A Realistic View at 2017 Part I

[Bellhorn04]

You could always join me in watching The Bachelor.

 

Now that is some good drama.

 

I'm more into Dating Naked.

[Spudboy]

I am not a big golf fan but I have had two very positive golf experiences.

 

In 1974 I attended a PGA Championship even at Pleasant Valley here in Sutton, Massachusetts. I saw Elder, Travino and all the rest. Holy s*** could they swat that ball. Tavino walked right by me, Bandaid and all.

 

The other time was my first round of golf at the South Palm Beach Country Club ( public and very non-swanky ) in West Palm Beach, Florida. We had beers with us and it was a f***ing blast. I had one par in the front nine and was shocked. That game takes a lot of practice but the challenges and esthetics make it a really fun.

 

I wish that I had taken the game up very young.

[a700hitter]

I love golf when I am out there playing, but the 2 drawbacks that have prevented me from playing regularly are the it takes a lot of time and you need to play and practice a lot just to stink.

[Bellhorn04]

Golf is a very difficult game for the average person. I speak from experience. Unless you've played yourself you have no idea how good the pros are. They are consistently shooting in the 60's on courses that are vastly longer and tougher than the courses most average players play on.

 

It's a game that can be played from the time you're young until you're old. You can drink while you're playing on a lot of courses. And as Spud mentioned earlier, there are hot chicks too.

[moonslav59]

I want some fat bastard to come play (walk 18) with me and then tell me that some relative fitness isn't required to play. lol

 

So then walking in the park is now a sport?

[moonslav59]

I'm not a huge fan of Clay Buchholz, but I would have preferred one year of Buchholz to one year of Yovani Gallardo.

 

Since the Taijuan Walker trade I've been obsessed with how the Mariners would fill out their starting rotation. I considered scores of trade targets and probably floated a dozen trade proposals on various websites. Gallardo and Baltimore teammate Ubaldo Jimenez never made my cut of starters Seattle should pursue (although Wade Miley did).

 

Perhaps I rely too heavily on 2017 WAR projections that have Gallardo at 0.9, Seth Smith at 1.2 and Buchholz at 1.6. For the time being, Gallardo will replace traded Seattle starter Nate Karns, whose 2017 WAR projection of 1.7 was optimistic.

 

On Friday, the Mariners dealt Karns for Kansas City outfielder Jarrod Dyson. I disliked each trade viewed in isolation but the combination might make sense:

 

Seth Smith

Nate Karns

for

Jarrod Dyson

Yovani Gallardo

 

The Mariners hope to improve their struggling pitching by upgrading the outfield defense with Dyson, Mitch Haniger and Leonys Martin.

 

Seattle reportedly remains in the market for another veteran starting pitcher. GM Jerry Dipoto now has made 34 trades in his 15 months at the helm.

 

You could have had Buch for someone slightly better than the guy we got, if you would mind the extra money (over Gallardo).

 

Gallardo is more reliable in terms of not getting hurt.

 

I'd take Buch too, but I think Seth Smith was not a good fit for the Sox.

[Bellhorn04]

So then walking in the park is now a sport?

 

Get serious. Any sport can be torn down if you try. What's baseball? A guy throws a ball, another guy hits it, another guy catches it. There's some running around. But most of the time the players are just standing there.

[moonslav59]

Golf is a very difficult game for the average person. I speak from experience. Unless you've played yourself you have no idea how good the pros are. They are consistently shooting in the 60's on courses that are vastly longer and tougher than the courses most average players play on.

 

It's a game that can be played from the time you're young until you're old. You can drink while you're playing on a lot of courses. And as Spud mentioned earlier, there are hot chicks too.

 

Yes, it's a game not a sport.

Like throwing a frisbee or playing catch.

[Bellhorn04]

Yes, it's a game not a sport.

Like throwing a frisbee or playing catch.

 

Like baseball, in other words. You can be a blob and make 100 million playing baseball.

[Spudboy]

I love golf when I am out there playing, but the 2 drawbacks that have prevented me from playing regularly are the it takes a lot of time and you need to play and practice a lot just to stink.

 

Lol. Truth.

[a700hitter]

Like baseball, in other words. You can be a blob and make 100 million playing baseball.

