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2017 Major League Baseball Thread

EagerBeaver

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Surprised that nobody stared a thread so I figured I would try.

Needless to say I am very happy with the way the Yankees are playing but the best team I have seen this year is the Houston Astros. Unfortunately the Yankees helped balance this team by providing the Astros with two very productive veteran leaders in McCann and Beltran. This is the team to beat in MLB in my opinion. Their record is not a fluke and Dallas Keuchel is the best pitcher in baseball. Although the Yankees used to have a team which always had problems with crafty lefthanded pitchers, they have devastated left handed pitching this year with their tremendous right handed power. The one guy I saw this year who neutralized every one was Keuchel. He was unhittable while not throwing tremendously hard. All you see against him are swings and misses and soft ground balls. He has great stuff although he doesn't throw tremendously hard, and he is crafty as hell. He will win another Cy Young award this year if he stays healthy.

I am disappointed by the NY Mets. I thought they could have the best rotation in baseball and seriously challenge the Nationals, but they lost a few key guys and now look average.

I am also disappointed by the Cubs. Honestly I never thought their pitching was all that great. They certainly don't look like a dynasty.

The Red Sox looked like the best team on paper in the AL and recently have played well, but David Price is a question mark and they don't have nearly as much power in their lineup as in past years and are no match for the Yankees in long balls. Their pitching looks good enough that they will be a threat all year and I expect the Yankees and Red Sox will have feisty battles starting next week in the Bronx. These are the two best teams in the AL East. The Yankees have more power and a deeper roster in the event of equal injuries but assuming health of both teams it will be a dogfight all year.

In the NL the Dodgers and Nationals are the two best teams. I like the Nationals lineup better but the Dodgers have slightly better pitching. My early bird prediction is one of those two teams faces one of Astros, Yankees or Red Sox in the World Series. If you ask me point blank I like the Astros. Great lineup, great pitching and a great bullpen. I don't see any holes in this team and they are for real.
 

EagerBeaver

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In batting practice today Aaron Judge hit a ball into the 5th deck at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Nobody has ever hit one there. The only fans who sit there are the ones who can tolerate nosebleeds and thin air.
 

Doc Holliday

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In batting practice today Aaron Judge hit a ball into the 5th deck at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Nobody has ever hit one there. The only fans who sit there are the ones who can tolerate nosebleeds and thin air.

The Blue Jays kicked Yankee ass last night at the Rogers Centre. Go Jays!!! :thumb:
 

EagerBeaver

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Just saw Jason Grilli give up homers to 4 of the 5 Yankees batters he faced including back to back to back by Holliday, Castro and Gregorious as well as a leadoff homer by Gardner. The only batter who failed to homer off Grilli was Judge, who might have homered if he hadn't been called out on a high strike.

Grilli has mercifully been relieved.
 

kabukicho

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Surprised that nobody stared a thread so I figured I would try.

Needless to say I am very happy with the way the Yankees are playing but the best team I have seen this year is the Houston Astros. Unfortunately the Yankees helped balance this team by providing the Astros with two very productive veteran leaders in McCann and Beltran. This is the team to beat in MLB in my opinion. Their record is not a fluke and Dallas Keuchel is the best pitcher in baseball. Although the Yankees used to have a team which always had problems with crafty lefthanded pitchers, they have devastated left handed pitching this year with their tremendous right handed power. The one guy I saw this year who neutralized every one was Keuchel. He was unhittable while not throwing tremendously hard. All you see against him are swings and misses and soft ground balls. He has great stuff although he doesn't throw tremendously hard, and he is crafty as hell. He will win another Cy Young award this year if he stays healthy.

I am disappointed by the NY Mets. I thought they could have the best rotation in baseball and seriously challenge the Nationals, but they lost a few key guys and now look average.

I am also disappointed by the Cubs. Honestly I never thought their pitching was all that great. They certainly don't look like a dynasty.

The Red Sox looked like the best team on paper in the AL and recently have played well, but David Price is a question mark and they don't have nearly as much power in their lineup as in past years and are no match for the Yankees in long balls. Their pitching looks good enough that they will be a threat all year and I expect the Yankees and Red Sox will have feisty battles starting next week in the Bronx. These are the two best teams in the AL East. The Yankees have more power and a deeper roster in the event of equal injuries but assuming health of both teams it will be a dogfight all year.

In the NL the Dodgers and Nationals are the two best teams. I like the Nationals lineup better but the Dodgers have slightly better pitching. My early bird prediction is one of those two teams faces one of Astros, Yankees or Red Sox in the World Series. If you ask me point blank I like the Astros. Great lineup, great pitching and a great bullpen. I don't see any holes in this team and they are for real.

