batmagadanleadoff

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I don't know that Picard has less leverage in his suit against Sterling. Though it's possible that before trial, the Court might dismiss Picard's claims for damages over and above the fictitious profits Sterling received, that hasn't happened yet and the presiding District Court hasn't telegraphed it's pending decision one way or the other. It's also possible that the Mets cut ties with Einhorn from a newly found position of strength, as some believe, but I don't believe that just because the Mets say so, or imply so. If you'll remember, over the past four, five six weeks, both the Mets and Bud Selig were reporting that the closing of the Einhorn deal was a simple formality and that the delays in completing that now ill-fated deal were neither material nor unusual. We now know otherwise. For all I know, the Mets might have moved on because Einhorn was insisting on terms that would increase his likelihood of one day, acquiring majority control of the franchise. Perhaps the Mets want less demanding investors. My attitude with respect to this matter is not to believe any comments coming from The House of Wilpon that are supposed to be favorable to the Mets, until proven. Two more points to make here: It's in the Mets interests to claim that things are going well and that it's "business as usual" (Jeff Wilpon to Terry Collins, yesterday). The team is still in the hunt for investors and $200M and doesn't want to appear desperate. Also, it's possible that the team cut ties with Einhorn because their position has worsened rather than improved. Under this theory, Einhorn's chances of one day acquiring majority control of the team have improved, and so the Mets decided that if they couldn't alter the terms of the Einhorn deal in their favor, they should end negotiations and move on. All this for the Plane Boy.

I don't know that Picard has less leverage in his suit against Sterling. Though it's possible that before trial, the Court might dismiss Picard's claims for damages over and above the fictitious profits Sterling received, that hasn't happened yet and the presiding District Court hasn't telegraphed it's pending decision one way or the other. It's also possible that the Mets cut ties with Einhorn from a newly found position of strength, as some believe, but I don't believe that just because the Mets say so, or imply so. If you'll remember, over the past four, five six weeks, both the Mets and Bud Selig were reporting that the closing of the Einhorn deal was a simple formality and that the delays in completing that now ill-fated deal were neither material nor unusual. We now know otherwise. For all I know, the Mets might have moved on because Einhorn was insisting on terms that would increase his likelihood of one day, acquiring majority control of the franchise. Perhaps the Mets want less demanding investors. My attitude with respect to this matter is not to believe any comments coming from The House of Wilpon that are supposed to be favorable to the Mets, until proven.

It's Reyes against the NL for the league batting championship, not necessarily Reyes against Braun, who might drop down a few slots, or drop out and become irrelevant.

But teammates and management continue to be impressed by Bay's leadership and positive clubhouse presence, and the Mets are searching for a way to make his career here work (although they will also likely try to gauge his trade value this winter). As a second team official observed, moving Bay to center would remove the onus to be a slugging outfielder. A center fielder who hits 12-15 homers, runs the bases well and posts a respectable on-base percentage is more acceptable than a corner outfielder who offers that production. Leadership? Positive clubhouse presence? Who's running this team? Is my boy Jeffie overruling the GM again? Perhaps the Mets could move Bay into the starting pitching rotation. Then there'd be no pressure on Bay to hit.

Duda's hitting came on strong during his stint at AAA Buffalo, which began in late 2010. He simply crushed opposing pitchers. Duda's combined 2010-11 AAA line, prorated to 550 official AB's: AB: 550 2B: 35 3B: 2 HR: 46 BB: 81 AVG. .307 OBA. .396 SLG. .630 OPS. 1.026

Vic Sage wrote: Capuano's game score of 96 is the best in the majors this year. The Ervin Santana no-hitter was a 94; Verlander also had a 94 (and a 90 for his no-hitter). um, what is "game score" and how is it calculated? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_score Game Score is a metric devised by Bill James to determine the strength of a pitcher in any particular baseball game. To determine a starting pitcher's game score: Start with 50 points. Add 1 point for each out recorded, so 3 points for every complete inning pitched. Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th. Add 1 point for each strikeout. Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed. Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed. Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed. Subtract 1 point for each walk. Highest Achieved Scores Kerry Wood The highest game score for a nine inning game in the history of baseball was Kerry Wood's one-hit, no walk, 20-strikeout shutout performance for the Chicago Cubs against the Houston Astros on May 6, 1998. His game score was 105 (50 + 27 + 10 + 20 � 2). Higher scores have been accomplished in extra-inning games. Harvey Haddix scored a 107 for the game in which he took a perfect game into the 13th inning. Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn scored 112 and 97, respectively, during a complete game 16-inning match up. In their famous 26-inning duel from 1920, Joe Oeschger scored 149 and Leon Cadore scored 141. The lowest game score in baseball history was Allan Travers' 26-hit, 24-run start for the Detroit Tigers on May 18, 1912. His game score was a negative: -52. This performance only came about because the regular Tiger players staged a strike in protest of Ty Cobb's suspension. To avoid a forfeit, local college players (including Travers) were enlisted as impromptu fill-ins. The lowest game score since 1957 was Oakland pitcher Mike Oquist's, who allowed 16 hits and 14 earned runs in 5 innings on August 3, 1998, for a negative score: -21. The game score concept expands on Major League Baseball's official definition of a quality start. MLB defines a quality start as 6 or more innings pitched while allowing 3 or fewer earned runs. The game score system defines a quality start as a game score above 50. The advantage that the system has over the official definition is that it allows a statistician a better view of the degree of quality in a pitcher's performance. Game scores can be quantified, and a pitcher's performance tracked over time. It is also possible to compare different pitchers. If one averages a 60 and another averages 55, presumably the first pitcher has had a better season. It is also possible to have a quality start under the game score system that would not qualify officially. It must be noted that in terms of high scores, the system favors current pitchers. It is difficult to achieve a very high score in a game without amassing a substantial number of strikeouts. In earlier eras, even for the very best pitchers, strikeouts were less plentiful. For instance, Cy Young's two no-hitters earned scores of just 90 and 88 due to their low strikeout totals (3 and 2, respectively).

