2019 MLB Playoffs thread

[moqui]

when you look up "clutch" in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of clayton kershaw . . . under the antonym examples

i have to say, though, that it's not just kersh. this is the third straight playoff season that the uber talented cody bellinger has been a non-factor

 

[jncuse]

Mookie just turned 27.
I think he would give the Braves a hometown discount. Like an arenado deal 8 years 280.
After Trout he is probably the best all-around player. Speed, average, power, arm, defensive range.

I think when the Red Sox trade Mookie this offseason the Braves and now the Dodgers are the top spots.
The Sox May be able to get the Dodgers to absorb another contract with Mookie that the Braves wouldn’t.
One of Sale, Price, Eovaldi with Mookie for a dodgers less elite package is more likely.

Most MLB players start declining around 30 now. Just like peak years are now a few years earlier in a career, so is the decline. Of course there are exceptions to the rule.

Albies has 8 years remaining on his contract -- for $44 million TOTAL.

That is $236 million less than the "discounted contract" Betts will sign at. That is a difference of $29.5 million annually a year!!

Right now Albies is a 5 WAR player while Betts is an 8 WAR player (used average of last 3 years). Betts was only a 7 WAR this year, but thought a 3 year average would be more fair for comparison. Albies is 22 so he should close that gap over the years.

Let's say that Betts is a 1-2 WAR better player over the next 8 years, which might be generous to Betts. That is not worth $29.5 million a year.

The Braves can use that elsewhere and get much more then 1-2 WAR from it.

I certainly think the Red Sox can get a young player who has produced as much as Albies and a prospect for Betts. It's not the production value that makes it a no go -- it's Albies contract.

 

[jncuse]

The term "upset" is rarely used in baseball. the game is played in rotations. You can't bat Cody Bellinger every time or pitch Clayton Kershaw every time and you are a different team with a different batter at the plate or a different pitcher on the mounds. There used to be minimal physical contact between teams: now there is none. There is no blocking, tackling or checking into the boards. You can't physically force the other team to lose. Defense doesn't generate offense and offense can't make defense irrelevant. You get into the playoffs and how many regular season wins you had is irrelevant. We've had a World Series between two wild card teams.

That makes for an exciting post season but it also means that the best team is least likely to win in the sport that has the longest season, (they play twice as many games as basketball and hockey and ten times as many as football). It's also a summer sport that becomes much less appealing in cold weather. The World Series used to be in early October. then it was in mid October. Now it's in late October or November. The expanded playoffs have virtually eliminated true pennant races. the only race that matters down the stretch is the Wild Card race and that only heats up in the final week. August and September used to be about the baseball pennant races. Now they are about Hard Knocks and the beginning of the football season. people look at October baseball and say "Gee, are those guys still playing?"

That's why I liked the four divisional set-up more than the current six division set up with the wild card. Add two expansion teams and make it four 8 team divisions. Baseball had two 8 team leagues for 60 years and every team that made the World Series in those 60 years was at least 20 games over .500 and had the best record in their league. They played 7 game series which ended in warm weather. The best team almost always won. Baseball, with no or little broadcast revenue, survived a depression, two world wars and it's own apartheid. Fans of the also-rans didn't lose interest, at least not enough that they went out of business. And today they remain afloat from TV money anyway.

I remember a debate about this, (I think we were using the Connecticut board for baseball at the time), in 2005 about this and other posters were incredulous that I wouldn't want the Yankees and the Red Sox meeting in a post season series every year, just as they had in two classic series the previous two years. The league had set things up so those two teams would play a four game series to end the regular season in Fenway Park. Everybody looked forward to that. But they had both guaranteed themselves playoff positions before that series, which became Scranton vs. Pawtucket as a result. Everybody said, "So what? They'll be playing for the AL championship in a couple weeks anyway." The next time the Yankees and Red Sox met in the post season was last year- in a divisional series.

The baseball playoffs are typically unpredictable.

Unless it involves the Athletics or Twins.

 

[Alsacs]

I hate Red Sox vs. Yankees games. Especially playoff games. If they end under 3:30 its a fast game.


I said before get rid of divisions. Play every team in your league 10 times. 140 games.
Play 18 games against the other league with 4-6 of them against your other league rival. 158 games.

Regular season is 158 games.
Top 6 makes playoffs.
Teams 1 and 2 get bye in each league.
3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5 in a one game playoff.
Those 1 game playoffs get a lot of attention.
Then LDS, LCS, WS best of 7.

4 less regular season games means LDS becomes best of 7.

 

[OrangeDW]

Mookie just turned 27.
I think he would give the Braves a hometown discount. Like an arenado deal 8 years 280.
After Trout he is probably the best all-around player. Speed, average, power, arm, defensive range.

I think when the Red Sox trade Mookie this offseason the Braves and now the Dodgers are the top spots.
The Sox May be able to get the Dodgers to absorb another contract with Mookie that the Braves wouldn’t.
One of Sale, Price, Eovaldi with Mookie for a dodgers less elite package is more likely.

I don’t really want anybody, other than bullpen help. I’d rather run it back with the same lineup, basically the same rotation, and let the two rookie pitchers absorb the innings from anyone we lose(Hill or maybe Ryu). Maybe add a pitcher or two for depth because we like to take turns putting pitchers on the DL for “injuries” at times. Possibly with a manager that’s better with the bullpen. Otherwise , run it back. We don’t need anyone new for the lineup.

 

[Day2]

This thread is starting to remind me of the NHL thread. We had two upsets last night and could have another tonight. Why in the world are we talking about Mookie Bleeping Betts?