The astros sucked DEEP and hard for a bunch of years. One thing is Good thing they drafted well and their seeds are producing fruit. Yankees didn't even go into a dark period. Who knew Judge would be THIS commanding. Boston is a team that won it, tour it up, tanked it recent years and got their picks, a team run like a mechanical cold machine. If i were their fanbase(clear to me they are fanboy zombies and they can take anything you decide to give them, ownership in boston knows) I wouldn't have paid to be at their games the past 3 years. NYY, their late picks are panning out. What has failed them is their picks on starting pitching for over 10 years.

The NYY weakeness on batting against lefties was Cashman's and owner's fault. Their shift to righty bats now,was really a fix of their mistake in the first place. Castro, letting Mccan go (for peanuts though), Sanchez the right handed catcher, Judge, and the switch hitter taken off the twins, hicks, all represented the shift back to right handed bats.

For them to have nickel and dimed by $1 million to get and then lose right handed bat russell martin (went to Pitssburg) who replaced Posada, then in a panic move by cashman to grab the lefty hitting Mccann for a prettier penny mind you. The 17th pick was given to the Braves for that move btw. This was awful. Basically the owners were dancing with trying to and confused with getting under the lux cap. Letty granderson go, swisher go.... then they opened up the wallet again so they never got under the lux.

(similar to Cashman's F you move to Johny Damon "take my deal" w/ a pay cut..Damon said F you back.. to where cashman the next day traded right handed bat Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy and Phil Coke to get Lefty Curtis Granderson for 3 years.

Then replacing Jeter with yet another lefty.... SS Didi.... which was okay in itself

And then in another panic move in not closing the deal with Cano, the very next day or so you over pay for lefty Elsbury AND the DH Beltan. I would have overpaid for Cano, day one. Never needed Elsbury and NOBODY put a bid on him. Beltan was overly injured year 1 and 2 of his 3 year deal.

We wouldnt have needed Castro, and could have focused our assets on other spots if we kept cano. who would have been the sole bright spot for the Yanks offense in 2016.

(they should have traded Cano before that season ended, get premium prospects).

will be interesting to see what kind of bird comes from his injury. no way i would rush him back because he needs to hit again in AAA.


The mets have found themselves able to wallow in misery even with having drafted well by going dark real dark, for a decade. Glad I'm not their fan.

But I'm not a full breasted MLB watcher as you seem to be to comment on the breath of teams you have.
 

EagerBeaver

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kabukicho,

The Ellsbury deal was Randy Levine and the Tampa regime, not Brian Cashman. Cashman has had to fight with the Tampa contingent with constant head butts back at them to get the Yankees younger and cheaper. He has drafted and traded well. Cashman wasn't responsible for the Aroldis Chapman signing either. That was Tampa/Levine. However all the deals Cashman made in the last couple years were very good. McCann trade, Gregorious and Castro acquisitions, etc. He has had to fight with Tampa to not spend money on pitchers because they have some good young ones (Severino, Montgomery, Chance Adams in AAA) and so far Cashman is keeping the Tampa hierarchy (which yearns to spend money on old free agents) in check. Cashman has apparently prevailed in the meetings through intelligence and force of will, but the Ellsbury, Headley, and ARod contracts were all Tampa (ditto with Chapman) as was the plug being pulled on Cano which I was not happy with, but now the Yankees have a more productive second baseman than Cano who is 7 years younger! I guess Cashman is allowed to get his way so long as he turns the ass cheek and takes one bad signing forced on him by Levine/Tampa regime every couple years. Chapman was the latest- the guy is great but like Ellsbury they overpaid for a guy when Betances could have closed,. It's money they could be spending on a competent third baseman which Headley is not (the one weakness on the team other than 1B but only until Bird returns). However once Headley's contract runs they will stick Castro or Gregorious there, put Gleyber Torres at whatever position opens up and then sign Machado in 2019. After that Castro can be traded for a pitcher.

Cashman is a top 3 GM in baseball, I would argue number 1 but Cubs fans would argue Epstein who does have a very good track record but he has not had to deal with Gorilla ownership that obsesses on stupid contracts for 19 years, and also keep his job and does not get blamed for the contracts. It is really doing something to avoid being a fall guy., even if he did object privately to doing those deals. Sometimes Gorilla owners want yes men and not no men. Like you said, the Yankees have not had a losing record since 1992 and the reason why is Cashman has not let it happen, even though it could have. Other teams have proven you can spend and suck, and the Yankees have avoided sucking for a long time. Now they are about to get really good again for another 10 years.

BTW I have been watching the Yankees since the early 1970s and they have never been this good offensively from the right handed side as the current team. Teams historically would arrange their rotations to throw lefties against the Yankees (I remember many times teams calling up lefty pitchers from AAA to spot start against the Yankees), but those days are over. You don't want any lefty facing this team unless it's Dallas Keuchel or Clayton Kershaw.
 

kabukicho

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no way really? I think this season is too early to say if it's the best rightsided NYY team since whenever. what about those few years when NYY had Gary Sheffied, Jeter, and wasn't Arod already present. Then you add the switch hitter, Posada, and maybe one more that I can't recall... would't that time period have a very nice rightsided ouput?

