Edgy MD

I guess I sort of thought that Madison Bumgarner was Dungarner, and had gone off to live with Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito at the Vida Blue Home for Prematurely Declining Bay Area Aces.

I'd settle for middle school.

Who wouldn't rot for Blevins? I also came into spring training moldering for McWilliams and putrefying for Peraza.

A Nimmo solo homer represents the only blood drawn as the Mets trail 6-1. Fammy just got touched for his second run of the spring.

So it is. That seems a little unusual.

Down 4-0 following the Mets second error of the first inning (Almora, Lindor). Gilliam on for the Mets.

Mike Montgomery giving up three in the first to the Marlins this afternoon, and I'm guessing that pretty much seals up that fifth rotation spot for David Peterson.

You know, even though we've streamlined the T-OPF feature to only include front-list guys, I think that should include me. And the fact that you're reading this suggest that in fact does include me. I'm José Martinez, and I was looking like a good bet to make this team as the #5 outfielder and perhaps a helper elf at first. I have a major league OPS over .800, along with a split contract that puts me on the 40-man, so why not? But then I went and smashed into an umpire, ripped my meniscus, and it looks like I'll be out at least until mid-season. But that's still front-list to me. That's still above the fold. Guys who went to camp as favorites to make the team are part of the story. So, what part of the story will I be? Golden hero, pure and brave? Mustache-twirling villain? Comic relief? Romantic interest? Plucky sidekick? Crusty veteran who has a few more tricks up his sleeve? Sentimental vet forced to retire but still providing emotional support? Coach in training? Fun Fact: I went through three knee surgeries before I even reached the bigs, so this meniscus bullshit is nothing new. Yeah, that's one of those fun facts that aren't so fun, but whatareyougonnado? There are a lot of different ways this could go, but one way or another, I'm part of the family. And though we may have to wait a while to find out the dramatic arc this all takes, someone among you knows how this will play out RIGHT NOW. Why don't you fill the rest of us in? [YOUTUBE]sGA5U9OM3Nk[/YOUTUBE]

Carter Kieboom has been optioned down by the Nats. This opens things wide up, as the original plan seemed to be to bring Starlin Castro over from third, with one or more of veteran utility workers Jordy Mercer, Hernán Pérez, and/or Josh Harrison looking to take over at second. But Castro has sustained a mild left hammy strain, so it looks like two of those guys will be in the lineup. Or maybe Castro is ready for Thursday, or maybe Kieboom gets recalled. Or perhaps even Ryan Zimmerdude moves back to third. Secondbaseman Luis Garcia, who also seemingly started camp at the top of the depth chart, has been optioned as well. The future will have to wait. Who knows, Baby? But for now, it's Castro's job, and we'll keep a close watch going forward. Castro has switched to 13 this season, which really seems like a faux pas. Castro is a Dominican and he's got a perfectly cromulent Venezuelan infielder in Pérez playing along side of him. [TABLE][TR][TH][/TH][TH][FIMG=250]https://cdn.freebiesupply.com/images/large/2x/new-york-mets-logo-transparent.png[/FIMG][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][FIMG=250]https://cdn.freebiesupply.com/images/large/2x/washington-nationals-logo-transparent.png[/FIMG][/TH][TH][/TH][/TR][TR][TH]#[/TH][TH]Player[/TH][TH]Pos[/TH][TH]#[/TH][TH]Player[/TH][TH]Pos[/TH][/TR][TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]1[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]Nimmo[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]cf[/TD][TD]=#B22222]1[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Robles[/TD][TD]=#B22222]cf[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]2[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]Lindor[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]ss[/TD][TD]=#B22222]2[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Soto[/TD][TD]=#B22222]rf[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]3[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]Conforto[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]rf[/TD][TD]=#B22222]3[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Turner[/TD][TD]=#B22222]ss[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]4[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]Alonso[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]1b[/TD][TD]=#B22222]4[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Bell[/TD][TD]=#B22222]1b[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]5[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]Smith[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]lf[/TD][TD]=#B22222]5[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Schwarber[/TD][TD]=#B22222]lf[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]6[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]Davis[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]3b[/TD][TD]=#B22222]6[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Castro[/TD][TD]=#B22222]3b[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]7[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]McNeil[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]2b[/TD][TD]=#B22222]7[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Gomes[/TD][TD]=#B22222]c[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]8[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]McCann[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]c[/TD][TD]=#B22222]8[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Harrison[/TD][TD]=#B22222]2b[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]=#FF8000]9[/TD][TD]=#0000FF]deGrom[/TD][TD]=#FF8000]sp[/TD][TD]=#B22222]9[/TD][TD]=#0000BF]Scherzer[/TD][TD]=#B22222]sp[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

In 2020, Jacob deGrom was fourth in WPA, while being tied for 34th in wins. I don't think we should be trying to fix wins credited to pitchers so much as trying to replace them.

Pitcher wins are indeed largely meaningless and based on an arbitrary standard, but they are still a factor in who gets paid, who becomes an All-Star, who becomes a Hall-of-Famer, so there are meaningful outcomes subjected to these misleading functions. And yes, WPA added — especially if we can get a more perfect version of that number — is a far more illuminating piece of information.

Maybe, but it's not like Bank One in Philly led to a Bruce revival. He might need vitamins.