In the words of former All Star pitcher, 200 Game winner, and World Series hero Mickey Lolich: "I am not an athlete. I am a pitcher."

[Bellhorn04]

In the words of former All Star pitcher, 200 Game winner, and World Series hero Mickey Lolich: "I am not an athlete. I am a pitcher."

 

And anyone with more than two functioning brain cells knows Steven Wright is not an athlete.

[harmony]

In the words of former All Star pitcher, 200 Game winner, and World Series hero Mickey Lolich: "I am not an athlete. I am a pitcher."

Mickey Lolich was MVP of the 1968 World Series (and a graduate of my daughters' high school).

[a700hitter]

And anyone with more than two functioning brain cells knows Steven Wright is not an athlete.

^ I see what you did there. You confirmed that one of Farrell's neurons was down for maintenance when he used Wright as pinch runner. Yet, you have plausible deniability. LOL!!

[cp176]

So then walking in the park is now a sport?

 

Did i say this? Actually - yes for me to answer your question. A 6.5 mile hike carrying that bag on a hilly course on a warm day does define an athletic activity for me. But whatever - it is silly to argue with anyone who already has made their mind up about something.

[cp176]

Get serious. Any sport can be torn down if you try. What's baseball? A guy throws a ball, another guy hits it, another guy catches it. There's some running around. But most of the time the players are just standing there.

 

 

thanks for saying this.

[Kimmi]

I'm more into Dating Naked.

 

Is there really such a show? LOL I could not imagine.

 

Then again, I couldn't imagine going on The Bachelor either and watching the guy you're dating date 24 other women at the same time.

 

I'm not sure why anyone would put himself/herself through that.

[Kimmi]

Golf is a very difficult game for the average person. I speak from experience. Unless you've played yourself you have no idea how good the pros are. They are consistently shooting in the 60's on courses that are vastly longer and tougher than the courses most average players play on.

 

It's a game that can be played from the time you're young until you're old. You can drink while you're playing on a lot of courses. And as Spud mentioned earlier, there are hot chicks too.

 

I have never golfed before, but I rock at mini golf!

[Kimmi]

So then walking in the park is now a sport?

 

Golf is most definitely a sport. It is a competitive activity that involves physical skill.

 

IMO, that's a sport.

 

As I just said, I've never played, but I'm guessing it is more physically strenuous then you realize. Obviously not as strenuous at some other sports, but strenuous nonetheless.

[harmony]

You could have had Buch for someone slightly better than the guy we got, if you would mind the extra money (over Gallardo).

 

Gallardo is more reliable in terms of not getting hurt.

 

I'd take Buch too, but I think Seth Smith was not a good fit for the Sox.

I thought the Red Sox might like the high on-base percentage of Seth Smith, who sees a ton of pitches, in a platoon at DH with Chris Young. The platoon would have required that Hanley Ramirez be pretty much a full-time first baseman.

 

I initially was surprised that the Sox went with the low on-base percentage of Mitch Moreland although I appreciate Moreland's vastly superior defensive skills.

 

I am still obsessed with Seattle's continuing search for another starting pitcher. Drew Smyly, Alex Cobb, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Matt Garza, Patrick Corbin and Michael Wacha are rumored trade targets with free agents Jason Hammel, Tyson Ross, Brett Anderson and others still available.

[notin]

Like baseball, in other words. You can be a blob and make 100 million playing baseball.

 

As a wise man once said "baseball is the best sport because you don't have to be in shape to play."

 

Undoubtedly he was watching John Kruk or Pete Incaviglia or Cecil Fielder or.... at the time...

[moonslav59]

I thought the Red Sox might like the high on-base percentage of Seth Smith, who sees a ton of pitches, in a platoon at DH with Chris Young. The platoon would have required that Hanley Ramirez be pretty much a full-time first baseman.

 

I initially was surprised that the Sox went with the low on-base percentage of Mitch Moreland although I appreciate Moreland's vastly superior defensive skills.

 

I am still obsessed with Seattle's continuing search for another starting pitcher. Drew Smyly, Alex Cobb, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Matt Garza, Patrick Corbin and Michael Wacha are rumored trade targets with free agents Jason Hammel, Tyson Ross, Brett Anderson and others still available.