I do like Epstein btw. More than Cashman. I still dislike not having gone for Yu Darvish. instead Cashman went for the 'cheaper' Kei Agawa, may have typed it wrong. Then hid him in AAA for the rest of his 3? year contract cuz his stuff can't even translate to MLB.

I mean where was the NYY Asia region scouting on this guy? meanwhlie Boston signed a boat load of Japanese relievers.... that were actually elite! Again though, I dunno if that move was 'tampa' or Cashman, but even w/ the Tommy John for Darvish, I wanted darvish on day one years ago, regardless of the $ it required. I was not that high on Tanaka years later either btw. Why? because he was a sort of average pitcher until it's like he sold his soul to the devil and harnessed the best splitter in baseball, but the splitter is a stressful pitch on the arm.

And then when we got Tanaka, great we needed a starter bad... it's only money, didnt have to give up a draft pick, and our own home grown starters weren't panning out. ( Seemed like after losing Chien Ming Wang who was never the same after rounding 3rd base, and was rush rehabbed, we were seeking starters every year... )

Tanaka got the torn ligament thing, then he displayed a huge difference in 6 days rest vs 5. just a guy that at 27-28, needs babying... what of when he's 30-32?

Compare Darvish's long arms, whipping action, loose body type... he's got more arm speed without needing to muscle it. I'd seriously consider him come this offseason, sign him. There will be a opening with Sabathia reaching his end, and possibly if Tanaka leaves.

Really? the Elsbuyr deal w/ Levin and the Tampa? wait, I thought tampa influence was long settled and nixed years before the Elsbury deal. You sure? like when cashman's contract was for renewal and he went crying that he must have more full control (i mean rightfully so) wasn't that when it stopped?

Levine is horrible btw. just horrible.

Eh, we have some very okay young ones Severino, Montgomery, Chance..... ( both Montgomery and Chance were nice developments out of their own...) nobody, except kaprelian, Hughes, were cherry gems from day 1 though, but Hughes especi ally, was drafted with expectations of being Ace, and was at 18-19 yrs old, highly touted in baseball, period. Montgomery seems like we lucked out, Chance Adams, dunno it's too early... but both are sleepers... And both, are not #1 type starters, nor is Severino, who is a #2 tops, mainly cuz he has 2 pitches, 1 of which is a bit flat (his 97mph fastball) and only cuz he was able to harness some semblance of a 3rd pitch (the changeup) and secondly, further develop movement on his slider, is he where he is for 2017.



For years NYY still are in need of a clear #1, just like the Knicks need a point guard.
 

EagerBeaver

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Ellsbury deal was Tampa/Levine and Hal, not Cashman. 100% and so was the Chapman signing this past offseason. I am not that perturbed by the Chapman deal because he is a premium relief pitcher, but some of that money could be used to sign Darvish. I agree with you that Darvish would be a nice addition for the Yankees next year but many teams will be after him and we will get a huge contract. He is a tremendous talent although the other night Tanaka actually outpitched him in 0-0 duel lasting one more inning. The Battle of the Japanese stars was a draw but the Yankees did end up winning that game.
 

rumpleforeskiin

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Cashman is a top 3 GM in baseball, I would argue number 1 but Cubs fans would argue Epstein who does have a very good track record but he has not had to deal with
Sorry, Beav, that's just horseshit. Maybe he's top 20. What are you basing this on? Certainly not results. Cashdollar has had enormous resources, the biggest payroll, the biggest scouting budget, the biggest international budget and has one championship in 20 years to show for it. (Credit for 1998 and 2000 goes to Stick Michael.) Year after year after year of shitty draft with nothing to show for it. Only in the last 3 years have the Yankees developed any talent. The Yankees haven't developed a 10 game winner since Phil Hughes. Pitiful.
 

EagerBeaver

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Cashman is without question a top 3 GM in MLB. The Yankees have not had a losing season in 25 years and that is hard to do no matter the payroll. Many teams with huge payrolls sucked donkey balls during that 25 years, the Orioles and Dodgers to name 2. I also note you have accused Cashman of bad contracts, and although they were not actually his deals he had to get the team out from under them and it's not so easy to do.

Yet another example of Cashman genius is releasing Johnny Barbato and adding an unknown rookie named Jordan Montgomery to the 40 man roster and then the starting rotation. Montgomery is at this time the Yankeess' best starting pitcher.

Tonight Tyler Wade was added to the 40 man roster by Cashman, this due to the Castro injury. You do not know that name but this guy is going to make everyone forget Ben Zobrist when it comes to utility men. He is quite simply the new breed of utilityman who can hit and play everywhere and steal bases.
 
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