Baseball Chat (BASEBALL)

[fung_derf]

Poor St. Pete. The stadium that no one wants. They should go ahead and turn into a circus tent already, being that it's all its good for.
If they leave though, those hotels will die. There is nothing else in that area.

[Preciouslife1]

https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-alec-bohm-bryson-stott-on-torpedo-bats

[Preciouslife1]

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2025/04/03/st-petersburg-city-council-votes-fund-rays-ballpark-repairs/

[Preciouslife1]

https://www.mlb.com/news/pete-alonso-homers-drives-in-four-in-mets-win

[fung_derf]

Well yeah and many believe the baseball in the minors is different as well.
Of course, the football in the NCAA is MUCH different from the one in the NFL too.

Higher stitching will aid the pitcher though. Of course, the NCAA also gives the batters aluminum bats to counteract.

[BullNBear52]

The seams on NCAA baseballs have a higher stitching than a MLB baseball. My son tried a couple and ended up blistering one of his fingers.

[fung_derf]

It strikes me that the San Diego Padres may be the best team ever that no one talks about.
Screw Yankees/Red Sox! I wanna see what happens when Padres/Dodgers play!....I predict Dodgers win out.
At what point this year will MLB fans start whining that something must be done about Dodgers dominance?
The MLB keeps telling us that baseball does better with a dominant team. What if a team goes 162-0?

[fung_derf]

I've never accepted their excuse for switching to MLB made baseballs. It now gives them the ability to manufacture baseballs to whatever specs they wish at the time.

[fung_derf]

I've heard that. Sounds awesome. I've been to several of those low minor league ballparks and its crazy to think that the kid you're chatting with after the game, may one day be impossible to get an autograph from later.

[BullNBear52]

Costa Rica
The official major league ball is made by Rawlings, which produces the stitched balls in Costa Rica. Attempts to automate the manufacturing process were never entirely successful, leading to the continued use of hand-made balls.

Baseballs just went up 10%.

[BullNBear52]

I go to Cape Cod every summer and love following CC baseball. The kids come from all over the country, stay with local families and some get part time jobs to make it through the summer. Bring a blanket or chair and enjoy the game.

[fung_derf]

For the first time in the history of the Rangers they have won back to back 1-0 games!!
Not sure if I should be thrilled the pitching is looking so stellar or concerned that we have a team that can't hit!
Is this the wonder of the Bruce Bochy every other year magic?

[fung_derf]

Yes. Playing in rookie ball is a grind...or the best of times. It's low pay and you are either on the way up or you're not going anywhere. At least in today's baseball, most have gotten a decent bonus to sign. Deciding to do PED's is often times the decision maker between staying in the Majors or being sent back down. Or the difference between the guy who hits 25 HR's or 25 warning track outs. It's literally a multi million dollar decision. For Bonds it was the difference between being a very good player and being the best ever!
The downside is all the future damage you are doing to your body. Knowing there is a very good chance you will die sooner because of what you put into your body years ago......so, is it worth the several millions of dollars you will have for you and your family?
Would your rookie league buddy have taken them?

[SSKILLZ1]

Baty it is painfully obvious that he has a huge whole in his swing. I wanted him no part near the team last year and was begging for Vientos to start the season, had to endure him for 40+ games before the move. Now for some inexplicable reason they will not start Acuna everyday. if anything he is a better fielder (Shown by Baty terrible throw yesterday), he is much faster and can steal a base, and I think he is a much better bat (although not saying much), plus he has flash more in the couple of weeks in September than Baty has done as a whole in the last 3 years. I'm not sure if he is good enough to take the job overall, but what person rather not see him over Baty, outside of Mets management.

Yes Lindor is a awful starter he started 1/31 last season and literally was top 2 in the MVP race when it is all said and done, but he gets off to horrible starts year after year. This is just standard operating procedure I guess. As for Soto can't say he is starting red hot but his OBP is still north of 400 right now. So it isn't that bad. And thanks for Pete and Torrens because they have little other contribution offensively and defensively while we are at it. Pete actually made a throw to 1b without throwing it in the OF that was nice to see. And torrens throws everyone out, has actually hit a bit, and saved baty from that absurd throw.

[rocketeer357]

Baty had the classic spring training numbers which always work to make you think, maybe, just maybe this year will be the one we drafted him for.
Baty's only part of the problem here. And a small part because anyone who knows him has low expectations. Lindor, Soto... that's a billion bucks for a combined .169 average 
Be glad Pete signed his insulting offer 

[rocketeer357]

Ha! A clear definition of "give up" is required before making a choice. 
I play geriatric baseball with a guy who was signed and did a season in some rookie league. He had some stories to tell, but suffice it to say there was no romance on the minors, no magical allure of the game to offset the horrid conditions these guys have to endure. Maybe at age 18 it beats flipping burgers, but by 19, it's a coin toss.
Now you chuck a number like $25 million into that equation.....

[SSKILLZ1]

I can't believe the mets won this game, they played so badly, one of the worst games on the level of play I have seen in the last 5 years by the mets.

[SSKILLZ1]

Apparently the whole team quit today, this trainwreck they have played so far today, better be one of the worst games of the year, because if it is not, it is gonna be a long season. I get losses but this is a combo of missing ball right over the plate, hangers missed. Balks, fielding errors, fielding the ball in fair territory when it is going foul, throwing errors, misplays of flyballs, they have done it all. To say this game has irritated me is an understatement, and could we stop with brett baty, he stinks, when are they gonna get this through their heads.

[fung_derf]

BTW, Big Game Nate comes through once again! 99 pitch complete game when the bullpen has already been overused. What a stud he has been for us!
I thought I remembered him before we got him as a guy who has a good year, then a bad year.....

