July 2016
resistance (to SSI) is futile
Posted by jemanji on 07/31/16
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8 Comments
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1) MegaProps to DiPoto for being completely unconcerned about justifying himself on the Smith-Elias deal. When circumstances changed for him, and the landscape became different, DiPoto even flipped Miley back for a player who -- apples to apples Obviously -- comes off to be 50% of his original investment. He didn't even try to create plausible deniability. I love it.
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2) Just at a glance, Miranda:
Is from Cuba
Is very early in his career but is ML-ready
Has a 92-95 fastball
Has a slider with excellent speed delta (like, -12 MPH or something)
Throws a third pitch, a split, a lot of the... Read More
Posted by jschario on 07/31/16
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Normally in the summer months, the teams in La Liga that make the headlining moves are giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. This summer however, Barcelona is making moves at a non-earth shattering levels and Real Madrid appear to be sellers more than buyers.
Atlético meanwhile have been uncharacteristically in the thick of the transfer rumors and making moves that keep them among the elite in the Spanish league. At the start of the transfer window, they were going after Gonzalo Higuaín hard before the Argentine ended up staying in Italy, joining Juventus for 90 million EUR, the third highest... Read More
'birds have three hungry SP slots to feed
Posted by jemanji on 07/30/16
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5 Comments
MLB Daily Dish conveys Jon Heyman's report of this rumor.
Baltimore continues its search for starting pitching and is interested in Mariners starter Wade Miley, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
Since the end of June, the Orioles have been seeking starting pitching help and are known to be especially interested in a left-handed starting option. After falling to the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon, the Orioles are half a game behind Toronto in the American League East standings.
It seems Seattle has made Miley available, most notably after General Manager Jerry Dipoto told Heyman... Read More
no word though on the efficacy of "flurry" duck hunting
Posted by jemanji on 07/30/16
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Bill somehow got this answer up within an hour or two of the event. LOL. Bill James Online is still only $3 per month. No idea why; he must have several thousand readers and a buck more per month is a free several thousand dollars a month. Can't think of another website that just shrugs and says, "I don't think I'll monetize this."
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Hey, Bill, Seattle (and former Red Sox) pitcher Wade Miley just pitched a gem against the Cubs, and at Wrigley Field no less. He was perfect through 5, ended up pitching 7 innings, one hit, one walk, one run, 9 strikeouts; pretty dominating stuff,... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 07/29/16
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1 Comments
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The News Tribune has the quotes:
"He’s a guy who can come in and defend late in the game," Servais said. "Pinch-hit, pinch-run — do those types of things. We will get him some starts here eventually.
"He can play center but, obviously, Leonys (Martin) has done a nice job out there. Heredia will see some time in the corners as well. We’ll get him in there. I’m excited. The reports have been very good."
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Heredia began the season at Double-A Jackson, where he batted .293 with a .405 on-base percentage in 58 games. Promoted June 23 to Tacoma, he batted .340 with a .385 on-base percentage in... Read More
relaxxxxxx
Posted by jemanji on 07/29/16
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11 Comments
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Mon 4:01pm: DaddyO (1) Ground control to Major Tom. We have liftoff on a new thread.
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HEH! I loooov eet ...
Am not going to paste in the 41 different shouts that fret about Paxton's 'tendency' to clump hits in bad innings. Also am not going to spend any time on my own perceptions, since that's a little bit like Don Jr. telling you that he thinks Don Sr. is pretty swell. Fine as far as it goes, but not the definitive place to get an opinion.
Instead, Dr. D will succor you with one reminder. You have the entire sabermetric mountain range, 1975-2016, telling you it's not so. James... Read More
Posted by jschario on 07/28/16
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Another year, another year as a favorite to make it to the Super Bowl (which is in Houston this year, if you must know). It's something Seattle sports fans have never been used to, being favorites to win it all year in and year out.
Despite being favorites however, questions still surround the Seahawks that could be obstacles in getting to Super Bowl LI. There's the always obvious theme of possible injuries that could derail a season, but what else could go wrong that would influence 2016's outcome? Let's take a look.
Can Thomas Rawls repeat?
Thomas Rawls impressed in the preseason in 2015,... Read More
fills half the front page on an M's Rumors search
Posted by jemanji on 07/28/16
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15 Comments
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Okay, so ... the man was Boog Powell in the early primaries (ages 21-26). Or Sosa, or Bonds, or Jackson, says the b-ref caucus. But at age 27, he ripped a knee and for two years the Reds faithful boo'ed him off the stage at the mention of the Reds' name.
Now, supposedly, he's feeling good and batting .271/.323/.572, his best season and back on missile-arc with that first Sosa/Bonds/Jackson shtick (on b-ref.com, we sez, not in real life). The President (of orthopedic surgery), that is, has turned those pesky boos back in to golden cheers.
