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notin

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Everything posted by notin

  1. notin
    I agree, but it is worth noting the shift is geared to and works best against LH power and pull hitters. Against hitters like Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn - guys who used the whole field - it was like flipping a coin to determine if it would even work. Actually, the shift might have even helped Boggs, who was such a master of hanging back and going the other way when he needed to...
  2. notin
    I’m going to hit you with that argument. Umpires are disciplined. Umpires with bad calls are re-trained, but other disciplines are kept quiet due to union regulations. They do not get demoted, but they can get suspended. Joe West was suspended for an altercation with Papelbon, for example. Once in 2013, an entire crew was suspended for job performance issues. Largely umpires have fought against technological advancements like Questec and STATCAST, but many have admitted these systems have helped them improve their jobs and even alter their perspectives. It is worth noting that since umpires have been graded against these systems, the frequency of bad calls and ejections have declined...
  3. notin
    They are in a union, so the effects are probably mitigated...
  4. notin
    I admit prior to his initial offensive surge, I had a “down on Bradley” period where I went from thinking we might have the next Fred Lynn to hoping Bradley might become the next Darren Lewis. In some respects, I’m actually thankful for the early struggles Bradley endured in his career, as they might have helped drive softlaw away from the boards. He probably felt pretty stupid after the insane pro-Bradley/anti-Ellsbury mantra he’d been preaching for years. However those early struggles might also have had long-reaching consequences. I always believed Bradley’s early career offensive woes were huge factors in signing Rusney Castillo and moving Betts to the outfield (although the latter move has certainly worked out)..,
  5. notin
    I just think the Astros have a stacked lineup, and also that their closest equivalent player to Betts is not Springer; it’s Altuve...
  6. notin
    I would disagree that a DH should not win MVP. We’ve all seen numerous no-field, all-bat first basemen win the award, and the token act of putting on a glove doesn’t make a player more valuable. But in the case of Martinez, it’s hard to argue that his offensive contributions outweigh the offensive and defensive contributions of Betts, Trout, and Ramirez. Were I a voting member of the BBWAA, Martinez would get a fourth place vote from me under the old system. Under the new “three nominee” system, he might not be nominated at all...
  7. notin
    Not the same. Springer is batting leadoff but the reigning AL MVP and Astros best player has been batting second or third all season...
  8. notin
    Lost in all this Trout vs Betts for MVP chatter is darkhorse Jose Ramirez, who would be a runaway candidate in just about any other season...
  9. notin
    Really? Do you actually think umpires are not accountable to league office and to job reviews? I wouldn't be surprised if one of the factors held against them were number of calls an umpire made that was challenged and/or overturned....
  10. notin
    Normally I’d advocate dropping Betts down in the lineup, preferably simply to the 2 spot. But when you’re 50 games over .500 in mid-August, maybe it’s not the time to tinker...
  11. notin
    I don’t care if he is or isn’t. He should be starting in CF regardless...
  12. notin
    Do the robot umps have “Argue” and “Eject Manager” features? Or do we have to wait until 2020 for those upgrades?
  13. notin
    Usually he hits a weak grounder up the middle. He might go the other way, but typically with a shift on the pitcher punishes the hitter inside, and the only way to take it the other way is to modify your swing or your timing, both of which put the hitter at a huge disadvantage for even making contact...
  14. notin
    42 games
  15. notin
    If the hitter is not in control of where the ball goes, he is jut as likely to hit into the shift as he is hit against it.
  16. notin
    He is currently not. Only players on the 40 man roster can be called up. Chavis could be added at any time and called up immediately afterwards, but in order to do so, the Sox would need to remove a player from the 40-man roster by either DFA or adding someone to the 60 day disabled list..
  17. notin
    We can let it go, since you probably watched so few Guardians games back then...
  18. notin
    Some subset of the same guys we have been seeing all year. There are only 15 guys eligible for a call up, but they won't all get one. I think Poyner and Lin are the only definites...
  19. notin
    I believe you mean should never. I bet we have a manager or two that would employ it against them. And possibly against Tony Gwynn...
  20. notin
    Boudreau, not Cronin..Cronin never managed the Guardians...
  21. notin
  22. notin
    Not so sure he’s glad Rodney is now part of a game-shortening monster bullpen in Oakland, who is quietly becoming a very scary team...
  23. notin
    I never liked the way he wore his cap, but JBay pointed out it was a tribute to his late father. Pedro Strop of the Cubs wears his cap similarly, and does so because he kept knocking off his cap when throwing overhand curve balls. Another acceptable reason. My issue with Rodney is the walks. The man couldn’t find home plate with a GPS sometimes...,
  24. notin
    But from what I have read on the subject from a source I can’t remember, if you get the opposing hitter to bunt, the shift worked. Of course, that strategy was back when the shift was used against the predominant lefty hitters in the game, starting in the 1920’s with Cy Williams (and not 20 years later with Ted Williams, as many believe.). Nowadays you see the shift being deployed against almost every left-handed hitting non-pitcher. The one good thing about the shift - it has lessened the need for LOOGY relievers, which was a deceptively bad strategy all along...
  25. notin
    Also bear in mind, penalizing defensive alignment in football is easy. Give the other team yards. But what do you do in baseball? When do you stop the play?
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