MLB Thread 109: Happy Opening Day!

[andrew8798]

Hamilton entered the season with about $80.2 million remaining on his contract. The Angels, according to reports, are willing to take on about $68 million of the salary. Hamilton will sacrifice about $6 million on his own, citing the lack of state income tax in Texas as a reason that the contract is not “devalued” to appease the Players Association. SI.com first reported Hamilton’s ability to give up the state income tax money.

The Rangers will be responsible for what is left over the course of the three-year period: A little more than $6 million.

[HMARK Center]

Apr 25, 2015 16:14:22 GMT -5 S-Chrome said:

Not since the latter days of Mike Mussina have I ever seen a pitcher give up so many two-strike extra-base hits more than CC Sabathia.

5-1, Minor Leaguers.

Now, now, let's be fair here: "minor leaguers" is a phrase that should be reserved only for clubs playing in leagues with designated hitters.

As for Josh Hamilton, I hope he gets every chance in the world to destroy the Angels. Moreno is an awful person.

[The Captain]

Looks like Adam Wainwright is going to be out for the season after injuring his Achilles Tendon in the batter's box.

[BRV]

Apr 26, 2015 11:31:10 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Looks like Adam Wainwright is going to be out for the season after injuring his Achilles Tendon in the batter's box.

This has lit a fire under some baseball writers on social media who believe that the pitcher should not bat and the National League should institute the designated hitter.

Going back to when Chien-Ming Wang was injured running the bases during an Interleague game in 2008 and Hank Steinbrenner said the NL should "join the modern age," I've always hated this notion that pitchers shouldn't go to the plate. They're athletes just like a first baseman, third baseman, or rightfielder. Sure, their presence in a lineup is more or less a guaranteed out, but I like the strategy involved in National League baseball, with doubles switches and determining when to pinch hit, and I also like that if an NL pitcher buzzes a hitter, he has to answer for it in the batters' box.

Instituting the designated hitter league-wide would only further homogenize the product.

[andrew8798]

Dodgers placed OF Yasiel Puig on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 25, with a left hamstring strain.

[HMARK Center]

Apr 26, 2015 11:55:27 GMT -5 BRV said:

Apr 26, 2015 11:31:10 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Looks like Adam Wainwright is going to be out for the season after injuring his Achilles Tendon in the batter's box.

This has lit a fire under some baseball writers on social media who believe that the pitcher should not bat and the National League should institute the designated hitter.

Going back to when Chien-Ming Wang was injured running the bases during an Interleague game in 2008 and Hank Steinbrenner said the NL should "join the modern age," I've always hated this notion that pitchers shouldn't go to the plate. They're athletes just like a first baseman, third baseman, or rightfielder. Sure, their presence in a lineup is more or less a guaranteed out, but I like the strategy involved in National League baseball, with doubles switches and determining when to pinch hit, and I also like that if an NL pitcher buzzes a hitter, he has to answer for it in the batters' box.

Instituting the designated hitter league-wide would only further homogenize the product.

Right; all of the reasons the DH was created have largely been discredited (hasn't led to much higher scoring in the AL, hasn't had a noticeable impact on attendance or ratings, etc.), except for the notion that pitchers are somehow special snowflakes who shouldn't be expected to play both sides of the ball. It's baseball: stuff happens. And just because a pitcher gets hurt on the base paths doesn't mean the injury couldn't have happened while he was on the mound. If Juan Lagares from the Mets gets hurt while swinging a bat next week, should we be pushing for another DH spot so that the top defenders in the league don't have to get hurt while hitting? It's absurd. This isn't football, where separate players for offense and defense is actually a necessity of the game in the modern era.

Plus, you hit the big part of it, for me: the worst thing MLB could do would be to continue homogenizing the game. I'm not even knocking the DH here; I'm not a fan of it, but I enjoy the fact that the NL and AL have separate identities, and that rivalries could spring up from that. If baseball would go back to embracing that aspect of their game, it'd be something they have that NONE OF THE OTHER LEAGUES do, and maybe, just maybe, people would start giving a shit about the All Star Game and World Series again.

...Besides, anybody who doesn't want to watch Bartolo Colon hit is a damned maniac.

[The Captain]

I still think it's bizarre that two conferences have completely different rule sets in that regard. And that the National League has no DH while every single NL-affiliated farm system has the DH.

And let's be real. That's what the American League and the National League are these days: conferences. They're leagues in name only. If MLB wants to maintain that the two conferences are actually separate leagues and allowed to have somewhat differing rule sets, get rid of interleague play so that the ASG has more meaning. And let NL farm teams have their pitchers hit so they aren't an automatic out when they come to the majors. Otherwise, it's a joke.

Also I think the whole "NL = more strategy!" thing is wildly overhyped and overrated.

[Fundertaker]

Now the season can truly start. Lloyd McLendon was ejected!

[andrew8798]

18 runs for the O's today

[andrew8798]

MONDAY

Nationals at Braves - 7:10 PM EST, ESPN
Giants at Dodgers - 10:10 PM, MLBN

TUESDAY

White Sox at Orioles - 7:05 PM, MLBN
Giants at Dodgers - 10:10 PM, MLBN

WEDNESDAY

Rays at Yankees - 1:05 PM EST, MLBN
Phillies at Cardinals - 8:10 PM, ESPN

THURSDAY

Phillies at Cardinals - 1:45 PM EST, MLBN
Tigers at Royals - 8:10 PM, MLBN

FRIDAY

Brewers at Cubs - 2:20 PM EST, MLBN
Yankees at Red Sox - 7:10 PM, MLBN

SATURDAY

Angels at Giants - 4:10 PM EST, FS1
Reds at Braves - 7:10 PM, FS1

SUNDAY

Yankees at Red Sox - 8:05 PM EST, ESPN

[andrew8798]

Down to one for A-Rod

[RKTaker]

wilmer flores is terrible

[The Captain]

4 errors by the Mets, 2 by the Yankees so far.

It's Errormania, brother!

[HMARK Center]

This game is offensive. Defensive circus first half, absolute bore second half.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

Son of a whore

[andrew8798]

Rangers acquired OF Josh Hamilton from the Angels for cash considerations.

Anaheim is expected to eat $68 million of the $80 million still owed to Hamilton from his original five-year, $125 million agreement with the club.

[The Captain]

After watching this series, I think when Daniel Murphy is done with the Mets, he needs to sign with a team in the AL where he can be a Designated Hitter. He is an AWFUL fielder.

[RKTaker]

Apr 27, 2015 15:17:32 GMT -5 The Captain said:

After watching this series, I think when Daniel Murphy is done with the Mets, he needs to sign with a team in the AL where he can be a Designated Hitter. He is an AWFUL fielder.

flores needs to sign with a al team too because he is an awful fielder

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

How the f*** has MLB not announced a postponement of the Orioles game tonight?

[angryfan]

Read something on HBT today regarding the whole DH thing, and a thought occurred to me. I considered a column or blog entry but figured it'd be better conversation here.

There's the old anti-DH argument about "They only play part of the game, they're not real ballplayers", and so I got to thinking. If, to be eligible ("morally") for the Hall, one has to play both offense and defense, then shouldn't American League pitchers get the same scrutiny for not playing "the full game"?

Pedro and Johnson, they played some years in the NL, but would an "entire career in the American League" pitcher get the same nay-saying detraction?

Just some food for thought.