Series Thread: M's @ Orioles: 4/12 - 4/15

[ulmax]

Leading the AL West. Nice. Only 13 games, but still.

yeah..when is the last time ......you could say..that

WEST	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	DIFF	HOME	ROAD	EAST	CENT	WEST	L10	STRK	W	DIV	POST
Seattle	8	5	.615	—	57	65	-8	3-3	5-2	3-1	3-3	0-0	6-4	W2	73.3	1.4%	3.1%
L.A. Angels	7	5	.583	0.5	61	65	-4	4-2	3-3	2-1	4-3	1-1	6-4	L2	82.6	12.4%	25.0%
Houston	6	6	.500	1.5	64	53	11	1-5	5-1	0-0	0-3	6-3	4-6	L5	91.7	58.2%	73.2%
Oakland	5	7	.417	2.5	48	74	-26	1-6	4-1	0-0	0-0	2-5	5-5	W4	87.6	27.8%	47.8%
Texas	5	7	.417	2.5	49	56	-7	2-4	3-3	4-2	1-2	0-0	5-5	W2	65	<1.0%	<1.0%

 

[ulmax]

but dont be to smug...they play houston..next...and.they still have there..troubles

yeah...this is a hard part of the schedule
astros
dodgers
red sox..leading the.... AL east..with 9-4
houston again
then angels

they are down..a..paxton..so i wont get to see him against the dodgers

a lewis return..would be nice....but even if he does..he may not be ...sharp..and ready

 

[Destroydacre]

Trammell has a very hard time getting on base which I expected being it is his first time up, but when he does get on he has no clue on the bases. I have seen him picked off 1B twice and caught stealing 2B by 5 feet. that I don't excuse.

I'm fine with the caught stealing, it happens, but agree getting picked off needs to stop.

 

[NWinAZ]

I'm fine with the caught stealing, it happens, but agree getting picked off needs to stop.

Getting caught stealing is part of the game, but not by 5 feet. They had to wait for him. That means he is not getting a jump of any kind which that I do not excuse. You learn base running at an early age so rookie status does not apply to that.

 

[wazzu31]

Yeah apparently the union and a lot of players on the team were not happy that he took the contract and setting a precedence with other ball clubs. Of course its relative because if the Mariners would for whatever reason give that money to a player that wasn't a top 50 prospect the players union would be happy for him. So the Mariners aren't evil for doing business the way they are and looking out for the best interest of the organization. and like you mentioned the percentage of players that turn out to be mega stars that get 300 million contracts over 10 years is so low its almost like winning the lotto but I am glad Julio Rodriguez and Kelenic have those ambitions.

I had no idea Evan White had something going on in his personal life I guess it would make sense to take the money. The business can be cut throat and to be honest the way he has been batting it was a good thing he took that money he does not look like he will be great I hope he does turn things around.

I don’t recall anyone saying exactly what happened with White but I remember Jerry vaguely mentioning it then in the Mather clip he mentioned White had something personal going on which he couldn’t pass up the guaranteed money. Either way, no fan should get mad he took the money. But I understand why the union hates that. Their job to suppress the younger guys wages so the vets get the bigger piece of the pie. As well as the arbitration was a huge labor issue when the players

Yeah apparently the union and a lot of players on the team were not happy that he took the contract and setting a precedence with other ball clubs. Of course its relative because if the Mariners would for whatever reason give that money to a player that wasn't a top 50 prospect the players union would be happy for him. So the Mariners aren't evil for doing business the way they are and looking out for the best interest of the organization. and like you mentioned the percentage of players that turn out to be mega stars that get 300 million contracts over 10 years is so low its almost like winning the lotto but I am glad Julio Rodriguez and Kelenic have those ambitions.

I had no idea Evan White had something going on in his personal life I guess it would make sense to take the money. The business can be cut throat and to be honest the way he has been batting it was a good thing he took that money he does not look like he will be great I hope he does turn things around.

I don’t recall anyone saying exactly what happened with White but I remember Jerry vaguely mentioning it then in the Mather clip he mentioned White had something personal going on which he couldn’t pass up the guaranteed money. Either way, no fan should get mad he took the money. But I understand why the union hates younger players signing these type of deals. Their job in a round about way is to suppress the younger guys wages so the vets get the bigger piece of the pie or at least get to arbitration where the players “earned” the right to make more money than their player reps. It isn’t exactly right from a labor perspective either that Logan Gilbert and Kelenic would’ve been, on paper, the highest paid guys outside of Kyle Seager.

 

[wazzu31]

Getting caught stealing is part of the game, but not by 5 feet. They had to wait for him. That means he is not getting a jump of any kind which that I do not excuse. You learn base running at an early age so rookie status does not apply to that.

