We need a new thread.
There’s a reliever from the Korean league who’s supposed to be the best closer ever over there.
His nickname is The Final Boss. Seriously.
Go Mariners!!! Aha ha ha ha ha! Oh, now I’m sad.
Indians star left fielder Michael Brantley out 5-6 months after surgery this week! To quote Zoidberg:
Aha ha ha ha ha! Oh, now I’m sad.
Well, Lance Lynn is out for all of 2016 with a TJ surgery, which sort of explains his lousiness in 2015.
Albert Pujols had fairly serious toe surgery this week as well. Will miss opening day, but hopefully playing regularly by May 1.
Hearing the Braves want to trade Andrelton Simmons now. That would be one of those “find another team to follow” trades unless the return was ridiculous. He’s a surefire Hall-of-Fame position player, and you just don’t trade those without extraordinary circumstances or if they’re washed up.
Simmons is a fine player, but “surefire HoF” might be overstating it just a tad.
My Twins have been active already, whee! 18m to negotiate with slugging Korean 1B Byung-ho Park, and CF Aaron Hicks to NYY for C JR Murphy. Roster is in a little bit of a weird place nownow, so I’m very curious to see what else happens before and during ST.
I desperately hope that the scuttlebutt around playing Sano in the outfield is misdirection or wrong. Jerking promising hitters around to different / new positions as they’re trying to adapt to MLB pitching often goes poorly.
The great thing about this time of year is that my team is tied for first place - and so is yours.
You’ll pardon me for being a glass-half-empty kind of dude I hope, but they’re also tied for last place.
Judging from your location, is there any other kind of glass?
No. None more glass.
So far in his career, I’d argue his defense has been better than Ozzie Smith, and his bat has been just as good. Ozzie Smith was a clear HOFer.
The numbers (yeah, defensive metrics, but what else you gonna use?) think their gloves are comparable so far. Ozzie also got on base a hell of a lot more than Simmons, stole an assload of bases, managed some actual above-average years at the plate, and did it all for 12 years. Guys who maintain elite defense through their age-39 season basically don’t exist.
To qualify the batting comparison, they’re broadly comparable if you look at the first three years of each of their careers. Simmons came up a little earlier, so that could end up being to his advantage. But Ozzie got on base at an average-or-above clip for his incredibly long peak, which is an adjustment Simmons has yet to make.
Not saying Simmons couldn’t do all that. He totally could. Hell, I hope he does because that would be something to watch. But a “surefire Hall of Famer” he ain’t.
Hey, my hometown Phillies had the worst record in baseball last year. I’d be happy for even a half empty glass.
Ozzie’s first few years at the plate were dreadful. Simmons has been just below-average, with an unrealistic homer spike one year. Right now the OBP numbers are similar, but Andrelton has a bit more power.
The start of his career has been slightly better overall. So to me he’s on the path of making it.
As a Cleveland sports fan, I always just hope for a glass that doesn’t have a hole in the bottom. Referencing Locker’s post about Brantley, for 2016 the water’s already leaking out.
Ozzie made it because of defense foremost…but his counting stats are what ensured it. 2500 hits and 500 steals. Simmons has to hit some of those milestones to make it.
There’s that eternal sporting team argument over which is worse: a team that is consistently bad, so that you know what to expect, or a team that is middle of the road, enough to get your hopes up? The Mariners are more or less a .500 record team. They could be way worse. But they always manage to get our hopes up and then dash them. Is that worse than a bottom of the division kind of team? I don’t know, either way you’re losing.
I kind of feel like it depends on the sport. But as a baseball fan I sure appreciate it when my team has at least some talent. A pitcher worth tuning in for or exciting young player or at least something makes a huge difference. At least you get to watch King Felix pitch every 5th game.
You have a point, it is fun watching Felix pitch. And baseball is one of those games that I always enjoy watching at the stadium, even if my team loses. I can’t say that about football - I think partly it must be because baseball tickets are so much cheaper? I just feel like I’ve wasted a bunch of money if I go watch the Seahawks lose.