I'm the hoss of this bullpen. But a lot is asked of hosses. Including starting sometimes. And hosses can break down. I'm Seth Lugo, and I've broken down. It's a bone spur. Followed by surgery to remove that self-same bonespur. I finished last season in the rotation, and though I shouldn't necessarily be expected to return in that role, they haven't told me no, either. That's kind of weird, but either way, I resume throwing on or about opening day. That's the plan anyhow. Plans don't always pan out, of course. Back in 2017, my season didn't start until mid-June, after I came up with a partially torn UCL following the WBC. That should be a concerning piece of information. It is to me. But the doctors say that they got a look at that UCL while they were fishing out the bone spur and it looks fine. So that's where I'm at. I'm possibly fine, but maybe debilitated. I'm probably a reliever but I'm not not a starter. I could be the anchor to this bullpen or I could be out the year. I'm enjoying Aaron Loup's banter as a fellow Louisianan, but he's kind of a boring guy who wears camouflage hats to indoor interviews. A lot is up in the air. But I'm the guy who has been wearing the ass-ugly number of 67 for this team for five years now. I've been in this organization for twice that long. My curve has a whole bunch o' spin. Surely you've got enough information to glean some sort of informed opinion. I hope that's something you can offer, because I'm feeling vulnerable. [YOUTUBE]SzC0DHHgn9o[/YOUTUBE]

So, the Mets experimented with the opener today and the impact was immediate. By entering in the second inning, the would-have-been starting pitcher ended up getting the win despite a workday of only 4 2/3 innings. The shorter workdays along with the arbitrariness of the rules have served starting pitchers poorly. Unfortunately, credited wins and losses are still part of the calculus that goes into what they get paid. But among all the things they cannot control with regard to wins and losses, one key one is that they cannot earn a win until the fifth is complete, while they can earn a loss at any time, and the amount of typical use they get beyond that fifth is lessening (and in fact was a negative number today), the ration of opportunities to win against opportunities to lose goes steadily down, while it increases for relievers. It seems to me that, if an opener leaves after one or two innings with a lead, he should at least qualify for a hold (as long as these crude and arbitrary categories exist, anyhow). It was only a matter of time before this came to pass, I'd still like to just see them stop shortening pitchers' workdays seemingly every year.

WOW emoji!

It's the preponderance of offense that should frame the value of the very best pitchers. To me, it's hard for pitchers to win MVP because of (a) tradition, ( prejudice, © traditional prejudice, and (d) artificial usage restrictions.

Mike Bell, Twins bench coach and member of the multi-generational Bell playing and coaching dynasty (grandson of an original Met), has https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-bell-twins-bench-coach-dies-at-age-46succumbed to cancer at 46.

I came in here to be the #5 guy, or at least, that was my job to defend, but then it became clear Syndergaard wasn't answering the bell, and i was #4 with a bullet. And then we learned Lugo wasn't an option, and I was #3. Number three! Hey, we all agree I have some talent but I had a 7.94 ERA in a mere 5 2/3 innings last year for the Padres. Nobody wants to make too much of a small sample size, but if a guy is your third best starter, you perhaps want a little bit more in the bank. So the wise ones went out and got them some Taijuan Walker. And now I'm the number four guy. And youse can all breathe easier, because I feel comfortable saying my best pitching is still ahead of me. But how much easier can you breathe? How much better can be expected? How better is best? How far ahead? I can tell you how great I am. Like, back in 2019, I had the lowest line drive percentage of all major league pitchers. I can even ask Edgy to show you my greatness with a cleverly edited video. But there are still open questions. Dig my churve and close those questions. [YOUTUBE]0oI8ReuWTq8[/YOUTUBE]

I wish he crowdsourced folks on the Governor Christie thing.

Interesting that he's the only team-sport athlete wearing identifying team colors in the series. OJ and Jabbar are in civvies, and Pelé might be also, for all you can make out, though it kind of looks like the cut of a fútbol jersey.

You wanted a lefthanded reliever? You got one. Hi, I'm Aaron Loup. I've been pitching, mostly in the American League, since 2012. I've even thrown 7 1/3 innings for Philadelphia and San Diego, so I've been a major leaguer too. HA! I KID! We lefthanded relievers are all about the funny! Fun Fact: My middle name is Christopher. So my initials are ACL! It's a good thing I'm not a soccer player! If my name was Ulysses, I'd be UCL! And then I'd be in trouble! HA! I got a million of 'em! OK, seriously. I'm sidearming lefty, but I've had some modest success against righties too. I keep the ball in the park, and I don't like to walk dudes. I mean, it happens, but hopefully not as often as other lefty bullpenners. I walk more people than, Jacob deGrom, but fewer than Jerry Blevins. So, few-ish walks, very few homers, so you better put some defense behind me, because I am a guy people put in play. Listen, Tarpley ain't making this team. I suspect Blevins might, but I'm not sure he has much left. It's me you must put your faith in. I'm a Louisiana guy (studied digital design at Tulane) and that may mean you hear me and Lugo exchanging some weird words like cher and couyon and bon ami. But will I be more than color? The future is unwritten. Just because I wear a camouflage hat indoors doesn't make me a complete tool. You and me, together, let's write that future. [YOUTUBE]nqaEqA0fRfM[/YOUTUBE]

I don't think Tarpley is making this team.

Quite tragically, this appears to be a MLDB. Feel free to share any assholes in baseball orbit who need shaming in 2021.

In fairness, I'm only guessing that's a woman based on the straw hat. It's possible it's a leggy guy.

She actually lives in Alabama, but looking at her Cindy Tate Agee WWW.FACEBOOK.COM Cindy Tate Agee is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Cindy Tate Agee and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. FB profile, I think it's less likely she married into Tommie's family and more likely she married into the family that once owned Tommie's family. They seem really white ... I guess is what I'm saying. Anyhow, my like for Randy Tate goes back to a time when having a coolish name was all it took for me to like you, and "Randy Tate" sounded like the name of a guy who it'd be more fun to toss the ball around with than "Harry Parker" did.