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So what's the right way to plot the arc... Read More
At Least For Me So Far - But Last Night the M's Made It Their Home
Posted by Silentpadna on 07/27/16
1 Comments
Serendipity:
The stars aligned for me on a business trip to West Virginia. Flew in to Pittsburgh and rented the car at the airport per usual. Per unusual, I did not have the M’s schedule in my head until I sat down in the rental and tapped my phone to do something else. Since the M’s icon is in the upper left corner of my screen, right next to Google Maps, I conveniently missed Google Maps and hit the M’s button “by mistake”. I realized I could check into my hotel in Clarksburg at midnight instead of 5pm. I had not realized that I scheduled this trip so conveniently.
If you’ve never had... Read More
What he needs to do to keep his job
Posted by jschario on 07/27/16
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Being the manager of Real Madrid has about the job security of... there's really no comparison. No matter how much you win it's never enough, it will always be about winning while exhibiting beauty and perfection with the right players on the field.
Zinedine Zidane brought this team back from the dead in January, winning the Champions League and coming to within a point of the La Liga championship. One would think that would be enough, add on top of that he's a club legend, and they would be inclined to name him manager for life, right? Not when Florentino Perez is club president. Perez has... Read More
Addition by Subtraction, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 07/27/16
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9 Comments
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As relievers, Drew Storen and Joaquin Benoit would be a push to me in a rotisserie league. You're making a bigger deal, and the other guy says "if you'll give me Benoit for Storen it's a deal?" then bing-da-boom, you're done. In either direction.
You do have the fact that Storen has lost 1 or 2 MPH this year, but that's less important than Benoit struggling because he's 39. So, for me, Storen is a sensible return PLUS ...
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Diaz might be Diaz, but three bad games for a rookie can still create some pretty nervy pressure. Benoit's a big man, and I think it's a plus not to have him... Read More
Premise 1, 2, 3 ... conclusion: Diaz worth about $70M to the M's
Posted by jemanji on 07/26/16
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7 Comments
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All of the old hands have noticed Diaz' 18+ strikeouts per nine innings, against 2+ walks. It was actually the LATTER figure that got Diaz promoted to setup with snake-tongue speed. Diaz landed in Safeco, threw strike one, and never stopped throwing them. Joaquin Benoit may pull down $8 millions, but with a 5+ walk rate the Mariners simply didn't have a choice.
Well, that's not right. Mike Hargrove might have had a choice, that being entitlement and a build towards next year. Lloyd McClendon might have had a choice, that being to trust in an All-Star more than in a rookie. Take... Read More
who needs insider contacts when you have logic
Posted by jemanji on 07/26/16
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11 Comments
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DR'S PROGNOSIS, Dept.
MLBTradeRumors again pushes the idea of Miley to the Florida Marlins. Billy Zoom pointed out that this would be a much-secondary option for the fish. Good add. Of course a Miley-level pitcher is always a secondary option for everybody at deadline day, but the reminder is welcome.
You and I have a food-poisoned feeling about Miley, but it is a F-E-E-L-I-N-G. Wade Miley's K/BB data are exactly the same this year as every other year. It's just that his HR per fly ball is at 16%, and nobody "earns" 16%. Over the period 2013-16, the really lousy gopheritis guys are in... Read More
oh yeah baby
Posted by jemanji on 07/25/16
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31 Comments
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Hey, I get one clickbait title per 100 posts. So sue me :- ) It would be nice to have a trade rumours thread in addition to the Shout Box, for those amigos like gnatto. Also Dr. D prefers comments threads. But 80%, 90% of youse guys prefer the Shout Box. Democracy in action ... we do need to be able to migrate the specific Shout Box "conversations"/threads though, refresh them.
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Regarding "5 top-level prospects," no team HAS that. If by top-level prospects you mean, five guys in the MLB top 25. And for the 1-2 teams that do have five guys in the MLB top 100 prospects, of COURSE... Read More
What's real, what makes sense
Posted by jschario on 07/24/16
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The summer transfer window in soccer still has more than 30 days of life and thus, more than 30 days worth of speculation and rumors. It can be somewhat overwhelming to hear about the moves your favorite team may or may not make, where your favorite player may end up, and sometimes you just want to fast forward to September 1 and see how things shake out.
However, it is pretty fun to go through and decipher which rumors have merit, and which ones are just straight b.s. as they pertain to various teams in La Liga.
Sevilla
French attacker Kevin Gameiro has really sprung onto the scene the past... Read More
How do the RB's and TE's look?
Posted by jschario on 07/24/16
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This Saturday all eyes will be on the VMAC as the Seattle Seahawks finally open up training camp after a long offseason. Thankfully, this offseason isn't as painful as the last, as us Hawks fans didn't have to endure a certain play call that cost us a certain game.
Yet again, the Hawks return their stellar core and the potential to have top talent fall in around that core. At running back and tight end however, "top talent" may be an understatement. As we have Thomas Rawls coming in as the presumptive no. 1 on the RB depth chart after leading the league in YPA last season, and Jimmy Graham at... Read More
What would Madrid & Barça look like without their stars?
