A.L. Central Discussion 2016

[MiamiVice]

I think the White Sox could really surprise. I don't think the Twins have enough to make a serious push and will probably be the low team on the totem pole... I think KC is going to be gasses from long playoff runs and will burn out.. My guess is the Tigers/Indians/White Sox are the 3 teams that duke it out late for the division.

 

[MiamiVice]

Vice...just stopped home for lunch. Can't DEBATE with you now. (Oh. I forgot you won't EVER do that! LOL)

I'll get back to you on that Fullmer thing.

Please do.. Would love to see those articles you claim exist about Norris not being ready for opening day too.

 

[MiamiVice]

Which has what to do with the relation between "shittiest" and "middle of the road?"

Because its possible for a team to suck in one area and be so much better in another that the over all product is a winning team.. The Royals starting pitching has sucked ass for a long time...yet their bullpen was so good it made up for it. The Indians starting pitching is hands above all the other teams in the division.. and their bullpen is solid too... Their offense is going to be the shittiest in the division.. but their pitching will offset it.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

I personally think the Indians are the odds on favorite. Detroit has to wonder about some of their more important players over 30, the Royals have nothing that could be considered more than a ducttape rotation. Twins may very well be too young to win the division. Would be very believable that Cleveland wins 90 games with the rotation they have.

Ugh.

I hope nobody tells the Indians.

 

[WiggyRuss]

lindor played well.. but the reason the indians made a run was because the pitching pulled their heads out of their asses.. not lindor.

it was not just that...the defense improved to be a historically good defense after a reshuffling.

Chiz moving from 3rd to RF took a defensive liability- into being easily a top 3 defensive RF in the game.

Urshela cant hit his weight i dont think- but hes GREAt with the glove.

Lindor is obviously exceptional with the glove- a LOT better than Jose Ramirez

Defense Mechanisms: Inside the Indians’ Historic Fielding Turnaround

The Indians finished April at 7-14, and while that wasn’t purely the fault of their defense — the team was struggling to score runs, too — the pitching staff’s nastiness made the fielders’ failings stand out. Indians pitchers struck out batters at a higher rate in April than any other AL team, which minimized the damage the defense could do. At the same time, the porous defense (even on the mound) disguised the staff’s skills. Through April, the gap between the Indians’ ERA (4.54) and FIP (3.49) was larger than any other team’s, which was all the more glaring given that high-strikeout pitchers tend to allow fewer hits on balls in play. On May 8, Sports Illustrated’s Cliff Corcoran asked, “Are the 2015 Indians the worst-fielding team in modern major league history?” At the time, it wasn’t a preposterous question, but it was about to be. May 20 was the last day that the Indians’ Defensive Efficiency sat below the 2007 Rays’. It was also their low-water mark in Defensive Runs Saved: minus-25, which ranked second worst after the Phillies’ minus-34.

Since the end of May, the Indians have the highest. And since the end of June, the Indians have recorded a higher Defensive Efficiency than any team has over a full season since the 116-win 2001 Mariners. If the season ended today, the difference between the Indians’ Defensive Efficiency at the end of April and their Defensive Efficiency at the end of the year would be the biggest of any team’s since at least 1950. Essentially, the Indians defense has pulled off the most dramatic midseason makeover we’ve ever seen.

 

[MiamiVice]

1st half Twins were definitely a fluke. The team in the 2nd half, despite less success, was probably a lot more threatening with guys like Sano contributing. I was not too thrilled to see the Twins to end the year; surprised we swept them.

Twins don't have any pitching.. even IF their young guys come up from the minors.. they still don't have enough starting pitching and offense to do anything.

 

[Howie115]

1st half Twins were definitely a fluke. The team in the 2nd half, despite less success, was probably a lot more threatening with guys like Sano contributing. I was not too thrilled to see the Twins to end the year; surprised we swept them.

They had some ridiculous stretch of home games where they won like 16 or 17 out of 20. Throw that out, and they won at a Detroit Tigers pace.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

Because its possible for a team to suck in one area and be so much better in another that the over all product is a winning team.. The Royals starting pitching has sucked ass for a long time...yet their bullpen was so good it made up for it. The Indians starting pitching is hands above all the other teams in the division.. and their bullpen is solid too... Their offense is going to be the shittiest in the division.. but their pitching will offset it.

Your stream of retarded consciousness is an amusing thing to witness.

 

[MiamiVice]

it was not just that...the defense improved to be a historically good defense after a reshuffling.

Chiz moving from 3rd to RF took a defensive liability- into being easily a top 3 defensive RF in the game.

Urshela cant hit his weight i dont think- but hes GREAt with the glove.

Lindor is obviously exceptional with the glove- a LOT better than Jose Ramirez

Defense Mechanisms: Inside the Indians’ Historic Fielding Turnaround

The Indians finished April at 7-14, and while that wasn’t purely the fault of their defense — the team was struggling to score runs, too — the pitching staff’s nastiness made the fielders’ failings stand out. Indians pitchers struck out batters at a higher rate in April than any other AL team, which minimized the damage the defense could do. At the same time, the porous defense (even on the mound) disguised the staff’s skills. Through April, the gap between the Indians’ ERA (4.54) and FIP (3.49) was larger than any other team’s, which was all the more glaring given that high-strikeout pitchers tend to allow fewer hits on balls in play. On May 8, Sports Illustrated’s Cliff Corcoran asked, “Are the 2015 Indians the worst-fielding team in modern major league history?” At the time, it wasn’t a preposterous question, but it was about to be. May 20 was the last day that the Indians’ Defensive Efficiency sat below the 2007 Rays’. It was also their low-water mark in Defensive Runs Saved: minus-25, which ranked second worst after the Phillies’ minus-34.