But with analytics, do they even teach base running anymore? You can be athletic as hell but it doesn’t matter if you don’t get enough reps on technique. Base stealing and bunting are 2 things that seem to no longer matter.

 

[seattlefan75]

I thought Evan White striking out so much last year was so bad but Trammell this year is on a mission. In like 38 at bats he struck out 21x

 

[NWinAZ]

But with analytics, do they even teach base running anymore? You can be athletic as hell but it doesn’t matter if you don’t get enough reps on technique. Base stealing and bunting are 2 things that seem to no longer matter.

Can't argue that. It is sad and I guess I am just too old to understand it...and probably don't want to.

 

[wazzu31]

Can't argue that. It is sad and I guess I am just too old to understand it...and probably don't want to.

No matter how many times someone explains it to me, I will never understand how anyone thinks stolen bases and bunt attempts are bad. Just statically, a great baseball player (which you aren’t ever asking your best player to sacrifice himself) gets a hit 3/10 of the time. A good base stealer makes it at a minimum of 6-7/10ths of the time, and at a minimum a good bunter lays a bunt down 1/2th the time. Just in what world does sub .300 > .700 or .500. I just don’t get how analytics subplants all logic when it comes to one run is still one run no matter how you get that run and the object of baseball is to score one or more runs than your opponent. I could rant all day about how “moneyball” is completely self defeating in its argument but whatever.

 

[NWinAZ]

No matter how many times someone explains it to me, I will never understand how anyone thinks stolen bases and bunt attempts are bad. Just statically, a great baseball player (which you aren’t ever asking your best player to sacrifice himself) gets a hit 3/10 of the time. A good base stealer makes it at a minimum of 6-7/10ths of the time, and at a minimum a good bunter lays a bunt down 1/2th the time. Just in what world does sub .300 > .700 or .500. I just don’t get how analytics subplants all logic when it comes to one run is still one run no matter how you get that run and the object of baseball is to score one or more runs than your opponent. I could rant all day about how “moneyball” is completely self defeating in its argument but whatever.

I agree. So basically guys like Lou Brock, Maury Wills, Vince Coleman, and even Henderson were below average players based on SB's and a lot of talent guys sac bunting for decades which isn't as easy as most think. It is an art and it is a great part of the game. I loved 80's baseball and still thing it was a much better game then than these stat head baseball today.

 

[Destroydacre]

Can't argue that. It is sad and I guess I am just too old to understand it...and probably don't want to.

I'm just sad to see that strikeouts now occur more frequently than hits over the course of an MLB season, and most people would consider it a good day if a guy goes 1-4 with a home run and 3 strikeouts, regardless of the game situation those 3 strikeouts occurred in. I will always be a huge fan of baseball, but the game definitely has changed.

 

[wazzu31]

I agree. So basically guys like Lou Brock, Maury Wills, Vince Coleman, and even Henderson were below average players based on SB's and a lot of talent guys sac bunting for decades which isn't as easy as most think. It is an art and it is a great part of the game. I loved 80's baseball and still thing it was a much better game then than these stat head baseball today.

Two guys analytics people if were actually true to there gospel would despise is Paul Moliter and Kirby Puckett. Both rarely struckout, and were nearly perfect hitters on a hit and run slapping it to where the 2B use to be. Baseball isn’t a simple game, which is why it IMO is the hardest game. Don’t intentionally cripple your offense by that not putting guys in their roles that they can succeed. You still have utility guys, back up these or that positions and none of them have a “WAR” that the starters have. So let them manufacture runs instead of just being happy with a .200 batting average. I haven’t been able to watch a lot this year, but liked watching Moore and Lopes last year because they were super utility players that essentially ran the bases with a middle finger up at the stats people.

All the new stats have value in the grand scheme of things but with that same note Mike Trout thus far into his career is by far the best baseball player that has ever played with his WAR and all of the other newer stats that I would look foolish attempting to type them. But he hasn’t come close to a WS ring so as great as these new stats are, they aren’t the end all be all. It takes a diverse talented roster. The 27 Yankees offense isn’t ever happening again, the 1908 Cubs defense isn’t ever happening again, the 90’s Braves starting rotation isn’t ever happening again (except Vandy right now has that) and the Nasty Boy/ABC Yankees bullpens of the early 2010’s ever happening again.

I just don’t understand going to the plate with the only objectives are to hit a home run, walk or strike out. When you can manufacture runs in multiple ways that are no longer gone. It’s not like the NBA, NFL or any major sports league where there are antiquated stat or philosophies. NBA and NFL athletes are more athletic than their fields or courts allow, plus the 10ft hoop. Baseball isn’t any different where the athletes aren’t ten times better than the 70’s players, yet modern day players aren’t threatening real records. Ichiro got his because he did what was ever necessary to get a hit, wasn’t his average, OBP and OPS plus slugging all essentially the same?