Posted by jschario on 07/23/16
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Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo recently commented on his 2015-16 season calling it, "the best season of my life." Ronaldo made his comments at the unveiling of his new five-star hotel in his hometown of Funchal.
And why not? No one can argue that this was not his most successful season from a team perspective, and even as an individual, his past season is one any player in any sport would kill for.
2016 started with Ronaldo being nominated for the Ballon d'Or, although he lost to Leo Messi, he was still recognized as one of the three best players in the world. Real Madrid also came... Read More
this painting has it just about right. Heh!
Posted by jemanji on 07/23/16
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4 Comments
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The game started and Paxton's first couple of pitches were from a considerably higher release point than last game. Dr. D's eyes got wide, but not in a good way. Was he going to "forget" his little fix and revert to years' habits?
But if you saw the game, you saw Paxton throw only 52% fastballs and the 48% offspeed had the Jays in between. The result was an electrical-storm holocaust on poor little right-handed 30 homers per villager Thessaly. So Dr. D grimaced and relaxed.
Then Bill Krueger came on, after the fifth inning or something, and gushed about Paxton's release point. He's... Read More
He'd like to be the first insect politician, but... if you stay, he'll hurt you
Posted by jemanji on 07/23/16
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8 Comments
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In 1995, the Indians had that awesome Belle-Thome-Manny-Lofton team that won 100 games ... in a strike-shortened season! Their offense was 116 and their pitching 123. You don' see that every day.
But in August, it became apparent the Indians could face the 1995 Mariners in a 5-game series, and John Hart lobbied the league office to change the playoff rules. In public he moaned, it's not fair to have a great team get eliminated by one tremendous pitcher.
Dr. D, posting as JenAnnC at the time, wallowed. Be Afraid, John. Be Very Afraid. The Big Unit was the origin of the term, but since... Read More
Two-team race yet again
Posted by jschario on 07/22/16
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It’s mid-July, and before we know it, we’ll be in the thick of the preseason counting down the days until kick off Week 1 – if we aren’t already doing so.
Heading into 2016, and looking at the NFC West, despite all the big moves, it looks like the race will be only two deep yet again.
Sure, the Rams moved from St. Louis to supposedly greener pastures in Los Angeles, and just up I-5 in San Francisco – or Santa Clara, maybe – the 49ers brought in Chip Kelly after the terrible train wreck of a team they had under Tom Tomsula.
Cosmestic changes aside, both those teams are still lacking... Read More
what, was Lou Gehrig not available Doc?
Posted by jemanji on 07/22/16
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4 Comments
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Wishhiker sez,
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I figure the absolute ceiling comp for Vogelbach might be Ortiz, even though it's unlikely he approaches that career. I've got zero expectation that he becomes the next Ortiz, just saying that seems like the peak of his family.
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(1) In the "Aiki-Doc" :: rolls eyes, winks :: article, we mentioned the raw power on the slash-homer down the 3B line? At the 3:45 mark on this video? I was WONDERING!! where I saw that swing before. That's exactly where! Thanks Wishhiker.
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(2) And as you bring up David Ortiz, he's another guy with the Ichiro ability to slow down a swing... Read More
We will be following young Vogue's career with GREAT interest
Posted by jemanji on 07/21/16
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28 Comments
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Thrilled to have Gordon back just in time for the amateur draft and the July 31 trade deadline!
As you know, G is absolutely Dr. D's #1 guy in Seattle for the minors - no disrespect to Spectator who is upper crust also. G related also that he's already been following Vogelbach's career with GREAT interest .... for some three years. So, yeah, like a Cubs fan would benefit from axing Mo' Dawg about Mike Montgomery, we're glad here to have the Think Tank at full capacity.
Dig in to the Shout Box for G's full commentary. For those who are skimming a bunch of sites, we'll offer the Exec Sum... Read More
cheap at half the price
Posted by jemanji on 07/21/16
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2 Comments
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COOL FACTS PRE RAMBLE, Dept.
In some parts of Japan in the year 2016 A.D., police officers are required to have a black belt in aikido. If you train on the mat with American cops, they all use kludgy aikido moves that date back to when people like Gozo Shioda sensei first came to America. Kludgy versions of it, he says? He means it in the humblest way possible. Most policemen have had two hours of aikido and didn't know it. That's how organic these movements are.
Steven Seagal, for real, is one of the finest aikido practitioners who ever lived. They didn't want to promote a gaijin to... Read More
Beane Count, dept.
Posted by jemanji on 07/21/16
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1 Comments
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Thr 9:58pm: Browns8625 Anyone afraid we may not be buying this year?
Honestly think there are a few guys, like Billy Beane, who can buy and sell at the same time. Churn their rosters while providing for the future while trying to win now; the window for this attempt is in the delta between the way THEY evaluate a given player and the way some other team does. Billy Beane is never afraid to deal one of his young aces for minor league talent one day, and then give up a Baseball America top-100 player for a 30-year-old the next day.