 

I think you secretly liked Buch much more than his WAR and projected WAR suggested. I don't blame you. It's his contract year, and he still has the upside potential few others have.

 

I think the Sox wanted HanRam at DH vs RHPs with Young vs LHPs. I think that's a good idea. Keep HR healthy and maybe avoid injury.

 

I won't be surprised if Moreland hits as well as Smith this season.

 

[moonslav59]

MLBTR reports... there would have been a higher loss had we signed EE than we thought.

 

Money and the potential loss of amateur talent were key reasons the Red Sox didn’t seriously pursue Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. Getting under the luxury tax threshold will save the Red Sox money both now and in future seasons, particularly given the possibility that they could reset their threshold this season, thus limiting their penalties in the future. Also, the new CBA calls for teams that exceed the threshold and sign a player who declined a qualifying offer to forfeit their second- and fifth-round draft picks and portions of their international bonus pools.

[harmony]

I think you secretly liked Buch much more than his WAR and projected WAR suggested. I don't blame you. It's his contract year, and he still has the upside potential few others have.

 

I think the Sox wanted HanRam at DH vs RHPs with Young vs LHPs. I think that's a good idea. Keep HR healthy and maybe avoid injury.

 

I won't be surprised if Moreland hits as well as Smith this season.

 

Seth Smith has a career OPS+ of 112 with a projected 2017 wRC+ of 113, while Mitch Moreland has a career OPS+ of 100 with a projected 2017 wRC+ of 96. That's quite a gap.

[Spudboy]

MLBTR reports... there would have been a higher loss had we signed EE than we thought.

 

Money and the potential loss of amateur talent were key reasons the Red Sox didn’t seriously pursue Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. Getting under the luxury tax threshold will save the Red Sox money both now and in future seasons, particularly given the possibility that they could reset their threshold this season, thus limiting their penalties in the future. Also, the new CBA calls for teams that exceed the threshold and sign a player who declined a qualifying offer to forfeit their second- and fifth-round draft picks and portions of their international bonus pools.

 

Yeah f*** that.

 

I wanted him on the Sox but that is a little too much to sacrifice.

[moonslav59]

Seth Smith has a career OPS+ of 112 with a projected 2017 wRC+ of 113, while Mitch Moreland has a career OPS+ of 100 with a projected 2017 wRC+ of 96. That's quite a gap.

 

Yup, and certainly Smith could do much better than Moreland, but Smith turns 35 this season and has seen his OPS+ drop from his career high of 134 to 116 and 108 the last two years. Moreland turns 32 this season. His trend has been up and down with no clear direction. He had the same OPS+ as Smith in 2015 (116).

 

It's not unreasonable to expect a big uptick from Moreland as he plays half his games in Fenway.

 

[harmony]

Yup, and certainly Smith could do much better than Moreland, but Smith turns 35 this season and has seen his OPS+ drop from his career high of 134 to 116 and 108 the last two years. Moreland turns 32 this season. His trend has been up and down with no clear direction. He had the same OPS+ as Smith in 2015 (116).

 

It's not unreasonable to expect a big uptick from Moreland as he plays half his games in Fenway.

 

Nor is it unreasonable to expect a big uptick from Seth Smith as he plays half his games at Camden Yards.

[moonslav59]

Nor is it unreasonable to expect a big uptick from Seth Smith as he plays half his games at Camden Yards.

 

He's post prime and on a steep trend downwards.

 

He might get a little uptick, but I don't think there's a good chance for a big year like 2014.

[harmony]

He's post prime and on a steep trend downwards.

 

He might get a little uptick, but I don't think there's a good chance for a big year like 2014.

 

Seth Smith has a career wRC+ of 112 after posting 113 in 2015 and 110 in 2016 with a 2017 projection of 113. No steep decline in his hitting (although Seattle fans would contend his defense has fallen off steeply).

 

A steep decline would be Mitch Moreland's wRC+ drop from 117 in 2015 to 87 in 2016 although Moreland is projected to rebound to a 2017 wRC+ of 96.

 

Most projections take into account the aging curve for these players separated by only three years in age.

[Spudboy]

They both suck.