 

[Toga]

An interlude to the playoff discussion.

MLB Player Arrested - News Breaking LIVE

San Diego Padres pitcher Jacob Nix was reportedly arrested after he tried to break into a home in Peoria, Arizona. Nix was reportedly breaking into the home through a doggie door when the homeowner noticed him and kicked him in the face before Nix’s accomplice, a Padres minor leaguer, dragged...

newsbreakinglive.com

 

[SWC75]

An interlude to the playoff discussion.

MLB Player Arrested - News Breaking LIVE

San Diego Padres pitcher Jacob Nix was reportedly arrested after he tried to break into a home in Peoria, Arizona. Nix was reportedly breaking into the home through a doggie door when the homeowner noticed him and kicked him in the face before Nix’s accomplice, a Padres minor leaguer, dragged...

newsbreakinglive.com

How would you like to be the GM getting that phone call?

 

[jncuse]

How would you like to be the GM getting that phone call?

I saw that he is now #28 in their prospect rankings, which is much lower then he used to be.
Would not be surprised by a release.

 

[moqui]

An interlude to the playoff discussion.

MLB Player Arrested - News Breaking LIVE

San Diego Padres pitcher Jacob Nix was reportedly arrested after he tried to break into a home in Peoria, Arizona. Nix was reportedly breaking into the home through a doggie door when the homeowner noticed him and kicked him in the face before Nix’s accomplice, a Padres minor leaguer, dragged...

newsbreakinglive.com

for the rest of his career, i'll picture daniel stern in home alone every time i hear this idiot's name

 

[Bayside44]

Releasing start times for games 3-5 would be, well, helpful.

 

[Alsacs]

This thread is starting to remind me of the NHL thread. We had two upsets last night and could have another tonight. Why in the world are we talking about Mookie Bleeping Betts?

How about a discussion about the fact the St. Louis Cardinals had an employee who cheated and broke numerous federal laws go to jail for stealing classified documents of another team currently in the MLB playoffs.
Which was the Cardinals cheating and that has magically gone away but every single alleged discretion committed by the New England Patriots is hung around their necks for life.

I'll have that discussion.

 

[Day2]

How about a discussion about the fact the St. Louis Cardinals had an employee who cheated and broke numerous federal laws go to jail for stealing classified documents of another team currently in the MLB playoffs.
Which was the Cardinals cheating and that has magically gone away but every single alleged discretion committed by the New England Patriots is hung around their necks for life.

I'll have that discussion.

You don’t hear about it anymore because the Cardinals held themselves accountable and the punishment was served.

Meanwhile, as you alluded to, the infractions by the Patriots keep piling up. If the Cardinals get caught with their hands in the cookie jar again, they’ll get similar treatment and they’ll deserve it.

So sorry the Sox didn’t make the playoffs.

 

[Alsacs]

You don’t hear about it anymore because the Cardinals held themselves accountable and the punishment was served.

Meanwhile, as you alluded to, the infractions by the Patriots keep piling up. If the Cardinals get caught with their hands in the cookie jar again, they’ll get similar treatment and they’ll deserve it.

So sorry the Sox didn’t make the playoffs.

LOL to the first sentence. Held themselves accountable? More like the league swept it under the carpet.
Second is garbage.
Third I am not upset one iota. Good luck in the NLCS. I have nothing against your team and city. Cheaters gotta cheat that's what my city and teams do.
Honest question how many Cardinal titles you been alive for? 3?4? After what the NFL did to your city legitmately hope you guys get another title. I really wasn't upset with losing to your city for hockey.

 

[Day2]

LOL to the first sentence. Held themselves accountable? More like the league swept it under the carpet.
Second is garbage.
Third I am not upset one iota. Good luck in the NLCS. I have nothing against your team and city. Cheaters gotta cheat that's what my city and teams do.
Honest question how many Cardinal titles you been alive for? 3?4? After what the NFL did to your city legitmately hope you guys get another title. I really wasn't upset with losing to your city for hockey.

Three. Should have been four if not for Don Denkinger. Appreciate the support. The Sox were my AL team in the late ‘80s. I was a big Greenwell fan. And I was pulling for them to finally break through every postseason in the early ‘00s, right up until the 2004 WS.

 

[MSOrange]

Daniel Hudson is on the paternity list. You really have to plan better than that when it comes to knocking up your wife. Can't risk missing playoff games.

 

[Bayside44]

Daniel Hudson is on the paternity list. You really have to plan better than that when it comes to knocking up your wife. Can't risk missing playoff games.

He'll be back for game 2. Strickland didn't make it either, mercifully.

 

[rrlbees]

I’ll probably jinx him now, but Sanchez of the Nats has a no no through 7.

 

[Day2]

I’ll probably jinx him now, but Sanchez of the Nats has a no no through 7.

Thank you.

 

[Bayside44]

Dude was throwing high end whiffleball tonight.

 

[samspann1]

Good to see that the victimization of the Patriots has magically found its way into yet another thread.

 

[Alsacs]

If this NLCS follows the 2013 ALCS script anymore Yady Molina will hit a grandslam off a crappy Nationals reliever.

 

[Bayside44]

If this NLCS follows the 2013 ALCS script anymore Yady Molina will hit a grandslam off a crappy Nationals reliever.

It didn't. Max is such a damn beast.

 

[Cowtown]

Good to see that the victimization of the Patriots has magically found its way into yet another thread.

It's very difficult to listen to them complain about anything, for any reason. Period.

 

[jncuse]

And its' over. Good. Go Astros.