Since the end of May, the Indians have the highest. And since the end of June, the Indians have recorded a higher Defensive Efficiency than any team has over a full season since the 116-win 2001 Mariners. If the season ended today, the difference between the Indians’ Defensive Efficiency at the end of April and their Defensive Efficiency at the end of the year would be the biggest of any team’s since at least 1950. Essentially, the Indians defense has pulled off the most dramatic midseason makeover we’ve ever seen.

did you just call chisenhall hands down a top 3 RF in the game?

 

[MiamiVice]

Your stream of retarded consciousness is an amusing thing to witness.

cool

 

[WiggyRuss]

did you just call chisenhall hands down a top 3 RF in the game?

that sure is how he played once he was moved their last year- in fact- i dont think there was a better RF- let alone top 3 once he moved there. TRUST ME- i would not say something so outlandish on its face without it being true.- DEFENSIVELY of course is what we were talking about- i mwell aware of his misgivings with the bat.

The day after the Indians traded Moss to St. Louis, Chisenhall made his first major league start in right field. He immediately excelled there, earning recognition as ESPN SweetSpot’s Defensive Player of the Month for August.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

that sure is how he played once he was moved their last year- in fact- i dont think there was a better RF- let alone top 3 once he moved there. TRUST ME- i would not say something so outlandish on its face without it being true.

I have seen stranger things so I'll let Chisenhall's bat do the talking, but people are going to laugh at this until proven otherwise. I know everyone was laughing at Alex Gordon when he said he was going to dominate coming off a nice trip to Omaha...

 

[broncosmitty]

that sure is how he played once he was moved their last year- in fact- i dont think there was a better RF- let alone top 3 once he moved there. TRUST ME- i would not say something so outlandish on its face without it being true.- DEFENSIVELY of course is what we were talking about- i mwell aware of his misgivings with the bat.

The day after the Indians traded Moss to St. Louis, Chisenhall made his first major league start in right field. He immediately excelled there, earning recognition as ESPN SweetSpot’s Defensive Player of the Month for August.

He looked incredible in right field. I was stunned by his play in the games I watched. Be interesting to see how he plays during a full season.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I have seen stranger things so I'll let Chisenhall's bat do the talking, but people are going to laugh at this until proven otherwise. I know everyone was laughing at Alex Gordon when he said he was going to dominate coming off a nice trip to Omaha...

i was just saying with the glove--- dude had said the indians pitching was the main thing that led to their 2nd half rise- but the pitching was prtty darn good al lyear--- the Indians defense went from maybe the worst in the league to maybe the best in the league with the variety of changes they made---- subtracting Bourn, Swisher, Moss, Ramirez, Chiz (from 3rd)- and adding Chiz (in RF), Lindor, Urshela, etc.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

what was their record in those 55 starts?

39-16, a .709 winning percentage.

 

[MiamiVice]

that sure is how he played once he was moved their last year- in fact- i dont think there was a better RF- let alone top 3 once he moved there. TRUST ME- i would not say something so outlandish on its face without it being true.- DEFENSIVELY of course is what we were talking about- i mwell aware of his misgivings with the bat.

The day after the Indians traded Moss to St. Louis, Chisenhall made his first major league start in right field. He immediately excelled there, earning recognition as ESPN SweetSpot’s Defensive Player of the Month for August.

he played less than 400 innings there... you can not call him a top 3 Rfer defensively in that small of a sample size.. come on man..

Heyward/Calhoun/Stanton/Inciarte/Reddick Heck even JD Martinez are better... they actually proved it over an entire season. He wasn't even considered for the Golden Glove in the AL.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

He looked incredible in right field. I was stunned by his play in the games I watched. Be interesting to see how he plays during a full season.

I am sure if he starts out hot he'll get Alex Gordon comps.

 

[MiamiVice]

that sure is how he played once he was moved their last year- in fact- i dont think there was a better RF- let alone top 3 once he moved there. TRUST ME- i would not say something so outlandish on its face without it being true.- DEFENSIVELY of course is what we were talking about- i mwell aware of his misgivings with the bat.

The day after the Indians traded Moss to St. Louis, Chisenhall made his first major league start in right field. He immediately excelled there, earning recognition as ESPN SweetSpot’s Defensive Player of the Month for August.

so one good month and he is a top 3 player?

 

[WiggyRuss]

he played less than 400 innings there... you can not call him a top 3 Rfer defensively in that small of a sample size.. come on man..

Heyward/Calhoun/Stanton/Inciarte/Reddick Heck even JD Martinez are better... they actually proved it over an entire season. He wasn't even considered for the Golden Glove in the AL.

well its OBVIOUSLY since he moved there..im not claiming he was the best defensive RF in the game when he was playing 3rd base, lol.

 

[MiamiVice]

39-16, a .709 winning percentage.

post where you got that data.. would love to be able to use it.