batmagadanleadoff

Here's Flores's write-up from Baseball Prospectus' 2016 Annual, published just before the start of the 2016 season: What a year. Flores began the season an unfortunate guinea pig in Sandy Alderson's pitcher-hoarding, defense-Frankensteining experiment, then became the first person to cry on the field during a game since Evelyn Gardner, and eventually found himself on a late-night talk show. In the middle of all that, Flores somehow found time to make real strides. He nearly halved the whiff rates on the breaking pitches that dogged him in 2014, and while he'll never be a good shortstop, he showed outstanding work ethic to mostly avoid embarrassment. Looking forward, what would help Flores most would be a defined role. He yo-yoed between Triple-A and the majors in 2014, then yo-yoed around the infield in 2015. There is a reason closers pitch the ninth, the setup man the eighth, and so on. A cynic would say it's because the less these guys need to think, the better. We'll just say it's because it puts the players at ease. In Flores' case, being at ease is worth a lot, and it means he may have a higher ceiling than the raw numbers indicate. Unfortunately for him, the acquisitions of Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera leave no room for him to settle into a position just yet.

Here's deGrom's write-up from Baseball Prospectus' 2016 Annual, published just before the start of the 2016 season: His curveball doesn't have much curve, his slider doesn't have much slide and his sinker hardly deserves the name, so at least we can explain why scouts weren't salivating over deGrom through the minors. His individual pitches don't seem to add up, and given his Tommy John surgery and overall inexperience on the mound, everything was going to have to go right. And that's deGrom's success in a nutshell, really, because in every start, on nearly every pitch, everything does go right. His elite ability to repeat his mechanics means he isn't making the mistakes that yield hittable pitches, and he won't walk anyone. That may not be the sexy answer, but it makes him a legitimate ace who is likely to stay healthy. Oh, there's also the velocity. That helps.

Here's Familia's write-up from Baseball Prospectus' 2016 Annual, published just before the start of the 2016 season: Familia's pitching philosophy seems to be to throw whatever he wants, knowing that no one can hit it, and thereby try to throw three strikes before ball four. He works almost exclusively front-to-back, establishing the sinker early in the count before moving it up, with the only wrinkle being a penchant for quick pitching, which he learned from LaTroy Hawkins in 2013. In 2014, left-handed hitters reached base at a .377 clip; in 2015, that number went down to .291 largely because of his big revelation, a reliable splitter that gave lefties a different look that the slider wasn't providing. Familia posted three blown saves in the World Series, and you won't find a more misleading statistic in this book. The man did everything to deliver a championship but keep Jenrry Mejia clean.

To me, the causes for longer games aren't very complicated. Now the powers that be might turn the fixes into a boondoggle, but that's another story. Anyway, all you have to do to see what happened over the years is to watch video of any game from the 70's or earlier. The pitcher pitches. And if the pitch isn't hit, the catcher throws the ball back to the pitcher. And then the next pitch usually comes in within no more than 15 seconds of the pitcher receiving the ball back from the catcher. And that's it in a nutshell. Now if you add just 10 seconds to that 15 seconds I mentioned, you're adding about another 45 minutes to an hour on average for each game.

Only $9.99. Hurry while supplies last. [fimg=444:26x8q7nm]https://www.topps.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/500x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/a/r/artbb-16c2s-17tn-st3-1.jpg[/fimg:26x8q7nm]

Jim Marshall is the first baseman/outfielder.

Unlike Conforto, who's been so great for so long, that they've probably already made him his HOF plaque.

If you give more weight to Flores's recent seasons and less weight to when he was barely in his 20's, you're looking at Babe Ruth numbers against lefties. Babe Ruth.

Ceetar wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Why not Flores? He hits lefties like he's Willie Mays in his prime. What has to happen for Flores to get more playing time than he's gotten? hit righties maybe? Why not make a case to give Flores more AB's against righties on the theory that he's young enough where he might show improvement? It's the same argument many make to get Conforto more AB's against lefties. Except that Conforto, not even at his best, ever hit righties the way Flores crushes lefties. If every pitcher out there were a lefty, Flores would be putting up Babe Ruth numbers. He'd be like Cespedes during his incredible run in 2015.

Ceetar wrote: Seen on Clickhole https://www.facebook.com/clickhole/photos/a.1461385317435063.1073741828.1439042583002670/1845811778992413/?type=3&theater Where's Ronnie?