It's exponentially more complex to attempt this - much... Read More
if yer fave ezine could pour you a cup out of the screen, it would
Posted by jemanji on 07/20/16
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10 Comments
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Thanks for holdin' down the fort, amigos. Quick takes ...
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LINDSANITY
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Browns8625 Maybe we should hang on to Lind :)
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Steve Mann pointed out, to early 5x5 rotisserie geekniks who had nothing but box scores to go by, that --- > if somebody hit .189 in April, that would be the opinion of said ballplayer all year long. The point, of course, was that if you find a guy who batted .189 in April but .319 all the other months, then trading for him on June 1 was like adding a 1st-round pick.
I'm pretty sure he used Adam Lind as an example. Since May 12th (about 50 games) Lind is slugging... Read More
But technically, we do have a Winning Team
Posted by jemanji on 07/20/16
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7 Comments
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DR. D'S BIG REVEAL
The Mainframe, or so it tells us, has been sitting on a theory about baseball. He has just about grokked that GM's can try to --- > add BASES and therefore runs. Dr. D is much less sure that GM's can do a lot to decide WHEN the bases collect and form friendships.
Okay, I plagiarized that, maybe. From Brad Pitt or Jonah Hill or Michelle Obama or Yoo-Hoo Rick. What difference, at this point, does it make. (Readers note exactly one kazoo raspberry at either side there.)
If and when the M's get on their roll -- and Dr. D is typing from behind a net here, like Jeff... Read More
our new age friends will note that Vogebach was born well after the Babe died
Posted by jemanji on 07/20/16
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8 Comments
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BASEBALLHQ FORECASTER PRE-2016
Here's the gist of what they said. Extracting the essential information into bullet points, as they are likely to sue Dr. D if he plagiarizes. Well, they would be likely to do so if they could find Dr. D. The persona non grata shtick with baseball networks is a part of SSI's brand that we bear with pride.
HQ sez:
Potential power is plus, because of "thick body" (remember the core thingy still?) ...
... even though he hasn't yet hit HR's, which, results do matter
"Good understanding" of the strike zone (that it's a rectangle) ...
... can be "too patient,"... Read More
Still have your 8-sided D & D dice?
Posted by moethedog on 07/18/16
13 Comments
Down and dirty this moring:
46 and 46 and not particularly riding a rocket.
Fangraphs has our Safeco homies with a 5% chance of winning the AL West and a 7.4% shot at getting a Wild Card slot. Somehow they combine the two and say we have a 12.5% chance at making the playoffs.
If you still have your 1980's vintage 8-sided D & D dice around, pick a number and roll it once: There you go, that's exactly a 12.5% chance that you have of picking the right one.
And to tell you the truth, I find Fangraphs a bit optimistic. I can actually buy the 5% shot at winning the division. Well, make it... Read More
and my wife's seat was right on a lured PokeStop all day
Posted by jemanji on 07/16/16
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This was the 50th time that a Mariners team won a game by 1-0. Seeing as you get 1.2 such victories per calendar year, it's a good time to savor the fact that you are a baseball fan (and over 7. The 6-year-old my wife took to the game hated every second of it).
And it was a real 1-0 win, complete with Vintage WBC-San, Edwin Diaz and all the trimmings. This was Iwakuma's third Vintage(TM) start in four attempts. If Iwakuma is back to Top-of-the-Rotation (TOR) performance, as he has been for almost a month, that would give us a leg up on the string of lockdown starts that we're looking... Read More
duuuuuuude I had to go 1.1 IP yesterday
Posted by jemanji on 07/16/16
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4 Comments
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Bill James has a fresh article up in which he proves -- proves, now -- one specific thing. That thing is, "if your starting pitcher gets KO'ed early, you are not likely to lose the next game. In fact, you're a little more likely to WIN the next game."
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Bill looked at all games 1960-2013. He looked at all games 2000-13 separately. He looked at SP's who got KO'ed after getting 7 outs, and after 8, and 9, 10 ... 13 outs.
Maybe if the Sox knock Wade LeBlanc out of the 4th inning on Monday, and we burn up our pen, it will give the Sox an edge on us for Tuesday and Wednesday. It could... Read More
Time to preview the 2016-17 season
Posted by jschario on 07/16/16
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Before the weekend, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) released the match ups for Week 1 of the 2016-17 La Liga season, to much fanfare. Of course, much of the talk was around league giants Barcelona and Real Madrid facing Real Betis and Real Sociedad, respectively. Therefore, with the schedules coming out, let's preview and speculate as to how this edition of the Spanish championship will pan out.
Starting with Barcelona, there have been headlines involving their most iconic player, and not for good reasons. Leo Messi, likely fresh off vacation after Argentina's run to the... Read More
not pictured below: a man who can crack the M's lineup
Posted by jemanji on 07/15/16
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1 Comments
And those 6 ain't counting Karns or Taijuan, much less Zach Lee or Vidal Nuno.