[fung_derf]

Ahhhh, but the bigger question to you is.....would you give up possibly 5 years of your life for $50 million?

[fung_derf]

Do they pay you if you fail a doping test?

Absolutely not, which is why my point, why keep taking those after you get the big contract.

Because he wants to perform for his contract.

[BullNBear52]

No money for failing the test for the length of the suspension. Quit and you don't get paid unless Boras was your agent.

[rocketeer357]

Ah, thanks for clearing up the obvious. So Profar is owed $12 million this season. If I'm understanding the fine print, the 80 day hit on the $12 million is about $2.6 million, which means Profar will still bank $39.4 million dollars over the life of his contract, courtesy of the Braves.Hey, if he flew under the radar all of last season, I can understand why he didn't quit using PEDs. That's a risk/reward proposition that sure looks pretty tempting compared to bussing around the Florida panhandle for 40k a year as your 20's peel off the calendar.

[SSKILLZ1]

Do they pay you if you quit?

They absolutely will pay you if you quit the peds and they don't catch you even you stink for the whole contract. I wasn't saying quit baseball, I was saying quit the peds after you get the big contract, before they catch you.

Do they pay you if you fail a doping test?

Absolutely not, which is why my point, why keep taking those after you get the big contract.

On the the Mets. Anytime Lindor gets a hit in April, that's a game the Mets gotta have

Problem is he has more errors in this game than he has hits all season. This team offense has been not very good this season they had one game, but the other 4 they have scored 3 runs or less and most of them have been less.

[rocketeer357]

Do they pay you if you quit? Do they pay you if you fail a doping test?
On the the Mets. Anytime Lindor gets a hit in April, that's a game the Mets gotta have 

[Eli's Gone]

Addition by subtraction in the Big O's case---now we have two # "0"--exciting

[SoxFan]

Well we traded away Sale last year and he won a Cy Young. We just released Ottavino so things must be looking up for him

[Eli's Gone]

Ottavino----Yanks bring back the guy who said he'd strike out Babe Ruth but couldn't even strike out Dr Ruth...

[SSKILLZ1]

Call me nuts for saying this. wouldn't it been smarter to I don't know quit after you got the big contract. who cares if your performance falls off a cliff, you got the money regardless in my opinion.

[BullNBear52]

You definitely need some pitching help and Cortes as a starter is not the answer. Move him to the BP.

[rocketeer357]

Could explain a few things about his numbers last season.....Gotta say, for 42 million bucks, I'd be tempted as well if my career numbers were that ugly. 

[rocketeer357]

In Milwaukee's case,  you might have to modify the end of the old "you can't win the pennant in April" saying to "but you can lose it in March". Helluva run differential in Brewtown. 

[Eli's Gone]

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar suspended for 80 games...

[SSKILLZ1]

Nice to see the mets offense getting going here. Yes it is the marlins, but nice to see Pete hit a grand slam.

[BullNBear52]

Accentuate the positive.

[Eli's Gone]

impressive---over a 500K pace....

[SoxFan]

Update: 0-19 with 15ks

[Eli's Gone]

but he does have a bases loaded rbi walk...

[SoxFan]

So far Devers is 0-18 with 14Ks

[SoxFan]

He's pissed he's not the third baseman so he continue his streak of most errors by a third baseman 6 years on a row. True team player

[Eli's Gone]

Saw several of Devers K's---ball was on the way back to the pitcher by the time his swing had finished---I didn't notice whether the donut was still on the bat...

[fung_derf]

Well, either the Rangers have the pitching staff to compare to the '54 Indians, or........
The Red Sox suck!
I thought this was supposed to be their year and they're already counting down when they are eliminated from the playoffs.

[SoxFan]

Red Sox suck

[BullNBear52]

They asked Judge if he was using the bat and he said No. And if they had any questions look at his last 2 years.

[Preciouslife1]

JUDGE is NOT USING the new shaped Torpedo Bats, yet people are wrongly stating his opening games burst is due to the new bat shapes ... to be SO IGNORANT of the FACTS and WRONG is an insult and denigration of his tremendous talent imho ..

[BullNBear52]

Yankees' new 'Torpedo' bats create a stir amid 15-homer weekend barrage
March 30th, 2025
https://www.mlb.com/news/yankees-discuss-new-torpedo-bats

Yes it is legal and took a rocket scientist to invent it.

[rocketeer357]

Something tells me the Brewers need pitching.Hmmm.... 36 runs allowed in 3 games. We got 'em right where we......This opening series is horrible for Milwaukee, which is a team that usually gets off to a decent start. On the other hand, they're a half game up on the Braves and only a half game behind the Red Sox. 

[Eli's Gone]

Record setting pace after opening sets LOL

Judge 216 HR's

Jake Bauers 108 appearances out of the bullpen

Rafael Devers on pace for 486 K's

[SSKILLZ1]

I don't think there pitching is great by any means, but you have to believe it is a lot better than that. Granted that isn't saying much. The NL Central is a very weak division so the brewers despite how they looked this series will have a shot. Pittsburgh has promising SP but no lineup. The cardinals are trying to rebuild, the cubs on paper should be decent, than again they should of been waaaaaaaaaaaay better last year, so who knows. The reds are the unknown for me, I can see a scenario with francona where they are better than you think. But to me this is the one division where pretty much when I say it is wide open it really is, the others I kind of got an idea of what I think is gonna happen the NL Central not so much in my opinion.

[Preciouslife1]

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/yankees-tie-mlb-record-with-15-home-runs-in-first-three-games-of-2025-season/