MLB - Baseball 2016

**wackyjacky** · 16-04-2016, 01:53 PM

The secret to baseball is to get the starting pitcher to have to throw a lot of pitches early. When he's out of the game your hitters can feast on the plump soft underbelly called 'middle relief'.

**Sumbitch** · 16-04-2016, 04:17 PM

Another secret is that, if the starting pitcher is relieved, he can replace someone else and return to the mound later on.

**aging one** · 16-04-2016, 04:47 PM

I saw it happen on TV perhaps 6 years ago or so. Cubs and A's Lou Pinella was the manager of the Cubs he took out a pitcher and put him in left field so he could change to a lefty on the mound. The lefty got the out and out came Pinella to pull the switch. Out came Tony LaRussa the A's manager, not to protest but to tell Lou what a great move it was. I thought I knew ball and was shocked at that one.

I guess its common now in youth baseball.

**Sumbitch** · 16-04-2016, 05:22 PM

^ Yeah, I know it. You think you've seen everything baseball has to offer and then something awesome or confusing happens to change your whole mindset.

**aging one** · 16-04-2016, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by wjblaney

^ Yeah, I know it. You think you've seen everything baseball has to offer and then something awesome or confusing happens to change your whole mindset.

Do to one and a half hours of TV and one channel 4 nights a week I spent more time reading the rule book of baseball than watching TV. Plus year round good weather to play ball as a kid in Arabia. Sure as hell no rain outs.

**Sumbitch** · 16-04-2016, 05:47 PM

^ I can't imagine.

**Black Heart** · 16-04-2016, 08:55 PM

Will this be the year of the Cubs? 2016?

It's early but.....

**Sumbitch** · 17-04-2016, 06:58 AM

they're a good 3 games in front of the rest of the pack. They also have the second best record in the major leagues.

**Black Heart** · 17-04-2016, 10:20 AM

Yeah, wacky

Well, the M's have won 3 straight, so some solace.

**Sumbitch** · 17-04-2016, 11:56 AM

So have L.A.

**aging one** · 17-04-2016, 12:04 PM

Nope, Giants beat them today 4-3. Cuerto got the win.

**Sumbitch** · 17-04-2016, 12:16 PM

Today, Sunday? Ah, on and on the rivalry grows. I know my respect for the Giants has grown.

**Sumbitch** · 18-04-2016, 09:49 AM

Dodgers beat SF 3-1. Both teams, along with Rockies are tied for first at (7-5)

**Black Heart** · 18-04-2016, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Dodgers beat SF 3-1. Both teams, along with Rockies are tied for first at (7-5)

Yeah, both seem solid at the start of the season.

**Black Heart** · 18-04-2016, 11:19 AM

"The Summer of Cubs?"

Here is the podcast for the Cubs KK/BB ratio and other stats. Still early, but the Cubs look very strong for 2016.

Pitching Power - ESPN

Another article below here:

This Cubs Lineup Might Be the Most Disciplined Lineup Ever
by August Fagerstrom - April 13, 2016

We all know by now about velocity being up league-wide and strikeouts having been on the rise for more than a decade. If you didn’t: welcome to baseball in 2016! Everyone throws 95 and there’s darn near 20 strikeouts a game now.

The inverse of that, naturally, is that walks are harder to come by. Pitchers are working outside the zone more than ever and hitters aren’t adjusting, and they’re having a harder time catching up to the heat even when it’s inside the zone. Hitters are finding themselves behind in the count far more often than we’ve seen in the past, and in the last two years, we’ve seen the two lowest league-wide walk rates in almost 50 years.

Which brings us to this year’s Chicago Cubs, who aren’t playing by those rules. They’re off to a ridiculous start, with a 6-1 record and a league-best +29 run differential. Their pitchers have struck out 56 batters and walked just nine. Thus far, they’ve looked every bit the powerhouse folks envisioned in the offseason. And there’s another part of this Cubs team that’s staying true to preseason expectations, an important part of the team’s DNA that hasn’t been given much publicity. It’s not a sexy characteristic, which would explain the lack of fanfare surrounding this trait, but it’s an important one. The 2016 Cubs have a very real chance to be the most disciplined lineup we’ve ever seen.

To be clear: when I say “ever,” I’m talking about the post-expansion era, since 1961, and when I say “disciplined,” I’m talking about walks. The Cubs are going to strike out. They might strike out more than anyone. But team strikeout rate has almost no correlation with underperformance. As long a lineup gets on base and hits for power, they can lead the league in strikeouts and be just fine. The Cubs plan to do just that.

So far, this season, the Cubs lead baseball with a 13.1% team walk rate. It’s not expected to stay that high, but it is expected to stay the highest. I pulled team projections for all 30 clubs from our depth charts page, which uses the ZiPS and Steamer projection systems and manually updated playing-time estimates, and I calculated team walk rates. The preseason forecasts looked like this:

It’s the Cubs in front, by a landslide. I’d be remiss not to mention that the Cubs lost Kyle Schwarber, a high-walk guy, for the season, and replaced him with Jorge Soler, a lower-walk guy. Just know that the rest-of-season projections still forecast the Cubs with a 9.9% walk rate. Essentially, nothing changed.