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Q. Did Nate Karns learn anything from Mike Montgomery's graduation from "git right after em" bullpen remedial school?
A. Personally, I fancied that on July 15, Karns had tucked his fastball in off the outside corner, and that he brought his overhand curve up a few inches to stay inside the zone.
Could be just my imagination, as to whether he was taking more of the plate. But Karns threw 19 strikes and 5 balls (after you account for the three outrageous times he was ripped off by an ump who had difficulty... Read More
At least we know 10,000 things that don't work
Posted by jemanji on 07/15/16
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1 Comments
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Q. Do the other guys have the pitches?
A. No, they don't.
When you have the pitches you stand there with the bat glued to your shoulder on any offspeed pitch. You get the bat head out in front on a fastball. The Astros were swinging at Paxton's cutter/slider a lot ... they were swinging at everything a lot.
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Q. Maybe it's a zero-deception thing?
A. As much as you can be "zero" deception with 8.4 strikeouts a game, I guess? :- ) And a swing-miss rate over 12%? There are some good pitchers who can't even fantasize 12%, y'know.
Paxton's FIP, after tonight's loss, is 3.27. In terms... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 07/15/16
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1 Comments
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Any day with James Paxton is a good day. :- D
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KEYS TO THE GAME
Keys 1, 2, and 3. Foshballs for strikes.
How many? Is it 7, or is it 27? It is whatever number provokes an "in between" swing. Two or three such swings are plenty. Remember, his last two games the BABIP on his fastball was .. 7-for-11 and then I forget the second, but it was like 11-of-20. This issue is non-negotiable. Paxton is well aware that he can't let batters hit as though they had the pitch number.
Couple-three in between. (If you just joined us, that means a RH swinging early and missing his "cutter-slider... Read More
Bet you there's something succulent just over that rise ...
Posted by jemanji on 07/15/16
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1 Comments
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Bill James is still only $3 per month for a site, and a person, who won't be around forever. Getcher Red Hots! Getcher Red Hots!
:- )
For those who just joined us, Bill told us that he's perfectly fine with our excerpting his material in the way that we do. Dr. D approves of this. The other extreme ... Bill was talking about some curmudgeonly author who wanted his books out of public libraries, that being unfair to him, in terms of short-term financial gain. There was a time, too, when pop singers wanted their songs kept off the radio ....
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Of those BJOL readers who overemphasize... Read More
Posted by jschario on 07/14/16
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Sometimes in sports, the offseason is just as exciting and interesting as when the season is actually underway. And sometimes it's even more interesting. Such is the case with the summer transfer window in soccer, which is a bit different than American sports leagues.
Stateside, you see big names stay with a club for years and years. Kobe Bryant staying 20 years with the Lakers, Derek Jeter about the same with the Yankees, and of course there are more. Barry Bonds, Tom Brady, Tim Duncan, etc. But in soccer, not so much, which is why it's so much fun to read the summer transfer rumors. Let's... Read More
Dr. D gives the chain a hearty rip
Posted by jemanji on 07/14/16
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3 Comments
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FEBRUARY 2016
Remember, before we swooped on Iwakuma, we were going into the season with:
1 Felix
2 Miley
3 Taijuan
4 Karns
5 Paxton
6 Donn Roach
7 Joe Beimel
8 Montgomery or Nuno (maybe)
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JULY 2016
If we traded Wade Miley right now, we'd have
1 Felix
2 Iwakuma
3 Taijuan
4 Karns
5 Paxton
6 Montgomery
7 LeBlanc
8 Zach Lee
9 Vidal Nuno (maybe)
10 The Rainiers
That's after we traded Miley, so it's not like we'd be stripping ourselves of depth.
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Jerry DiPoto gave up Roenis Elias and Carson Smith for Miley, so politically, you certainly can't DFA him. You'd have to look for a July deal in... Read More
A win is worth 1,000 words... for a bullpen Scrub, that is
Posted by jemanji on 07/13/16
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1 Comments
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M's fans got a nice package under the July All-Star break tree, that being the prospect of a #3 starter doing a bellyflop into the rotation swamp. No idea why you'd rather listen to these guys than to the Think Tank, but we have newbs here who may or may not realize that we on SSI know far more than the myopic unies who watch the game from much too close.
Quoth they, after Montgomery 's 6.5 1 1 0 3 (W, 3-3) afternoon last Sunday:
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What NED YOST SAID
"He's just a good pitcher," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We were looking at his stuff today before the game and I don't think anyone has... Read More
you can grok a lot more if you avoid LOOKING
Posted by jemanji on 07/13/16
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2 Comments
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THE TEMPLATE
As a reliever, Monty had just blown 95 MPH left handed, and then all three of his offspeed pitches were untouchable (by eye and by stats).
