contract so that it pays him less this year and more in subsequent years? With Verlander and probably Cole coming off the roster next season, there would seem be more financial flexibility.
Would not cost a first round pick. It'd be the second-rounder plus $500k in international spending money.
Okay, you can change what he wants from 3 years to 5 years and he wants $80 million instead of $50 million, so I was incorrect that the McCutchen deal set the market for Pollock. AJ wants a Lorenzo Cain contract which is of course 5 years/$80 million. *Ouch*, that would definitely put the "flex" into the payroll for sure. but only in terms of longer tenure and I'm not sure the Astros want to offer that many years. But Juneberno.
AJ Pollock: 3@14 vs 3@15 vs 4@15 vs 3@15 vs [email protected]
Richard Justice said Monday night that with the Astros window to win open right now, Crane has told Luhnow he has the green light to spend up to the luxury tax number if he deems it necessary to win another title. That would be around $207-208 million and a drastic increase unheard of from this franchise. If that report is accurate, then perhaps there are ways to get Harper.
Dave Magadan out as the D-Backs hitting coach. Previously was the hitting coach for the Padres, Red Sox and Rangers. In addition to the Astros and (of course) Mets, played with the Marlins, Mariners, Cubs, A's and Padres. 10 organizations down, 20 to go.
Wouldn't surprise me if Herrmann gets re-signed to a minor league deal with ST invite.
Jon Morosi @jonmorosi 32m ago
Sources: Corey Kluber trade talks have intensified. #Dodgers are among the teams involved.
The Dominican Republic has the highest rate of road traffic deaths in the Americas and one of the highest rates in the world, according to a 2015 road safety analysis from the World Health Organization. The Dominican Republic road traffic death rate of 29.3 per 100,000 people is almost three times higher than in the United States.
It seems every off season there is at one or two players (astros or other) who are dying in car/boat/plane accidents
Car Boat Plane
Yordano Ventura Jose Fernandez Thurman Munson
Andy Marte Tim Crews Roberto Clemente
Nick Adenhart Steve Olin Cory Lidle
Oscar Tavares Roy Halladay
Kerry Robinson Ken Hubbs
Andujar Cedeno
Miguel Gonzalez
Jose Oliva
Jair Capellan
Mike Miley
Bob Moose
Chico Ruiz
Rosenthal in The Athletic sees a fit with the Astros for Josh Harrison in a PMW...
I would go after Jose Martinez from the Cardinals. Now that they have Goldschmidt I can't really see them keeping Martinez. Would be a pretty good DH option that shouldn't cost too much to get.
At last month’s owners meetings, baseball’s competition committee gave the commissioner “strong” backing to try to “put something in place” to limit shifts, according to sources who spoke directly with members of the committee. So next up, it’s time to run this – and more – past the players’ union.
In addition to the MLB/NPB/KBO trifecta, [Trey] Hillman heads home as the 1st American manager to claim a title in Korea. Also won a title in Japan, the 2nd American manager to do so (after Bobby Valentine).
Is this his third rule 5 eligible draft?
FB 91-95 (92-93); Touches 95 as a starter and has the body/arm-stroke to throw harder in short stints. Live ball that gets on hitters quickly, late hop to armside. Control over command type, gets FB over the plate but often center cuts or elevates.
SUMMARY: Physical righty with live arm and four-pitch mix. Best-case scenario of a true back-rotation starter, though he’ll need more seasoning to get there by developing command and third pitch. Intriguing to imagine him in a relief role, perhaps as a multi-inning opener type.
Another catcher off the market. Nationals are reportedly getting Yan Gomes from Cleveland.
For, as far as I can tell, the Nats’ equivalent of Ronnie Dawson.
The Astros have non-tendered Herman. Little doubt now that a move for a catcher is in the works.
I forget the source, but I read recently that the Astros were really pushing Bukauskas in trade talks.
Rival executives told ESPN’s Buster Olney the club could expect a package [for Goldschmidt] somewhere above the Pirates’ return for Andrew McCutchen but perhaps below what the Orioles received for Manny Machado.
The takeaway might disappoint some but I think a fairly positive view on Ronnie Dawson based on looks in the AFL:
"Lacks bat for everyday role on contender. Ideal 4th-OF with ability to play all three OF positions and contribute adequate offense in bench role."
https://2080baseball.com/reports/ronnie-dawson-2/
What do you do if Tucker does not hit, which I think is a 50-50 possibility?
Trade for Goldschmidt, sign Ramos, and let Tucker develop in LF.
BA ranked the top 12 prospects in the Arizona Fall League (while reiterating that the group of players this year was one of the strongest in the 27-year history of the league). Whitley came in at #2 (behind Vlad Jr.) while JBB was 9th.
BA has a midseason update to their Astros Top 10 Prospects list:
1. Whitley
2. Tucker
3. Alvarez
4. Corbin Martin
5. Solis
6. Nova
7. Hector Perez
8. Bukauskas
9. Beer
10. Cionel Perez
Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal 31m ago
#Astros, #STLCards are the two teams that have had the most meaningful discussions with the #DBacks about a trade for Paul Goldschmidt, sources tell The Athletic. No deal is close; talks not yet advanced.
Justin Ferrell apparently is headed to the Dominican for some work though I'm not sure which club he'll be playing for.
Rodney Linares named 3rd base coach for Rays.
Thrilled for him.
That's another House seat flipped to the Democrats, bringing the net gain to 38, where it will likely end up
Linares is now being described as the leading candidate for the Rays 3B coaching job. Getting fired by the Astros may end up being the best thing to happen to Rodney in his professional life.
"Rodney has impacted so many players during his time with the Astros, including José Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and J.D. Martínez," Rays manager Kevin Cash said in a statement. "The amount of positive feedback we received throughout this process made it clear that he is a very high quality individual. In addition to his third base coaching duties, he will work with our infielders and bring many years of managing experience to our staff."
Mark Feinsand @Feinsand 4h ago
If Mike Elias does indeed land the Orioles GM job as @BNightengale is reporting, it is expected that Sig Mejdal would join Elias in Baltimore. Mejdal, who was a special assistant to GM Jeff Luhnow and was one of Houston's key analysts, left the Astros earlier this month.