The Cubs, as a team, are still projected to draw a walk in one of every 10 plate appearances. Only nine other teams come in above 8%. Only two other teams at 9%. The difference between the Cubs in first and the A’s in second is the same as the difference between the A’s in second and the Mariners in 11th. The Cubs, here, are three full standard deviations above the mean, making them an actual statistical outlier. That’s when you know you’re dealing with something truly unique.

So here’s the Cubs, projected for the first double-digit team walk rate in six years, and living up to that lofty forecast in the early going of the season. On its own, the 10% walk rate is already impressive, but it becomes even more impressive when we consider that walk rates are as low as they’ve been in decades. A 10% team walk rate in 2016 is exponentially more impressive than a 10% team walk rate in the late-90s.

So let’s gain some historical perspective. It’s a relatively simple thing to do. All we need is team walk rate and league walk rate. Divide the former by the latter, multiply by 100, and we’ve got an indexed statistic, like OPS+, where 100 is league average. The Cubs are projected for a BB%+ of 130, meaning their walk rate is expected to be 30% better than league average. How would that rank, in the post-expansion era?

Entire:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/this-...d-lineup-ever/

**Sumbitch** · 18-04-2016, 12:25 PM

Best if they never remember the Steve Bartman incident:

The Steve Bartman incident occurred during a Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason game played between the Chicago Cubs and the Florida Marlins on October 14, 2003, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

In the eighth inning of Game 6 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS), with Chicago ahead 3–0 and holding a 3 games to 2 lead in the best of seven series, several spectators attempted to catch a foul ball off the bat of Florida second baseman Luis Castillo. One of the fans – Steve Bartman – reached for the ball, deflecting it and disrupting a potential catch by Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou. If Alou had caught the ball, it would have been the second out in the inning, and the Cubs would have been just four outs away from winning their first National League pennant since 1945. Instead, the Cubs ended up surrendering eight runs in the inning and shortly afterward lost the game, 8–3. When they were eliminated in the seventh game the next day, the "Steve Bartman incident" was seen as the "first domino" in the turning point of the series.

In the aftermath of the incident, Bartman, a lifelong Cubs fan, had to be escorted from the stadium by security guards and placed under police protection for a time, when his name and address were made public on Major League Baseball message boards.

In 2011, ESPN produced a documentary film exploring the subject as part of its 30 for 30 series. Titled Catching Hell, the film draws similarities between Bill Buckner's fielding error late in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and the Bartman incident. It also displays the incident through all perspectives.

**Black Heart** · 18-04-2016, 02:07 PM

Cheers for the reminder of that one, wacky. (I'm getting old.)

The death threats Barman received after his address was published online:

**Black Heart** · 18-04-2016, 03:01 PM

I never believed Buckner should have been slammed for the way he was:

**Storekeeper** · 18-04-2016, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by Black Heart

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Dodgers beat SF 3-1. Both teams, along with Rockies are tied for first at (7-5)

Yeah, both seem solid at the start of the season.

Because of Ichiro I basically know more about the Miami Marlins and their players than other teams like our Mariners. Not looking so good right now but Ichiro is making the most of his limited opportunities so far ... 4 for 9 on the season ... Batting .444 and up to 2939 hits/499 stolen bases. Ozuna is off to another terrible start so maybe Ichiro will get more playing time.

**Black Heart** · 18-04-2016, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Originally Posted by Black Heart

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Dodgers beat SF 3-1. Both teams, along with Rockies are tied for first at (7-5)

Yeah, both seem solid at the start of the season.

Because of Ichiro I basically know more about the Miami Marlins and their players than other teams like our Mariners. Not looking so good right now but Ichiro is making the most of his limited opportunities so far ... 4 for 9 on the season ... Batting .444 and up to 2939 hits/499 stolen bases. Ozuna is off to another terrible start so maybe Ichiro will get more playing time.

Cheers for the FYI on Itchy, SK.

So, I assume (obviously) Itchy is still being followed by the Japanese press closely (as well as Tanaka and other players from Japan) ?

I hope he gets his magic number this year.

**Black Heart** · 20-04-2016, 06:33 AM

Wade Miley has the bases loaded. Walked to batters back to back in the bottom of the order for Cleveland.

Miley's had a rough start this year.

**Storekeeper** · 20-04-2016, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Black Heart

I hope he gets his magic number this year.

Infield single to third today. Guess he still has some speed.

**Black Heart** · 20-04-2016, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

Originally Posted by Black Heart

I hope he gets his magic number this year.

Infield single to third today. Guess he still has some speed.

He must still have some legs left!

**Sumbitch** · 21-04-2016, 02:26 PM

Cubs show they have what it takes

read full article here: Cubs show they have what it takes | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com

**Black Heart** · 21-04-2016, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Cubs show they have what it takes

read full article here: Cubs show they have what it takes | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com

Yeah....

We've heard this ballyhoo before, but if you look at the Cubs stats - as of now - they will be contending to win the division and they have the potential to go further.....we'll see in the Fall.....

Note the word potential.

I'm starting to like watching them more and more.

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