As a starter, my question went more towards "can he sustain plus velocity" and "can he keep one or two offspeed pitches in the zone coherently - using sequences"? Let's try this shtick in scouting clipboard style:
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FASTBALL - 60
Here is the velocity trend chart, per Brooks.
speed.
That's a "decline" by inning from 95 - 95 - 95 - 94 - 93.5 - hard 93. Through 74 pitches. It's not James Paxton, but neither is Felix, and he never was ...... Read More
Posted by jschario on 07/13/16
1 Comments
There is no doubt that the University of Washington baseball program has shown marked improvement under the guidance of head coach Lindsay Meggs. Since taking over seven years ago, 25 Huskies have been selected in the MLB Draft, and that's not including the incoming freshman he has had recruited that are selected before stepping foot on campus.
In what has now become a tradition come June, another three Huskies were selected in the MLB Amateur Draft, plus another four recruits set to come to Montlake in the fall. With a month past since the draft, it's worth checking in on the best UW... Read More
SABRMatt has a comp for us
Posted by jemanji on 07/13/16
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5 Comments
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SABRMatt proposes the Drew Pomeranz comp. I like it. Remember, templates are large circle-bins into which we toss players who apply the same skill sets; they're not photo-perfect. Points in common:
1st-round pedigree
Lefties who had control problems until age 27
Remarkable curve balls
High release points, "downhill" fastballs
Once the curve and fastball had any command at all, both pitchers flashed dominance
Pomeranz ran a 2.47 ERA "out of the blue" this year and made the NL All-Star team. Montgomery had both the 1.62 ERA-flash last year and now this year's 2.02 ERA.
As we mentioned,... Read More
Posted by moethedog on 07/13/16
13 Comments
OK, I must confess, Hunter S. Thompson is one of my favorite authors. There, I've said it. It's on the table for God and all to see.
I don't read him often, mind you. But he's pretty dang stellar with that words stuff! Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Great Shark Hunt are particular favorites of mine, going way back. Have read them many times.
And with the Weirdness!! that surrounds the M's this year, I felt a HST theme was somewhat appropriate.
Do you know that we have a 50-39 Pythag? We would all be dancing giddy jigs were we 50-39 right now. It would be DiPoto for Pope kind of... Read More
All without Cristiano Ronaldo
Posted by jschario on 07/10/16
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If you had your money on Portugal winning Euro 2016 at any point, before or during the tournament, you my friend are a genius. The Portuguese came in as somewhat as an after thought, as many had teams such as - but not limited to - Spain, Germany, France and maybe even England ahead of them.
They did not do much in the early stages, failing to outright win any of their group stage matches, and not even scoring a goal within the first 90 minutes of regulation until the knockout stages. Still, any team with Cristiano Ronaldo can not be counted out.
Then it must be even more deflating for... Read More
Posted by jschario on 07/10/16
1 Comments
Contracts are signed, meaning Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray are officially players in the National Baksetball Association. Summer league showings can be mirages at times, of course you get to see the top draft picks out there showing why they were picked. On the other side of the coin are guys that teams are simply taking flyer on, hoping to catch uncover a diamond in the rough or just filling out their rosters with.
This all without the expertise or watchful eyes of savvy veterans. One could say the skill level is slightly above a summer pro-am. However it is still fun to watch, with... Read More
Patton knew
Posted by moethedog on 07/10/16
5 Comments
Short and sweet this morning:
We've tossed about a lot of discussion in regards to trade targets we might want and trade bait we might have. Getting an arm seems to be our gretest interest, understandably. Any pitcher acquisition that is likely to really help us is going to cost us several pretty young parts. Since it makes no sense to trade pretty young Paxton or Walker for another pitcher (Heaven help us) that means our trade discussions are always going to include D.J Peterson and/or Tank O'Neill.
Somehow Peterson has emersed himself in the holy waters and has become a reborn slugger... Read More
Posted by jschario on 07/09/16
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Portugal and France face off tomorrow to decide who will be the European champions of 2016, and there is plenty of star power. France is favored heading into the match, with their big name players and being the hosts of the tournament they should have most if not all of the crowd on their side.
Still, there will be some players who will have more influence on the outcome than others. Here's a list of who to watch for.
Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo
This should be obvious. He's the best player in the tournament and quite possibly the best in the world. He shares the team lead with three goals... Read More
In a jarring turn of events, Dr. D votes "Stars & Scrubs"
Posted by jemanji on 07/09/16
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11 Comments
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You're trying to ignore it, but it's coming. On July 29, 30, 31, you're not going to be able to feign indifference on it any longer. MLB Trade Rumors captures the general sentiment about the Mariners' July:
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The Mariners could look to upgrade at closer in the coming weeks. Steve Cishek has been a nice pickup for the team (though he did blow a save tonight), but Joel Peralta didn’t pan out in Seattle and Joaquin Benoit has struggled. Heyman notes that GM Jerry Dipoto is a big fan of Angels setup man Joe Smith, which isn’t a big surprise considering Dipoto signed him to a three-year deal... Read More
they all must fall in the round Edwin calls, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 07/08/16
Posted to blog
2 Comments
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M'S WIN. DR. DETECTO LOSES. IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, JOIN 'EM Dept.
