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MLB 2024

#821
buldog5151bass said:
Call me a crusty old man, but people have forgotten how to slide. Either they go in head first, which is not faster, causes inuries, and people slide off the bag, or if they go in feet first, half the time the front foot is in theair and misses the bass/plate.

I don't get it.
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I get it for *some* players that are actually good at it after seeing the likes of Javy Baez et al mystify would-be taggers with their swim moves but I believe they are very much the exception (and they definitely risk injury). What I absolutely do not understand is diving into 1st base. Why? What magical zone exists on the last 6 feet of the basepath that suspends basic physics that makes a player *faster* diving into the air than running it out . . . with the full benefit of a free runway past the base and no risk of being tagged? If diving is so much faster than running how come it's still apparently a secret that track & field sprinters have yet to learn?
 
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#822
Karl_in_Chicago said:
I get it for *some* players that are actually good at it after seeing the likes of Javy Baez et al mystify would-be taggers with their swim moves but I believe they are very much the exception (and they definitely risk injury). What I absolutely do not understand is diving into 1st base. Why? What magical zone exists on the last 6 feet of the basepath that suspends basic physics that makes a player *faster* diving into the air than running it out . . . with the full benefit of a free runway past the base and no risk of being tagged? If diving is so much faster than running how come it's still apparently a secret that track & field sprinters have yet to learn?
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I agree but we do still get these gems from time to time, AND this turned out to be the winning run in the CWS:

 
#823
thisheregiraffe said:
The Blue Jays stink. This season might as well be over. It could be a busy trade deadline in Toronto. They should be a seller. Vlad has quietly been playing very well this season despite the low HR numbers. Other teams should be making offers. Some of their starting pitchers could be of interest to buyers as well.

They're on a six game losing streak and are in last place in the division.

And one of their top position player prospects, who just made his big league debut like a week ago, just received an 80-game PED suspension.

The team hasn't been super fun to watch this summer..!
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Dodgers will be buying arms. Who knows if Kershaw is really coming back. Buehler looks terrible. Still way too many out, including Kelly.
 
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#824
Didn't even try to watch last night's Cubs game, *occasionally* switched over during commercial breaks in other shows but quickly stopped bothering even with that. Huh, bullpen exploded in late innings again, whodathunk? Through 80 games Cubs are 37-43; last year at this time they were 38-42. Cubs kicked mgr David Ross to the curb and hired Craig Counsell for $40M/5 years making him the highest paid manager in MLB *history* - a deal that was reported as "industry-shaking". Cubs also made off season roster moves so that when they opened the season Counsell had an ostensibly better roster than did Ross the prior season. And yet . . . I'll round up and say the "same" record but technically one game *worse*. Now I'm not 100% *blaming* Counsell, I like him (I liked Ross, too), but once you start pulling down that kind of $$ you need to be prepared to be asked some serious questions . . . and yet nobody is. Somebody's gonna take the fall, though . . . which assistant coach will the Cubs throw under the bus? Even though I believe the bullpen now leads MLB in blown saves the bullpen coach is probably safe since he's a new Counsell hire. Bats have gone to sleep after a torrid first 2 months so hitting coach Kelly's seat might be a bit warm but I'm thinking they'll throw assistant hitting coach Mallee under the bus.
Gonna be a big fire sale real soon. Oh boy, another season of articles talking about all the super hot prospects this organization has. Sigh.
 
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#825
buldog5151bass said:
Call me a crusty old man, but people have forgotten how to slide. Either they go in head first, which is not faster, causes inuries, and people slide off the bag, or if they go in feet first, half the time the front foot is in theair and misses the bass/plate.

I don't get it.
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You're a crusty old man! ( Hey, you told me to :laugh: )

I agree though that it does seem like you see a lot of ugly slides these days. I wonder if players' sprint speeds are just higher on average these days compared to the past, and if that is a factor. I would assume it's harder to slide in control the faster you're running. Of course, not everybody in the league is a super fast runner. But in general, pitchers are throwing harder than ever before, balls seem to be coming off of bats harder and faster than before. It's such a high performance sport now. Guys might be rounding the bases faster too. Statcast hasn't been tracking sprint speeds for very long so I don't think it's possible to compare current players to previous eras in that regard.
 
#827
thisheregiraffe said:
You're a crusty old man! ( Hey, you told me to :laugh: )

I agree though that it does seem like you see a lot of ugly slides these days. I wonder if players' sprint speeds are just higher on average these days compared to the past, and if that is a factor. I would assume it's harder to slide in control the faster you're running. Of course, not everybody in the league is a super fast runner. But in general, pitchers are throwing harder than ever before, balls seem to be coming off of bats harder and faster than before. It's such a high performance sport now. Guys might be rounding the bases faster too. Statcast hasn't been tracking sprint speeds for very long so I don't think it's possible to compare current players to previous eras in that regard.
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I think it's more that players don't practice fundamentals like they used to. When is the last time you saw players taking infield practice during the season? How about practicing throws from the outfield, a catcher throwing to second base, or a rundown?

There is no doubt that players continue to get bigger and faster. They are better athletes, but not better players.
 
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#828
buldog5151bass said:
I think it's more that players don't practice fundamentals like they used to. When is the last time you saw players taking infield practice during the season? How about practicing throws from the outfield, a catcher throwing to second base, or a rundown?

There is no doubt that players continue to get bigger and faster. They are better athletes, but not better players.
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Yeah, I’m willing to bet sliding (among other things) is practiced less in general these days.

Players could be getting less minor league development time in general too. Players seem to get moved from level to level more quickly within minor league systems (not every organization is the same though).
 
#831
The Mariners finished the road trip with a win. 3-6 sucks though. They were up 10. Now they are up 4-1/2. Oof. I suppose the season has these ups and downs and the fact that they are still in first should make me happy after a 3-6 road trip. Houston is on a tear and are still 4-1/2 back, which means there's room for the Mariners to get hot again and put some distance between themselves and the Astros. The upcoming homestand is not exactly easy.

If baseball wasn't agony, I wouldn't like it so much.
 
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#832
upload_2024-6-27_17-37-3.png
 
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#834
Toronto’s record after 81 games in 2022 and 2023: 44-37
Compared to 2024 after 81: 37-44

Not where they’re supposed to be at the halfway point!

There have been some good signs of late though. Vlad has been on fire at the plate. Finally found his power again.

This season is most likely still a lost cause. Big changes still need to happen. But it’s promising to see Vlad realizing more of his potential, either to boost his trade value or to reassure the team that he’s still a core building block of next year’s lineup.
 

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