Wayne Graham is the Philly connection. I know this mainly because of those card threads I used to make. [fimg=333:erjki38t]http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/wayne_graham_autograph.jpg[/fimg:erjki38t]

Hey Dr. Zaius! Have you been to Electric Ladyland? It's the release of the 2017 Topps Heritage cards, celebrating 1968. Base cards, flashbacks, news flashbacks, rookie cards, game cards and a special subset celebrating every 1968 White Soxer that once played for the Mets. [fimg=222:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3751/33177609895_077a54502d_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=222:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3773/33177609925_1d5cac2e31_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Vr4AAOSwuxFYtedG/s-l1600.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=222:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2825/33177609935_71d0495b4b_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=222:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3705/33177609955_56c13c5d75_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=222:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3810/33177609985_b7bf4c3eef_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/639/33177609995_4e51aef2c0_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3841/32332437694_efaf69a2d6_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/9isAAOSwTM5YtekV/s-l1600.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/feQAAOSwTuJYtf5J/s-l1600.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2950/32332437724_d8ca3d0567_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3811/32332437744_0db6caed50_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3695/32332437764_544a86707a_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3902/32362316683_aabffe80d8_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/760/32362316703_afb1f0b89d_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/771/32362316833_30f72dd476_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5PgAAOSw32lYte6W/s-l500.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3936/32332733094_4232f4a04c_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/699/32332733084_05a9b1e043_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3788/32332733074_24ff8dd28e_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=300:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/635/33135983926_91b84745c1_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=300:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/570/33135983866_a6b4ffe14e_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=300:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/622/33135983796_aec0eaf335_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=300:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2899/33135983746_798cdb751b_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=300:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3928/33135983766_e7235490b3_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc] [fimg=333:2nud1cbc]https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3794/33135983716_47530067af_b.jpg[/fimg:2nud1cbc]

Why not Flores? He hits lefties like he's Willie Mays in his prime. What has to happen for Flores to get more playing time than he's gotten?

bump

Edgy MD wrote: Draftees not named Kaline don't go straight to the bigs. They almost always start out in summer-only leagues. The broader point is the alleged purity of amateur athletics is a thinly veiled cover for exploitation. I get your second point. As to your first, it would seem that a Summer Leaguer is free to enroll for the Fall semester. But maybe his team wants him to play Winter Ball? What's the issue? Most minor leaguers work in the Winter to make more $$ because if they're not modern day Kalines, they're probably paid starvation wages to play in the Minors.

Go ahead and try to find a Summer only opening on a Major League roster.

Frayed Knot wrote: Closest I could find. [fimg=400]http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/snl/images/1/1e/Fred_Garvin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20111027155028[/fimg] I don't think your link works.

I've been scouring the internet for this picture of Ned Garver with both his hands outstretched holding many many baseballs --- without any luck.

Trot Nixon is the laat Met remaining.

dinosaur jesus wrote: Manfred says that most fans support the automatic IBB? I say he's a liar. I don't have any surveys to support me, but I doubt that he does either. Show us the surveys, Rob. That's a page right out of the Bud Selig playbook where, I swear, it seems like Selig claimed he had a fan poll to support every single idiotic idea that ever came up during his reign. Radical realignment? Yeah, the fans want it. No radical realignment but instead, just the Brewers shift into the National League? The fans want that, too. We took a poll. (Yeah, sure you did.)

Jimmie Schaffer is the crappy catcher.

Brad Emaus is the Rule 5er.

Harry Parker ... Hofstra?

G-Fafif wrote: GKR Bobblehead night on August 27, 2013, had to have been Niese's best all-around performance: 3-hit shutout of Phillies, doubled in three runs. Helped take the edge off the news that had just come down re Harvey requiring rehab for coke addiction...I mean Tommy John surgery. What a coincidence. I was at that game, too. Got me a GKR Bobblehead, too. I wouldn'ta capitalized "Bobblehead", but since you did, I figured that was the way to do it. [fimg=200]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5733/23017927223_91366190aa_o.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=333]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2612/32864628282_2ec28479c0_z.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=333]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2527/32864628272_7ce1860da3_b.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=484]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2610/32864628242_e0f1367ebf_b.jpg[/fimg]

Mark Carreon. BR/TL