FACT: Angel Pagan 2009 WAR: 3.0 Angel Pagan 2010 WAR: 5.1 Angel Pagan 2009 dWAR: 1.2 Angel Pagan 2010 dWAR: 2.2 FACT: Pagan was not "great" in 2009. Offensively, he was better than this season, but he was making the same stupid outfield and baserunning mistakes that he's making this year. And surely it gave Omar the cahnfidence that he could use Pagan as his CFer, should he need to.... I'd bet anything that if Sandy Alderson GM'ed the 2010 Mets, he would have found a way to platoon Pagan and Francoeur, rather than believe that both Pagan and Frenchy, let alone just one of them, were everyday players. The flaw in my theory is that if Alderson would've platooned Pagan last season, then why not this season? But for Pagan's stint on the DL through last May, he's played almost every game. http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/metannual.php?ThisYear=2011&tabno=C&graphtype=pa But then again, Alderson's not saddled with Frenchy, either.

FACT: Angel Pagan 2009 WAR: 3.0 Angel Pagan 2010 WAR: 5.1 Angel Pagan 2009 dWAR: 1.2 Angel Pagan 2010 dWAR: 2.2 Let me clarify Monk's post, mostly for my benefit. Angel Pagan 2009 TOTAL WAR: 3.0 (1.8 oWAR - 1.2 dWAR) Angel Pagan 2010 TOTAL WAR: 5.1 (2.9 oWAR) - 2.2 dWAR)

FACT: Angel Pagan 2009 WAR: 3.0 Angel Pagan 2010 WAR: 5.1 Angel Pagan 2009 dWAR: 1.2 Angel Pagan 2010 dWAR: 2.2 FACT: Pagan was not "great" in 2009. Offensively, he was better than this season, but he was making the same stupid outfield and baserunning mistakes that he's making this year. And surely it gave Omar the cahnfidence that he could use Pagan as his CFer, should he need to.... I'd bet anything that if Sandy Alderson GM'ed the 2010 Mets, he would have found a way to platoon Pagan and Francoeur, rather than believe that both Pagan and Frenchy, let alone just one of them, were everyday players.

You're overlooking that Pagan's poor start was mainly bad luck and that he's almost got his numbers back up to career norms anyway. I'm not so sure if I'm supposed to be impressed by Pagan reaching his career norms, if he's even done that, as you claim. Below are Pagan's slash rates, split -- batting lefty against a RHP, and batting righty against a LHP: Career LHB v RHP .293/.345/.437 RHB v LHP .251/.300/.397 2011 LHB v RHP .270/.324/.410 RHB v LHP .250/.324/.323 As bad as Pagan usually is against lefties, in 2011, Pagan's numbers against LHP's have regressed -- or at least his power; this season, Pagan has 0 HR's against lefties even though his HR rate is typically better against southpaws. There's really no nice way to say this, and no other way to interpret the numbers: Pagan sucks against lefty pitching. Against lefties he is such a liability as a starter so as to undermine any argument for Pagan as an everyday player. It's too bad Pagan can't play catcher.

The Houston Astros are MLB's first team to be mathematically eliminated from the 2011 playoffs.

Bradley: For Mets, moving in Citi Field fences is a good place to start By Jeff Bradley/Star-Ledger Columnist David Wright, who along with Jason Bay has been the Mets� hitter most adversely affected by Citi Field�s dimensions, said, �It�s frustrating when you hit a ball good and it doesn�t go anywhere. That�s not just here, but also in San Diego and the other pitcher�s parks. Of course, I�d like to see a place where you hit a ball good, you square a ball up, you�re rewarded for it. Obviously, that�s not the case here.... Wright, who has hit 22 home runs in 639 career at-bats at Citi Field, said it�s not so much the distances down the lines (335 feet to left, 300 to right), but the deep power alleys and high fences that make it such a difficult home run park. �I�ve never been one to lobby for anything,� Wright said, �But I�m a hitter and, of course, I�d prefer a hitter�s park over a pitcher�s park. Everyone knows this place plays big. I guess I�d love to pitch here.� David Wright swears that he never lobbies for anything right before lobbying for something. If this is what he says in public about Citi Field's dimensions, I could only imagine the gripes and whines he privately told Frenchy Francoeur over the last two seasons. (And rightfully so).