The other blogs and the big newspapers, that is. In the "compress 3 hours of video into 400 words" tale of the tape. Last night's SSI -- ugh -- "recap" went over big. Take out a #2 pencil and identify the reason why an SSI "recap" happ'ned like a Lindsay Buckingham solo. Turn over your test sheets. You have 90 minutes, starting ..... NOW
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A) The effort-to-benefit ratio for Dr. D was utterly magnificent
B) All of the above
C) None of the above
...
Every answer is in fact correct.
Praise be to our K-12 school system... Read More
and doing some other things
Posted by jemanji on 07/08/16
Posted to blog
4 Comments
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A story that lingers in the memory from one of the 80's Abstracts. It was playoff baseball, George Brett steps in against Ron Davis or somebody, and (as James tells the story, watching the game on TV) somebody in the booth says "Brett can hit fastballs. But he can't hit 95 miles an hour."
[Interlude: 95 was the old 99.]
Davis fired and CRACKKK! Brett pulled one off the right-center wall.
The color analyst protested, "THAT one wasn't 95." You remember how the jocks used to be, before data existed.
But they called down to the truck, who had access to the gun. The play-by-play guy said, "... Read More
MOST of their production AFTER age 30
Posted by jemanji on 07/08/16
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1 Comments
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Goes to the issues of:
1) James Paxton
2) Stefen Romero, maybe
3) Dae-Ho Lee, just possibly, only in terms of his chances to play beyond 2017 (Asian and Cuban players are a special case)
4) Nelson Cruz, without a doubt (8.4 WAR before age 30, 16.5 WAR since, is rolling along at 5.0 per year in 2014, 15, 16)
5) Wade LeBlanc, conceivably
6) The question of saber-dogging a contract offered to a late bloomer
7) Why there are six Mariners listed among James' group of about 10 such late bloomers since the year 1980. And five of them on the 1997 team. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but might... Read More
Dr. Quinzel has a lot mo' in sto' fo' yo'
Posted by jemanji on 07/08/16
Posted to blog
13 Comments
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MOE SEZ
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Was it just me?
....Didn't it seem like Paxton never shook off a sign tonight? I din't see much of the early part of the game so I may have missed it....but I didn't see him shake off Ianetta once.
I hope I'm right and that this is the new Paxton.
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I didn't see any shakeoffs either, mate. I fancy the reason for that was ...
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JUST THE FA'AX, MA'AM
Not often at SSI we go with a simple description of events. ... in the immortal words of Harley Quinn, reality is for people who can't handle 70-lb. circus mallets. Or World War I "shell shock." But in this case, Dr. D's... Read More
Portugal and France have luck on their side
Posted by jschario on 07/07/16
Posted to blog
Sentimental gamblers may have a hard time choosing which team to place their bets on for the Euro 2016 final between Portugal and France. That's because both teams seem to be riding a wave of luck into the showdown at the Stade de France in Paris.
Portugal are lucky to even be in the tournament, let alone the final. They snuck in, needing to qualify through a playoff for the final spot before they needed more help making the knockout rounds. Tying in each of their three group stage matches, they benefitted from this year's playoff expansion to include the top four three-seeds.
But that has... Read More
Dr. D's anger seethes, boils and foments
Posted by jemanji on 07/07/16
Posted to blog
1 Comments
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July 2, Brooks had the Orioles for 11-of-20 times on base off balls in play against Paxton's (completely awesome) fastball. Which has got to be the 9 hits and 2 errors. This leaves 0 hits off his cutter/slider and 0 hits off his changeup. For the GAME.
June 26, they had the Cardinals as 7-for-11 to get on base off Paxton's fastball. One time, the Cardinals got on base against Paxton's foshball and changeup.
It is not rocket science. If the other guys refuse to swing at anything but fastballs, then you bury them in 0-2 counts and show them the folly of their ways. The only thing in the... Read More
SSI, where no shout goes unheard
Posted by jemanji on 07/07/16
Posted to blog
3 Comments
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MOE SEZ
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I like Montgomery getting a start.......but will admit [w/r/t] Karns this is a bit weird. Zunino playing every day for a bit is a great decision....then get him up and in the lineup a lot.
Matt, do you advocate selling some parts? Smith, Guti and Lind may all have some trade value. All are FA's in '17. Aoki seems to have been taken out of our plans for a while. We're 2.5 games out of the 2nd WC slot, BTW.
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Selling some parts ... :: taps chin :: We're -2.5 games out of the WC with a game or 77 to go. Proportionately, this would amount to the Seahawks being what ... one-quarter... Read More
great baseball face. little bit Mike Mooreish.