Edgy DC wrote: Yeah, they just introduced testing in the high minor leagues in mid-2010. I'm guessing it won't be part of the big-league bouquet of tests until the next CBA. So a major league vet slumming at AAA is the most likely to get caught. Maybe this is the reason why Ollie Perez was so reluctant to accept a demotion to Buffalo last year.

Mets win. Braves lose. Braves magic number to guarantee finishing ahead of the Mets --- 28. Though the Mets aren't mathematically eliminated from the 2011 playoffs, the odds that the Mets make the playoffs, according to Baseball Prospectus, are 0.0%

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy DC wrote: I don't consider a 58% chance of appearing slim at all --- certainly not when compared to the general population of professional minor league prospects. That's a logical rebuttal. The part about axing grinds, not so much. * But you still gotta consider whether Nimmo's gonna be a star or a scrub and that it's not just about getting there.

Edgy DC wrote: I don't consider a 58% chance of appearing slim at all --- certainly not when compared to the general population of professional minor league prospects. That's a logical rebuttal. The part about axing grinds, not so much.

Edgy DC wrote: So 25 out of 46 made it to the majors... So, no, you're apparently not willing to discount the three players still in the minors. You mis-state the facts, for whatever reason. I don't think it's bad on me to get it right. What axe? This is the second time we've been down this road, facts be damned. Fair enough. 25 out of 43 instead of 25 out of 46. It wasn't my intent to ignore your numbers. I skimmed your post and overlooked that 25/43 part.. Like that's gonna change anything. We're both talking about historical odds of a thirteener merely playing in the majors --slim--, without even then considering whether he's gonna be a Manny Ramirez or a Lute Barnes.

Edgy DC wrote: And you're apparently wrong about the more-than-most account, so I don't know why you're grinding this axe. So 25 out of 46 made it to the majors instead of 22 out of 46. Picky picky. What axe am I grinding?

Lucas Duda (post all-star game -- min. 75 PA's) 1.066 OPS (5th in NL) .622 SLG (7th in NL) .444 OBP (3d in NL) .354 BA (8th in NL) 9.70 RC/27 (7th in NL)

Frayed Knot wrote: It's good that the Mets signed Nimmo but I didn't get worked up over last night's 11th hour drama. As a Mets fan, I hope for a future where Nimmo is elected to MLB's Hall of Fame -- a NY Met cap engraved on his plaque. But if Nimmo ever gets into a major league game, even if for just one defensive play, he'll have accomplished more than most overall 13th picks: because most overall 13th picks never ever get out of the minor leagues. And then there's the likes of Aaron Hill, Casey Kotchman, Paul Konerko, Manny Ramirez, Bill Spiers, Gary Templeton, Frank Tanana, & Gary Nolan from the 13th slot in the draft. And Keith Hernandez was drafted after dozens of rounds. So what? I didn't say that the Mets should forfeit their picks. I'm just saying that the odds are very long -- so long that right now Nimmo doesn't do anything for me. Hey, six or so years ago, credible people were saying that the Mets were poised to soon field one of baseball's best young homegrown outfields (Milledge, Gomez & F-Mart).

TransMonk wrote: These days it's easier to recognize the backstops of stadiums than it is the unis. Oh yeah? "I put a brick wall behind home plate at Citi Field, I did. That was my idea."

It's good that the Mets signed Nimmo but I didn't get worked up over last night's 11th hour drama. As a Mets fan, I hope for a future where Nimmo is elected to MLB's Hall of Fame -- a NY Met cap engraved on his plaque. But if Nimmo ever gets into a major league game, even if for just one defensive play, he'll have accomplished more than most overall 13th picks: because most overall 13th picks never ever get out of the minor leagues.

Ceetar wrote: TransMonk wrote: I'll root for any of the laundry. My only wardrobe hatred is for those stupid red, white and blue caps they wear on Memorial Day/4th of July. Thanks, Fred. I don't know if you can blame Fred for that as it appears to be MLB wide. Between these new blues and our ridiculous black hats (And black shirts. You need black shirts to go with the black hats, natch) the effin MFY's are laughing at us.

The rare 1971-2 Brooks Robinson designed all orange Orioles uni. I hate the Mets new blue uni tops. Blue works well as a subtle accent against a double-knit polyester palette of mostly white or road gray. But an all blue jersey is, to my eyes, just another pajama top for the kids. It's downright pimpish, and that most teams now dress this way is no consolation or rationalization. And this new blue blows. It's not the original sedate Mets blue, but a carnival neon version I find some irony in the timing of the Mets new uni announcement that's personal to me; over the last two days, while watching the last D-Back game and then yesterdays Padre game, where both teams wore dark colored uniform tops, it finally sunk in after many years, that baseball's tradition of home teams in white tops and road teams in gray tops is no more and that, perhaps, it's time for me to accept this not-so-new way of dressing.