Posted by jemanji on 07/07/16
Posted to blog
1 Comments
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The Times sez,
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... lefty Mike Montgomery will make Walker’s scheduled start on Sunday in Kansas City. Montgomery tossed four shutout innings in relief of Walker against the Astros. He’s a former starter with a desire to return the rotation.
“We stretched out Montgomery last night for a reason,” Servais said. “Right now being it’s the last game before the break, you can kind of empty out your pen that day. We’ll give him the start, which he wants to do and he’s earned it. We’ll start that way on Sunday. That’s the plan right now. It could change. But that’s the plan.”
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We'll take that to... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 07/04/16
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2 Comments
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This week at BJOL:
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Hey Bill, when Andrew Miller was on the red Sox, did you think he would ever be this good? He didn't pitch in relief that year, did he?
Asked by: manhattanhi
Answered: 7/1/2016
He was with the Red Sox for the better part of four years, the last three as a reliever. We believed absolutely that he had tremendous upside potential,and he did pitch very well for us in the last 100 games or so that he was with the Red Sox. He was getting better and better throughout the time that he was with us.
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The quick summary of Miller's career, for those who just joined us:... Read More
You've GOT options. Time to show us your stuff, JeDi
Posted by jemanji on 07/04/16
Posted to blog
4 Comments
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On TV, they relayed the fact that the Mariners had played "listlessly" in their 1-8 loss to Pittsburgh Wednesday. Servais talked about it in the press, he talked about it to his veterans, and the Mariners' brain trust "fixed" the problem before it could fester.
Of course, other managers have put on scowls, crossed their arms, and told their teams to play good. This time, though, it happened: the M's squared off against the 47-30 Orioles and left them for 47-34.
...
That Wednesday game, the one the M's played "listlessly" or "languidly" or "cruddily" or "don't give a flip-pily" was a Wade... Read More
Posted by jschario on 07/03/16
Posted to blog
Pete Carroll and John Schneider have a policy when it comes to extending their players' contracts. In case you are the most passive of Seahawks fans, it's pretty simple. They do not extend or redo contracts unless a player is in the last year of his deal.
It's worked pretty well so far, although in a couple cases, it seems that the shrewd negotiating of the Seahawks front office has come back to bit them a couple times as Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett have expressed their displeasure with their current contracts, shortly after signing them.
Both signed fairly team friendly deals,... Read More
M's 6-and-2 since Operation Dae-Ho
Posted by jemanji on 07/02/16
Posted to blog
3 Comments
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K-PAX
Supposing we were playing Ping-Pong, you and I, and you were serving forehand/backhand to me, with the following results:
Forehand serves, 64%: 11 ace returns back at you
Backhand serves, 36%: 0 returns even ever back across the net
Suppose further that I was standing with my left foot forward, paddle drawn back behind me, taking a stance that couldn't do anything except return forehand if my life depended on it. What do you think you'd do? You got it. You'd keep serving them all riiiigghhhhht onto my forehand paddle. Hey, just refine your forehand command a little bit and you'... Read More
Wales and Iceland surprising many
Posted by jschario on 07/02/16
Posted to blog
The 2016 of the European Championship is turning out quite a few unexpected results, and could be validating the decision to expand the number of participants to 24.
Thanks to the decision, we will be able to take advantage of more opportunities to watch the play of Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal, but more importantly we have been able to watch his Real Madrid teammate's team mount an impressive run. Gareth Bale and Wales have been a surprise protagonist in this tournament, which is only their second major international tournament in their history.
Reaching the quarterfinals of a tournament... Read More
M's having jolly good time strafing Cards, Pirates, O's
Posted by jemanji on 07/02/16
Posted to blog
1 Comments
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WADE LEBLANC
Dr. D resists the Jamie Moyer comparison, but that doesn't mean you (or everybody on ROOT Sports) has to. Two games in to LeBlanc's resurrection, we're expecting the PhotoShopped TV commercial at any moment. Just 'Shop Dan Wilson's age-50 face onto the old commercial ... batter fretting about the incoming pitch ... "the ollllllle Wade LeBlanc change up! Looks like a strike!" "Nah, man, I don' think so."
Around 1999, after it became clear that Jamie Moyer was a Top of the Rotation (TOR) starter, we asked James about the historical precedent. He replied, Preacher Roe, with... Read More
The world is our oyster now, boyz
Posted by jemanji on 07/02/16
Posted to blog
3 Comments
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5-and-2 Bab-Eh
As Billy Beane put it, "a blog spends two months assessing what its team has, two months clamoring for what it should have, and two months lamenting the Heathcliff Slocumb trade."
Except that in 2016 it has all fallen into place like a Yoo-Hoo shower. SSI spent June yowling for a Lee-Lind lineup while the M's were throwing away 10 games from ahead on the scoreboard. But exactly one week ago, Jerry DiPoto grabbed Nori Aoki by one elbow and signalled forcefully down the I-5 highway. Since then, he's 5-and-2. Let's hope that Jerry DiPoto is as good at deriving cause-and-... Read More